Baker Draft Resource Management Plan Released

BAKER CITY, Ore. — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Vale District has released its Baker Field Office Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The RMP is being revised for BLM-administered lands within Baker, Union, Wallowa, Umatilla, Morrow, and Malheur Counties in Oregon and Asotin County in Washington. The public lands that make up the “Decision Area” encompass approximately 428,425 surface acres in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.

The purpose of the Baker RMP revision is to provide broad-scale guidance for the management of public lands and resources administered by the BLM’s Baker Field Office. When completed, the RMP will guide the BLM in the implementation of all its subsequent management actions and site-specific activities in the Decision Area. Copies of the Draft RMP/EIS are available at the BLM Baker Field Office and Vale District Office. The document is also available online at: http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/plans/bakerrmp/contact.php

To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive written comments on the Draft RMP/EIS by February 23, 2012. You may submit comments related to the Draft RMP/EIS by any of the following methods:
Web site: http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/plans/bakerrmp/contact.php

Email: BLM_OR_BK_RMP@blm.gov

Fax: 541-523-1965

Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Baker Field Office, P.O. Box 947, Baker City, OR 97814

Public meetings to share information and respond to questions about the Draft RMP/EIS are scheduled for:

Durkee: Jan. 10 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Community Hall
Old school house just off old Hwy 30

Enterprise: Jan. 11 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Community Connection
702 NW 1st St.

Pendleton: Jan. 17 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Convention Center
1601 Westgate

Baker: Jan. 18 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
BLM Baker Field Office
3285 11th Street

La Grande: Jan. 19 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Library
2006 4th Street

About the BLM: The BLM manages more land – more than 245 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.