Owyhee Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision
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OWYHEE REsoURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN (RMP) December 30, 1999 U.S. Depanment 01 me Jntenor • ljureau 01 Lana Managemenl Lower Snake River District • Boise Field Office Owyhee Resource Management Plan Idaho 95 Sandpoint Coeur d'Alene General Location Map 90 95 Owyhee Resource Area Lower Snake River District Boundary Moscow Lewiston 95 Grangeville Oregon Salmon McCall 93 95 20 55 Stanley 15 93 75 Arco Boise 20 Idaho Falls Marsing 20 95 84 Mountain 20 Murphy Home Oreana 93 78 Shoshone Pocatello 86 Soda Springs Burley 30 Twin Falls 51 20 15 84 Nevada Table of Contents RECORD OF DECISION ............................. i TABLES INTRODUCTION RIPN-1................................................................ 87 Purpose and Need ................................................. 1 SPSS-1 ................................................................ 94 Planning Area ........................................................ 1 SPSS-2 ................................................................ 97 Public Participation ............................................... 1 WHRS-1............................................................ 102 Planning Criteria .................................................... 3 WHRS-2............................................................ 103 Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem LVST-1 .............................................................. 104 Management Project ........................................ 6 LAND-1 ............................................................ 113 Snake River Birds of Prey National LAND-2 ............................................................ 117 Conservation Area Legislation ......................... 7 LOCM-1............................................................ 118 Standards and Guidelines ...................................... 7 FLUM-1 ............................................................ 120 Relationship of the Owyhee RMP to MMAT-1............................................................ 122 Other Planning Documents.............................. 7 RECT-1 ............................................................. 124 Plan Evaluation ..................................................... 8 WNES-1 ............................................................ 126 WNES-2 ............................................................ 127 OBJECTIVES, MANAGEMENT ACTIONS ACEC-1............................................................. 128 AND ALLOCATIONS Air Resources ........................................................ 9 FIGURES Soil Resources ....................................................... 9 WDLF-1 ............................................................ 133 Water Resources ................................................. 11 Vegetation ............................................................ 12 GLOSSARY Riparian-Wetland Areas ....................................... 13 Glossary................................................ 135 Forest Management............................................. 14 Wildlife Habitat ................................................... 15 Maps Fishery Habitat .................................................... 18 GEN-1 ......................................................... M-1 Special Status Species ......................................... 20 RIPN-1..........................................M-2 (N) M-3 (S) Wild Horse Management ..................................... 21 FORS-1 .........................................M-4 (N) M-5 (S) Livestock Grazing Management .......................... 23 WDLF-1 ....................................... M-6 (N) M-7 (S) Fire Management ................................................ 25 WDLF-2 ....................................... M-8 (N) M-9 (S) Lands................................................................... 28 WDLF-3 .................................... M-10 (N) M-11 (S) Locatable Minerals .............................................. 33 WHRS-1............... .................... M-12 (N) M-13 (S) Fluid Minerals ..................................................... 33 LVST-1 ...................................... M-14 (N) M-15 (S) Mineral Materials ................................................ 34 LVST-2 ...................................... M-16 (N) M-17 (S) Recreation ........................................................... 35 FIRE-1 .......................................M-18 (N) M-19 (S) Wilderness ........................................................... 41 LAND-1 .................................... M-20 (N) M-21 (S) Visual Resources ................................................. 44 LAND-2 .......................... ......... M-22 (N) M-23 (S) Cultural Resources .............................................. 44 LAND-3 .................................... M-24 (N) M-25 (S) Hazardous Materials............................................ 46 LAND-4 .................................... M-26 (N) M-27 (S) Areas of Critical Environmental Concern ............ 47 RECT-1 ..................................... M-28 (N) M-29 (S) RECT-2 ..................................... M-30 (N) M-31 (S) APPENDIX RECT-3 ..................................... M-32 (N) M-33 (S) LVST-1 ................................................................ 49 RECT-4 ..................................... M-34 (N) M-35 (S) FIRE-1 ................................................................ 60 RECT-5 ..................................... M-36 (N) M-37 (S) RECT-1 ............................................................... 61 RECT-6 .......................................................... M-39 RECT-2 ............................................................... 62 RECT-7 .......................................................... M-41 RECT-3 ............................................................... 67 RECT-8 ..................................... M-42 (N) M-43 (S) VISL-1 ................................................................ 70 WNES....................................... M-44 (N) M-45 (S) RISP-1 ................................................................ 72 WSR-1 ..................................... M-46 (N) M-47 (S) MONT-1.............................................................. 75 VISL-1 ..................................... M-48 (N) M-49 (S) ACEC-1............................................................... 81 CULT-1 .................................... M-50 (N) M-51 (S) ACEC-1................................... M-52 (N) M-53 (S) NCA-1....................................... M-54 (N) M-55 Record of Decision for the Owyhee Resource Management Plan Bureau of Land Management Lower Snake River District Boise, Idaho i Record of Decision for the Owyhee Resource Management Plan Introduction This Record of Decision (ROD) approves the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) plan to manage the public lands within the Owyhee Resource Area during the next 15 to 20 years and beyond. The Owyhee Resource Management Plan (RMP) is the same as the Owyhee Proposed Resource Management Plan (Alternative E) published in July 1999. The Owyhee RMP is a general resource management plan for approximately 1,320,000 acres of BLM administered public lands in western Owyhee County, Idaho. The Owyhee RMP establishes guidance for managing a broad spectrum of land uses and allocations including livestock grazing management, wild horse management, land tenure adjustments, off-highway motorized vehicle (OHMV) designations, wild, scenic and recreational river designations, and areas of critical environmental concern (ACECs). The RMP contains resource objectives, land use allocations, management actions and direction needed to achieve program and multiple use goals. The Owyhee RMP replaces the BLM’s existing land management guidance for the Owyhee Resource Area contained in the Owyhee MFP (1981). Decision The decision is to select Alternative E, the Proposed Owyhee RMP as presented in the Proposed Owyhee Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement issued July 1999, with associated Appendices and Maps, as the approved Owyhee RMP. The following are the major components of the approved RMP: Manage land uses and activities to ensure properly functioning watershed conditions. Manage vegetation to achieve healthy rangelands Meet State of Idaho water quality standards. Provide habitat for special status plants and animals and habitat for a high diversity of wildlife. Provide habitat for a wild horse herd appropriate management level of 192 wild horses. Provide for a sustained level of livestock use. Initially allocate 135,116 livestock AUMs. Manage livestock grazing activities so goals for rangeland health are achieved. Use fire as a management tool to improve rangeland health. Manage Douglas-fir communities to emphasize forest health. Recommend and manage nine river segments (163 miles) as suitable for designation as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Sixty (60) miles of eligible river segments were determined to be non-suitable and are released from further Wild and Scenic River consideration. Designate 13 areas totaling 167,372 acres as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs). Continue management of 298,630 acres as Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). 195,980 acres were previously recommended to Congress as suitable for Wilderness designation. Designate off-highway motorized vehicle (OHMV) use as “Open” on 192 acres, “Limited” on 1,217,805 acres and “Closed” on 101,994 acres. Identify 325,000 acres potentially available for disposal, subject to further review. ii