[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 14 (Friday, January 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3541-3542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1438]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service
[MT-920-08-1220-00, 1617P]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
an Off-Highway Vehicle Amendment to Resource Management Plans and
Forest Plans
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior and Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (FS), Region 1, propose to amend their
respective resource management plans and forest plans in Montana, North
Dakota, and portions of South Dakota. This action is necessary so
managing agencies can responsibly manage the land and meet people
needs. With an increase of off-highway vehicle (OHV) traffic; i.e.,
motorcycles, four-wheel drive vehicles, all terrain vehicles, etc., the
BLM and the FS have observed the spread of noxious weeds, user
conflicts, soil erosion, damage to cultural sites, and disruption of
wildlife and wildlife habitat. The BLM and FS propose changing the
areas currently open seasonally or yearlong to cross-country OHV use to
a designation that allows for travel only on roads and trails. However,
this amendment would not change most of the current limited or closed
designations, or designated intensive off-road vehicle use areas.
Exceptions for off-road travel will be considered in the analysis for
game retrieval, camping, or disabled access. Access allowed under the
terms and conditions of a federal lease or permit would not be affected
by the proposal.
In the future, areas could be identified for intensive use and/or
trail development. As joint lead agencies, the BLM and FS will prepare
an environmental impact statement (EIS) to analyze the impacts of this
proposal and any alternatives. Travel planning currently under
consideration at individual FS and BLM offices will continue and those
analyses with recent decisions will remain in place under this
proposal.
DATES: Comments and recommendations on this notice should be received
in writing no later than March 31, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this notice to OHV Plan
[[Page 3542]]
Amendment, Lewistown Field Office, P.O. Box 1160, Lewistown, MT 59457-
1160.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry Majerus, 406-538-7461 or Dick
Kramer, 406-329-1008.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Montana/Dakotas BLM administers 8.5
million acres of public land within 10 field offices. Each office
manages OHV use under a land use plan. These land use plans allow for
three designations of vehicle use; open, limited, and closed. These
land use plans vary considerably in OHV designations. More recent plans
limit OHV use to existing or designated roads and trails in portions of
the area, while older plans were developed prior to the increased use
of OHVs and leave most areas open. Currently, 5 million acres are open
for unrestricted travel, 3.4 million acres are limited seasonally or
yearlong to existing or designated roads and trails, and 99,000 acres
are closed.
The FS administers 18.2 million acres of land in Montana and the
Dakotas located within nine national forests and the Dakota Prairie
Grasslands. Each national forest manages OHV use as part of their
forest plans. The OHV use is prohibited in all designated wilderness
areas. Forest plans allow for three designations of use in other areas;
open, restricted, and closed. Forest plans vary considerably in the
amount of area designated for these uses. Some forests have many areas
that are open while other forests have few open areas. Some forests
restrict OHV use to designated roads and trails only. All forest plans
were prepared prior to the recent increase in OHV use and the new
development of all terrain vehicle technology.
One of the many opportunities on public land is traveling the
backcountry for recreational pursuits, such as sight-seeing, wood
cutting, fishing, hunting, and other activities as provided by the
direction of existing land management and resource plans. Some of this
use occurs on public lands where OHV use is currently limited to
existing or designated roads and trails. It is the goal of both
agencies to provide for a wide spectrum of dispersed recreation
activities that will minimize environmental impacts and minimize
conflicts between user groups.
However, there are large areas of public land that are open to
cross-country travel off roads and trails. This unrestricted use has
the potential to continue the spread of noxious weeds, create user
conflicts, cause erosion, damage cultural sites, and disrupt wildlife
and wildlife habitat. The magnitude of these impacts is not known at
this time. With an increase in OHV traffic and changes in OHV
technology, the public and land management agencies recognize the need
to evaluate the current management decisions for those areas where
driving off roads and trails is allowed.
A change in management direction would be accomplished through an
EIS and an interagency plan amendment. The plan amendment would address
the use of wheeled, motorized vehicles designed for and/or capable of
travel off roads and trails.
The BLM and FS propose changing the areas currently open seasonally
or yearlong to cross-country OHV use to a designation that allows for
travel only on roads and trails. However, this would not change most of
the current limited or closed designations, or designated intensive use
areas. Travel planning currently under consideration at individual FS
and BLM offices will continue and those analyses with recent decisions
will remain in place under this proposal. Exceptions for off-road
travel will be considered for game retrieval, camping, or disabled
access. Access allowed under the terms and conditions of a federal
lease or permit would not be affected by the proposal. This broad scale
decision as proposed would be an interim decision until revision or
completion of travel management plans.
After the plan amendment is completed, the BLM and FS would
continue to develop travel plans for geographical areas (i.e.,
landscape analysis, watershed plans, or activity plans). Through travel
planning, roads and trails would be inventoried, mapped, and designated
as open or closed. Travel planning may identify areas for trail
development or further limit travel off roads and trails. Travel
planning may require implementation over a 10 to 15 year period.
Snowmobile use will not be addressed in this particular proposal.
The agencies agree that to do so would lengthen the process
significantly. In addition, the resource impacts associated with
snowmobile use are different enough to warrant a separate analysis. The
agencies are currently exploring options for addressing snowmobile use.
The scoping period for the plan amendment and EIS will begin in
January 1999, and open houses will be held in February 1999. The dates,
times and locations of these open houses will be announced in local
newspapers, and other news media, and available from the local offices
of the BLM and FS. A draft plan amendment and EIS should be available
for review in June 1999, with public meetings in July 1999. The comment
period on the draft plan amendment and EIS will be 90 days from the
date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of
availability in the Federal Register.
Authority: Sec. 202, Pub. L. 94-579, 90 Stat. 2747 (43 U.S.C.
1712), Sec. 6, Pub. L. 94-588, 90 Stat. 2949 (16 U.S.C. 1604).
Larry E. Hamilton,
State Director.
Dale N. Bosworth,
Regional Forester.
[FR Doc. 99-1438 Filed 1-21-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P
