Planning Update January 31, 2023
BLM approves Management Plan for San Juan Islands National
Monument
San
Juan Islands, WA – The Bureau of Land
Management announced today that the San Juan Islands National Monument Resource
Management Plan (RMP) and Record of Decision (ROD) is available, establishing their long-term management goals for
the area.
The BLM’s
objectives for the monument include protecting and restoring historic and
cultural resources, coordinating the management of these lands with Coast
Salish tribes, government agencies, and partner organizations, and providing the
public with sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities. This new management
direction applies to the approximately 1,000 acres of BLM-administered public
lands that make up the national monument.
“While a relatively
small area, San Juan Islands National Monument includes landscapes of great
beauty, as well as sensitive cultural and ecological resources,” said Kurt
Pindel, BLM Spokane District Manager. “We are honored to be stewards of these
lands as we implement strategies to conserve and protect the lands for the
benefit of future generations.
The approved plan includes
modifications to the proposed RMP. These changes reflect input from the
Washington State Office of the Governor, consulting tribes, local partner
organizations, the public, and the San Juan Islands National Monument Advisory
Committee.
“The BLM prepared
this document in consultation with Coast Salish tribal governments, in coordination
with other federal, state, and local cooperating agencies, and with an
impressive level of input from the public,” said Brie Chartier, Monument
Manager. “We are excited to move forward with the implementation of the RMP
with continued engagement and collaboration from the public and our partners
including the Coast Salish Tribes.
For more information on the San Juan Islands National Monument visit the website
Project Timeline
| Tasks and Milestones |
Timing |
| KICK OFF THE PLANNING EFFORT:
• Organize planning team
• Gather and update data
• Ask the public for ideas about what issues should be addressed in the planning effort ("scoping"). Hold five public meetings. Input is summarized in the scoping report.
• Initiate Tribal consultation and formalize planning partnerships with other government agencies
• Meet with the Monument Advisory Committee
|
Winter-Summer 2015 |
| DEVELOP THE DRAFT RMP/ EIS
• Work internally and with partners to identify a range of possible management approaches
• Document the current state of resources and uses that would be affected by the plan
• Analyze the potential impacts of the possible management approaches on the planning area
• Meet with the Monument Advisory Committee and Cooperating Agencies •Hold five public workshops to gather input on human use management in the Monument. Input from these workshops is summarized in a report.
|
Summer 2015-Summer 2018 |
Publish the Draft RMP/EIS
Provide a 90-day public review and comment period. Hold five public meetings to discuss the Draft RMP/EIS. |
October 5, 2018 |
| Develop the Proposed RMP/Final EIS
• Use public and partner comments to build on the Draft RMP/EIS and correct any errors
• Develop the BLM's proposed plan—generally a refinement of one of the management approaches described in the Draft—while considering input from consulting Tribes, public comments, input from agency partners and the Monument Advisory Committee, and BLM priorities.
|
Winter-Summer 2019 |
| Publish the Proposed RMP/Final EIS
• Provide 30 days during which members of the public who have participated in the planning process can "protest" aspects of the proposed management decisions with which they disagree.
• Provide 60 days for the WA Governor's office to review the plan for consistency with state and local plans, policies, and programs. The BLM incorporated the governor's substantive recommendations into the Approved RMP.
• Provide 60 days for the public to comment on the proposed closure of the proposed closure of the Monument to the discharge of firearms outside of hunting seasons established by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. This restriction will not apply to the use of firearms by Coast Salish tribal members for the purposes of hunting.
|
November 22, 2019 |
| Publish Record of Decision and Approved RMP |
Winter 2023 |
