How does the delay affect the RMP Process?

GSFO and KFO will continue to follow the process outlined in earlier public scoping meetings.  Meetings scheduled with Cooperating Agencies have been postponed until a completed Chapter 4 – Impact Analysis is made available for review.  The Draft RMP, scheduled for public review in the fall of 2009, will be delayed for several months.  The delay will not affect the originally planned blocks of time provided for public participation and comments following release of the Draft RMP. All future meetings, including public meetings, will be posted on this website as soon as they are scheduled.  A revised RMP schedule, anticipated to be completed by the RMP Contractor in early July 2009, will also be posted as soon as it is received by the field offices.

Why are the Kremmling Field Office and Glenwood Springs Field Office revising their Resource Management Plans?

The Kremmling Field Office (KFO) and Glenwood Springs Field Office (GSFO), Colorado Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are developing a Resource Management Plan (RMP) for all the federal surface and mineral estate managed by BLM with each FO boundary (see "Map" menu). As part of the RMP revision process, the FOs will be preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the impacts of the plan’s decisions. The FOs are simultaneously revising their respective RMPs for the BLM-administered public lands within each FO under one EIS. There will be separate Record of Decisions (RODs) for each RMP. The lands within the FOs are currently being managed according to the 1984 Kremmling RMP and the 1984 Glenwood Springs RMP.

RMP revisions are necessary if monitoring and evaluation findings, new data, new or revised policy, or changes in circumstances indicate that decisions for an entire plan or a major portion of the plan no longer serve as a useful guide for management. There is a need to revise the RMPs based upon a number of new issues such as increased recreation demand and use and rapidly expanding urban interface areas; and new policy issues such as new guidance on recreation and comprehensive travel management and transportation. [Note: to learn more about preliminary issues, see Preparation Plan under "Documents" - "RMP Revision Documents."]

Land use plans, or RMPs, ensure that the public lands are managed in accordance with the intent of Congress as stated in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLMPA) (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), under the principles of multiple use and sustained yield. As required by FLPMA and BLM policy, the public lands must be managed in a manner that protects the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and archaeological values; that, where appropriate, will preserve and protect certain public lands in their natural condition; that will provide food and habitat for fish, wildlife, and domestic animals; that will provide for outdoor recreation and humandrowsy occupancy and use; that recognizes the Nation’s need for domestic sources of minerals, food, timber, and fiber from the public lands by encouraging collaboration and public participation throughout the planning process. [Note: to learn more about the planning process, see "RMP Process" menu.]

What decisions will the BLM be making as part of the revision process?

Decisions in RMPs guide future land management actions and subsequent site-specific implementation decisions. Decisions contained in RMPs are called land use plan decisions. These broad-scale decisions guide future land management actions and subsequent site-specific implementation decisions. Land use plan decisions fall into two categories:

(1) Desired outcomes (goals and objectives)
(2) Management actions and allowable uses to achieve outcomes

The BLM Land Use Planning Handbook (H-1601-1), Appendix C (see "Documents" - "BLM Planning & NEPA Guidance Documents" menu), provides program-specific guidance for land use plan and implementation decisions. During the RMP preparation, each program is required to address the land use plan decision guidance contained in Appendix C. In most programs, implementation decisions are not made during the RMP revision. However, the guidance for Comprehensive Trails and Travel Management requires the BLM to make implementation decisions to the extent practical (i.e., completing a defined travel management network).

Implementation decisions generally constitute the BLM’s final approval allowing on-the-ground actions to proceed. These types of decisions require site-specific planning and NEPA analysis. Thus, for recreation and travel management, the FOs will be making both land use plan decisions and implementation decisions as part of this revision effort. [Note: to learn more about the recreation and travel management planning process, see "Travel Management Planning Process" menu.]

Who has been involved in this process to date and how can you get involved?

Formal public scoping began in April 2007, when a series of seven meetings/open houses were held throughout the GSFO and KFO respective planning areas.  The meetings featured informal one-on-one discussions by BLM managers and resource specialists with local community members. Attendees at these meetings were introduced to the RMP process and asked for written comments and concerns that could be used by the field offices in the identification and development of planning issues.  About this time the field offices also sent letters to various federal, state, and local agencies, inviting their participation in a more formal collaborative role in the RMP process as Cooperating Agencies.  The Northwest Resource Advisory Council has also assisted the joint planning effort through formation of a subgroup taskforce tasked with reviewing and commenting on the range of proposed alternatives. Other public outreach and feedback efforts to date have included: a series of community assessments, involving various local community members; informal interviews with visitors at various recreation sites; and a series of travel management planning workshops.  For more scoping information and references, click on Documents and then click on RMP Revision Documents in the Menu at the upper right of this web page.

There is still ample opportunity to review, participate in public meetings, and provide comments following release of the upcoming Draft RMP.  To get involved and have your name added to the RMP mailing list contact Dennis Gale, RMP Project Manager at (970) 724-3003.