For Immediate Release: November 23, 2004 
Contact: Steven Hall  970-244-3052
 
 

BLM Little Snake Field Office to draft Resource Management Plan with local input

CRAIG, CO—The Bureau of Land Management Little Snake Field Office has published a Notice of Intent to prepare a Resource Management Plan and associated Environmental Impact Statement for the Little Snake Field Area in northwest Colorado. The NOI initiates the formal public scoping period, which will run through January 31, 2005.

The RMP will provide a framework for management of 1.3 million acres of BLM public land and 1.1 million acres of subsurface mineral estate. The planning area includes portions of Moffat, Routt and Rio Blanco counties.

“Periodically, the BLM revises our RMPs to make sure that we keep our management vision current and up-to-date to reflect the values of the communities we serve and the natural resources we manage,” said Little Snake Field Manager John Husband.

The Little Snake office has worked closely with the Northwest Colorado Stewardship (NWCOS), a grass-roots group that represents a wide range of the public working together to resolve public land issues in northwest Colorado.

“NWCOS has been successful in working toward providing a community vision that will benefit the BLM’s planning process,” Husband said. “If we’re successful, the final plan will be responsive both to national needs and community needs, and help guide BLM decisions into the future.”

In preparing the RMP, the BLM will consider a range of alternatives for management of activities ranging from oil and gas to range and recreation management. The EIS will provide specific information about the environmental impacts of the alternative management scenarios, in accordance with federal laws like the Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Public scoping meetings will be held in January 2005 in Maybell, Craig and Steamboat Springs. Additional information on the RMP/EIS can be found online at www.co.blm.gov\lsra\rmp. Or, contact Jeremy Casterson, 970-826-5071 or Jeremy_casterson@co.blm.gov, at the Little Snake Field Office, 455 Emerson St., Craig, CO 81625.

-BLM-