Plan Amendment to the Warner Lakes Management Framework Plan

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

Fish and Wildlife Service

[OR-015-97-1020-00: G7-0140]

Plan Amendment to the Warner Lakes Management Framework Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Fish and Wildlife Service

(USFWS), DOI.

ACTION: Notice of Intent, Plan Amendment to the Warner Lake Management

Framework Plan and Jurisdictional Land Exchange with the Hart Mountain

National Antelope Refuge.

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SUMMARY: The Lakeview District (BLM) and Hart Mountain National

Antelope

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Refuge (USFWS) are initiating the planning process for a proposed plan

amendment to the Warner Lakes Management Framework Plan (MFP, as

amended) and jurisdictional land exchange with the Hart Mountain

National Antelope Refuge. The proposed amendment/land exchange would

transfer management jurisdiction of approximately 10,932 acres of BLM-

administered lands to the USFWS and approximately 5,317 acres of USFWS-

administered lands to the BLM.

DATES: This notice announces the beginning of the public scoping

comment period on the proposal. Interested individuals, organizations,

and other agencies are encouraged to provide written comments within 30

days of the date of this notice to the address below. Public meetings

will be held on the following dates:

August 14, 1997, 7 p.m.--USFWS Office, Kietzke Plaza, 4600 Kietzke

Lane, Building B, Room 111, Reno, Nevada

August 26, 1997, 7 p.m.--BLM, Lakeview District Office conference room,

1000 South Ninth Street, Lakeview, Oregon

August 27, 1997, 7 p.m.--Bend Welcome Center, 63085 North Highway 97,

Bend, Oregon.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action consists of transferring

management jurisdiction of approximately 10,932 of BLM-administered

lands to the USFWS and approximately 5,317 acres of USFWS-administered

lands to BLM. The lands proposed for transfer are located in south

central Lake County, Oregon, and are legally described below:

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Acres of BLM Acres of USFWS

Legal description transferred to transferred to

USFWS BLM

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T. 39S, R. 27E, Secs. 2, 10, and 11..... 0 480

T. 38S, R. 26E, Secs. 1-4, 5, 6, and 8-

16..................................... 5,169 134

T. 38S, R. 27E, Secs. 3-6, 12-14, 26, 35

and 36................................. 2,377 1,280

T. 37S, R. 25E, Sec. 30................. 0 168

T. 37S, R. 24E, Secs. 1, 2, and 12...... 793 0

T. 36S, R. 24E, Secs. 8, 17-19, and 36.. 38 945

T. 36S, R. 28E, Secs. 6 and 8........... 0 360

T. 35S, R. 25E, Secs. 1, 10, 11, 15, 20,

21, 29, and 32......................... 182 624

T. 34S, R. 28E, Secs. 5 and 6........... 320 0

T. 34S, R. 26E, Secs. 2, 10, 11, 20, 28,

30, and 31............................. 6 604

T. 34S, R. 25E, Secs. 36................ 302 0

T. 32S, R. 26E, Secs. 24, 25, and 35.... 320 29

T. 32S, R. 27E, Secs. 3, 9, 17-19....... 1,425 650

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Totals............................ 10,932 5,317

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A map showing the lands proposed for jurisdictional transfer can be

viewed at the BLM or USFWS offices listed below.

An integrated planning and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

document will be prepared in accordance with applicable planning and

NEPA regulations which will evaluate the potential impacts of the

jurisdictional land transfer. USFWS lands located along the western

boundary of the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge transferred to

the BLM which fall within the boundary of the Warner Wetlands Areas of

Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) would be managed in accordance

with the Warner Lakes Plan Amendment for Wetlands and Associated

Uplands (1989), the Warner Wetlands ACEC Management Plan (1990), and

subsequent activity level management plans (1990). Isolated parcels of

USFWS land location south of the refuge (i.e. Shirk Ranch) transferred

to the BLM would be managed in accordance with the Warner Lakes MFP

(1983) and Lakeview Grazing Management Final Environmental Impact

Statement/Record of Decision (1982). Additional details of the related,

but separate on-going effort to develop an allotment management plan

and environmental impact statement for the Beaty Butte allotment (0600)

located south and east of the refuge in southeastern Lake County and

southwestern Harney County, Oregon (see Federal Register, Vol 61, No.

246). All BLM lands transferred to the USFWS would be managed in

accordance with the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge

Comprehensive Management Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement and

Record of Decision (1994).

Currently, three preliminary issues have been identified. These

include: (1) How would the lands be managed once the transfer is

completed? (2) how will the transfer improve management?, and (3) how

would the transfer affect current uses (i.e. off-highway vehicle use,

mineral management, and livestock grazing)?

Only two preliminary alternatives have been identified: (1) no

action (i.e. do not conduct the transfer and continue current

management), (2) transfer management jurisdiction of the described

lands between the two agencies through formal land withdrawals,

withdrawal revocations, or other title transfer, as appropriate.

At this time, individuals, organizations, agencies, and tribal

government are invited to provide input on the preliminary issues,

alternatives to be considered, and other aspects of the proposal that

they feel should be addressed. All comments should be submitted in

writing to the attention of Scott Florence, at the BLM address listed

below within 30 days after this notice appears in the Federal Register.

Comments, including the names and street addresses of respondents, will

be available for public review during regular business hours (8 a.m. to

4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be

published as part of the NEPA/planning document. Individual respondents

may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or

address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of

Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of

your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent

allowed by law. All submissions from businesses, organizations, and

individuals identifying themselves as representatives of officials of

organizations or businesses, will be made available for public

inspection in their entirety.

Persons wishing to be added to the mailing list for the plan

amendment/

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NEPA document may do so by contacting Paul Whitman at the BLM address

below. The draft document is expected to be available for review during

the fall of 1997 and will have a minimum 45-day comment period starting

on the date the Notice of Availability appears in the Federal Register.

The supporting planning record will be maintained at the BLM and USFWS

Offices below and will be available for public inspection during normal

business hours. Because of recent court rulings, it is very important

that those interested in the proposed action participate during

appropriate comment opportunities, so that any substantive comments are

provided at a time when the BLM and USFWS can meaningfully consider

them.

ADDRESSES: BLM, Lakeview District Office, P.O. Box 151, Lakeview,

Oregon, 97630, Telephone: (541)-947-2177, or Hart Mountain National

Antelope Refuge, Post Office Building, Lakeview, Oregon, 97630,

Telephone: (541)-947-3315.

Dated: July 14, 1997.

Scott R. Florence,

Area Manager.

[FR Doc. 97-20446 Filed 8-1-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-33-M