Record of decision and approved Butte resource management plan

2009·195.5 MB·English

by  United States. Bureau of Land Management. Butte Field Office

BLM LIBRARY
88066167
kECORD of decision
APPROVED
BUTTE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN
April 2009
The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the stewardship of our public lands. It is committed to manage,
protect, and improve these lands in a manner to serve the needs of the American people for all times. Management
is based on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield of our nation's resources within a framework of
environmental responsibility and scientific technology. These resources include recreation; rangelands; timber;
minerals; watershed; fish and wildlife; wilderness; air; and scenic, scientific, and cultural values.
BLM/MT/PL-09/009+1610
United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Take Pride
Montana State Office in/J^MERICA
5001 Southgate Drive
In Reply To: Billings, Montana 59101-4669
1610(070) http://www.mt.blm.gov/mt
April 2009
Dear Reader/Interested Party:
I am pleased to announce that the Butte Resource Management Plan (RMP) is complete. This document will provide
management guidance for more than 307,000 acres of public land and approximately 661,000 acres of federal mineral
estate administered by the Bureau of Land Management in western Montana.
The attached Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved RMP were prepared in accordance with the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The document has been sent to members of the public
who requested a copy and to pertinent local, state, tribal and federal government entities. The ROD links final land use
plan decisions to the proposed decisions presented in the Proposed RMP/Final Environmental Impact Statement that was
released in September 2008. Six unique protests were received. After consideration of the points raised in these protests,
the BLM Director concluded that all applicable laws, regulations, policies, and pertinent resource considerations had
been followed in developing the proposed plan. The protest review did not result in any significant changes to the
proposed plan. Minor adjustments or points of clarification incorporated into the RMP in response to final BLM review
are discussed in the ROD’s Modifications and Clarifications sections.
The ROD serves as the final decision for the land use planning decisions described in the attached Approved RMP. The
ROD also contains travel route designations described and mapped for the Helena Travel Planning Area (TPA), East
Helena TPA, Lewis and Clark County NW TPA, Boulder/Jefferson City TPA, and Upper Big Hole River TPA. Travel
route decisions for these five TPAs are implementation level decisions that are now subject to the Department of
Interior’s appeal regulations at 43 CFR Part 4. The appeal period will close 30 days from the date the Notice of
Availability of the ROD/RMP appears in the Federal Register. This date will be announced via local news releases and
on the Butte RMP website. The Appeal Procedures for Implementation Decisions section in the ROD provides a more
detailed discussion of the appeal procedures.
Additional hard copies or CD copies of the ROD/Approved RMP may be obtained by contacting the Butte Field Office
at 106 North Parkmont, Butte, MT, 59701. The document will also be available on the Butte Field Office website on the
internet at: http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/butte_field_office.html.
We appreciate your help in this planning effort and look forward to your continued participation as the plan is
implemented.
Gene R. Terland
State Director, Montana/Dakotas

I OiT
RECORD OF DECISION
AND
APPROVED BUTTE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN
April 2009
Prepared by:
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Butte Field Office
Butte, Montana
Approved by:
April 20, 2009
Gene R. Terland Date
State Director, Montana/Dakotas

