Access

Objectives

Acquire access to public lands to assist various programs to meet management objectives.

Land Use Allocations

None

Management Actions/Direction

Acquire access by obtaining easements, entering into new reciprocal right-of-way agreements, or amending existing reciprocal right-of-way agreements. Condemnation for access will be pursued when necessary.

Acquire perpetual exclusive easements whenever possible to provide for public access and BLM control. Acquire nonexclusive easements, which do not provide for public access, consistent with management objectives and where no public access is needed. Acquire temporary easements only when other options are not available.

Continue to obtain access across lands of private companies or individuals who are a party (permittee) to existing reciprocal rights-of-way agreements through appropriate agreements. Whenever a willing permittee is identified and it is determined there is a need for public access, negotiations could be started to provide for the acquisition of public access rights.

Emphasize acquisition for public access on major travel routes.

Acquisition of easements will be required for access to all parcels in the planning area for resource management.

Continue to provide all prospective purchasers of BLM timber with an equal opportunity of access when timber is offered for sale. This will most often be accomplished by reciprocal right-of-way agreements with private landowners or through federal ownership and control of roads. Reciprocal right-of-way agreements will continue to be used to identify conditions of use that are equitable and nondiscriminatory and facilitate management of the road network. Most of the lands where logging road right-of-way agreements are appropriate are now covered by reciprocal agreements. The 140 individual agreements and permits will continue to be subject to the regulations in effect when they were executed or assigned. The provisions of these agreements allow BLM only limited discretion to control the location of roads constructed by private parties across BLM-administered lands (and vice versa). This limited discretion allows BLM to object for only one environmental reason - excessive erosion damage. However, future reciprocal right-of-way agreements could have different provisions depending on the regulations in effect at the time of their execution.