Wash State: BLM releases proposed plan for San Juan Islands National Monument
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LOPEZ, Wash. – The Bureau of Land Management today announced the release of the San Juan Islands National Monument Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS may be found electronically on the BLM’s ePlanning Website at https://go.usa.gov/xRphc.
This Proposed RMP/Final EIS recommends overarching goals and objectives for the management of the monument. The Final EIS also analyzes four action alternatives, one sub-alternative, and a no action alternative. The Proposed RMP and the alternatives consider ways to accomplish the protection and restoration of historic and cultural resources, coordinate the management of these lands with local Tribes and organizations and address recreational use.
“It’s important to realize this plan will only apply to the 1,021 acres of BLM-administered public lands that make up the monument,” said BLM Spokane District Manager Kurt Pindel. “While a relatively small area, the monument includes landscapes of great beauty as well as sensitive cultural and ecological resources that should be properly managed for future generations to enjoy. The BLM prepared this document in coordination with cooperating agencies and 12 consulting Tribes and with input from the public.”
Following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s publication of the notice of availability of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS, there will be a 30-day public protest period. Detailed instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM are available online at: www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest.
In accordance with the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 and Secretary’s Order 3374, the publication of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS will also initiate a 60-day public comment period regarding the proposed closure of the Monument (which encompasses scattered parcels totaling approximately 1,021 acres) to recreational target shooting (referred to as ‘‘discharge of firearms” in the RMP).
Comments on the proposed target shooting closure can be submitted via email at blm_or_sanjuanislandsnm@blm.gov, or mail at Target Shooting Closure Comments, Lopez Island BLM Office, PO Box 3, Lopez, WA 98261.
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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.