Bears Ears NM draft Resource Management Plan open for public comment until 6/11/2024

fossana

fossana

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The draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Bears Ears NM is now available for public comment, closing on 6/11/2024.

Of note from the SL Tribune write-up:

The plan and the monument are the first of their kind. The land will be managed not only by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service but also with the input of five sovereign tribal nations....

The 678-page draft includes five alternative plans, which include tribal input for shared stewardship of the monument...

The BLM and Forest Service have identified Alternative E as their preferred option, which they say “maximizes the consideration and use of Tribal perspectives on managing the landscape” of the monument, emphasizing tribal knowledge and the protection of natural resources...

The BLM and Forest Service plan to hold seven open-house public meetings for the public to meet with resource specialists...
Click to expand...


How to participate

Will post updates as I learn more.
 
Careful which you root for ... Could result in closed areas
 
I will take a look and likely provide comments. I used to prepare EAs and EISs and review these documents under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as part of my job. I wonder if the timeline allows for a Record of Decision (ROD) before the next President is sworn into office…
 
Quick update:
  • Several of the public meetings have been recorded. You can find links to the recordings here.
  • The agencies' preferred management plan alternative is alternative E.
  • There's an overview of alternatives in the Executive Summary, or you can see a more detailed comparison in the table section.
@Kerrie at Thru We Go I will call the BLM office next week about the Record of Decision timing.
 
I asked about the ROD timing in a couple of other places. Summary:

  • Monticello BLM office - no timeline
  • Kane Gulch BLM office - planned for Nov 2024
  • Bears Ears Partnership (formerly Friends of Cedar Mesa) - historically delayed even if planned for Nov
 
Circling back with the proposed Resource Management Plan and final EIS. Under NEPA there is now a 30 day public protest period and a 60 day UT state review. Details here.

From the Exec Summary on the selected alternative (I added clarification for abbreviations):

Alternative E maximizes the consideration and use of Tribal perspectives on managing the landscape of BENM. This alternative is meant to emphasize resource protection and the use of Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and perspectives on the stewardship of the Bears Ears landscape. This includes consideration of natural processes and seasonal cycles in the management of BENM and collaboration with Tribal Nations to incorporate those considerations into BENM day-to-day management.

• Recreation areas: Alternative E would manage recreation based on a zoned approach. Four zones would be designated: Front Country, Passage, Outback, and Remote.

• Recreational shooting would be prohibited in BENM.

• Recreational facilities: In general, development of facilities would be allowed, where necessary, in Front Country and Passage Zones.

• Livestock grazing: BENM would be available/suitable for livestock grazing except for approximately 169,530 acres, which would be unavailable/not suitable or restricted to trailing only.

• ACECs [Areas of Critical Environmental Concern]: Under Alternative E, all existing ACECs would be carried forward. Additionally, the nominated John’s Canyon Paleontological ACEC and Aquifer Protection ACEC would be designated.

• Vegetation management: Vegetation management under Alternative E would emphasize Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and techniques and natural processes to restore ES-10 ecosystems, return natural fire intervals, vegetation conditions and landscape characteristics.

• Forest and wood product harvest: The agencies and the BEC [Bears Ears Commission] would monitor populations and locations of traditionally harvested trees and their uses and impacts to vegetation and wildlife species. Wood product use would be opened or closed permanently or on a seasonal or multi-year basis to allow for resource rest. The acreages of areas open and closed to wood product harvest would be determined by the agencies in collaboration with the BEC. Within areas open to wood product harvest, designated harvest areas would be designated with emphasis on areas with pinyon pine and juniper encroachment and where site-specific analysis indicates that harvest would be useful to protect vegetation ecosystems.

• Fire management: Under Alternative E, the most environmental protection measures would be employed to maximize protection of cultural resources, while also protecting natural resources. Fire and fuel management would prioritize natural processes and incorporate Traditional Indigenous Knowledge. The fuels treatments would give precedence to the protection of culturally significant sites. Mechanical treatments would only be used to protect BENM objects.

• Travel and transportation management: Under Alternative E, public use for landing and takeoffs of motorized aircraft would be limited to the Bluff Airport and Fry Canyon Airstrip. Alternative E would eliminate most public access of BENM for UASs [drones], except for authorizations for case-by-case landings and takeoffs through formal permitting processes, where the use is beneficial to protecting BENM objects. 392,989 acres of BLM-administered lands and 176,982 acres of NFS lands would be managed as OHV closed areas, totaling 569,971 acres. In all, 682,059 acres of BLM-administered lands and 112,122 acres of NFS lands would be managed as OHV limited areas, totaling 794,181 acres.

• LWC [land with wilderness characteristics]: The BLM would manage 421,965 acres of LWC to protect their wilderness characteristics while allowing for compatible uses under Alternative E.
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Surprisingly, Arch Canyon will not be closed to motorized vehicles, although there will be a permit required. However, the interior corridor of Moon House will be closed, so you better go soon if you want to see it!
 
Sounds good to close the interior corridor..... people dont need to be in there.
 
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