BLM overhauling resource management plan

The Bureau of Land Management’s Missoula Field Office is undertaking one of its biggest projects in recent years: overhauling its resource management plan, which guides its management of 156,000 acres of public lands and 268,000 acres of federal mineral interests.

The field office published a notice of intent on Dec. 12, announcing the preparation of the plan and associated environmental impact statement. The notice begins a 60-day public scoping period that ends Feb. 9, 2017.

The bureau is seeking public input to identify issues and concerns within and adjacent to the planning area, which includes BLM-administered public lands and federal mineral estates in Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Granite Powell, Ravalli, and Sanders counties. More than 99 percent of the BLM-managed surface acres are located in Granite, Missoula, and Powell counties.

The project aims to address the changing needs of the planning area over the next several decades and will replace the current Garnet Resource Area RMP that was developed in 1986.

The first phase of developing the plan, called the pre-scoping public envisioning process, was completed in April and was aimed at listening to the public about broad concepts for what’s important across the landscape. The BLM is now starting its scoping period, which gives the public and other interested agencies and organizations the chance to provide comments on important issues and identify management opportunities before the plan is drafted.

The BLM will hold public scoping meetings in the Missoula area at the following locations:

Jan. 17, from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the Lubrecht Forest Center, 38689 Hwy. 200 E., Greenough.

Jan. 19, from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the Granite County Museum, 135 S. Sansome St., Phillipsburg.

Jan. 24, from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the Helmville Community Club, 201, S. Main, Helmville.

Jan. 26, from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the University Center, 32 Campus Dr., Missoula.