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a!)~5)3 2. The Cross Mountain WSA (including the proposed Cross Mountain Canyon ACEC) will be recommended as preliminarily suitable for wilderness designation. BLM will recommend that the proposed Cross Mountain wilderness remain open to oil and gas leasing with no-surface-occupancy stipulations. If Congress does not designate Cross Mountain as wilderness, the area would be managed as a special recreation management area (13,000 acres), including the Cross Mountaio Canyon ACEC (3,000 acres). (See the Draft RMPIEIS Wilderness Technical Supplemen~ Cross Mountain Preferred Alternative, for more details.) 3. The West Cold Spring WSA will be recommended as nonsuitable for wilderness designation. If Congress does not designate the area as wilderness, the Colorado portion of West Cold Spring would be managed as the Cold Spring and Little Snake River management units (total of 14,482 acres). The Utah ponion of the WSA would be managed under the Brown's Park Management Framework Plan. (See the Draft RMPI EIS Wilderness Techoical Supplemen~ West Cold Spring Preferred Alternative for more information.) 4. Four WSAs evaluated under Section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) - Ant Hills, Chew Winter Camp, Peterson Draw, and Vale of Tears - will be recommended as nonsuitahle for wilderness designation but would be recommended to the Secretary for forwarding to Congress for the final decision. If Congress does not designate these areas as wilderness, they would be managed as follows (see Draft RMP lEIS Wilderness Technical Supplement, Preferred Alternative for each of these WSAs, for details). a. The nonhwest comer of Ant Hills would be managed as the Douglas Mountain Management Unit and the remainder as the Scattered Sands Management Uoit. b. Chew Winter Camp would be managed as the Scattered Sands Management Unit. c. The nonh third of Peterson Draw would be managed as the Scattered Sands Management Unit and the remainder as the Douglas Mountain Management Unit. d. Most of Vale of Tears would be managed as the Little Snake Ri ver Management U nit and the other ponions in the nonhwest comer would be managed as the Douglas Mountain and Scattered Sands Managemeot Units. 5. Tepee Draw, the fifth WSA evaluated under Section 202 of FLPMA, is dropped from funher consideration RESOURCE MANAGEMENT DECISIONS and will be managed as the Douglas Mountain Management Unit. 6. Except for the Tepee Draw WSA, WSAs would continue to be managed in compliance with BLM's Interim Management Policy (BLM, Revised Novemher 10, 1987) until they were reviewed and acted upon by Congress. 7. Puhlic land designated as wilderness will be managed in compliance with BLM's Wilderness Management Policy and the Wilderness Act of 1964. Site-specific wilderness management plans will be developed for areas designated by Congress as wilderness. Resource Conditions and Rationale Only Congress has the authority to add areas to the National Wilderness Preservation System. After wilderness designation, a wilderness management plan will be written for each area designated. Areas designated as wilderness will he managed under provisions of the Wilderness Act to preserve wilderness character and provide for recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservatioD. and historical use. Areas designated nonsuitable will be released from wilderness review and managed for other uses. Until Congress makes its decision on whether or not to designate an area as wilderness, BLM's Interim Management Policy will be followed, and the WSAs will be patrolled periodically to detect and prevent unauthorized actions which could impair the suitability of such areas for preservation as wilderness. Rationale for recommendations by WSA: DIAMOND BREAKS: The area is of sufficient size, exhibits a high degree of naturalness, and has outstanding opponunities for solitude and primitive recreation. No management conflicts are anticipated. CROSS MOUNTAIN: The area is of sufficient size, exhibits a natural environmen~ contains threatened or endangered species, has outstanding geologic features, has a high potential for cultural resources, has outstanding scenic features, contains a herd of bighorn sheep, contains a segment of the Yampa River which is listed on the Nationwide Rivers Inventory Lis~ and has outstanding opponunities for solitude and primitive unconfined recreation. The long-term protection of these wilderness values would be assured only through legislative protection. The area can be managed as wilderness. WEST COLD SPRING: While the area possesses wilderness characteristics of naturalness, and outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive unconfined recreation, BLM feels the values of this area can be protected 23