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nr,~ ?Q't' U J ~.. _ ,J CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION ThiS Resource Management Plan (RMP) con- tains the land use decisions, terms, and con- dttlons for guiding future management actions wtthln the Uncompahgre Basin Planning Area. All uses and actlvttles wtthln this area shall con- form to the decisions, terms, and condttlons, described In this plan. The RMP describes Implementation prlorttlss by resource as well as monttorlng which will track plan Implementation and effectiveness. The RMP also outlines the modification process should changes to present decisions be needed. In addttlon to this RMP, a final wilderness en- vlronmentallmpact statement (EIS) and wilder- ness study report (WSR) are being prepared. The final EIS and WSR will be submitted to Con- gress for legislative action. PURPOSE AND NEED The primary purposs of the RMP Is to update and Integrate the BlM's land use planning for the area Into a single, comprehensive land use plan providing the overall framewor'; 'or manag- Ing and allocating public land resources in the Uncompahgre Basin planning area over the next ten to twelve years. In addition to Identifying management direction wtthln the planning area, the RMP meets several speCific obJectives. It (1) Identifies federal coal lands that are acceptable for further leasing con- sideration, acceptable for further leasing con- sideration wtth stipulations, or unacceptable for leasing; (2) analyzes the suitability of three Wilderness Study Areas ryvSAs) for inclusion Into the National Wilderness Preservallon Sys- tem (NWPS); and (3) Identifies public land to be designated as open, closed, or Iimtted to off-road vehicle use. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER BlM PLANNING LEVELS Development of a RMP occurs within the framework of the BlM planning system. The planning system Is subdivided Into three distinct tiers for operational purposes: policy planning, land use planning, and activities or program- specific planning. The Council on Environmen- tal Quality regulations provided for tiering to aid compliance wtth the National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 1500-1508). This plan satis- fies the requirements for the land-use tier of plan- ning. SETTING The Uncompahgre Basin planning area Is a geographic division of the Uncompahgrs Basin Resource Area (UBRA) of the BlM's Montrose District. The planning area Is located In west-central Colorado In portions of Delta, Gunnison, Mesa, Montrose, and Ouray counties (See Figure 1-1). It Is bordered In part by the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison Na- tional Forests. Figure 1-2 depicts the planning area boundaries. The planning area encompasses approximate- ly 1.38 million acres. The BlM has administra- tive responsibility for the public lands and resources on 483,077 surface acres and 755,923 acres of subsurface federal minerai estate. Table 1 details surface and subsurface owner- ship wtthln the planning area by county.