U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Alabama Hills National Scenic Area and Special Recreation Management Area Alabama Hills Management Plan Scoping Report February 2020 The Bureau of Land Management's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. CONTENTS Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Scoping Process ................................................................................................................................................. 1 Purpose ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Pre-Scoping Outreach ................................................................................................................................. 1 Public Notification of Scoping ................................................................................................................... 2 Public Scoping Period ................................................................................................................................. 2 Public Scoping Workshops ........................................................................................................................ 3 Consultation and Coordination ........................................................................................................................ 3 Scoping Comment Summaries ........................................................................................................................ 4 Summary of Scoping Comment Submissions ........................................................................................ 4 Summary of Scoping Comments by Resource/Topic ........................................................................... 5 Issues Identified through External Scoping ................................................................................................... 6 Planning Process ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Scenic Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Cultural, Historical, and Cinematographic Resources ........................................................................... 7 Geological Resources ................................................................................................................................. 7 Biological Resources (Soil, Water, and Vegetation and Wildlife including Special Status Species) .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Recreational Resources ............................................................................................................................. 8 Fuels Management and Wildland Fire .................................................................................................. 11 Livestock Grazing ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Lands and Realty ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Social and Economic Conditions ........................................................................................................... 12 Issues Beyond the Scope of this Planning Effort ....................................................................................... 12 Future Steps in the Planning Process .......................................................................................................... 12 Contact Information ....................................................................................................................................... 13 i Tables Table 1. Public Scoping Workshops ................................................................................................................ 3 Table 2. Consultation and Coordination Meetings ....................................................................................... 4 Table 3. Comments by Resource Topic .......................................................................................................... 5 Figures Figure 1. Alabama Hills NSA and SRMA Planning Area. .......................................................................... 14 Appendices Appendix A. Comment Summary by Resource/Topic. ii INTRODUCTION The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Bishop Field Office, is in the early stages of preparing a management plan (Plan) and environmental assessment (EA) for public lands in the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area (NSA) and Alabama Hills Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) in Inyo County, California (Figure 1). The BLM is preparing the Alabama Hills NSA/SRMA Management Plan and EA in accordance with the requirements of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Dingell Act) of 2019 (Public Law 116- 9), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA). Scoping is the first step in the BLM’s planning and environmental review process for development of a comprehensive plan for the long-term management of the Alabama Hills NSA and SRMA. The BLM will announce future opportunities for public participation in this planning effort, including a public review and comment period for the Draft Plan and EA, through news releases, local news outlets, email notifications, social media channels, and the BLM’s press release and ePlanning websites. This scoping report provides a brief overview of the scoping process, brief summaries of comments received through public scoping and during initial consultation and coordination meetings, a listing of issues identified through external scoping with short summaries for future consideration in the planning and environmental review process, a brief description of future steps in the planning and environmental review process, and current contact information for the Alabama Hills NSA/SRMA planning effort. SCOPING PROCESS Purpose Scoping allows the BLM to gather internal and external input on the issues, potential alternatives, and associated impacts to be addressed during the development and consideration of a proposed action (in this case an implementation plan for the long-term management Alabama Hills NSA and SRMA), as well as the extent to which those issues, alternatives, and impacts will be analyzed in accordance with the NEPA. Scoping is also used to identify incomplete or unavailable information that may be needed for the environmental review and decision-making process. External scoping is a form of public involvement that occurs early in the NEPA process. While BLM policy provides that external scoping for an EA is optional, the BLM determined that external scoping would ensure early and effective public and agency involvement in the Alabama Hills NSA/SRMA planning effort. External scoping is also being used to fulfill some of the consultation requirements identified in Title XIV, Section 1403 (b) of the Dingell Act. Pre-Scoping Outreach Prior to beginning scoping for the Alabama Hills NSA/SRMA Plan and EA, the BLM provided multiple opportunities for the public and agency representatives to get updated on current uses and management in the Alabama Hills and to share their thoughts about future management of the area. 1 Pre-scoping outreach included the following: • On Tuesday, March 5, 2019, the Bishop Field Office and Alabama Hills Stewardship Group co-hosted an informal public “Information Sharing Workshop” in Lone Pine, CA. This workshop focused on the Alabama Hills and occurred just prior to passage of the Dingell Act on March 12, 2019 and Congressional designation of the Alabama Hills NSA. Over 53 individuals attended this workshop. • During the Veterans Day holiday weekend, 2019, the Bishop Field Office and Alabama Hills Stewardship Group co-hosted a series of informal “Pop-up” public information sharing opportunities in the community of Lone Pine and in the Alabama Hills. These information sharing opportunities were designed to reach both visitors from outside the local area and area residents that might not be able to attend evening public scoping workshops that were being planned for early December in Lone Pine and Bishop, CA. o On Friday, November 8, 2019, information sharing tables were set up at the Lone Pine Interagency Visitor Center and on Main Street in Lone Pine. o On Saturday, November 9, 2019, information sharing tables were set up at two popular visitor locations in the Alabama Hills. These informal “Pop-ups” allowed people to describe what they love about the Alabama Hills, what they do while they are there, what they would like to stay the same, and what they would like to change. Over 150 individuals took advantage of these public outreach opportunities and shared their thoughts regarding the Alabama Hills with the BLM and the Alabama Hills Stewardship Group. Public Notification of Scoping The public received notification of scoping in the following