Pinedale Field Office
| Contacts: | Shelley Gregory | |||
| 307-315-0612 |
BLM Pinedale Field Office Implements Anticline Adaptive Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pinedale Field Office (PFO) reaffirmed the conclusions of the University of Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (COOP) and implemented adaptive management (AM) for the Pinedale Anticline Project Area (PAPA) Wildlife Monitoring and Mitigation Matrix (Matrix) on Jan. 11.
The AM changes to the Matrix were made in response to the COOP review and in consideration to of comments from the public and a review team comprised of BLM and Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologists.
Mule deer, pronghorn, and sage-grouse thresholds found in the 2008 PAPA Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) Record of Decision (ROD) Matrix are affected. For mule deer, avoidance distance criteria will be removed from the Matrix since changes in avoidance do not trigger any mitigation action by itself. For pronghorn, habitat fragment size will be removed since changes in habitat availability do not trigger any mitigation action by itself. For sage-grouse, nesting success and habitat selection monitoring will be removed since recent research indicates nesting success does not differ significantly between disturbed and undisturbed areas.
The removal of these monitoring triggers from the Matrix will not affect the BLM’s ability to detect undesirable changes and take appropriate action. Monitoring data, including avoidance distance for mule deer, habitat fragment size for pronghorn and nesting success for sage-grouse, will continue to be collected.
The COOP review and complete administrative record for these AM changes can be found at www.wy.blm.gov/jio-papo/papo/wildlife.htm. The original SEIS ROD Matrix can be found at www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/pfodocs/anticline/seis.html under Appendix B.
The final AM Memos for mule deer, pronghorn, and sage-grouse can be found on the following pages in addition to the Pinedale Anticline Project Office wildlife page link provided above:
For more information, please contact Mark Thonhoff at 307-367-5357 or Shane DeForest at 307-367-5302.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Pinedale Field Office PO Box 768 Pinedale WY 82941