Final Public Scoping Report Upper Snake Field Office Resource Management Plan September 2008 This page left intentionally blank. Final Public Scoping Report 3 Table of Contents Scoping Report and Planning Criteria Approval .................................................................................... 9 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 11 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 13 1.1. Overview ............................................................................................................................ 15 1.1.1. Background .............................................................................................................. 15 1.1.2. Purpose and Need ...................................................................................................... 15 1.2. Planning Area ...................................................................................................................... 16 1.2.1. Location ................................................................................................................... 16 1.2.2. Description ............................................................................................................... 16 1.3. Scoping Process ................................................................................................................... 18 1.3.1. Notice of Intent ......................................................................................................... 18 1.3.2. Media Releases and Public Service Announcements ......................................................... 18 1.3.3. Public Scoping Notice and Planning Criteria ................................................................... 19 1.3.4. Web Site .................................................................................................................. 19 1.3.5. Public Scoping Meetings ............................................................................................. 20 1.4. Cooperating Agencies and Collaboration .................................................................................. 20 1.5. Tribal Consultation ............................................................................................................... 21 1.6. Public Interaction: Community Assessments ............................................................................. 21 2. Issue Summary ............................................................................................................................. 23 2.1. Comment Processing and Analysis .......................................................................................... 25 2.2. Summary of Public Comments Received .................................................................................. 25 2.2.1. Summary of Public Comments by Topic ......................................................................... 26 2.3. Issues Identified During Scoping ............................................................................................. 27 2.3.1. Issue 1. Acquiring and Maintaining Public Access ........................................................... 28 2.3.2. Issue 2. Land Tenure Adjustment .................................................................................. 28 2.3.3. Issue 3. Livestock Grazing .......................................................................................... 28 2.3.4. Issue 4. Sagebrush Steppe ........................................................................................... 29 2.3.5. Issue 5. Socioeconomics ............................................................................................. 29 2.3.6. Issue 6. Recreation Management .................................................................................. 30 2.3.7. Issue 7. Travel Management ........................................................................................ 30 2.4. Concerns and Issues Raised that Will Not be Addressed ............................................................... 31 2.5. Valid Management Direction .................................................................................................. 32 2.6. Special Designations, Including Nominations ............................................................................ 32 2.6.1. Administrative Designations ........................................................................................ 32 3. Final Planning Criteria .................................................................................................................. 35 3.1. Air Quality .......................................................................................................................... 37 3.2. Water Quality ...................................................................................................................... 37 3.3. Soils Management ................................................................................................................ 38 3.4. Vegetation, Invasive Species and Noxious Weeds ....................................................................... 38 3.5. Riparian and Wetland Area Management .................................................................................. 38 3.6. Upland Vegetation Management .............................................................................................. 39 3.7. Special Status Species ........................................................................................................... 39 3.8. Fish and Wildlife Habitat ....................................................................................................... 40 3.9. Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................... 40 3.10. Tribal Treaty Rights and Interests .......................................................................................... 41 September 2008 Table of Contents 4 Final Public Scoping Report 3.11. Socioeconomic Effects of Public Land Management .................................................................. 41 3.12. Visual Resource Management ............................................................................................... 41 3.13. Wildland Fire Management ................................................................................................... 42 3.14. Cave and Karst Resources .................................................................................................... 42 3.15. Forest and Woodland Management ......................................................................................... 43 3.16. Livestock Grazing ............................................................................................................... 43 3.17. Recreation Management ....................................................................................................... 43 3.18. Travel Management ............................................................................................................ 44 3.19. Land Tenure Adjustment ...................................................................................................... 44 3.20. Rights­of­Way .................................................................................................................... 45 3.21. Minerals and Energy Management ......................................................................................... 45 4. Data Summary and Data Gaps ........................................................................................................ 47 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 49 4.2. Data Gaps and Relevant Data Provided or Identified during Scoping .............................................. 49 5. Summary of Future Steps in the Planning Process ............................................................................. 51 5.1. Timeline ............................................................................................................................. 53 5.2. Contact Information .............................................................................................................. 53 6. References .................................................................................................................................... 55 Table of Contents September 2008 Final Public Scoping Report 5 List of Figures Figure 1.1. Land status of the Upper Snake FO planning area. .................................................................... 17 September 2008 List of Figures This page left intentionally blank. Final Public Scoping Report 7 List of Tables Table 1.1. Land status within the Upper Snake FO planning area. ............................................................... 16 Table 1.2. Publications where news releases were sent for the Upper Snake FO RMP planning process and scoping open houses. ................................................................................................................ 18 Table 1.3. Television stations where news releases were sent for the Upper Snake FO RMP planning process and scoping open houses. ........................................................................................................... 19 Table 1.4. Radio stations