The Bureau of Land Management released a Final Environmental Impact Statement and proposed resource management plan amendment for the Lakeview planning area, covering 3.2 million acres of public lands in Lake and Harney counties. The amendment, which would update the existing 2003 plan, will preserve natural landscapes, manage off-highway vehicle use to protect important landscapes while providing continued public access, livestock grazing management, and protect 415,000 acres of lands with wilderness characteristics.
“These expansive, natural landscapes are special places that provide outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive, unconfined recreation,” said Lakeview District Manager Todd Forbes. “This plan update will help shape BLM’s management of these lands and resources for the next two decades.”
Tribal governments, wildlife agencies, the Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory Council, and members of the public provided valuable input and feedback during the planning process. The BLM considered approximately 1,300 comments while developing the plan amendment. The BLM’s updated analysis also responds to requirements of a 2010 settlement agreement on the Bureau’s management of lands with wilderness characteristics, as well as off-highway vehicle and grazing management.
To preserve unique and special landscapes, cross-country off-highway vehicle use will be limited to about 70,000 acres within the Christmas Valley Sand Dunes and other areas scattered across the planning area where cross country use is already occurring. Vehicular use will be allowed on existing or designated routes across nearly 3 million acres in the planning area.
The amendment also provides additional guidance on the implementation of Standards for Rangeland Health and processing of voluntarily surrendered livestock grazing permits.
The proposed resource management plan and associated final environmental impact statement is available at the BLM National NEPA Register. A Notice of Availability will publish in tomorrow’s Federal Register, opening a 30-day protest period for the proposed Plan Amendment and associated FEIS. The protest period ends Dec. 9, 2024.
Those who participated in the planning process and have an interest that may be adversely affected by the proposed amendment may file a plan protest electronically via the BLM National NEPA Register (preferred) or deliver it to: BLM Director, Attention: Protest Coordinator (HQ210), Denver Federal Center, Building 40 (Door W-4), Lakewood, CO 80215. Please visit the BLM Filing a Plan Protest page for instructions.