ACCELERATED EROSION
Soil loss above natural levels resulting directly from human activities. Because of the slow rate of soil formation, accelerated
erosion can permanently reduce plant productivity.
ACTIVE MANAGEMENT AREAS
Five areas in Arizona (i.e. Prescott, Phoenix, Pinal, Santa Cruz, and Tucson) where the Arizona Department of Water Resources
regulates groundwater use. Groundwater regulations stem from the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Code, which provides
the management framework to ensure dependable water supplies for Arizona well into the future. Ensuring dependable supplies,
the code places conservation requirements on municipal and agricultural water use and promotes the use of renewable supplies,
such as Colorado River water delivered by the Central Arizona Project.
ACTIVE MINING CLAIM
A parcel of Federal land, valuable for a mineral deposit or deposits. A claim is a parcel for which one has asserted a right
of possession. The right is restricted to extracting and developing a mineral deposit. The rights granted by a mining claim
are valid against a challenge by the United States and other claimants only after the discovery of a valuable mineral deposit.
There are two types of mining claims: lode and placer. Since October 5, 1992, only claimants who have a legal interest in
ten or fewer mining claims nationwide and who also meet other requirements, may perform assessment work and file evidence
of assessment. All other claimants must pay an annual fee of $125 per claim to BLM or file for a waiver from payment by August
31. Failure to file by August 31 requires BLM to declare the claim or site null and void by operation of law.
ACTIVE USE
The current authorized use, including livestock grazing and conservation use. Active use may constitute a portion of or all
permitted use. Active use does not include temporary nonuse or suspended use of forage within all or a portion of an allotment.
ACTUAL USE
Describes how many and what kind of livestock graze, as well as where they graze, on an allotment or on a portion or pasture
of an allotment.
ADJUDICATION
Refers to a judicial process whereby water rights are determined or decreed by a court of law.
AGGREGATE (n.)
Any combination of sand, gravel, and crushed stone in its natural or processed state.
AGGREGATE (adj.)
Constituting or amounting to the whole and complete Alternative resource prescriptions effects, not just the individual resource
effect. The total aggregate effect of an Alternative in the RMP considers every resource prescriptions’ effect on an individual
resource.
AIRSHED
An area that shares the same air because of topography, meteorology, and climate; the atmospheric zone potentially influenced
by air pollutants from various sources.
ALLOTMENT
An area of land designated and managed for the grazing of livestock where one or more operators are authorized to graze their
livestock. An allotment generally consists of Federal rangelands but may include intermingled parcels of private, State, or
Federal lands. The BLM stipulates the number of livestock and season of use for each allotment.
ALLOTMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN (AMP)
A livestock grazing management plan dealing with a specific unit of rangeland and based on multiple use resource management
objectives. The AMP considers livestock grazing in relation to other uses of rangelands and in relation to renewable resources-watershed,
vegetation, and wildlife. An AMP establishes the seasons of use, the number of livestock to be permitted on rangelands, and
the rangeland improvements needed.
ALLUVIAL FAN
A low, outspread, relatively flat to gently sloping mass of sediment, shaped like an open fan and deposited by a stream where
it flows from a narrow mountain valley onto a plain or broad valley.
ALLUVIUM
Any sediment deposited by flowing water as in a riverbed, floodplain, or delta.
ANIMAL UNIT
One mature (1,000 pound) cow or the equivalent based upon an average daily forage consumption of 26 pounds of dry matter per
day.
ANIMAL UNIT MONTH (AUM)
The amount of forage needed to sustain one cow, five sheep, or five goats for one month.
AQUATIC HABITATS (COMPONENTS)
Habitats confined to streams, rivers, springs, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and other water bodies.
AQUIFER
A water-bearing bed or layer of permeable rock, sand, or gravel capable of yielding large amounts of water.
AQUIFER RECHARGE
Adding water to an aquifer, a process that occurs naturally from the infiltration of rainfall and from water flowing over
earth materials that allow it to infiltrate below the land surface.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FEATURE
A nonportable object, not recoverable from its matrix (usually in an archeological site) without destroying its integrity.
Examples are rock paintings, hearths, post holes, floors, and walls.
AREA OF CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN (ACEC)
A designated area on public lands where special management attention is required- (1) to protect and prevent irreparable damage
to fish and wildlife; (2) to protect important historic, cultural, or scenic values, or other natural systems or processes;
or (3) to protect life and safety from natural hazards.
ARIZONA STANDARDS FOR RANGELAND HEALTH AND GUIDELINES FOR GRAZING ADMINISTRATION
Standards and guidelines developed collaboratively by BLM and the Arizona Resource Advisory Council (RAC) to address the minimum
requirements of the Department of the Interior’s final rule for Grazing Administration, effective Aug. 21, 1995.
AUTHORIZED OFFICER
Any employee of the BLM who has been delegated the authority to perform duties related to public lands, public purposes, conveyances,
hazardous substances, and solid wastes.
