BLM RECORD OF DECISION and Approved Casper Resource Management Plan Updated with Amendments and Maintenance Actions Wyoming - Casper FieldState Office Office December 2007 MISSION STATEMENT It is the mission of the Bureau of Land Managment to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. BLM/WY/PL-08/005+1610 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Record of Decision ......................................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Decision....................................................................................................................................1-1 1.1.1 Continuity of Previous Decisions ....................................................................................1-3 1.2 Overview of Alternatives Presented in the Proposed RMP/Final EIS......................................1-3 1.2.1 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Analysis....................................1-3 1.2.2 Alternatives Considered in Detail....................................................................................1-4 1.2.3 Environmentally Preferred Alternative............................................................................1-5 1.3 Management Considerations ....................................................................................................1-5 1.3.1 Mitigation Measures ........................................................................................................1-5 1.3.2 Plan Monitoring ...............................................................................................................1-6 1.4 Public Involvement, Consultation, and Coordination...............................................................1-6 1.4.1 Public Involvement ..........................................................................................................1-6 1.4.2 Consultation and Coordination ........................................................................................1-6 1.4.2.1 Cooperating Agency Status........................................................................................1-6 1.4.2.2 Governor’s Consistency Review................................................................................1-7 1.4.2.3 Section 7 Consultation ...............................................................................................1-7 1.4.2.4 Native American Consultation...................................................................................1-7 1.4.2.5 Coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency .........................................1-7 2.0 Approved Resource Management Plan.....................................................................................2-1 2.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................2-1 2.1.1 Purpose and Need for the Plan.........................................................................................2-1 2.1.1.1 Purpose.......................................................................................................................2-1 2.1.1.2 Need for Revising the Existing Plan ..........................................................................2-2 2.1.2 Planning Area and Map ...................................................................................................2-4 2.1.3 Scoping/Issues .................................................................................................................2-4 2.1.3.1 Issues Addressed........................................................................................................2-4 2.1.3.2 Issues Considered, But Not Further Analyzed...........................................................2-5 2.1.3.3 Planning Criteria/Legislative Constraints ..................................................................2-5 2.1.3.4 Planning Process Summary........................................................................................2-7 2.1.3.5 Related Plans..............................................................................................................2-8 2.1.4 Overall Vision..................................................................................................................2-8 2.2 Goals, Objectives, and Decisions/Management Actions..........................................................2-9 2.2.1 Management Decisions....................................................................................................2-9 2.2.1.1 Best Management Practices .....................................................................................2-53 2.2.1.2 Guidelines for Yearling Conversion ........................................................................2-54 2.2.1.3 Stock Driveway Management Standards .................................................................2-55 2.2.1.4 Air Quality ...............................................................................................................2-57 2.3 Plan Implementation Process..................................................................................................2-62 2.3.1 Public Involvement ........................................................................................................2-62 2.3.2 Operation and Maintenance Actions..............................................................................2-63 2.3.3 Monitoring .....................................................................................................................2-63 2.4 Plan Evaluation/Adaptive Management .................................................................................2-63 2.5 Appendices .............................................................................................................................2-64 2.6 Glossary..................................................................................................................................2-64 2.7 Maps .......................................................................................................................................2-65 2.8 References ..............................................................................................................................2-65 Record of Decision and Approved Casper Resource Management Plan i Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1. Goals, Objectives, and Management Actions ...................................................................2-10 Table 1-2. Summary of Withdrawals, Classifications, and Other Segregations for the Approved RMP ..................................................................................................................................2-52 Table 1-3. Acres of Federal Mineral Estate Administratively Unavailable for Oil and Gas Leasing for the Life of the Plan in the Casper Planning Area...........................................2-53 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1. Casper Field Office Planning Area .....................................................................................2-6 The Appendices, Glossary, and Maps are included in electronic format only. For paper versions of the document, these items can be found on a CD attached to the inside back cover of the ROD-RMP. For CD versions of the document, these items are provided as separate files on the CD. APPENDICES Appendix F Exception, Modification, and Waiver Criteria Appendix G Land Disposal Appendix H Areas Not Available for Livestock Grazing Appendix I Wyoming Bureau of Land Management Mitigation Guidelines for Surface- Disturbing and Disruptive Activities Appendix L Air Quality Mitigation Matrix Appendix M Surface Disturbance and Reasonable Foreseeable Actions Appendix O Recreation Management Matrices Appendix R Clarification of Off-Highway Vehicle Designations and Travel Management in the Bureau of Land Management Land Use Planning Process Appendix U Intensive Management Appendix W Parcel Numbers and Legal Descriptions by Resource Program Appendix X Invasive, Nonnative Plant Species Best Preventative Management Practices and Mitigation Options Appendix Z Biological Opinion of the Casper Resource Management Plan GLOSSARY MAPS Map 1 Physical Resources Water Map 2 Mineral Resources Leasable – Coal Map 3 Mineral Resources Leasable – Oil and Gas Map 4 Mineral Resources Locatable Map 5 Mineral Resources Salable Map 6 Biological Resources Fish and Wildlife Resources – Wildlife Map 7 Biological Resources Special Status Species – Plants Map 8 Biological Resources Special Status Species – Wildlife Map 9 Heritage and Visual Resources Cultural Resources Map 10 Heritage and Visual Resources Visual Resource Management Map 11 Land Resources Lands and Realty – Retention and Disposal ii Record of Decision and Approved Casper Resource Management Plan Table of Contents Map 12 Land Resources Rights-of-Way and Corridors Including Renewable Wind Energy Map 13 Land Resources Off-Highway Vehicles Map 14 Land Resources Recreation Map 15 Special Designations and Other Management Areas Map 16 Special Designations National Back Country Byways Map 17 Special Designations National Historic Trails and Other Historic Trails Map 18 Socioeconomic Resources Health and Safety Record of Decision and Approved Casper Resource Management Plan iii Table of Contents LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AAQS ambient air quality standards MA Management Area ACEC Area of Critical Environmental Concern MBF thousand board feet AMP Allotment