ACRONYMS
ACEC Area of Critical Environmental Concern NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
AML Abandoned Mine Lands NL No Lease
APLIC Avian Power Line Interaction Committee NOI Notice of Intent
ATV All Terrain Vehicle NPS National Park Service
AUM Animal Unit Month NSO No Surface Occupancy Stipulation
BFO Butte Field Office NW Northwest
BLM Bureau of Land Management OHV Off-Highway Vehicle
BMP Best Management Practice PEIS Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement
CCF Hundred Cubic Feet
PM10 Particulate Matter less than 10 micrograms
CEQ Council on Environmental Quality
ppm Parts per million
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
PSQ Probable Sale Quantity
CSU Controlled Surface Use Stipulation
R&PP Recreation and Public Purposes
DBH Diameter at Breast Height
RMP Resource Management Plan
DNRC Montana Department of Natural Resources
RMZ Riparian Management Zone
DOE Department of Energy
ROD Record of Decision
EA Environmental Assessment
ROS Recreation Opportunity Spectrum
ECMA Elkhoms Cooperative Management Area
ROW Right-of-way
EIS Environmental Impact Statement
SIMPPLLE Simulating Patterns and Processes at
ESA Endangered Species Act
Landscape Scales
FAMS Facility Asset Management System
SRMA Special Recreation Management Area
FLPMA Federal Land Policy and Management Act
SMZ Streamside Management Zone
FMU Fire Management Unit
TL Timing Limitation Stipulation
FRCC Fire Regime Condition Class
TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load
GIS Geographic Information System
TPA Travel Planning Area
HUC Hydrologic Unit Code
use
United States Code
IGBC Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee
USDA United States Department of Agriculture
IM Instructional Memorandum
USDI United States Department of the Interior
LWCF Land and Water Conservation Fund
USFS United States Forest Service
MBF Thousand Board Feet
USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service
MDEQ Montana Department of Environmental
VRM Visual Resource Management
Quality
WFIP Wildland Fire Implementation Plan
MFP Management Framework Plan
WFU Wildland Fire Use
MFWP Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
WSA Wilderness Study Area
MLA Mineral Leasing Act
WSR Wild and Scenic River
MMBF Million Board Feet
WUI Wildland/Urban Interface
NA Not Applicable
>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RECORD OF DECISION.1
Introduction.1
Protest Review Results.1
Decision.1
Implementation Decisions Covered Under This Record of Decision.1
Appeal Procedures for Implementation Decisions.2
Request for Stay.2
Modifications.2
Clarifications.2
Overview of the Alternatives.3
Alternative A - No Action.3
Alternative B - Preferred Alternative.3
Alternative C.3
Alternative D.4
Environmentally Preferable Alternative.4
Management Considerations in Selecting the Approved RMP.4
Mitigation Measures.5
Plan Monitoring. 5
Public Involvement.5
Availability of the Approved Rmp.6
Field Manager Recommendation.6
Approval.6
APPROVED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN.7
Introduction.7
Purpose and Need for the Plan.7
Planning Area and Map.7
Scoping/Issues.9
Issue 1: Vegetation Communities.10
Issue 2: Wildlife, Wildlife Habitat, Special Status and Priority Plant and Animal Species.10
Issue 3: Travel Management and Access.10
Issue 4: Recreation.10
Issue 5: Special Designations Including ACECs, National Trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and WSAs.10
Planning Criteria/Legislative Constraints.10
Planning Process.10
Relationship to BLM Policies, Plans and Programs.11
Collaboration.12
Related Plans.12
Policy.13
Overall Vision.13
Management Decisions.13
Goals Common to All BLM Activities.13
Vegetation Communities.14
Vegetation Management Approach and Tools.14
Emphasis and Priorities for Vegetation Treatments.14
Grassland and Shrubland Vegetation.15
Forests and Woodlands (including Forest Products).16
Riparian Vegetation.20
Livestock Grazing.23
Wildland Fire Management.26
Noxious Weed Management.28
Non-Vegetation Resources/Uses .30
Wildlife, Fish, Wildlife Habitat, Special Status and Priority Plant and Animal Species.30
Record of Decision (ROD)ZApproved RMP i
Record of Decision/Approved RMP
Travel Management and Access.37
Transportation and Facilities.47
Recreation Management.48
Special Designations - Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs).53
Special Designations - National Trails.59
Special Designations - Wild and Scenic Rivers.,.60
Special Designations - Wilderness Study Areas.61
Air Quality.62
Soil Resources.63
Water Resources.63
Visual Resources.64
Cultural Resources, Traditional Cultural Properties and Paleontological Resources.65
Lands and Realty.67
Energy and Minerals.71
Abandoned Mine Lands.77
Elazardous Materials Management.78
Wild Horses and Burros.78
Social and Economic Environment.80
Environmental Justice (EJ).81
Tribal Treaty Rights.81
MANAGEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.82
Planning.82
Implementation.82
Public Involvement in Plan Implementation.83
Monitoring.83
Plan Evaluation and Adaptive Management.84
Implementation Strategy.84
List of Preparers.85
References Cited.87
Glossary.89
Appendices
Appendix A - Land Health Standards.105
Appendix B - Best Management Practices.113
Appendix C - Wildlife.117
Appendix D - Travel Management.149
Appendix E - Recreation Opportunity Spectrum.159
Appendix F - Cultural and Paleontological Resources and Native American Treaties.161
Appendix G - Lands and Realty.183
Appendix H - Fluid Minerals.195
Tables
Table 1 Lands within the Butte RMP Planning Area.9
Table 2 Steps in the BLM Land Use Planning Process.11
Table 3 Grassland Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.15
Table 4 Shrubland Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.15
Table 5 Dry Forest Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.17
Table 6 Cool/Moist Forest Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.17
Table 7 Riparian Vegetation Acres to be Treated per Decade by Watershed.21
Table 8 Areas Unavailable for Long Term Grazing Permits.24
Table 9 Fire Polygons by Fire Management Unit.27
Table 10 Acres of Open, Closed, and Limited Area Designations. 38
ii Record of Decision (ROD)ZApproved RMP