AZSITE DATABASE
A computer database containing cultural site information managed by the State Historic Preservation Office and maintained
by Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University.
BACK COUNTRY BYWAY
A component of the national scenic byway system which focuses primarily on corridors along back country roads which have high
scenic, historic, archeological, or other public interest values. The road may vary from a single track bike trail to a low
speed, paved road that traverses back country areas. (BLM Handbook H-8357-1, B 2)
BACK COUNTRY SETTING
Areas with undeveloped, primitive, and self-directed visitor experience without provisions for motorized or mechanized access,
except for identified routes.
BAJADA
A broad continuous slope extending along and from the base of a mountain range and formed by coalescing alluvial fans.
BASE FLOW (DISCHARGE)
The portion of stream discharge derived from such natural storage sources as groundwater, large lakes, and swamps but not
derived from direct runoff or flow from stream regulation, water diversion, or other human activities.
BASE METAL
A metal inferior in value to gold and silver; a term generally applied to the commercial metals such as copper and lead.
BASE PROPERTY
1) Land that has the capability to produce crops or forage that can be used to support authorized livestock for a specified
period of the year, or 2) water that is suitable for consumption by livestock and is available and accessible to the authorized
livestock when the public lands are used for livestock grazing.
BASIN
A broad, structural lowland between mountain ranges, commonly elongated and many miles across.
BENEFIT (RECREATION/SOCIETAL)
A benefit is defined as an improved condition or the prevention of a worse condition. Benefits of leisure and recreation engagements
can be realized by individuals (e.g., improved physical and psychological well-being), groups of individuals (strengthened
bonds among family and friends), communities (economic gain from tourism), society (the cumulative effects of individual and
group benefits), and the environment (a result of a stronger environmental ethic among individuals).
BENEFITS-BASED MANAGEMENT (RECREATION/SOCIETAL)
Benefits-based management is an approach to park and recreation management that focuses on the positive outcomes of engaging
in recreational experiences.
BIG GAME
Large species of wildlife that are hunted, such as elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope.
BIGHORN SHEEP HABITAT
Area is open to non-vehicular traffic year around (e.g., hiking, biking, and equestrian). Restrictions vary by location and
are listed in RMP. Typically, roads are closed during lambing season (January 1–June 30).
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (BIODIVERSITY)
The full range of variability within and among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Biological
diversity encompasses ecosystem or community diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity.
BIOLOGICAL VEGETATION TREATMENT
Methods of vegetation treatment that employ living organisms to selectively suppress, inhibit, or control herbaceous and woody
vegetation. Examples of such methods include insects; pathogens; and grazing by cattle, sheep, or goats.
BIOMASS
The total amount of living matter in a given unit of the environment.
BUREAU (BLM) SENSITIVE SPECIES
All species that are under status review, have small or declining populations, live in unique habitats, or need special management
to reduce the likelihood and need for future listing under the ESA.
BOSQUE
A woodland dominated by trees more than 15 feet tall.
BRAIDING
A pattern of an interlacing or tangled network of several branching and reuniting stream channels separated by branch islands
or channel bars.
BROOD PARASITISM
The exploitation by one bird species of the parental behavior of another species. A nest parasite lays eggs in the nest of
another bird species to be cared for by a host. The parasite benefits from saving time, energy, and survival prospects, whereas
the host may suffer partial or complete loss of its own current reproduction.
BROWSE
The part of leaf and twig growth of shrubs, woody vines, and trees available for animal consumption.
CANAMEX
Canada to Mexico highway authorized through the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994, designed to facilitate trade
between Mexico, Canada, and the US.
CANCELLED/CANCELLATION
A permanent termination of a grazing permit, grazing lease, grazing preference, free-use grazing permit, or other grazing
authorization in whole or in part.
CANOPY
The cover or leaves of branches formed by the tops or crowns of plants as viewed from above the cover measured by the vertical
projection downward of the extent of the cover and expressed as a percentage of the ground so covered.
CARRYING CAPACITY (RECREATION)
The amount of recreation use a given resource can sustain before the resource’s quality begins to irreversibly deteriorate.
CASUAL USE (MINING)
Mining that only negligibly disturbs Federal lands and resources and does not include the use of mechanized earth moving equipment
or explosives or motorized equipment in areas closed to off-highway vehicles. Casual use generally includes panning, non-motorized
sluicing, and collecting mineral specimens using hand tools.
CASUAL USE (RECREATION)
Non-commercial or non-organized group or individual activities on public land that do the following: Comply with land use
decisions and designations (i.e. special area designations), do not award cash prizes; are not publicly advertised; pose minimal
risk for damage to public land or related water resources; and generally require no monitoring. If the use goes beyond those
conditions, the activity should be treated as any other organized recreational group or competitive activity or event for
which BLM would require the event organizer to obtain a special recreation permit (SRP).
CASUAL USE OF MINERAL MATERIALS
Extracting mineral materials for limited personal (noncommercial) uses.
CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION
A category of actions (identified in agency guidance) that do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on
the human environment and for which neither an environmental assessment nor an EIS is required (40 CFR 1508.4).
CATTLE GUARD
A device placed in a road, usually a grate or series of metal bars placed perpendicular to the flow of traffic, which allows
free passage of vehicles but which livestock will not cross.
CHANNEL
A natural or artificial watercourse with a definite bed and banks to confine and conduct continuously or periodically flowing
water.
CHANNELIZATION
The process of rebuilding the natural course of a stream to make it flow into a restricted path.
CHANNEL MORPHOLOGY
Relating to the form and structure of channels.
CHARCO (DIRT CHARCO)
A slight depression on the ground that holds water after a rain (from the Spanish word for “puddle”). In general, charcos
are smaller than stock tanks or dirt tanks.
CHEMICAL VEGETATION TREATMENTS
The applying of chemicals to control unwanted vegetation.
CLASS I AIR QUALITY RATING
Under the Clean Air Act, the rating given areas of the country selected to receive the most stringent degree of air quality
protection.
CLASS II AIR QUALITY RATING
Under the Clean Air Act, the rating given areas of the country selected for somewhat less stringent protection from air pollution
damage than Class I areas, except in specified cases.
COLLUVIUM
Any loose, heterogeneous and incoherent mass of soil and/or rock fragments moved down slope by gravity-driven processes (like
creep or sheet wash) and deposited at the base of the slope or hillside.
COMMUNICATION SITE
An area of Public Land or National Forest System lands designated for communications use through the land and resource management
planning process.
COMMUNICATION FACILITY
A building and/or tower, or other physical improvement that is built, installed, or established to house and support authorized
communications uses.
A collective term used to describe an assemblage of organisms living together; an association of living organisms having
mutual relationships among themselves and with their environment and thus functioning at least to some degree as an ecological
unit.
Community Interface represents public lands bordering or surrounded by communities and their associated urban infrastructure.
This setting will also include lands projected to be influenced by the increasing urbanization of the planning area over the
next 15 to 20 years. The setting can be natural in appearance, but the landscape is subject to change from intensive recreation
activities and other land use authorizations.
A community or communities dependent on public lands recreation and/or related tourism use, growth, and/or development. Major
investments in facilities and visitor assistance are authorized within SRMAs where BLM’s strategy is to target demonstrated
community recreation-tourism market demand. Here, recreation management actions are geared toward meeting primary recreation-tourism
market demand for specific activity, experience, and benefit opportunities. These opportunities are produced through maintenance
of prescribed natural resource and/or community setting character and by structuring and implementing management, marketing,
monitoring, and administrative actions accordingly.
COMPETITIVE RACES
For purposes of this plan, all competitive events that have an element of speed as a component, including, motorcycle enduros,
OHV desert racing, and equestrian endurance rides.
COMPOSITION
The proportions of various plant species in relation to the total on a given area. It may be expressed in terms of cover,
density, weight, etc.
CONSERVATION EASEMENT
An easement to assure the permanent preservation of land in its natural state or in whatever degree of naturalness the land
has when the easement is granted.
COOPERATING AGENCY
Assists the lead Federal agency in developing an EA or EIS. The CEQ regulations implementing NEPA define a cooperating agency
as any agency that has jurisdiction by law or special expertise for proposals covered by NEPA (40 CFR 1501.6). Any Federal,
state, local government jurisdiction with such qualifications may become a cooperating agency by agreement with the lead agency.
COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
A document that describes agreements made between BLM and the public on adjusting certain uses. This document also defines
the specific adjustments and the schedule of adjustments (usually over a 5-year period).
COOPERATIVE RECREATION MANAGEMENT AREA (CRMA)
An area for which BLM enters into a cooperative management agreement with a local government to manage recreation land.
COVER
(1) Plants or plant parts, living or dead, on the surface of the ground; (2) plants or objects used by wild animals for nesting,
rearing of young, escape from predators, or protection from harmful environmental conditions.
COW-CALF LIVESTOCK OPERATION
A livestock operation that maintains a base breeding herd of mother cows and bulls. The cows produce a calf crop each year,
and the operation keeps some heifer calves from each calf crop for breeding replacements. Between the ages of 6 and 12 months,
the operation sells the rest of the calf crop along with old and non-productive cows and bulls.
CREEPING PLANT
A plant that spreads over the ground or other surface.
CRETACEOUS
In geologic history the third and final period of the Mesozoic era, from 144 million to 65 million years ago, during which
extensive marine chalk beds formed.
CRITERIA AIR POLLUTANTS
Air pollutants for which acceptable levels of exposure can be determined and for which an ambient air quality standard has
been set. Examples of such pollutants are ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and PM10 and PM25.
CRITICAL HABITAT, DESIGNATED
Specific parts of an area (1) that are occupied by a federally listed threatened or endangered plant or animal at the time
it is listed and (2) that contain physical or biological features essential to the conservation of the species or that may
require special management or protection. Critical habitat may also include specific areas outside an area occupied by a federally
listed species if the Secretary of the Interior determines that these areas are essential for conserving the species.
