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<br />SUMMARY
<br />
<br />This Final Resource Management Plan and Environmen-
<br />tal Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) identifies and analyzes
<br />the future options lor managing the public lands in the Linle
<br />Snake Resource Area in northwest Colorado, The resource
<br />area encompasses an area of 3,2 million acres in the Bureau
<br />of land Management's (BlM) Craig District. Management
<br />decisions have been proposed for the 2,4 million acres within
<br />the reSOurce area for which BlM has administrative
<br />responsibility,
<br />
<br />The resource management plan is being prepared using
<br />the BlM's planning regulations issued under the authority
<br />of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.
<br />
<br />The planning process began in July 1983 with issue
<br />identification. Public meetings were held in Denver,
<br />Steamboat Springs, and Craig, Colorado, Written comments
<br />were also solicited to determine the scope of the document
<br />and identify the concerns of the publ,c that should be
<br />addressed, The issues identified by both the public and BlM
<br />during this process, which are addressed in the RMP, fall
<br />into five major issue categories:
<br />
<br />Issue I. Determination of suitability of certain areas for
<br />leasing and development-
<br />
<br />Issue I-I. Coal
<br />Issue 1-2, Oil and Gas Development
<br />Issue 1-3, Other Mineral Development
<br />
<br />Issue 2, Management of ecological factors, including
<br />vegetation, to best meet livestock, wildlife, and wild
<br />horse needs and demand for forest/woodland
<br />products-
<br />
<br />Issue 2-1. livestock Grazing
<br />Issue 2-2, Wildlife Habitat
<br />Issue 2-3. Threatended/Endangered. Candidate,
<br />and BLM Colorado Sensitive Plant Species
<br />Issue 2-4, Wild Horses
<br />Issue 2-5, Soils
<br />Issue 2.{i, Water Resources
<br />Issue 2-7, Forest Lands
<br />Issue 2-8. Woodlands
<br />Issue 2-9, Fire Management
<br />
<br />Issue 3, Determination of need for special management
<br />designations-
<br />
<br />Issue 3-1. Wilderness
<br />Issue 3-2, Natural History
<br />Issue 3-3, Recreation
<br />Issue 3-4, Off-Road Vehicle Designations
<br />Issue 3-5. Cultural Resources
<br />Issue 3-6, Paleontological Resources
<br />
<br />Issue 4, Determination of needed realty actions-
<br />
<br />Issue 4-1, Acquisition/Disposal Areas
<br />
<br />Issue 4-2, Major Rights-of-Way
<br />
<br />Issue 5, Determination of access and transportation
<br />needs-
<br />
<br />Issue 5-1. Access Acquisition
<br />Issue 5-2. Boundary Marking
<br />Issue 5-3, Road Requirements
<br />
<br />Six multiple-use alternatives were developed to respond
<br />to these issues, Each alternative proposes different solutions
<br />to these issues and concerns and describes the dilTerent
<br />management options available to BlM for the Little Snake
<br />Resource Area, Each of the alternatives is a complete,
<br />reasonable, and implementable plan that provides a
<br />framework for managing the public lands and allocating
<br />the resources in the resource area. These alternatives are
<br />summarized below and are described in detail in Chapter
<br />2 of the Draft RMP /EIS, A comparative summary of the
<br />management actions proposed under each alternati ve is
<br />included in Table S- I and S-2,
<br />
<br />Initially, five alternatives were analyzed: Current
<br />Management (No Action) Alternative, Energy and Minerals
<br />Alternative, Commodity Production Alternative, Renewable
<br />Resource Alternative, and Natural Environment Alternative,
<br />The potential impacts to the environment and nearby
<br />communities of implementing each alternative were
<br />examined and presented to BlM management. Then, based
<br />on this analysis, BlM policy and goals, and the respon-
<br />siveness of each alternative to the issues identified at the
<br />beginning of the process, a Preferred Alternative was
<br />described and the environmental consequences of that
<br />alternative were predicted, A comparative summary of the
<br />environmental consequences of each alternative is included
<br />in Table S-3, The impacts anticipated from all of these
<br />alternatives are described in Chapter 4 and a comparative
<br />summary of impacts is included in Chapter 2 of the Draft
<br />RMP/EIS,
<br />
<br />The following description summarizes the key poinls of
<br />each alternative.
<br />
<br />CURRENT MANAGEMENT
<br />AL TERNA TIVE
<br />
<br />The Current Management Alternative is the "No Action"
<br />alternative, It renecls the current management of the Little
<br />Snake Resource Area and portrays how it would continue
<br />to be managed under existing management policy and
<br />practices. Decisions in the various management framework
<br />plans are renected to the degree that they are consistent
<br />with current BlM policy, existing management practice,
<br />
<br />S-I
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