Notice of Temporary Seasonal Closure of Public Lands in La Plata and Montezuma Counties, CO

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published

June 30, 2022

Effective

December 1, 2022

Issuing agencies

Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau

Abstract

Notice is hereby given that a temporary closure to all forms of entry will be in effect seasonally for certain public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tres Rios Field Office in La Plata and Montezuma Counties, Colorado. The temporary closure is necessary to protect critical wildlife habitat and minimize stress to wintering mule deer and elk and nesting raptors.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 125 (Thursday, June 30, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 125 (Thursday, June 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39123-39124]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-14051]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[223-LLCOS01000-L11700000.PI0000-LXSIWILD0000]

Notice of Temporary Seasonal Closure of Public Lands in La Plata
and Montezuma Counties, CO

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of temporary closure.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a temporary closure to all forms
of entry will be in effect seasonally for certain public lands
administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tres Rios Field
Office in La Plata and Montezuma Counties, Colorado. The temporary
closure is necessary to protect critical wildlife habitat and minimize
stress to wintering mule deer and elk and nesting raptors.

DATES: In the Durango area of La Plata County, the temporary closure of
BLM-administered lands identified as critical winter wildlife habitat
will be in effect annually from 12:01 a.m. on December 1 through 11:59
p.m. on April 15, with possible extension through April 30 if
conditions warrant. The temporary closure of BLM-administered lands
identified as critical raptor habitat will be in effect annually from
12:01 a.m. on March 15 through 11:59 p.m. on July 31.
In the Cortez area of Montezuma County, the temporary closure of
BLM-administered lands identified as critical winter wildlife habitat
will be in effect annually from 12:01 a.m. on December 1 through 11:59
p.m. on April 30.
All times noted are local.
The temporary seasonal closures take effect on August 1, 2022 and
will expire 30 days after publication in the Federal Register of a
final supplementary rule implementing the 2015 Tres Rios Field Office
Resource Management Plan (RMP).

ADDRESSES: The temporary closure order, maps of the affected areas, and
documents associated with the temporary closure order will be made
available and posted at the Tres Rios Field Office, 29211 Highway 184,
Dolores, CO 81323.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tyler Fouss, Field Staff Ranger; 29211
Highway 184, Dolores, CO 81323; telephone: (970) 882-1131; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4733212832343407252b2a69202831"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d3a7b5bca6a0a093b1bfbefdb4bca5">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services to contact
Tyler Fouss. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The need for these temporary seasonal
closures is identified in the record of decision for the Tres Rios
Field Office RMP and the supporting environmental impact statement
(EIS). The BLM affirmed that its environmental analysis conducted in
that EIS adequately informed, under the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA), the decision regarding these temporary closures in La Plata
County. That determination of NEPA adequacy is contained in the
worksheet titled ``Seasonal Wildlife Area Closures on Public Lands in
La Plata County, Colorado'' (DOI-BLM-CO-S010-2020-0006-DNA). BLM
conducted additional site-specific analysis of the effects of the
Cortez area closures in an environmental assessment for the Tres Rios
Field Office entitled, ``Transportation and Access Plan, Travel Area 1:
Archuleta, La Plata and Montezuma Counties'' (DOI-BLM-CO-S010-2018-
0013-EA).

I. Durango Area Closures

In 1971, the BLM and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) identified
the need to preserve critical winter range to minimize adverse impacts
and prevent disturbance to wintering elk and mule deer. The BLM
purchased land on Animas City Mountain from The Nature Conservancy and
entered into a joint plan with CPW for managing Animas City Mountain
and the Perins Peak Wildlife Management Area. Perins Peak was also
identified as critical nesting habitat for peregrine falcons. In 1999,
the BLM and CPW identified a similar need to manage for critical winter
range within the Grandview Ridge Recreation Management Zone (RMZ) and
developed a management plan for the Durango Special Recreation
Management Area (SRMA).

II. Cortez Area Closures

The BLM designated the Cortez SRMA during revision of the Tres Rios
Field Office RMP. The RMP identifies the need for annual seasonal
closures in the Chutes-n-Ladders, Summit, and Aqueduct areas of the
Montezuma Triangle RMZ within the Cortez SRMA. These areas provide
critical winter range for elk and mule deer and are identified in the
Colorado action plan for implementation of Department of the Interior
Secretary's Order 3362, ``Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game
Winter Range and Migration Corridors'' (2018). When the BLM developed
the SRMA, it implemented seasonal wildlife closures as a mitigation
measure in response to the designation of elk and mule deer critical
winter range in the Cortez SRMA.
Description of Closed Areas: This temporary closure affects the
following BLM-administered public lands within the Tres Rios Field
Office in La Plata County, Colorado: Animas City Mountain and Grandview
Ridge RMZs within the Durango SRMA and the Perins Peak Wildlife
Management Area; and in Montezuma County, Colorado: Aqueduct, Chutes
and Ladders, and Summit areas of the Montezuma Triangle RMZ within the
Cortez SRMA.
The legal description of affected public lands is as follows:

Grandview Ridge RMZ