CULTURAL HERITAGE VALUES
The irreplaceable qualities that are embodied in cultural resources, such as scientific information about prehistory and
history, cultural significance to Native Americans and other groups, and the potential to enhance public education and enjoyment
of the Nation’s rich cultural heritage. Section 1 of the National Historic Preservation Act states that “the preservation
of this irreplaceable heritage is in the public interest so that its vital legacy of cultural, educational, aesthetic, inspirational,
economic and energy benefits will be maintained and enriched for future generations of Americans.”
CULTURAL RESOURCE
A location of human activity, occupation, or use identifiable through field inventory, historical documentation, or oral evidence.
Cultural resources include archaeological and historical sites, structures, buildings, objects, artifacts, works of art, architecture,
and natural features that were important in past human events. They may consist of physical remains or areas where significant
human events occurred, even though evidence of the events no longer remains. And they may include definite locations of traditional,
cultural, or religious importance to specified social or cultural groups.
CULTURAL RESOURCE DATA
Cultural resource information embodied in material remains such as artifacts, features, organic materials, and other remnants
of past activities. An important aspect of data is context, a concept that refers to the relationships among these types of
materials and the situations in which they are found.
CULTURAL RESOURCE DATA RECOVERY
The professional application of scientific techniques of controlled observation, collection, excavation, and/or removal of
physical remains, including analysis, interpretation, explanation, and preservation of recovered remains and associated records
in an appropriate curatorial facility used as a means of protection. Data recovery may sometimes employ professional collection
of such data as oral histories, genealogies, folklore, and related information to portray the social significance of the affected
resources. Such data recovery is sometimes used as a measure to mitigate the adverse impacts of a ground-disturbing project
or activity.
CULTURAL RESOURCE INTEGRITY
The condition of a cultural property, its capacity to yield scientific data, and its ability to convey its historical significance.
Integrity may reflect the authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival or physical characteristics
that existed during its historic or prehistoric period, or its expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular
period of time.
CULTURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY (SURVEY)
A descriptive listing and documentation, including photographs and maps of cultural resources. Included in an inventory are
the processes of locating, identifying, and recording sites, structures, buildings, objects, and districts through library
and archival research, information from persons knowledgeable about cultural resources, and on-the-ground surveys of varying
intensity.
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Class I: A professionally prepared study that compiles, analyzes, and synthesizes all available data on an area’s cultural resources.
Information sources for this study include published and unpublished documents, BLM inventory records, institutional site
files, and state and National Register files. Class I inventories may have prehistoric, historic, and ethnological and sociological
elements. These inventories are periodically updated to include new data from other studies and Class II and III inventories. |
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Class II: A professionally conducted, statistically based sample survey designed to describe the probable density, diversity, and
distribution of cultural properties in a large area. This survey is achieved by projecting the results of an intensive survey
carried out over limited parts of the target area. Within individual sample units, survey aims, methods, and intensities are
the same as those applied in Class III inventories. To improve statistical reliability, Class II inventories may be conducted
in several phases with different sample designs. |
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Class III: A professionally conducted intensive survey of an entire target area aimed at locating and recording all visible cultural
properties. In a Class III survey, trained observers commonly conduct systematic inspections by walking a series of close-interval
parallel transects until they have thoroughly examined an area. |
CULTURAL RESOURCE PROJECT PLAN
For cultural resource projects, a detailed design plan that defines the procedures, budget, and schedule for such activities
as structure stabilization, recordation, interpretive development, and construction of facilities such as trails. These plans
include estimates on workforce, equipment, and supply needs.
CULTURAL SITE
A physical location of past human activities or events, more commonly referred to as an archaeological site or a historic
property. Such sites vary greatly in size and range from the location of a single cultural resource object to a cluster of
cultural resource structures with associated objects and features.
CUMULATIVE IMPACTS
(40 CFR 1508.8) “...is the impact on the environment which results from the incremental impact of the action when added to
other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions regardless of what agency (Federal or non-Federal) or person
undertakes such other actions. Cumulative impacts can result from individually minor but collectively significant actions
taking place over a period of time.”
DEFERRED ROTATION GRAZING
Moving grazing animals to various parts of a range in succeeding years or seasons to provide for seed production, plant vigor,
and seedling growth.
DESERT TORTOISE HABITAT CLASSIFICATIONS
Three categories of desert tortoise habitat based on population, viability, size, density, and manageability and derived from
BLM inventories of desert tortoise habitat throughout the planning areas between 1989 and 1999. The categories are as follows:
DESIRED OUTCOMES
A type of land use plan decision expressed as a goal or objective.
DESIRED FUTURE CONDITION
A detailed description of the particular resource condition to be achieved sometime in the future. These serve as resource
standards which management is intended to achieve. These are analogous to resource objectives.
