On November 14, 2008, the BLM released the Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan for the Bay planning area in southwest Alaska. The Bay plan provides management guidance for 1.9 million acres of BLM-administered public land and resources in the Bristol Bay and Goodnews Bay regions of Alaska.

When the BLM initiated land use planning for this area in 2004, BLM-administered lands in the region totaled 3.6 million acres. Due to land transfer to the State and Alaska Native corporations, the BLM now manages 1.9 million acres in this region. BLM-managed lands in the Bay planning area should total approximately 1.5 million acres when the land transfer program is completed.

A 30-day protest period for the Bay Proposed RMP/Final EIS began December 14, 2007, the date the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The protest period ended January 14, 2008. 

During this period, the BLM received five protest letters cumulatively containing approximately 50 issues. The BLM Director resolved protests without requiring significant changes to decisions in the Proposed RMP. Minor modifications and clarifications to the proposed plan are outlined in the Record of Decision.

The Bay Record of Decision and Approved Plan is the variety of actions that the BLM believes best resolves the issues and management concerns for BLM lands in the planning area. The plan focuses on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield as outlined in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA).

Please use the links below to access Bay planning documents online.

• Bay Record of Decision and Approved RMP in Adobe Acrobat PDF
• Bay RMP-EIS Newsletter No. 3 May 2008 in Adobe Acrobat PDF (1.3 MB)
• Bay Proposed RMP and Final EIS in Adobe Acrobat PDF
• Bay RMP-EIS Newsletter No. 2 April 2007 in Adobe Acrobat PDF (351 KB)
• Bay Draft RMP and EIS September 2006 in Adobe Acrobat PDF
• Bay RMP-EIS Newsletter No. 1 May 2006 in Adobe Acrobat PDF (424 KB)
• Bay RMP-EIS Scoping Report June 2005 in Adobe Acrobat PDF (1.2 MB)
• Notice of Intent December 2004 in Adobe Acrobat PDF
• Summary of 1982 Southwest MFP for the Goodnews Bay Area in Adobe Acrobat PDF (85 KB)
• How you can participate in BLM land use planning

For more information about the Bay RMP/EIS or to request a copy of the plan on CD, contact the BLM at 907-267-1246 or 800-478-1263 (within Alaska).