Four Rivers Field Office : proposed resource management plan and final environmental impact statement

2020·21 MB·English

by  United States. Bureau of Land Management. Four Rivers Field Office

U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
FOUR RIVERS FIELD OFFICE
Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement
Four Rivers Field Office, Boise District, Idaho (Volume 1 )
February 2020
Estimated Costs to Develop: $3,520,000
BLM Mission
The Bureau of Land Management’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and
productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock
grazing, mineral development, energy production, and by conserving natural, historical,
cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Four Rivers Field Office Proposed
Resource Management Plan and
Final Environmental Impact
Statement
February 2020
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Protest Regulations

[CITE: 43CFR1610.5-2]

TITLE 43--PUBLIC LANDS: INTERIOR
CHAPTER II--BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
PART 1600--PLANNING, PROGRAMMING, BUDGETING--Table of Contents
Subpart 1610--Resource Management Planning
Sec. 1610.5-2 Protest procedures.

(a) Any person who participated in the planning process and has an interest which is or may be
adversely affected by the approval or amendment of a resource management plan may protest
such approval or amendment. A protest may raise only those issues which were submitted for
the record during the planning process.

(1) The protest shall be in writing and shall be filed with the Director. The protest shall be filed
within 30 days of the date the Environmental Protection Agency published the notice of
receipt of the final environmental impact statement containing the plan or amendment in
the Federal Register. For an amendment not requiring the preparation of an environmental
impact statement, the protest shall be filed within 30 days of the publication of the notice
of its effective date.

(2) The protest shall contain:

(i) The name, mailing address, telephone number and interest of the person filing
the protest;
(ii) A statement of the issue or issues being protested;
(iii) A statement of the part or parts of the plan or amendment being protested;
(iv) A copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues that were submitted during
the planning process by the protesting party or an indication of the date the issue
or issues were discussed for the record; and
(v) A concise statement explaining why the State Director's decision is believed to
be wrong.

(3) The Director shall promptly render a decision on the protest.

(b) The decision shall be in writing and shall set forth the reasons for the decision. The decision
shall be sent to the protesting party by certified mail, return receipt requested. The decision of
the Director shall be the final decision of the Department of the Interior.
Four Rivers Field Office
Proposed Resource Management Plan and
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Responsible Agency: United States Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Type of Action: Administrative ( X ) Legislative ( )
Document Status: Draft ( ) Final ( X )
Abstract: This Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact
Statement (Final EIS) has been prepared by the United States Department of the Interior (DOI),
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with input from cooperating agencies. The Proposed
RMP/Final EIS describes and discusses the proposed action for managing 783,160 acres of surface
acres in the Four Rivers Field Office (FRFO) in southwestern Idaho and incorporates the
alternatives analyzed in the Draft RMP/Draft EIS by reference. The BLM administers public lands
in the Planning Area according to three existing plans. The existing plans have been updated and
amended since they were originally approved. This Proposed RMP/Final EIS describes
management actions to develop a comprehensive framework for BLM-administered lands in the
Four Rivers Planning Area and analyzes the future use and management direction of the many
natural and cultural resources found in the Planning Area over the next 20 years. The Proposed
RMP emphasizes managing public lands to promote economic development while conserving
natural resources and represents a mixed management approach recognizing the diversity of needs
and issues throughout the planning area. Planning issues addressed include management of a
scattered BLM-administered lands base, vegetation resources, fire management, Threatened and
Endangered species management, livestock grazing, access, recreation, socioeconomics, and lands
and realty. The planning effort also considers lands with wilderness characteristics, wild and scenic
rivers, and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs).
Protest Period: Protests must be postmarked or received no later than 30 days after the publication
of the US Environmental Protection Agency Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. Please
refer to the Dear Reader Letter preceding this abstract for additional information on how to protest.
For further information contact:
Bureau of Land Management
Four Rivers Field Office
3948 Development Avenue
Boise, Idaho 83705
[phone]
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://go.usa.gov/xnsn6
Table of Contents Volume 1:

_________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Reader Letter
Executive Summary
Acronyms
Chapter 1- Introduction…….……………………………………………………………. 1
Chapter 2- Resource Management Alternatives………………………………………... 7
Table 2.1 Proposed Management Plan………………………………………………… 10
Table 2.2 Summary of Environmental Consequences by Alternatives………………... 38
Chapter 3- Affected Environment………………………………………………………. 42
Chapter 4- Environmental Consequences………………………………………………. 70
4.1 Assumptions for Analysis………………………………………………………….. 70
4.2 Tribal Interests and Cultural Resources……………………………………………. 71
4.3 Paleontological Resources…………………………………………………………. 73
4.4 Vegetation Resources……………………………………………………………… 74
4.5 Special Status Species………………………………………………………………75
4.6 Fish and Wildlife…………………………………………………………………... 78
4.7 Aquatic Resources…………………………………………………………………. 81
4.8 Wild Horses………………………………………………………………………... 82
4.9 Wildfire Ecology and Fuels Management……………………………………...….. 84
4.10 Air Quality………………………………………………………………………... 85
4.11 Visual Resources ………………………………………………………………….90
4.12 Forestry and Woodland Management…………………………………………….. 90
4.13 Livestock Grazing Management………………………………………………….. 91
4.14 Recreation Management………………………………………………………….. 93
4.15 Transportation and Travel Management …………………………………………. 95
4.16 Lands and Realty Management…………………………………………………… 95
4.17 Minerals Management……………………………………………………………. 96
4.18 Hazardous Materials and Public Safety…………………………………………....98
4.19 Special Designations……………………………………………………………….98
4.20 Socioeconomics…………………………………………………………………...100
4.21 Cumulative Impacts……………………………………………………………….104

Glossary………………………………………………………………………………… 123

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………. 143

Maps…………………………………………………………………………………….. 181
Maps:

Map 1-1 Overview
Map 2-1 Visual Resource Management
Map 2-2 Grazing
Map 2-3 Recreation
Map 2-4 OHV
Map 2-5 Land Tenure
Map 2-6 Land Use Authorizations
Map 2-7 Solar
Map 2-8 Wind
Map 2-9 Leasable Minerals
Map 2-10 Salable Minerals
Map 2-11 Oregon Trail
Map 2-12 Special Designations
Map 2-13 Areas of Critical Environmental Concern
Map 3-1 Land Cover
Map 3-2 Bull Trout
Map 3-3 Elk Mule Deer
Map 3-4 Wild Horse
Map 3-5 Fire History
Map 3-6 Communities at Risk Fire
Map 3-7 ESR
Map 3-8 VRI
Map 3-9 Grazing Allotments
Map 3-10 Mineral Withdrawals
Map 3-11 Mineral Estate
Map 3-12 Oil Gas
Map 3-13 Locatable
Map 3-14 Existing Special Designations