The plant community that has been determined through a land use or management plan to best meets the plan’s objectives for
a site. A real, documented plant community that embodies the resource attributes needed for the present or potential use of
an area, the desired plant community is consistent with the site’s capability to produce the required resource attributes
through natural succession, management intervention, or a combination of both.
DESTINATION RECREATION-TOURISM MARKET
National or regional recreation-tourism visitors and other constituents who value public lands as recreation-tourism destinations.
Major investments in facilities and visitor assistance are authorized within SRMAs where BLM’s strategy is to target demonstrated
destination recreation-tourism market demand. Here, recreation management actions are geared toward meeting primary recreation-tourism
market demand for specific activity, experience, and benefit opportunities. These opportunities are produced through maintenance
of prescribed natural resource setting character and by structuring and implementing management, marketing, monitoring, and
administrative actions accordingly.
DEVELOPED RECREATION SITES AND AREAS
Those sites and areas that contain structures or capital improvements primarily used by the public for recreation purposes.
Such sites or areas may include such features as: delineated spaces for parking, camping, or boat launching; sanitary facilities;
potable water; grills or fire rings; or controlled access.
DIKE
(1) An upright or steeply dipping sheet of igneous rock that has solidified in a crack or fissure in the earth’s crust; (2)
a human-made structure used to control stream flow.
DISPERSED RECREATION
Recreation that does not require developed sites or facilities.
DRAINAGE AREA
Area or watershed that drains naturally to a particular point on a river, stream, or creek.
DRAINAGE BASIN
Drainage system that consists of a surface stream or body of impounded surface water together with all tributary surface streams
and bodies of impounded surface water.
EASEMENT
The right to use land in a certain way granted by a landowner to a second party.
ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY
The quality of a natural unmanaged or managed ecosystem in which the natural ecological processes are sustained, with genetic,
species, and ecosystem diversity assured for the future.
ECOLOGICAL SITE
A distinctive kind of land that has specific physical characteristics and that differs from other kinds of land in its ability
to produce a characteristic natural plant community.
ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTIONS
Descriptions of the following characteristics of an ecological site- soils, physical features, climatic features, associated
hydrologic features, plant communities possible on the site, plant community dynamics, annual production estimates and distribution
of production throughout the year, associated animal communities, associated and similar sites, and interpretations for management.
ECOLOGICAL SITE INVENTORY
The basic inventory of present and potential vegetation on BLM rangeland.
ECOLOGICAL SITE RATING (ECOLOGICAL CONDITION/ ECOLOGICAL STATUS)
The present state of vegetation of an ecological site in relation to the potential natural community for the site. Independent
of the site’s use, the ecological site rating is an expression of the relative degree to which the kinds, proportions, and
amounts of plants in a community resemble those of the potential natural community. The four ecological status classes correspond
to 0-25 percent, 25-50 percent, 51-75 percent, or 76-100 percent similarity to the potential natural community and are called
early-seral, mid-seral, late-seral, and potential natural community, respectively.
ECOSYSTEM
Organisms, together with their abiotic environment, forming an interacting system and inhabiting an identifiable space.
ECOTOURISM
Tourism that essentially focuses on natural rather than developed attractions with the goal of enhancing the visitor’s understanding
and appreciation of nature and natural features. Such tourism often attempts to be environmentally sound and to contribute
economically to the local community.
ELIGIBLE RIVER SEGMENT
Qualification of a river for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System by determining that it is free flowing
and, with its adjacent land area, has at least one river-related value considered to be outstandingly remarkable.
EMERGENT VEGETATION
Aquatic plant species that are rooted in wetlands but extend above the water’s surface.
ENERGY FLOW
The intake, conversion, and passage of energy through organisms or through an ecosystem.
ENTRENCHMENT
The process by which a stream erodes downward (incision) creating vertical, often eroding banks and abandoning its floodplain.
Entrenched streams are often referred to as gullies.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS)
(40 CFR 1508.11) “means a detailed written statement as required by section 102 (2) (C) of the Act” (referring to the National
Environmental Policy Act.)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (EJ)
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect
to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means
that no group of people, including racial, ethnic, or socio-economic group should bear a disproportionate share of the negative
environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of Federal, state,
local, and Tribal programs and policies (see Executive Order 12898).
EPHEMERAL RANGELAND
Areas of the hot desert biome (region) that do not consistently produce enough forage to sustain a livestock operation but
may briefly produce unusual volumes of forage that may be utilized by livestock.
EPHEMERAL STREAM
A stream or portion of a stream that (1) flows only in direct response to precipitation, (2) receives little or no water from
springs or no long continued supply from snow or other sources, and (3) has a channel that is always above the water table.
EXCAVATION
The scientific examination of an archaeological site through layer-by-layer removal and study of the contents within prescribed
surface units, e.g. square meters.
EXCLOSURE
An area fenced to exclude animals.
