Bureau of Land Management publishes Proposed Resource Management Plan for Four Rivers Field Office in Southwestern Idaho
Organization
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
BOISE, Idaho – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced the publication of the Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Four Rivers Field Office. The plan is designed to guide public land management decisions for almost 800,000 acres of public lands over the next 20 years.
The Proposed RMP addresses public land management issues including mineral development, recreational uses of and access to public lands, livestock grazing, fire management, wildlife habitat, and other land uses over the planning area, which extends north from the Snake River to McCall and east from the Oregon border to approximately Glenns Ferry.
“This new plan reflects the Trump Administration’s priority to more effectively encourage multiple uses of public lands,” said Casey Hammond, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management. “Management under the plan will spur economic growth in rural communities while ensuring the natural resources of southwestern Idaho endure for this and future generations.”
“We are proud of the fact that this plan includes lands to be managed under the new Backcountry Conservation Area designation,” said BLM’s Deputy Director for Policy and Programs William Perry Pendley. “This designated area underscores our commitment to protecting and enhancing opportunities for public hunting and other wildlife-dependent recreation across this unique landscape.”
Backcountry Conservation Areas (BCAs) promote public access to support wildlife-dependent recreation and hunting opportunities and facilitate the long-term maintenance of big game wildlife populations, while also permitting other activities consistent with the BLM’s multiple- use, sustained yield mission.
Designation of BCAs aligns with Secretarial Order 3356: Hunting, Fishing, Recreational Shooting and Wildlife Conservation Opportunities and Coordination with States, Tribes and Territories, which directs Department of the Interior bureaus to incorporate analysis of the impacts of Federal land and water management actions on hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting access in planning and decision-making; as well as Secretarial Order 3362: Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors.
“The consultation we’ve conducted with tribes and the involvement and coordination we’ve had with our state and federal partners, along with public input, helps promote shared conservation stewardship supporting multiple-use on public lands,” said BLM Four Rivers Field Manager Brent Ralston.
The Proposed RMP and Final EIS, including instructions on how the public may participate in the land use planning process, are available at http://go.usa.gov/xnsn6. For more information, contact Field Manager Brent Ralston at 208-384-3300.
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.