Delta Wild and Scenic River Management Plan Revision:
The process to revise the 1983 Delta Wild and Scenic River (Delta WSR) Management Plan requires the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Delta River Special Recreation Management Area Plan (SRMA Plan) and an associated Land Use Plan (LUP) Amendment to the East Alaska Resource Management Plan (EARMP). The Delta River SRMA Plan focuses on recreation management decisions within the planning area. The SRMA planning process requires BLM to use a Benefits Based Management approach to recreational management within the river corridor. The LUP Amendment is necessary because changes have been proposed to some of the recreation management decisions that were made in the East Alaska Resource Management Plan.
NEW: Environmental Assessment and Proposed Plan Released for 30 Day Protest Period and 60 Day Governor's Consistency Review:
Available for your review and broken out by chapter on the table to the right are the Environmental Assessment (EA) and the Finding of No Significant Impact for the Proposed Delta River Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) Plan and East Alaska Resource Management Plan (EARMP) Amendment. Pursuant to the BLM’s planning regulations at 43 CFR 1610.5-2, any person who participated in the planning process for the Proposed EARMP Amendment and EA and has an interest which is or may be adversely affected by the planning decisions may protest approval of the planning decisions within 30 days of the publication of the notice of its effective date.
The protest period for the Proposed EARMP Amendment and EA began August 1, 2011 and ended on August 31, 2011. For additional information on protests, please see the accompanying protest regulations.
The EA for the Proposed Delta River SRMA Plan and EARMP Amendment contain both land use planning decisions that are subject to public protest and implementation decisions that may be appealed to the Interior Board of Land Appeals. Approval will be withheld on any portion of the proposed RMP Amendment under protest until final action has been completed on such protest. Implementation decisions in the Delta River SRMA Plan are only appealable after the publication of the Decision Record, which is anticipated after the protest period and Governor's consistency review ends. The Decision Record will include information on the appeal process for implementation decisions.
Background:
Benefits Based Management:
Benefits Based Management (BBM) is a new approach to recreational planning that focuses on identifying the primary activities, experiences, and benefits that are attained by various user groups within a resource area. The Glennallen Field Office conducted seven BBM planning meetings in February 2007. Discussion at these meetings focused on how people used the area, their primary purpose for using the area, and their opinions on desired future conditions and management options. A total of 78 people attended.
Scoping:
After the BBM meetings, a scoping period was initiated to determine potential issues for analysis. The public scoping period for the Delta River SRMA Plan and associated LUP Amendment ended on September 15, 2008 after a 60 day public comment period. The Scoping Report and are available for review.
Draft Environmental Assessment:
Based on feedback received from public scoping, management alternatives were developed that address the purpose and need for the plan and to adress issues that were identified during scoping. Environmental effects for each alternative were then analyzed in a Draft Environmental Assessment. The Draft Environmental Assessment was available for public comment from March 23 - May 6, 2010. The Proposed EARMP Amendment and EA contain a summary of the written and verbal comments received during the public review period for the Draft EARMP Amendment and EA and the associated responses to those comments.
Contact BLM:
To be entered into our contact database for these planning efforts or to receive more information or hard copies of planning documents, please contact:
BLM-Glennallen Field Office, Delta River Planning Process,
P.O. Box 147, Glennallen, AK 99588
Or you may contact the office by email or by phone at 907-822-3217.
