Bureau of Land Management announces virtual meetings for Cedar Fields Plan Amendment
Agency seeks comments on alternatives for managing adverse impacts in American Falls Archaeological District, portion of Lake Channel area
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TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is hosting two virtual public meetings on its Cedar Fields Plan Amendment Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Monument Resource Management Plan on Oct. 7 from 4 – 6 p.m. Mountain Time and Oct. 19 from 1 – 3 p.m. Mountain Time.
To register for the Oct. 7 meeting, please visit:
https://kearnswest.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bhWcYurVR1yBhgp1_5uETg
To register for the Oct. 19 meeting, please visit:
https://kearnswest.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DeZjepWwQz2khlD7wp9pwA
The virtual public meetings are designed to be informative only. Comments on the Draft EIS should be submitted by Nov. 10, 2021 through the Cedar Fields Plan Amendment webpage on E-planning at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/36660/510 Comments may also be submitted by any of the following methods:
- email: blm_id_monumentcassiarmpamend@blm.gov
- fax: 208-677-6699
- mail: BLM Burley Field Office, 15 East 200 South, Burley, ID 83318
Copies of the Draft EIS documents are available in the Burley Field Office at the above address and online at the URL listed above.
The draft plan released on Aug. 6, addresses adverse impacts to cultural resources caused by off-highway vehicle use and rock climbing on basalt cliffs. The plan’s focus area is the American Falls Archaeological District and a portion of the Lake Channel area along the Snake River in southern Idaho. It aims to ensure compliance with laws, regulations and policies that apply to management of the Archaeological District and cultural resources on public lands.
“These virtual meetings are designed to provide an overview of the project and our draft alternatives, which will hopefully be valuable for the public in submitting comments to the BLM,” said Ken Crane, Burley Field Manager. “We encourage all interested in the project to attend.”
The draft environmental impact statement and preferred alternative were developed in part by conducting nation-to-nation consultations with the Shoshone-Bannock and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes. Additionally, the Eastern Idaho Climbing Association, Blue Ribbon Coalition, Power County and the former Twin Falls District Resource Advisory Council played integral roles in developing alternatives. The preferred alternative would redirect rock climbing and off-highway vehicle use to other nearby BLM and state-managed lands, thereby offering better protection to the cultural and sacred resources the Archaeological District was designated to conserve.
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.