NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:  December 28, 2001
Contacts:   Celia Boddington (202) 452-5128 or Jan Bedrosian (916) 978-4616
Jeff Fontana (530) 252-5332 or Larry Mercer (661) 391-6010

BLM Schedules Public Scoping Meetings for Conservation and Restoration of BLM Public Lands in Western U.S.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is inviting the public to share ideas and opinions about conservation and restoration of vegetation, watershed and wildlife habitat on public lands it administers through a series of public scoping meetings being held throughout the country in January through March 2002.

Nineteen meetings are scheduled to discuss preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) entitled, "Conservation and Restoration of Vegetation, Watershed, and Wildlife Habitat Treatments on Public Lands Administered by the BLM in the Western United States, Including Alaska," including two in California:

• Alturas, Modoc County, Sacred Heart Parish Hall, 507 East 4^th Street, February 5, 2002, from 5 to 8 p.m.
   
• Bakersfield, Kern County, Holiday Inn Select, 801 Truxtun Ave., February 26, 2002, from 5 to 8 p.m.

For information on meetings in other states, contact the nearest BLM office or call (916) 978-4610. 

In addition to the meetings, the public can also submit written comments on issues that should be addressed in the EIS, scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2003.  The public comment period ends March 29, 2002.  

The BLM is undertaking the EIS to review the agency's restoration activities as required by the National Environmental Policy Act.  The EIS is not intended to address specific agency management decisions developed under local land use plans, but  will provide baseline cumulative impact assessments that BLM will use to work with local, state and national stakeholders in development of local plans throughout the western states and Alaska.  The EIS will identify and analyze alternatives on public lands for:

• restoration of vegetation and soil surfaces, watershed functions, habitats, natural fire regimes, and invasive and noxious weeds; and
• methods of restoration, such as mechanical, chemical, biological, cultural (such as goats or other animals, hand-pulling, etc.), and fire/fuels.

The analysis area includes 262 million acres of public lands administered by the BLM in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, North and South Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.  In California, BLM administers 14.6 million acres in 55 counties.

Issues initially identified for analysis during the EIS process include:

• reduction and treatment of highly flammable forest and rangeland fuel (trees, brush and other plants that have accumulated), including mechanical treatments;
• noxious weed control activities;
• restoration of ecosystem processes;
• protection of cultural resources;
• health of watershed and vegetative communities;
• habitat improvement opportunities for threatened and endangered species, and sensitive and special status species;
• new chemical formulations for herbicides that may be more environmentally favorable than those now being used;
• smoke management and air quality;
• emergency stabilization and rehabilitation of wildfire-affected landscapes; and
• improvement of watersheds and water quality.

The EIS will also address human health risk assessments for a variety of chemical herbicides that have become available since previous impact statements on these issues were written in 1986 and 1992. BLM welcomes identification of additional issues and concerns by the public.  A reasonable range of alternatives will be developed to respond to the issues identified.  Each alternative will outline solutions to the issues and concerns brought out through public scoping.  The BLM's interdisciplinary project team will coordinate closely with Tribal, local and state governments, the Western Governors Association, the National Association of Counties and other groups.

To provide written comments, or to be placed on the mailing list, contact Brian Amme, Acting Project Manager, BLM, P.O. Box 12000, Reno, NV 89520-0006.  At this time, no internet service for the BLM web page or e-mail contact with BLM is available, due to litigation against the Department of the Interior regarding access to Indian Trust data or assets.  Until internet service is restored,  comments can be mailed to the address above or faxed to (702) 861-6712.

People making comments may request confidentiality.  If you wish your name and/or address withheld from public review or disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written or faxed comment.  Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law.  The BLM cannot, however, consider anonymous comments.  All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety at BLM's Reno office at 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno, NV 98502.

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SCOPING MEETING SCHEDULE

Dates and locations for the BLM public scoping meetings are:

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