Summary of Scoping for Eastern Interior RMP

During the formal scoping period, public meetings were held in eight communities throughout the planning area. Approximately 122 people attended the public meetings. BLM recieved about 67 pieces of correspondance during the formal scoping period. In addition, about 25 people gave oral comments at the public meetings. The results of scoping are summarized in the Scoping Report which can be found on the documents page.

Based on these comments, BLM identified 10 issues to be addressed in the Draft RMP and EIS. These are listed below in alphabetical order.

• Climate Change
• Fisheries Management
• Minerals Management
• Recreation and Visitor Services
• Rights-of-way Management
• Subsistence
• Travel Management (off-road vehicles)
• Water Quality
• Wilderness Characteristics
• Wildlife

The public also identified management concerns which did not rise to the level of an issue. Some of these concerns will be addressed in the Draft RMP/EIS. Others are outside the scope of the RMP or can be addressed immediately. One example is the establishement of easements to provide access to public land across land owned by Native Corporations. The process of establishing easements in the planning area is ongoing and does  not require a land use plan decision to proceed.

An example of a management concern that is outside the scope of the plan are changes to hunting regulations, seasons, and bag limits. These decisions are the responsibility of the Board of Game and the Federal Subsistence Board, not the BLM.

In addition to concerns or issues raised by the public, BLM has identified several areas where management direction may need to be changed to meet current laws, regulations, policies, or to address changed conditions. One example is management of invasive species such as noxious weeds. The existing land use plans for the Eastern Interior planning area do not address invasive species.