EXISTING PARKING, STAGING, AND CAMPING AREAS AND DISTURBED AREAS
Sites and areas previously used for overnight stays, parking and staging. Existing sites must have bare mineral earth areas
clear of vegetation, other indications include tent pads, camp fire rings, camper and vehicle pullouts, rock alignments and
other signs of overnight and long-term use and occupation.
EXOTIC
An organism or species that is not native to the region in which it is found.
EXTENSIVE RECREATION MANAGEMENT AREA (ERMA)
A public lands unit identified in land use plans containing all acreage not identified as a SRMA. Recreation management actions
within an ERMA are limited to only those of a custodial nature.
EXTIRPATED SPECIES
A locally extinct species; a species that is no longer found in a locality but exists elsewhere.
The area on the ground defining or delineating the extent of the facility. For a building, it could be the outside edge of
the foundation. For a parking lot, staging area, or trail head, it could be a barrier fence or artificial boundary that defines
the limits of the particular use.
FEDERAL LAND POLICY AND MANAGEMENT ACT (FLPMA)
The act that (1) set out, for the Bureau of Land Management, standards for managing the public lands including land use planning,
sales, withdrawals, acquisitions, and exchanges; (2) authorized the setting up of local advisory councils representing major
citizens groups interested in land use planning and management, (3) established criteria for reviewing proposed wilderness
areas, and (4) provided guidelines for other aspects of public land management such as grazing.
FEE SIMPLE TITLE
Unrestricted ownership of real property (i.e. land and whatever is erected or growing on it).
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (FONSI)
A document that is prepared by a federal agency and that briefly explains why an action not otherwise excluded from the requirement
to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) would not significantly affect the human environment and not require an
EIS.
FINE PARTICULATE MATTER (PM2.5)
Particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns in diameter.
FIRE INTENSITY
The rate of heat release for an entire fire at a specific time.
FIRE MANAGEMENT
The integration of fire protection, prescribed burning, and fire ecology knowledge into multiple use planning, decision making,
and land management.
FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN
A plan that defines a program to manage wildland and prescribed fires and documents the fire management program in the approved
land use plan.
FIRE SUPPRESSION
All the work of extinguishing or confining a fire, beginning with its discovery.
FIRE SUPPRESSION RESOURCES
People, equipment, services, and supplies available or potentially available for assignment to incidents.
FLOODPLAIN
Nearly level land on either or both sides of a channel that is subject to overflow flooding.
FORAGE
All browse and herbage that is available and acceptable to grazing animals or that may be harvested for feed.
FORB
An herbaceous plant that is not a grass, sedge, or rush.
FRONT COUNTRY SETTING
Front Country offers the main setting and locations for intensive resource-dependent recreation uses and facilities. Motorized
and mechanized vehicles must remain on existing or designated routes. The lands are generally natural in appearance and may
see minor to moderate alterations over the life of the LUP due to land use authorizations and BLM management actions.
FUEL LOAD (IN FIRE SUPPRESSION)
The ovendry weight of fuel per unit area usually expressed in tons/acre.
FUEL LOADING
The amount of fuel present expressed by weight of fuel per unit area.
FUEL MOISTURE CONTENT (IN FIRE SUPPRESSION)
The water content of a fuel expressed as a percentage of the fuel’s ovendry weight. For dead fuels, which have no living tissue,
moisture content is determined almost entirely by relative humidity, precipitation, dry-bulb temperature, and solar radiation.
The moisture content of live fuels is physiologically controlled within the living plant.
FUGITIVE DUST
Dust particles that are introduced into the air through certain actions such as soil cultivation or vehicles crossing open
fields or driving on dirt roads or trails.
FUNCTIONING WATERS (WILDLIFE)
A well, catchment, spring, reservoir, or other feature (human made or natural) that provides a reliable source of potable
water on a year-long basis. For such a source of water to be considered functional, the quality and quantity of water must
be sufficient to sustain native wildlife populations in the local area. For example, a reservoir that fills up during monsoon
rains but goes dry in a few weeks is not functional from a wildlife standpoint.
FUNDAMENTALS OF RANGELAND HEALTH
As Described in 43 CFR 4180, the conditions in which (1) rangelands are in proper functioning physical condition, (2) ecological
process are supporting healthy biotic populations and communities, (3) water quality is meeting state standards and BLM objectives,
and (4) special status species habitat is being restored or maintained.
GAUGING STATION
Particular site on a stream, canal, lake, or reservoir where systematic observations of height or discharge are obtained.
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)
An information system that integrates, stores, edits, analyzes, shares, and displays geographic information for informing
decision making.
GENETIC DIVERSITY
The variation in genes in a population pool that contributes to the ability of organisms to evolve and adapt to new conditions.
GOAL
The desired state or condition that a resource management policy or program is designed to achieve. Broader and less specific
than objectives, goals are usually not measurable and may not have specific dates by which they must be reached. Objectives
are developed by first understanding one's goals.
GRADIENT
Rate of regular or graded ascent or descent.
