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88046145 United States Department ofthe Interior BUREAUOFLANDMANAGEMENT CarsonCityDistrictOffice DevelopedjointlywiththeCityofCarsonCity Carson City Urban Interface Plan Amendment October, 1996 243 .N3 IC369 1996 ! TheBureau ofLandManagementis responsiblefor thestewardshipofourpubliclands. Itiscommitted to manage, protect, and improve these lands in a mannertoservetheneedsoftheAmericanpeoplefor alltime. Managementisbasedupontheprincipleof multiple use and sustained yield of our nation's resources within a framework of environmental responsibility and scientific technology. These resources include recreation, rangelands, timber, minerals,watershed,fishandwildlife,wilderness,air andscenic,scientificandculturalvalues. BLM/CC/PL-97/002 Sb&o4./te CARSONCITYURBANINTERFACEPLANAMENDMENT TABLEOFCONTENTS INTRODUCTION PURPOSEANDNEED 1 1 LOCATION PLANNINGPROCESSOVERVIEW 1 1 CONFORMANCEWITHPUBLICLANDUSEPLANS 3 RELATIONSHIPTOSTATUTES,REGULATIONSOROTHERPLANS ... 4 PROPOSEDACTIONANDALTERNATIVES 4 AFFECTEDENVIRONMENT 9 GENERAL 9 VISUALRESOURCES 9 NATURALRESOURCES 9 CULTURALRESOURCES 11 GEOLOGYANDMINERALS 11 LANDUSE 16 SOCIALECONOMICCONDITIONS 17 ENVIRONMENTALCONSEQUENCES 18 PROPOSEDACTION 18 CONTINUATIONOFCURRENTMANAGEMENTALTERNATIVE 21 CONSULTATIONANDCOORDINATION 28 PREPARERS/REVIEWERS 29 REFERENCES 30 DECISIONRECORD/FINDINGOFNOSIGNIFICANTIMPACT 31 APPENDIX 32 ".CO 8022 CARSONCITYURBANINTERFACEPLANAMENDMENT ANDENVIRONMENTALASSESSMENT INTRODUCTION The planning issues identified for analysis were: PURPOSEANDNEED a. LandTenure. Thepurposeofthisamendmenttothe Walker resourcemanagementplan(RMP)istoprovide b. Managementoflandstoberetained for improved management of public lands infederalownershipforopenspace. adjacenttothecommunityofCarsonCity. The amendmentisintendedtoidentifyareaswhere 2. An analysis ofplanning criteria concluded publiclandswillberetainedinownershipbythe thatexistingcriteria to guidetheplanning peopleoftheUnitedStates;areaswherepublic process were appropriate and need not be landswillbeavailableforacquisitionbyState changed. Thecriteria include: 1)Usebest or localagenciesortheprivatesector;andhow availableexistingdatatotheextentpossible. publiclandswillbemanaged. 2)Identifyopportunitiestoresolveproblems. 3) Documentthe analysis ofalternativesin The amendment is needed to protect the long plain language and discuss minor issues term quality ofthe human environment in the briefly. 4) Select the preferred alternative CarsonCityurbaninterface. Thesepubliclands basedonthecombinationwhichbestmeets areanimportantnaturalresourceforthepeople demandsforpubliclands whileminimizing ofCarsonCity. disruptionofthehumanenvironment. LOCATION 3. Resource data necessary to complete the analysiswascompiled. The planning area includes 17,892 acres of publiclandinCarsonCity,Nevada(Map 1). 4. An analysis ofinventory dataandresource information was conducted in conjunction PLANNINGPROCESSOVERVIEW withsocialandeconomicinformation,public sector demand for public land, mineral This plan amendment process was conducted potentialandopenspaceneeds. Theresults jointlywiththeCityofCarsonCity. Itincludes ofthisanalysisformthebasisoftheaffected theninebasicstepscommontoallpublicland environmentdescriptioninthisdocument. planningefforts: 5. Various alternatives were discussed 1. Planning issueswere identifiedthrough the throughout the joint BLM/City planning public scoping process initiated through a process,culminatingintherecommendations FederalRegisternoticeinJune, 1995. This approved by the Carson City Board of was followedby twelvejointBLM/Carson Supervisors on July 18, 1996. Those CityplanningmeetingsthroughJuly, 1996. recommendationsformthebasisforthe Map 1 Carson City Urban Interface Plan Amendment Area —Legend r—iPublic Lands L- «Adminstered by the Bureau of Land Management "Plan Amendment —Area Boundary Carson City Boundary \ City Road \ Network 1 Mil proposedactionpresentedinthisdocument. planamendmentsshouldcircumstanceschange. In addition, the analysis includes a Continuation of Current Management 6. Ananalysisofthephysical,biological,social Alternative for current management and economic effects of implementing the practices. alternativeswasconducted. Alternativesconsideredbuteliminatedfrom 7. Preferred Alternative/Proposed Plan detailedstudyincludedmeasurestocontrol Amendment Selection - Based on thejoint locatable mining activity through off road BLM/Carson City planning process and vehicle closures and measures to control analysis of effects, the preferred leasable mining activity through special alternative/proposed plan amendment was stipulations such as no surface occupancy. selected. These alternatives were eliminated from detailedstudyduringthejointdevelopment 8. The final plan amendment was selected of the plan amendment and Carson City's followingtheNevadaGovernor'sconsistency Master Plan because they would degrade review. open space resources. Off road vehicle closures wouldrequirethefilingofplansof 9. Urbaninterfacelandmanagementunderthe operationforallminingactivities,butwould plan amendment will be periodically not prevent surface disturbance from monitored and evaluated to determine the occurring such as trenching, road building, effectivenessofthedecisions. Theobjective andopenpitmining. Theseactivitieswould is to determine whether or not degradeopenspaceresources;insomecases, implementationofmanagementprescriptions permanently. isachievingthedesiredresults. Information