BLM Alaska: Gulkana River Planning

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Delta River Planning

Print Page

Scoping for the Delta National Wild and Scenic River:

We are inviting you to participate in the public scoping process for the Delta River Management Plan. The Delta River Management Plan will contain three parts: (1) a revision of the 1983 Delta National Wild and Scenic River Management Plan (NWSR Plan), (2) a Delta River Special Recreation Management Area Plan (SRMA Plan), and (3) an associated Land Use Plan (LUP) Amendment to the East Alaska Resource Management Plan (EARMP). The Delta National Wild and Scenic River corridor and the Delta River SRMA comprise exactly the same boundaries, and this boundary represents the planning area for the Delta River Management Plan.

The revised Delta NWSR Plan is an update of the 1983 Delta River Management Plan, and is a broad plan that addresses management actions for all of the resources within the planning area. The NWSR Plan is required by the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 USC 1274 Section 3(d)). The Delta River SRMA Plan focuses on recreation management decisions within the planning area. The SRMA Plan process requires the BLM to use a Benefits Based Management approach to recreation resource 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 EARMP.

We are requesting your input in identifying resources, resource values, issues and concerns, and LUP Amendment planning criteria. Your comments will be used to develop management alternatives, which will be analyzed in one Environmental Assessment covering the Delta River Management Plan. There will be additional opportunities for review and comment during the preparation of the Environmental Assessment.

How to Make Comments:

The public scoping period for the Delta River Management Plan will be at least 60 days, initiated with the availability of this Scoping Notice and ending on Monday, September 15, 2008. Written comments must be received or, if mailed, postmarked by the close of the public scoping process.

All comments received during the public scoping process may be published as part of the Environmental Analysis process. Comment letters received, including names and addresses of respondents, will be made available for public review. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals representing organizations or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.

Comments can be mailed to:  BLM-Glennallen Field Office, Delta River Planning Process,
                                                 ATTN: Heath Emmons, P.O. Box 147, Glennallen, AK 99588

Or submitted by email to:   BLM-Glennallen Field Office River Manager, Heath Emmons

The BLM encourages your participation in this scoping process. Your input is an important step in the planning process for the Delta River corridor.