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Clear Creek Management Area Record of Decision and Approved

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Record of Decision & Approved Resource Management Plan for Clear Creek Management Area Prepared by U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Hollister Field Office California February 2014 THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK. United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Hollister Field Office 20 Hamilton Court Hollister, CA 95023 www.ca.blm.gov/hollister In reply refer to: 1610-DP-P CA 0900.38 P Dear Reader: We are pleased to announce after several years of collaborative effort, the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) for Clear Creek Management Area are complete. This document will provide guidance for the management of approximately 63,000 acres of public lands in southern San Benito and western Fresno counties. The attached ROD and RMP have been prepared in accordance with the Federal Land Policy Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The ROD links final land use plan decisions to the proposed decisions and analysis presented in the CCMA Proposed RMP/Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that was released on April 5, 2013, and subject to a 30-day protest period that ended on May 6, 2013. Twenty-one protest letters were received. The protests were reviewed by the BLM Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning, in Washington, D.C. After careful consideration of all points raised in the protests, the Assistant Director concluded the responsible planning team and decision makers followed all applicable laws, regulations, policies, and pertinent resource considerations in developing the CCMA Proposed Plan and the FEIS. Adjustments and points of clarification incorporated into the RMP in response to issues raised in the protest process and final BLM review are discussed in the ROD under Section II.A.9 titled Changes from the Final EIS to the ROD. The protest review did not result in any significant changes to the Proposed Action analyzed in the Final EIS. The ROD serves as the final decision for the land use planning decisions, described in the attached RMP. This ROD also describes a set of implementation decisions (listed in Section II.B). An appeal opportunity for these decisions is being provided at this time. The process is described in the ROD and at 43 CFR Part 4, Subpart E. The appeal period will close 30 days from the date the Notice of Availability of the ROD/Approved RMP appears in the Federal Register. Now that the ROD has been signed, we look forward to your participation as we implement the plan. If you would like more information, please contact the Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Ct., Hollister, CA 95023, or by telephone at (831) 630-5000. THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK. Record of Decision & Approved Resource Management Plan for Clear Creek Management Area Lead Agency: US Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Land Management Location: California Contacts: Rick Cooper, Field Manager, Hollister Field Office, 831-630-5000 Requests for copies of the document: Bureau of Land Management Hollister Field Office 20 Hamilton Court Hollister, CA 95023 Phone: (831) 630-5000 Fax: (831) 630-5055 Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., M-F Contact us by Email Electronic Copy on BLM website: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/hollister/clear_creek_management_area/CCMA_RMP.html Abstract: The Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan for Clear Creek Management Area is a project of BLM California that supports the agency’s mission to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for current and future generation. The Approved RMP was prepared under the authority and regulations implementing the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 Code of Federal Regulations 1600). It includes broad land use plan decisions that provide the overall direction for managing resources and resource uses in the Clear Creek Management Area. Land use decisions are expressed as goals and objectives (desired outcomes), allowable uses, and management actions anticipated to achieve desired outcomes. Land use decisions identified in the Approved RMP are final and become effective upon the California State Director’s signing of the ROD. The Approved RMP also includes implementation-level decisions; future implementation of these decisions may require additional steps and analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act prior to implementation. The Planning Area includes a portion of southern San Benito County and a portion of western Fresno County. BLM public lands account for more than 63,000 of the 75,000-acre management area. BLM also administers subsurface minerals on approximately 3,500 acres of “split estate” (areas where BLM administers Federal subsurface minerals but the surface is owned by a non-Federal entity). The lands managed by the Hollister Field Office include a variety of settings and landforms, including the southern Diablo Mountain Range, Hernandez Valley, and three major watersheds. The Pajaro watershed drains into the Pacific Ocean; the Arroyo Pasajero and Silver Creek watersheds drain into the San Joaquin Valley. The decisions outlined in this document will enable to BLM to manage and protect resources on public lands within the Clear Creek Management Area to achieve desired future conditions and management objectives. Planning decisions in this document do not apply to state-, county- or privately-owned lands or other federal lands not managed by BLM. i THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK. ii BLM Hollister Field Office Clear Creek Management Area Record of Decision Table of Contents I. Record of Decision ................................................................................................................................................ 1 A. Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 B. Decision ............................................................................................................................................................ 1 C. Range of Alternatives ....................................................................................................................................... 2 D. Management Considerations ............................................................................................................................ 2 E. Mitigation and Monitoring ............................................................................................................................... 3 F. Public Involvement ........................................................................................................................................... 3 1. Public Scoping ............................................................................................................................................. 3 2. Public Comment Period ............................................................................................................................... 3 3. Public Protest Period .................................................................................................................................... 4 II. Resource Management Plan ............................................................................................................................. 5 A. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 1. Purpose and Need ......................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Planning Area ............................................................................................................................................... 5 3. Management Zones ...................................................................................................................................... 7 4. Scoping/Issues .............................................................................................................................................. 7 5. Planning Criteria .......................................................................................................................................... 8 6. Planning Process .......................................................................................................................................... 9 7. Related Plans .............................................................................................................................................. 14 8. Policy ......................................................................................................................................................... 14 9. Changes from the Final EIS to the ROD .................................................................................................... 15 B. Management Decisions .................................................................................................................................. 17 1. Recreation .................................................................................................................................................. 17 2. Hazardous Materials and Public Safety...................................................................................................... 19 3. Travel and Transportation Management ...................................................................................................
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