Types and levels of Decisions to Be Made

In accordance with CEQ Regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and federal case law, two levels of decision making are allowed and encouraged to help establish the scope of a proposed action and promote efficient resolution of issues at the appropriate scales. CEQ regulations include descriptions of typical federal actions that include “adoption of formal plans…which guide or prescribe alternative uses of federal resources, upon which future agency actions will be based” and “approval of specific projects, such as construction or management activities located in a defined geographic area…” (40 CFR 1508.18(b).

The nature of decisions in the Cline Buttes Recreation Area Plan will be site-specific, describing the location, nature, and timing of management actions in order to implement the long-term desired conditions, applying relevant standards and guidelines prescribed in the UDRMP.

The primary focus of the Cline Buttes Recreation Area Plan will be to design the long-term road and trail systems, access points, and vegetation management actions for the area. In designing the road, trail, and access points for the Cline Buttes Recreation Area, new roads and trails may be identified for construction, as well as existing routes identified for decommissioning and obliteration. Vegetation management issues may include thinning of juniper to maintain old growth juniper woodland resiliency in the absence of natural fire cycles, reduce the risk of wildland fire, and create areas of sagebrush steppe habitat.

What actions and decisions are not included in the Cline Buttes Plan?

Thornburgh Resort Rights of Way (Road and utility access to the proposed resort)

Currently, the BLM is reviewing proposals for rights of way (road and utilities) through BLM managed lands to the proposed Thornburgh Resort. This right of way review is not included in the Cline Buttes Recreation Area Plan and is being conducted as a separate environmental analysis. Alternatives for roads and utility rights of way have been identified and an environmental analysis (EA) has been prepared. The EA is available for public review and comments will be accepted until February 19th. Please contact the Prineville District BLM (Janet Hutchison, 416-6710) if you want a copy of EA for the Thornburgh Resort road and utility right of way.

Division of State Lands In-lieu Selection Process

The BLM is currently processing the transfer of 240 acres of land in Cline Buttes to the Oregon Division of State Lands. These lands were zoned for disposal (Z-3) in the UDRMP and represent BLM lands either wholly or partially surrounded by the proposed Thornburgh Resort (see Rights of Way Grants Map (PDF)). No other BLM managed lands within the Cline Buttes Recreation Area were identified for disposal in the UDRMP. Additional lands identified by the DSL for acquisition in the Cline Buttes Recreation Area are classified for retention (Z-1) in the UDRMP. Transfer of these lands would require an amendment to the UDRMP and they are not currently being processed at this time.

Oregon Department of Transportation Aggregate Site Study

Oregon Department of Transportation is currently doing exploratory drilling and testing of materials at a site (Site N) located west of Barr Road and adjacent to the existing ODOT cinder pit material site (see Minerals Map (PDF)). The assessment of a mineral material site is outside the scope of the Cline Buttes Recreation Area Plan. While the Cline Buttes Recreation Area Plan will consider the effects of plan decisions on the potential for mineral site development, the analysis of mineral material site alternatives will be done as a separate analysis if and when a specific application is received from ODOT for development of any sites in the Cline Buttes Recreation Area.