obtainedthroughtheevaluationprocesswill Special stipulations for mineral leasing be used to adjust management of urban would not prevent surface disturbance and interfacelands. visualintrusionsassociatedwithgeothermal explorationanddevelopment. Anosurface occupancystipulationwouldaccomplishthe CONFORMANCE WITH PUBLIC LAND sameobjectivesforpubliclands,butwould USEPLANS force development onto adjacent private lands,whichwouldalsodegradeopenspace If adopted, the provisions of the plan valuesintheurbaninterfacearea. amendment will be in conformance to the WalkerResourceManagementPlan(RMP). The Withdrawal, a more restrictive option for amendment would affect decisions from the mineral leasing, was also considered but Reno Management Framework Plan that were eliminatedfromdetailedanalysis becausea incorporatedbyreferenceintotheWalkerRMP. landusedecisiontoclosewouldaccomplish This includesDecision Oneforlanddisposals, the same objectives, is within the DecisionSixforlandexchanges,DecisionSeven discretionaryauthorityoftheStateDirector, formineral leasing,DecisionEightformineral andwouldprovidemoreflexibilityforfuture materials and Decision Forty-One for historic trails. RELATIONSHIP TO STATUTES, orExecutiveOrder6910whichwithdrewlands REGULATIONSOROTHERPLANS fromdisposalpendingadeterminationtheland usehasmorevalueforusesotherthangrazing This amendmentisdirectly relatedtoandwas or the production of forage crops. This developed jointly with the 1996 Carson City amendment process has resulted in that MasterPlanUpdate. determination since potential residential, recreation and public purposes would have a ThisamendmentsupportstheprovisionsofBLM greatervaluethangrazingorforagecrops. WashingtonOfficeInstructionMemorandum96- 171,whichencouragescontinuedleadershipand PROPOSEDACTIONAND innovation in collaborative efforts with local ALTERNATIVES communities. INTRODUCTION Thisamendmentisconsistentwiththeobjectives ofBLM Memorandum ofUnderstandingWO- Thissectionpresentstheproposedactionanda 480-9605betweentheBLM,theForestService, continuationofpresentmanagementalternative andtheNationalAssociationofCounties. The forthemanagementof publiclandintheurban memorandum calls for coordination among interfaceareaofCarsonCity. federalandlocallandmanagementplans. PROPOSEDACTION This amendment was prepared pursuant to Section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and The objective of the proposed action is to ManagementAct,whichdirectstheSecretaryof manage public lands in the Carson City urban theInteriortodeveloplanduseplansconsistent interfacetobeconsistentwith theCarsonCity with State and local plans to the maximum Master Plan and to provide for limited extentconsistentwithfederallaw. community expansion while maximizing open space values. Theproposedaction consistsof Thisamendmentisalsorelatedtotheproposed thefollowingelements: Pine Nut Mountains Plan Amendment. That amendment will include management • Designate 15,690 acres for retention in prescriptions for motorized vehicle use and publicownershipundertheadministrationof woodlandmanagementforthoselandswithinthe the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) urbaninterfaceeastoftheCarsonRiver. (Map2). This amendment is tiered to the Walker • Designate2,049acresforpotentialdisposal RMP/EIS which includes a comprehensive to State and local government through the analysisoftheaffectedenvironment. RecreationandPublicPurposesAct. Mineral inventories used to develop this • Designate 153 acres for potential disposal alternative were prepared in accordance with throughexchangeforotherlandsinCarson BLMManual3031. City. Disposaldeterminationsintheplanamendment arerelatedtotheTaylorGrazingAct,section 1, • Disposals along the V&T railroad corridor Table One summarizes management wouldbelimitedtothosethatfullyprotect prescriptionsbyalternative. thecorridorshistoricandscenicvalues. Table1. • Withdraw 17,892acresfromtheoperationof the locatable mining laws and close these Management Proposed Continue lands to mineralexploration andleasingto prescriptions Action Current protect open space and other public land (acres) Mgmt. values. Thesearediscretionaryactions. (Acres) • Landsretainedinpublicownershipwouldbe Protective 15,690 2,430 managed to protect open space, visual, managementfor recreation,watershed,andwildliferesources. openspace, Protectionoftheseresourceswouldbegiven recreationetc. priorityoverotherlanduses. Disposalfor 2,049 recreation& • Management of mineral materials in the publicpurposes planningareawouldbedeterminedthrough > 6,463' a joint aggregate resources plan to be Disposal 153 developedwithCarsonCity. through exchange CONTINUATION OF CURRENT MANAGEMENTALTERNATIVE Mineralentry/ 8,999 utilitydevel- • Continueproviding6463 acresfordisposal opment,etc. from federal public ownership for private Closedto 17,892 3,711 development or recreation and public mineralentry purposes(Map3). 1.Includesdirectsales. • Lands to be retained in public ownership (8,999acres)wouldbeavailableformineral entry,majorright-of-wayfacilitiesandother uses as identified in the Walker resource managementplan(RMP). • Atotal of2,430acres atPrisonHillwould continuetobemanagedforopenspaceand recreationuses. • Current segregations from mineral entry would be maintained on 3,711 acres (Map 4). Map 2 Carson City Urban Interface Plan Amendment: Proposed Action Legend i i ifPnourbPlOuibpcleiLncanOSdwpsnaectreoshbiepRetained PublicLandsAvailable forState/LocalAgenciesfor Recreation/PublicPurposes 0.83 0.83 Miles