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<br />OQ:I~,"S
<br />
<br />PLANNING ISSUES, CRITERIA, AND
<br />MANAGEMENT CONCERNS
<br />
<br />Tbe planning process for this RMP lEIS began in
<br />September of 1988 witb tbe identification of issues
<br />,
<br />planning criteria, and management concerns. An
<br />issue, relative to this RMPIEIS, is a matter of
<br />controversy or dispute regarding a resource
<br />management activity or land uses tbat is well-
<br />defmed, discrele, and involves alternative solutions.
<br />Planning criteria are legal, policy, or regulatory
<br />constraints tbat direct or limit tbe BLM's ability to
<br />resolve issues, as well as responses to public input
<br />or coordination efforts with other agencies. The
<br />planning criteria were used to establish limits for
<br />proposed resource uses and to develop alternatives.
<br />Management concerns are resource activities or
<br />opportunities that are addressed and resolved in the
<br />RMPIEIS in order to ensure consideration of all
<br />multiple uses in the planning area. These are
<br />usually BLM internal concerns.
<br />
<br />Public open bouses were held in Gunnison, Lake
<br />City, and Montrose to help determine the scope of
<br />the document and to receive input on, or additions
<br />to BLM's preliminary issues, criteria, and
<br />management concerns. Written comments were
<br />also solicited and received. As a result, BLM's
<br />preliminary issues, criteria, and concerns were
<br />fmalized, and are addressed, resolved and analyzed
<br />in the alternatives in this RMPIEIS. Table 1-2 and
<br />1-3 identify tbe planning issues and criteria, and
<br />management concerns, respectively, for this
<br />RMP/EIS.
<br />
<br />WILDERNESS STUDY PROCESS AND
<br />THE RMP/EIS
<br />
<br />Within the Gunnison Planning Area there are six
<br />Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) totalling
<br />approximately 114,427 acres: Powderhorn Instant
<br />Study Area, Redcloud Peak, Handies Peak,
<br />American Flats, Larson Creek, and Bill Hare Gulch
<br />WSAs.
<br />
<br />The BLM study process has been completed for all
<br />tbe WSAs in the Planning Area. The Powder horn
<br />Wilderness Final Environmental Impact Statement
<br />and Wilderness Suitability Report (1984)
<br />
<br />INTRODUCTION
<br />
<br />recommended 43,311 acreS as being suitable for
<br />wilderness designation; the Gunnison Basin and the
<br />American Flats{Silverton Wilderness Final
<br />Environmental Impact Statement (1987)
<br />recommended 39,790 acres in three WSAs as being
<br />suitable for wilderness designation: Redcloud Peak,
<br />Haodies Peak, and Americ:m Flats WSAs.
<br />
<br />The Slumgullion Slide, Friends Creek, and Sparling
<br />Gulch WSAs were deleted from wilderness study
<br />and WSA status on Marcb 12, 1990 because the
<br />adjacent Forest Service lands on which they relied
<br />for their wilderness values are no longer under
<br />consideration for wilderness. These areas are no
<br />longer subject to the Bureau's Interim Management
<br />Policy for Lands Under Wilderness Review.
<br />
<br />Since the study process has been completed for all
<br />WSAs in the Planning Area, this RMP/EIS does not
<br />re-analyze those areas, but does address, in various
<br />alternatives, management of lands within these
<br />WSAs in the event all, portions, or none of the
<br />WSAs are designated as wilderness by Congress
<br />during the lik of this plan.
<br />
<br />Until Congress acts on, and either designates or
<br />does not designate all or part of any WSA as
<br />wilderness, the WSAs in the Planning Area would
<br />be managed under BLM's Interim Management
<br />Policy for Lands Under Wilderness Review (IMP).
<br />If Congress designates public lands in any part of
<br />any WSA in the Planning Area as wilderness, those
<br />lands would be managed as wilderness and a
<br />wilderness management plan would be prepared for
<br />the area (s). If, during the life of this plan,
<br />Congress acts on and decides to not designate any
<br />part of any WSA in the Planning Area as
<br />wilderness, effectively removing it from WSA status
<br />those public lands would be managed according t~
<br />the alternatives in this draft RMPIEIS.
<br />
<br />TOPICS NOT ADDRESSED IN THE
<br />RMP/EIS
<br />
<br />Several topics identified during the
<br />preparation/scoping processes are not addressed in
<br />the RMP lEIS, and are identified below, along with
<br />rationale for not addressing them.
<br />
<br />1-5
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