The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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Last updated: 04/04/03
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of the Secretary
For immediate release -- February 4, 1999 |
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The Bureau of Land Management today released a new field inventory which identifies 2.6 million acres of public lands in Utah that have wilderness characteristics.
The inventory, ordered by Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt in 1996, focused on lands within legislative Utah wilderness proposals such as HR-1500 and HR-1745.
Babbitt said today that he has directed BLM to initiate a statewide planning effort to determine if additional Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) should be established based on the new findings.
"This issue has been at a stalemate for nearly 20 years because the various interests involved are so far apart on the fundamental issue of how much public land in Utah has wilderness characteristics," said Babbitt. "We now have current, detailed information regarding on the ground conditions that will help get this issue off dead center and allow progress to be made toward ultimate resolution."
Secretary Babbitt announced the planning effort after discussing it earlier this week with Utah Governor Leavitt and members of the Utah Congressional delegation.
This new planning will determine if additional lands should be placed under special protective status as Wilderness Study Areas.
No change in the current management regimes will take place, however, until compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and Section 202 of the Federal Land and Policy Management Act has been completed.
BLM will provide extensive opportunities for review and participation by state and local government and the public. Details on scoping and other opportunities for public involvement will be announced shortly. The statewide review, which will consider amendments to all BLM land use plans in Utah, is expected to take about two years.
The public can access the 1999 Utah Wilderness Inventory Report to the Secretary through the Internet at www.access.gpo.gov/blm/utah/index.html.
Once the planning process begins, copies of the report with color photographs and maps will be placed for public inspection at the Utah BLM State and Field Offices, as well as university and college libraries throughout the state.
Inventory files containing field maps, photographs, site evaluations and other information for each of the 142 units that were inventoried will also be found at BLM State and Field offices.
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