On March 15th the official notification was made for the next round of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) planning for Greater Sage Grouse across the western United States.
While BLM has been involved in moving forward with their management activities for Sage Grouse and sagebrush habitat since they first began their 2015 Resource Management Plan Amendments (RMPA), this current round is being considered to amend the RMPs to address a sub-set of Greater Sage Grouse management and to improve the efficiency of and effectiveness across state boundaries.
This BLM webpage offers something of an opening portal to begin the process of tracking down more specifics on what is presently underway.
The 90-day comment period for the Draft RMPA and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) associated with this revamp/update will end on June 13, 2024. Persons wishing to learn more of the details and possibly participate in the public comment period can review the Draft RMPA/EIS that is available for review on the BLM ePlanning project website at:
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2016719/570
Written comments related to the Greater Sage-Grouse Rangewide RMPA may be submitted by any of the following methods:
- Website: electronically via the BLM ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2016719/510.
- Email: BLM_HQ_GRSG_Planning@blm.gov
- Mail: BLM Utah State Office ATTN: HQ GRSG RMPA, 440 West 200, South #500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
In addition, BLM is concurrently offering a 60-day comment period for consideration of the designation of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) which would be incorporated into two of the six alternatives being considered and would prohibit all types of land use and activities.
Proposed Nevada-related ACEC resource management plans (RMP) include:
- Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area RMP
- Carson City Field Office Consolidated RMP
- Elko RMP
- Ely RMP
- Shoshone-Eureka RMP
- Tonopah RMP
- Wells RMP
- Winnemucca District RMP
There are also three California-related areas for ACEC resource management plans
that could be amended:
- Altura RMP
- Eagle Lake RMP
- Surprise RMP
The BLM will hold two virtual public meetings and 11 public meetings to answer questions and take further comments on the draft alternatives and analysis.
This website link:
blm.gov/programs/fish-and-wildlife/sagegrouse/blm-sagegrouse-plans/
2024-deis-public-meetings will share the details for these meetings, including the specifics for the two virtual meetings scheduled for 1 p.m. Mountain Daylight Savings Time (MDT) on Tuesday, April 9th and Thursday, April 25th at 6 p.m. (also MDT).
A Reno/Sparks, NV, in-person meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 16th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Nugget Casino in the Cascade Room.
A brief overview of the six alternatives being considered:
Alternative 1: BLM would re-adopt the applicable Greater Sage Grouse habitat management area boundaries, goals, objectives, and actions that they offered in their 2015 Records of Decision. This proposal got shut down by a court injunction and brought about the adoption of the 2019 version. This option would allow the agency to return to their management of Sagebrush Focal Areas with the recommendation of using this designation to withdraw mineral location and entry under the Mining Law of 1872. It would also allow for prioritization of other activities to vegetative treatments like livestock grazing and wild horses & burros.
Alternative 2: This is suggested to be the agency’s “No-Action” Alternative, operating under the applicable decisions from the 2019 Record of Decision (except for areas in the Montana/Dakotas). It is being considered as the “No-Action” Alternative because it reflects management currently in BLM’s Resource Management Areas. This option also most closely follows the Sage Grouse plans that were developed by the states.
Alternative 3: In their own words, this alternative “includes the most restrictive measures to protect and preserve Greater Sage Grouse and its habitat.” Armed with the ACEC’s (covering over 11 million acres) that the agency would like to include, this proposal would make all habitat management to the level of priority habitat management and exclude all uses, including livestock grazing. It even suggests that BLM would pull all Wild Horses and Burros from the designated areas.
Alternative 4: This proposal updates the habitat management areas and associated management based on new information and science that has become available since the 2015 and 2019 versions of BLM’s top-down requirements. In Wyoming it dings new oil and gas leases and puts into place the potential of compensatory mitigation to be used in specific conditions. It would allow for more opportunities for consideration of local habitat characteristics when applying mitigation exceptions but still requires functional habitat prior to granting the exception.
Lastly, this alternative would treat the previously identified Sage Grouse Focal Areas to be managed as Priority Habitat Management Areas with removal of the withdrawal from mineral entry recommendations and prioritization strategies.
Alternative 5: This proposal has been identified as BLM’s “preferred alternative.” State Sage Grouse management areas have been updated in this version of possible management. It is also considered to be the option with fewer restrictions and more flexibility, using higher degrees of compensatory mitigation to offset impacts on Sage Grouse and their habitat. For wind, solar and major rights-of-ways projects (top priority BLM objectives) have less direct avoidance and provide more opportunities for considering compensatory mitigation to offset the impacts on the birds as well as their habitat.
Alternative 6: This alternative is proposed to be like Alternative 5 with the exception that it includes the addition of ACECs to follow the restrictions found in Alternative 3. Supposedly the ACEC scheme in Alternative 6 is going to seek less restrictions in comparison with the plans for Alternative 3.
Nevadans Need To Be Engaged!
Due to the potential impacts of BLM management activities considering their on-going conservation efforts for Greater Sage Grouse and sagebrush habitat it is very important for those who depend on rangelands, managed by BLM, to be involved in understanding what is being proposed as well as participating in the two periods for submitting public comments. There are efforts underway to expand the timeframes beyond the 90-day and 60-day comment periods, seeking more time to better understand all the ramifications of what is being considered, but there are no predictions on whether such extra time will be granted.
Interested people are also encouraged to participate in the virtual information meetings or attend the in-person meeting that is being scheduled for the Reno/Sparks area at the Nugget Casino on April 16th, 2024.
By Doug Busselman | NFB Executive Vice President