BLM/NPS Announce Decision for Shivwits Plateau Landscape Restoration Project Environmental Assessment
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ST. GEORGE, Utah—The Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Shivwits Plateau Landscape Restoration Project (PEPC-98370/ DOI-BLM-AZ-A030-2021-0005) has now been finalized. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Park Service (NPS) involved the public by engaging in a public scoping period earlier this spring, followed by a release of the preliminary EA for a 30-day public comment period in June. Comments have been addressed in Appendix N of the EA and are now available for public viewing. Eighteen tribal entities with ties to the project area were invited to participate in the development of the EA. Mohave County Board of Supervisors and Arizona Game and Fish Department were cooperators on the project.
The project goals are to improve wildlife habitat, reduce fuel loading, provide forage for livestock and wildlife, and reduce invasive plant infestations. The treatments described in the EA include prescribed fire, seeding, herbicide use on invasive plants, and manual and mechanical cutting. The project is located within the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Mohave County, Arizona. The Monument and this project are cooperatively managed by the BLM and the NPS. The project planning area is approximately 318,000 acres with about 55,000 acres proposed for treatment. Specific design features that mitigate potential impacts have been developed to protect potentially affected resources and are described in the proposed action in Chapter 2 of the EA.
A digital copy of the EA, Finding of No Significant Impact, Determination of Non-Impairment, and Decision Record are available online on the NPS National NEPA register https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ShivwitsPLRP and on the BLM’s National NEPA register at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012289/510.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.