GRANT
A document authorizing the use of public or Federal lands for the construction, operation, maintenance, and termination of
a project.
GRAZING CAPACITY (CARRYING CAPACITY)
The highest livestock stocking rate possible without damaging vegetation or related resources. Grazing capacity may vary from
year to year or in the same area because of fluctuating forage production.
GRAZING CYCLE
The amount of time required for livestock to rotate completely through all the pastures under an allotment management plan.
GRAZING DISTRICT
The specific area within which the public lands are administered under section 3 of the Taylor Grazing Act of June 1934, as
amended (43 USC 315). Public lands outside grazing district boundaries are administered under section 15 of the Act.
GRAZING PERMIT/LICENSE/LEASE
A written document authorizing use of the public lands within an established grazing district. Grazing permits specify all
authorized use, including livestock grazing, suspended use, and conservation use. Permits also specify the total number of
AUMs apportioned, the area authorized for grazing use, or both.
GRAZING PRIVILEGES
The use of public land for livestock grazing under permits or leases.
GRAZING PREFERENCE
A superior or priority position against others for the purpose of receiving a grazing permit or lease. This priority is attached
to base property owned or controlled by the permittee or lessee.
GRAZING REST
Any period during which no livestock grazing is allowed within an area.
GRAZING SEASON
An established period for which grazing permits are issued.
GRAZING SYSTEM
A systematic sequence of grazing use and non-use of an allotment to meet multiple use goals by improving the quality and amount
of vegetation.
GROUNDWATER
Subsurface water and underground streams that supply wells and springs. Use of groundwater in Arizona does not require a water
right, but must only be “reasonable.” Groundwater is separated from surface water by the type of alluvium in which the water
is found. Water in the younger, floodplain alluvium is considered surface water. Water in the older, basin-fill alluvium is
considered groundwater.
GROUNDWATER RECHARGE
Adding water to an aquifer, a process that occurs naturally from the infiltration of rainfall and from water flowing over
earth materials that allow it to infiltrate below the land surface.
GULLIES
A furrow, channel or miniature valley cut by concentrated runoff, usually with steep sides through which water commonly flows
during and immediately after rains or snow melt.
HABITAT
An area that provides an animal or plant with adequate food, water, shelter, and living space.
HABITAT FRAGMENTATION
Process by which habitats are increasingly subdivided into smaller units resulting in their increased insularity and losses
of total habitat area.
HABITAT MANAGEMENT PLAN
A site-specific wildlife habitat plan.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS (HAZMAT)
An all-encompassing term that includes hazardous substances; hazardous waste; hazardous chemical substances; toxic substances;
pollutants and contaminants; and imminently hazardous chemical substances and mixtures that can pose an unreasonable risk
to human health, safety, and property.
HERBACEOUS
Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a vascular plant that does not develop woody tissue.
HERD AREA (HA)
Geographic areas of the public lands identified as habitat used by wild horses and/or wild burros at the time the WFRHBA was
enacted (12/15/1971).
HERD MANAGEMENT AREA (HMA)
May be established in those HAs within which wild horses and burros can be managed for the long term. HMAs are designated
through the land use planning process for the maintenance of wild horse and burro herds. In delineating each HMA, the authorized
officer shall consider the appropriate management level (AML) for the herd, the habitat requirements of the animals, the relationships
with other uses of the public and adjacent private lands, and the constraints contained in 43 CFR 4710.4.
HERD MANAGEMENT AREA PLAN (HMAP)
A plan for the management of a geographic area used by wild horses or burros. It outlines details of a burro or horse capture
plan, adoption program and long-term management of populations.
HERITAGE TOURISM
Programs that seek to stimulate economic development by promoting the use of historic properties. Management concerns include
ensuring the long-term preservation and sustainable use of properties. Best-management practices also encourage economic partnerships
between the BLM and the State, tribal and local tourism programs.
HIGH POTENTIAL HISTORIC SITE
Those historic sites related to the route of the National Historic Trail, or sites in close proximity thereto, which provide
opportunity to interpret the historic significance of the trail during the period of its major use. Criteria for consideration
as high potential sites include historic significance, presence of visible historic remnants, scenic quality, and relative
freedom from intrusion. (From Section 12 of The National Trails System Act).
HIGH POTENTIAL ROUTE SEGMENT
Those segments of a trail which would afford high quality recreation experience in a portion of the route having greater than
average scenic values or affording an opportunity to vicariously share the experience of the original users of a historic
route. (From Section 12 of The National Trails System Act).
HISTORICAL SITE
A location that was used or occupied after the arrival of Europeans in North America (ca. A.D. 1492). Such sites may consist
of physical remains at archaeological sites or areas where significant human events occurred, even though evidence of the
events no longer remains. They may have been used by people of either European or Native American descent.
HOHOKAM
A group of North American Indians who lived between perhaps 300 BC and AD 1400 in central and southern Arizona, largely along
the Gila and Salt Rivers.
HOME RANGE
The area in which an animal travels in the scope of natural activities.
