Lakeview Draft RMP Amendment and Draft EIS

The Lakeview Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement addresses options for future management of approximately 3.2 million acres of Federal surface and mineral estate in south central Oregon in accordance with a 2010 Settlement Agreement. The planning area is in Lake and Harney counties and is managed by the Lakeview Field Office of the Lakeview District, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The document addresses wilderness characteristics management, off-highway vehicle (OHV) use and travel management, and livestock grazing management. All other management goals and direction described in the Lakeview Resource Management Plan/Record of Decision (RMP/ROD; as maintained and amended, BLM 2003b, 2015b) are not addressed by this RMP Amendment and remain unchanged.

The final decision resulting from this planning process will amend the  Lakeview RMP/ROD (BLM 2003b) .

Read and comment on the  Lakeview Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement here. 

• 2003 Lakeview RMP as amended by the 2015 Oregon Greater Sage-Grouse Approved RMP

There are six alternative management strategies for addressing wilderness characteristics management, OHV area designations, and two components of livestock grazing management: areas where Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing are not being met due to livestock grazing, and the voluntary relinquishment of livestock grazing permits.

No Action Alternative - Continuation of Existing Management under 2010 Settlement Agreement

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ 1981) has defined the No Action Alternative for land use planning purposes as a continuation of current management. The purpose of this alternative is to serve as a baseline from which the effects of alternative actions can be measured (40 CFR 1502.14(d), in effect prior to September 14, 2020).

Alternative A - Continuation of Existing Management without the Settlement Agreement

Alternative B - Emphasize Protection of Wilderness Characteristics

Alternative C - Emphasize Protection of Specific Lands with Wilderness Characteristics while Providing for Limited Levels of Commodity Production and Other Multiple Uses (Preferred Alternative)

Alternative D - Balance Management of Wilderness Characteristics with Other Multiple Uses

Alternative E – Emphasize Protection of Specific Lands with Wilderness Characteristics Based on External Criteria

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Scroll down to learn more and comment on the plan.

 Read and Comment on the Plan 

Attend a meeting

The BLM will host four public meetings to provide forums for the public to learn more about the Draft RMPA. The BLM will answer your questions about the draft plan.

The current meeting schedule is:

•  Virtual Zoom meeting on Monday, July 15, 2024 , from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Pacific daylight time). Register for the meeting  here . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
• Christmas Valley, Oregon on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Pacific daylight time) at the Community Hall, 87345 Holly Lane, Christmas Valley, OR 97641.
• Lakeview, Oregon on Thursday, July 18, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Pacific daylight time) at the Lakeview Interagency Office, 1301 South G Street, Lakeview, Oregon 97630.
•  Virtual Zoom meeting on Monday, July 22, 2024 , from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Pacific daylight time). Register for the meeting  here . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Please check the BLM's National NEPA Register website for updates.

Comment

The BLM continues to seek public input to guide the planning process. Public engagement helps the BLM identify important resource conflicts, resulting in more meaningful management direction. You may submit your comments on the Draft RMPA/Draft EIS using the BLM's  National NEPA Register website . To be considered, letters should be signed or otherwise indicate your name.

When the comment period is over, the BLM will address all substantive comments in the final plan. The BLM will code the letter’s content as substantive or non-substantive. The Council on Environmental Quality defines a substantive comment as a comment that does one or more of the following:

• Questions, with a reasonable basis, the accuracy of the information or analysis in the Draft RMPA
• Presents reasonable alternatives other than those presented in the Draft RMPA that meet the purpose and need of the proposed action and addresses significant issues
• Questions, with a reasonable basis, the merits of an alternative or alternatives
• Causes changes in or revisions to the proposed action
• Questions, with a reasonable basis, the adequacy of the planning process itself

Additionally, the BLM’s NEPA Handbook identifies additional types of substantive comments:

• Comments on the adequacy of the analysis—comments that express a professional disagreement with the conclusions of the analysis or assert that the analysis is inadequate are substantive but may or may not lead to changes in the Final RMPA.
• Comments that identify new alternatives, impacts, or mitigation measures—public comments on the Draft RMPA that identify impacts, alternatives, or mitigation measures that were not addressed in the draft are substantive.
• Disagreements with significance determinations—comments that directly or indirectly question, with a reasonable basis, determinations regarding the significance or severity of impacts are substantive.

Examples of nonsubstantive comments include the following:

• Express an opinion only
• State that the Draft RMPA doesn’t reflect balanced land management
• State that the environmental consequences are inadequate without explaining why

What are the Alternatives?

The BLM developed the action alternatives using input from the public, cooperating agencies, consulting Tribes, and BLM staff. Management approaches that meet the purpose and need for the RMPA, are technically or economically feasible, and are at an appropriate scale for a long-term management plan are included in the range of action alternatives. Each action alternative describes an overarching approach that would guide the BLM’s management actions for the next 15 to 20 years.

Interactive Map of Alternatives

Use the map to toggle layers of interest. Click the arrow in the upper right to launch the map in a new tab. Scroll past the map to review the user guide.

Click the Open Live Content icon in the top right corner of the embedded map to open the map in a new tab.

Widgets Toolbar

1. Map Layers
2. Legend
3. Basemap
4. Information

Click the Map Layers icon in the Widgets Toolbar to interact with the map layers.

1. Click the dropdown arrow to expand the group of layers and see the sub-layers within each group. Click and hold the ellipsis to the left of the layer to drag it to a different order of drawing on the map.
2. Check or uncheck the box on the left of the layer to toggle a layer on and off.
3. Change the transparency on a layer by clicking on the ellipsis to the right of the layer, then clicking the up or down arrows to increase or decrease transparency.

Click the Legend icon in the Widgets Toolbar to access the legend.

Click the Basemaps icon in the Widgets Toolbar to change basemaps. Switch between the BLM land ownership basemap (Topography) and the aerial photo basemap (Imagery) by clicking on either one.

Click on the Information icon in the Widgets Toolbar to see the list of  alternatives  under consideration and read the  Terms of Use  which will give you more information about the use constraints pertaining to the Bureau of Land Management data.

Type an address into the Locator Search Bar on the left side of the map to zoom to a specific location. Click on the search results in the dropdown list to zoom to that location.

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Use the Home button to return to the original map extent.

Use the Location Finder and Compass to find your position on the map. Note that Location Services must be turned on on your mobile device in order for Location Finder to work.

These data are provided by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) “as is” and might contain errors or omissions.  The User assumes the entire risk associated with its use of these data and bears all responsibility in determining whether these data are fit for the User’s intended use. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time.  The data are not better than the sources from which they were derived, and both scale and accuracy may vary across the data set.  These data might not have the accuracy, resolution, completeness, timeliness, or other characteristics appropriate for applications that potential users of the data may contemplate.  The User is encouraged to carefully consider the content of the metadata file associated with these data.  These data are neither legal documents nor land surveys, and must not be used as such.  Official records may be referenced at most BLM offices.  Please report any errors in the data to the BLM office from which it was obtained. The BLM should be cited as the data source in any products derived from these data.  Any Users wishing to modify the data should describe the types of modifications they have performed.  The User should not misrepresent the data, nor imply that changes made were approved or endorsed by BLM.  This data may be updated by the BLM without notification.

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