Table Of Content

BLM LIBRARY 88066167 kECORD of decision APPROVED BUTTE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN April 2009 The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the stewardship of our public lands. It is committed to manage, protect, and improve these lands in a manner to serve the needs of the American people for all times. Management is based on the principles of 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; fish and wildlife; wilderness; air; and scenic, scientific, and cultural values. BLM/MT/PL-09/009+1610 United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Take Pride Montana State Office in/J^MERICA 5001 Southgate Drive In Reply To: Billings, Montana 59101-4669 1610(070) http://www.mt.blm.gov/mt April 2009 Dear Reader/Interested Party: I am pleased to announce that the Butte Resource Management Plan (RMP) is complete. This document will provide management guidance for more than 307,000 acres of public land and approximately 661,000 acres of federal mineral estate administered by the Bureau of Land Management in western Montana. The attached Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved RMP were prepared in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The document has been sent to members of the public who requested a copy and to pertinent local, state, tribal and federal government entities. The ROD links final land use plan decisions to the proposed decisions presented in the Proposed RMP/Final Environmental Impact Statement that was released in September 2008. Six unique protests were received. After consideration of the points raised in these protests, the BLM Director concluded that all applicable laws, regulations, policies, and pertinent resource considerations had been followed in developing the proposed plan. The protest review did not result in any significant changes to the proposed plan. Minor adjustments or points of clarification incorporated into the RMP in response to final BLM review are discussed in the ROD’s Modifications and Clarifications sections. The ROD serves as the final decision for the land use planning decisions described in the attached Approved RMP. The ROD also contains travel route designations described and mapped for the Helena Travel Planning Area (TPA), East Helena TPA, Lewis and Clark County NW TPA, Boulder/Jefferson City TPA, and Upper Big Hole River TPA. Travel route decisions for these five TPAs are implementation level decisions that are now subject to the Department of Interior’s appeal regulations at 43 CFR Part 4. The appeal period will close 30 days from the date the Notice of Availability of the ROD/RMP appears in the Federal Register. This date will be announced via local news releases and on the Butte RMP website. The Appeal Procedures for Implementation Decisions section in the ROD provides a more detailed discussion of the appeal procedures. Additional hard copies or CD copies of the ROD/Approved RMP may be obtained by contacting the Butte Field Office at 106 North Parkmont, Butte, MT, 59701. The document will also be available on the Butte Field Office website on the internet at: http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/butte_field_office.html. We appreciate your help in this planning effort and look forward to your continued participation as the plan is implemented. Gene R. Terland State Director, Montana/Dakotas I OiT RECORD OF DECISION AND APPROVED BUTTE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN April 2009 Prepared by: U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Butte Field Office Butte, Montana Approved by: April 20, 2009 Gene R. Terland Date State Director, Montana/Dakotas ACRONYMS ACEC Area of Critical Environmental Concern NEPA National Environmental Policy Act AML Abandoned Mine Lands NL No Lease APLIC Avian Power Line Interaction Committee NOI Notice of Intent ATV All Terrain Vehicle NPS National Park Service AUM Animal Unit Month NSO No Surface Occupancy Stipulation BFO Butte Field Office NW Northwest BLM Bureau of Land Management OHV Off-Highway Vehicle BMP Best Management Practice PEIS Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement CCF Hundred Cubic Feet PM10 Particulate Matter less than 10 micrograms CEQ Council on Environmental Quality ppm Parts per million CFR Code of Federal Regulations PSQ Probable Sale Quantity CSU Controlled Surface Use Stipulation R&PP Recreation and Public Purposes DBH Diameter at Breast Height RMP Resource Management Plan DNRC Montana Department of Natural Resources RMZ Riparian Management Zone DOE Department of Energy ROD Record of Decision EA Environmental Assessment ROS Recreation Opportunity Spectrum ECMA Elkhoms Cooperative Management Area ROW Right-of-way EIS Environmental Impact Statement SIMPPLLE Simulating Patterns and Processes at ESA Endangered Species Act Landscape Scales FAMS Facility Asset Management System SRMA Special Recreation