RE: Update regarding BLM's Schedule

• Description: Related to Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholder Group
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/24/2011
• Author: US Dept. of the Interior
• Title: RE: Update regarding BLM's Schedule
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Meeting

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4,4, United States Department of the Interior
arm
a : BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
TAKE PRIDE*
Colorado State Office 1NAMERIC:A
4RH3 ,ea9 2850 Youngfield Street
Lakewood, Colorado 80215-7093
www.blm.gov/co
In Reply Refer To: JAN ` y. (LA
k I
6400 (CO-931)
Peter Fleming
Colorado River Water Conservation District
P.O. Box 1120
201 Centennial, Suite 200
Glenwood Springs, CO 81602
Dear Mr. Fleming:
The purpose of this letter is to provide an update to the upper Colorado River stakeholders'
group regarding Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) schedule for publication of its Draft
Resource Management Plan (DRMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the
Colorado River Valley and Kremmling Field Offices. This plan will include an analysis of the
eligible and suitable river segments pursuant to the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. The purpose of
the letter is also to request specific input from the stakeholders group as to what management
actions the group wishes to see published in the plan under the stakeholder's alternative specific
to eligible river segments. BLM requests that you circulate this letter to the stakeholder group as
soon as possible.
The BLM wishes to inform the group that it is BLM's intention to publish the draft land use plan
April 2011. Everything that appears in the final plan, including appendices, must be reviewed at
multiple levels, including BLM's Washington Office, before BLM Colorado can obtain
permission to publish. After receiving permission to publish, several weeks are required for the
actual publishing and for providing notice of availability in the Federal Register. Given this lead
time, the absolute final date on which BLM can accept changes to what the group proposes under
the stakeholder alternative in the published DRMP/DEIS is February 28, 2011.
At the present time, BLM has broadly analyzed the stakeholder group's conceptual plan and
implementation outline, as a Wild & Scenic Rivers alternative under Alternative B, in the current
DRMP/DEIS. At this point in the planning schedule, BLM does not have ability to change that
summary and analysis, other than completely removing them from the document. However,
BLM does have the flexibility to include a modified appendix that provides updated details of
the proposed stakeholder alternative, if the stakeholder group chooses to do so