September 2007 SOUTHERN DIABLO MOUNTAIN RANGE AND CENTRAL COAST OF CALIFORNIA RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN RECORD OF DECISION Prepared by: U. S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Hollister Field Office 20 Hamilton Court Hollister, CA 95023 September 2007 Recommended by: August 31, 2007 Date Approved by: September 7, 2007 Mike Pool, State Director, California Date BLM Hollister Field Office Table of Contents Hollister RMP Record of Decision TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary............................................................................................................................................... i 1.0 RECORD OF DECISION .................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 ALTERNATIVES .................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS AND DECISION RATIONALE..........................1-3 1.3 CHANGES TO PROPOSED ACTION ................................................................................1-5 1.4 MITIGATION AND MONITORING...................................................................................1-5 1.5 AGENCY AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ......................................................................1-5 2.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORK............................................................................................. 2-1 2.1 Purpose and Need..............................................................................................................2-1 2.2 Planning Area....................................................................................................................2-2 2.2.1 Area Profile...................................................................................................................2-3 2.3 Background.......................................................................................................................2-3 2.3.1 Planning History ...........................................................................................................2-4 2.3.2 Scoping / Issues ............................................................................................................2-4 2.3.3 Summary of Major Planning Issues..............................................................................2-5 2.3.4 Issues Considered, but Not Further Analyzed ..............................................................2-6 2.4 Planning Criteria ...............................................................................................................2-6 2.5 Planning process ...............................................................................................................2-7 2.6 Relationship to BLM Policies, Plans, and Programs ........................................................2-8 3.0 Hollister RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN.............................................................. 3-1 3.1 Air Quality .........................................................................................................................3-1 3.2 Soil Resources....................................................................................................................3-2 3.3 Water Resources ................................................................................................................3-3 3.4 Biological Resources – Vegetation Resources...................................................................3-4 3.5 Biological Resources – Wildlife Habitat............................................................................3-5 3.6 Biological Resources – Special Status Species..................................................................3-6 3.7 Fire Management ...............................................................................................................3-7 3.8 Recreation ........................................................................................................................3-11 3.9 Visual Resources Management........................................................................................3-16 3.10 Special Management Areas..............................................................................................3-17 3.11 Livestock Grazing...........................................................................................................3-24 3.12 Energy and Minerals ........................................................................................................3-28 3.13 Cultural Resources ...........................................................................................................3-29 3.14 Paleontological Resources ...............................................................................................3-31 3.15 Social and Economic Conditions .....................................................................................3-32 3.16 Transportation and Access ...............................................................................................3-33 3.17 Hazardous Materials and Public Safety ...........................................................................3-34 3.18 Land and Realty ...............................................................................................................3-35 4.0 ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW AND APPEALS ............................................................ 4-1 4.1 APPEALS....................................................................................................................................4-1 4.2 CONTACT INFORMATION.....................................................................................................4-2 5.0 LIST OF PREPARERS ...................................................................................................... 5-1 Table of Contents August 2007 BLM Hollister Field Office Table of Contents Hollister RMP Record of Decision List of Appendices A Figures (MAPS) B Wild & Scenic River Inventory C Best Management Practices Outlined in the June 2005 Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on Wind Energy Development on BLM-Administered Lands in the Western United States D Oil and Gas Stipulations E Special Status Species Information F Hollister Field Office Area Reasonably Foreseeable Development Scenario for Oil and Gas Table of Contents August 2007 BLM Hollister Field Office Hollister RMP Record of Decision Summary RECORD OF DECISION Summary The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is adopting decisions identified in the Hollister Field Office Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Southern Diablo Mountain Range and Central Coast of California to allocate land use on approximately 274,000 acres of public land and an additional 443,806 acres of subsurface mineral estate located in Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties, and portions of Fresno, Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin counties. In accordance with 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1610.5-2(b), all protests to the Director were resolved prior to approving this Record of Decision (ROD). Alternatives The Draft RMP and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Southern Diablo Mountain Range and Central Coast of California analyzed four alternatives. BLM developed these alternatives on the basis of, and in response to, substantive public input on the existing environment, existing uses, desired future uses, and desired environmental conditions of the public lands administered by the Hollister Field Office. Alternative A was the no action alternative, which would continue current management under BLM’s existing 1984 Hollister RMP as amended. Management of resources and sensitive habitats would not address emerging issues concerning public lands. Furthermore, management of land acquired after the 1984 Hollister RMP was completed would be based on interim management strategies approved upon acquisition to protect public safety and resource values. Alternative B emphasized conserving natural resources, maintaining functioning natural systems, and restoring degraded natural systems. Management would focus on protecting sensitive resources while limiting or excluding certain uses in sensitive areas. Alternative C (Preferred Alternative) balanced resource conservation and ecosystem health with commodity production and public use of the land. This alternative placed importance on collaboration with landowners, permit holders, and other land managers to provide opportunities for sustainable use of the resources while maintaining key ecological, visual, and recreational values. Alternative D emphasized commodity production and public uses (recreation, grazing, mining, and oil/gas leasing, etc.) consistent with BLM guidance and constraints. Potential impacts on sensitive resources would be mitigated on a case-by-case basis. Emphasis would be on maintaining resource conditions where required. Restoration actions that would enhance resource use or commodity production would be utilized. Summary i August 2007 BLM Hollister Field Office Hollister RMP Record of Decision Summary Management Considerations and Decision Rationale BLM has determined that the decisions described in this ROD best meet the purpose and need for administering the public lands managed by the Hollister Field Office. The factors considered by BLM in approving this ROD include: alternatives described in the Draft RMP/EIS; impacts from those alternatives; the purpose and need for the action; and public comments and agency input provided