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<br />PROPOSED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN
<br />
<br />Fire Management (Issue 2-9)
<br />
<br />A fire management plan (FMP) has been developed for
<br />the Little Snake Resource Area,
<br />
<br />Maximum Suppression would be used on areas with high-
<br />resource values, structures, commercial forest, oil and gas
<br />developments, cultural values, improvements, etc, Buffer
<br />areas near or adjacent \0 critical management areas, such
<br />as threatened, endangered and candidate species, Colorado
<br />BLM sensitive plant species, and research natural areas,
<br />would require full protection, Maximum suppression may
<br />also be used in other areas to prevent fire from spreading
<br />to adjacent private property/structures.
<br />
<br />Minimum fire suppression would be used in areas with
<br />resources that are low in value or do not warrant full
<br />suppression actions and/or high suppression costs. Fires in
<br />the Douglas Mountain area (five Dinosaur-adjacent WSAs),
<br />Diamond Breaks WSA, West Cold Spring WSA, and Cross
<br />Mountain WSA, will be handled under this strategy,
<br />
<br />Prescribed fire would be used to improve resource habitat,
<br />condition. etc, Both planned and unplanned fires would be
<br />used.
<br />
<br />Wilderness (Issue 3-1)
<br />
<br />I. The Diamond Breaks Wilderness Study Area (WSA)
<br />would be recommended as preliminarily suitable for
<br />wilderness designation (Table 6), If Congress does not
<br />designate Diamond Breaks as wilderness, the Colorado
<br />portion of the WSA (31,480 acres) would be managed
<br />as a recreation management priority area; the Utah
<br />portion (3,900 acres) would be managed by the Vernal
<br />District according to existing management framework
<br />plans, (See the Draft RMP/EIS Wilderness Technical
<br />Supplemen~ Diamond Breaks No Wilderness Alter-
<br />native for more detailed discussion.)
<br />
<br />2, The Cross Mountain WSA (including the proposed
<br />Cross Mountain Canyon ACEC) would be recom-
<br />mended as preliminarily suitable for wilderness
<br />designation, BLM would recommend that the proposed
<br />Cross Mountain wilderness would remain open to oil
<br />and gas leasing with no-surface-occupancy stipulations
<br />(except for Cross Mountain Canyon ACEC, which
<br />would be proposed for total mineral withdrawal), If
<br />Congress does not designate Cross Mountain as
<br />wilderness, the area would be managed as a special
<br />recreation management area (13,000 acres), including
<br />the Cross Mountain Canyon ACEC (3,000 acres), (See
<br />the Draft RMP /EIS Wilderness Technical Supplement,
<br />Cross Mountain Preferred Alternative, for more details.)
<br />
<br />3, The West Cnld Spring WSA would be recommended
<br />as nonsuitable for wilderness designation, If Congress
<br />does not designate the area as wilderness, the Colorado
<br />portion of West Cold Spring would be managed as
<br />wildlife, recreation, and livestock management priority
<br />areas (total of 14,482 acres). The Utah portion of the
<br />WSA would be managed under the Brown's Park
<br />Management Framework Plan, (See the Draft RMP /
<br />EIS Wilderness Technical Supplement, Wesl Cold
<br />Spring Preferred Alternative for more information,)
<br />
<br />4, Four WSAs being evaluated under Section 202 of the
<br />Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA)--
<br />Ant Hills, Chew Winter Camp, Peterson Draw, and
<br />Vale of Tears-would be recommended as nonsuitable
<br />for wilderness designation but would be forwarded to
<br />Congress for the final decision, If Congress does not
<br />designate these areas as wilderness, they would be
<br />managed as follows (see Draft RMP /EIS Wilderness
<br />Technical Supplement, Preferred Alternative for each
<br />of these WSAs, for details):
<br />
<br />a, The northwest comer of Ant Hills would he managed
<br />as a forest lands priority area and the remainder as
<br />a minerals priority area.
<br />
<br />b, Chew Winler Camp would be managed as a minerals
<br />priority area,
<br />
<br />c, The north third of Peterson Draw would be managed
<br />as a minerals priority area and the remainder as a
<br />forest lands priority area,
<br />
<br />d, Most of Vale of Tears would be managed as a
<br />livestock priority area, and the other portions in the
<br />northwest and southeast corners would be managed
<br />as minerals, forest lands, and soils/water priority areas,
<br />
<br />5. The Tepee Draw WSA, the fifth WSA being evaluated
<br />under Section 202 of FLPMA, would be recommended
<br />as nonsuitable for wilderness designation, If the
<br />Colorado BLM State Director drops this WSA from
<br />further consideration, it would be managed as a forest
<br />lands priority area,
<br />
<br />6, WSAs would continue to be managed in compliance
<br />with BLM's Interim Management Policy (BLM,
<br />Revised July 12, 1983) until they were reviewed and
<br />acted upon by Congress or the BLM Colorado State
<br />Director, as appropriate,
<br />
<br />7, Public land designated as wilderness would be managed
<br />in compliance with BLM's Wilderness Management
<br />Policy and Ihe Wilderness Act of 1964, Site-specific
<br />wilderness management plans would be developed for
<br />such areas after designation by Congress.
<br />
<br />1-12
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