Management Area FLPMA Federal Land Policy and Management Act SMZ Streamside Management Zone FMU Fire Management Unit TL Timing Limitation Stipulation FRCC Fire Regime Condition Class TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load GIS Geographic Information System TPA Travel Planning Area HUC Hydrologic Unit Code use United States Code IGBC Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee USDA United States Department of Agriculture IM Instructional Memorandum USDI United States Department of the Interior LWCF Land and Water Conservation Fund USFS United States Forest Service MBF Thousand Board Feet USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service MDEQ Montana Department of Environmental VRM Visual Resource Management Quality WFIP Wildland Fire Implementation Plan MFP Management Framework Plan WFU Wildland Fire Use MFWP Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks WSA Wilderness Study Area MLA Mineral Leasing Act WSR Wild and Scenic River MMBF Million Board Feet WUI Wildland/Urban Interface NA Not Applicable > TABLE OF CONTENTS RECORD OF DECISION.1 Introduction.1 Protest Review Results.1 Decision.1 Implementation Decisions Covered Under This Record of Decision.1 Appeal Procedures for Implementation Decisions.2 Request for Stay.2 Modifications.2 Clarifications.2 Overview of the Alternatives.3 Alternative A - No Action.3 Alternative B - Preferred Alternative.3 Alternative C.3 Alternative D.4 Environmentally Preferable Alternative.4 Management Considerations in Selecting the Approved RMP.4 Mitigation Measures.5 Plan Monitoring. 5 Public Involvement.5 Availability of the Approved Rmp.6 Field Manager Recommendation.6 Approval.6 APPROVED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN.7 Introduction.7 Purpose and Need for the Plan.7 Planning Area and Map.7 Scoping/Issues.9 Issue 1: Vegetation Communities.10 Issue 2: Wildlife, Wildlife Habitat, Special Status and Priority Plant and Animal Species.10 Issue 3: Travel Management and Access.10 Issue 4: Recreation.10 Issue 5: Special Designations Including ACECs, National Trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and WSAs.10 Planning Criteria/Legislative Constraints.10 Planning Process.10 Relationship to BLM Policies, Plans and Programs.11 Collaboration.12 Related Plans.12 Policy.13 Overall Vision.13 Management Decisions.13 Goals Common to All BLM Activities.13 Vegetation Communities.14 Vegetation Management Approach and Tools.14 Emphasis and Priorities for Vegetation Treatments.14 Grassland and Shrubland Vegetation.15 Forests and Woodlands (including Forest Products).16 Riparian Vegetation.20 Livestock Grazing.23 Wildland Fire Management.26 Noxious Weed Management.28 Non-Vegetation Resources/Uses .30 Wildlife, Fish, Wildlife Habitat, Special Status and Priority Plant and Animal Species.30 Record of Decision (ROD)ZApproved RMP i Record of Decision/Approved RMP Travel Management and Access.37 Transportation and Facilities.47 Recreation Management.48 Special Designations - Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs).53 Special Designations - National Trails.59 Special Designations - Wild and Scenic Rivers.,.60 Special Designations - Wilderness Study Areas.61 Air Quality.62 Soil Resources.63 Water Resources.63 Visual Resources.64 Cultural Resources, Traditional Cultural Properties and Paleontological Resources.65 Lands and Realty.67 Energy and Minerals.71 Abandoned Mine Lands.77 Elazardous Materials Management.78 Wild Horses and Burros.78 Social and Economic Environment.80 Environmental Justice (EJ).81 Tribal Treaty Rights.81 MANAGEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.82 Planning.82 Implementation.82 Public Involvement in Plan Implementation.83 Monitoring.83 Plan Evaluation and Adaptive Management.84 Implementation Strategy.84 List of Preparers.85 References Cited.87 Glossary.89 Appendices Appendix A - Land Health Standards.105 Appendix B - Best Management Practices.113 Appendix C - Wildlife.117 Appendix D - Travel Management.149 Appendix E - Recreation Opportunity Spectrum.159 Appendix F - Cultural and Paleontological Resources and Native American Treaties.161 Appendix G - Lands and Realty.183 Appendix H - Fluid Minerals.195 Tables Table 1 Lands within the Butte RMP Planning Area.9 Table 2 Steps in the BLM Land Use Planning Process.11 Table 3 Grassland Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.15 Table 4 Shrubland Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.15 Table 5 Dry Forest Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.17 Table 6 Cool/Moist Forest Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.17 Table 7 Riparian Vegetation Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.21 Table 8 Areas Unavailable for Long Term Grazing Permits.24 Table 9 Fire Polygons by Fire Management Unit.27 Table 10 Acres of Open, Closed, and Limited Area Designations. 38 ii Record of Decision (ROD)ZApproved RMP