HYDRIC
Characterized by, relating to, or requiring an abundance of moisture.
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
The circuit of water movement from the atmosphere to the earth and its return to the atmosphere through various stages or
processes, such as precipitation, interception, runoff, infiltration, percolation, storage, evaporation, and transpiration.
IGNEOUS ROCK
Rock, such as granite and basalt, which has solidified from a molten or partially molten state.
IMPLEMENTATION DECISIONS
Decisions that take action to implement land use plan decisions; generally appealable to IBLA under 43 CFR 4.410.
INDICATORS
Elements of the human environment affected, or potentially affected, by a change agent. An indicator can be a structural component,
a functional process or an index. A key indicator integrates several system elements in such a way as to indicate the general
health of that system.
INFILTRATION
The downward entry of water into the soil or other material.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The set of systems and facilities that support a region or community’s social and economic structures. Examples of such systems
include energy, transportation, communication, education, medical service, and fire and police protection.
INHOLDING
Parcels of land owned or managed by someone other than BLM but surrounded in part or entirely by BLM-administered land.
INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM
A team of varied land use and resource specialists formed to provide a coordinated, integrated information base for overall
land use planning and management.
INTERESTED PUBLIC
An individual, group or organization that has submitted a written request to the authorized officer to be provided an opportunity
to be involved in the decision-making process for the management of livestock grazing on specific grazing allotments or has
submitted written comments to the authorized officer regarding the management of livestock grazing on a specific allotment.
INTERMITTENT STREAM
A stream which flows only at certain times of the year when it receives water from springs, rainfall or from surface sources
such as melting snow.
INVASIVE SPECIES (INVADERS)
Plant species that were either absent or present only in small amounts in undisturbed portions of a specific range site’s
original vegetation and invade following disturbance or continued overuse.
KEY FORAGE SPECIES
Forage species whose use serves as an indicator of the degree of use of associated species.
LAND DISPOSAL
A transaction which leads to the transfer of title to public lands from the Federal Government.
LAND USE AUTHORIZATION (LUA)
BLM’s authorizing through leases, permits, and easements of uses of the public land. Land use authorizations may allow occupancy,
recreational residences and cabin sites, farming, manufacturing, outdoor recreation concessions, National Guard maneuvers,
and many other uses.
LAND TENURE ADJUSTMENT
The transfer of land or interest in land (e.g., easement) between the United States and private individuals, entities, State
or local governments.
LANDFORM
A discernible natural landscape that exists as a result of geological activity such as a plateau, plain, basin, or mountain.
LANDS MANAGED TO MAINTAIN WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS
An allocation resulting from a land use plan management decision for the purpose of protecting lands with wilderness characteristics.
A wider range of actions and activities may be allowed than can occur in designated wilderness.
LEASE
An authorization to possess and use public lands for a fixed period of time.
LEASABLE MINERALS
Minerals whose extraction from federally managed land requires a lease and the payment of royalties. Leasable minerals include
coal, oil and gas, oil shale and tar sands, potash, phosphate, sodium, and geothermal steam.
LEAVE NO TRACE
A nationwide (and international) program to help visitors with their decisions when they travel and camp on America’s public
lands. The program strives to educate visitors about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent
and minimize such impacts.
LITTER
The uppermost layer of organic debris on the soil surface, essentially freshly fallen or slightly decomposed vegetal material.
LIVESTOCK/KIND OF LIVESTOCK
The species of domestic livestock, ie. cattle, sheep, horses, burros, and goats.
LOAM
A soil texture class for soil material that contains 7 to 27 percent clay, 28 to 50 percent silt, and less than 52 percent
sand.
LOCATABLE MINERALS
Minerals that may be acquired under the Mining Law of 1872, as amended.
LOCATION
The act of taking or appropriating a parcel of mineral land, including the posting of notices, the recording thereof when
required, and marking the boundaries so they can be readily traced.
LUA AVOIDANCE AREA
Areas with sensitive resource values where minor linear and non-linear land use authorizations would be strongly discouraged
and therefore “avoided.”
LUA EXCLUSION AREAS
Areas with sensitive resource values where minor linear and non-linear land use authorizations would not be authorized.
MAINTENANCE (ROAD)
From BLM 9100 Manual: The work required keeping a facility in such a condition that it may be continuously utilized at its
original or designed capacity and efficiency, and for its intended purposes. Road or trail maintenance actions include (a)
signage, (b) minor repairs, e.g. correction of drainage, erosion, or vegetation interference problems. Upon performance of
condition assessment, maintenance could also be construed as (c) allowing road or trail to remain in present state for regular
and continuous use.
MAJOR LINEAR LAND USE AUTHORIZATION
Land use authorizations that include transmission lines (consisting of 115kV or higher), water and gas pipelines (greater
than 10 inches in diameter), roads (wider than 200 feet), as well as significant canals.
MANAGEMENT ACTIONS/PRACTICES (FROM RANGELAND STANDARDS & GUIDES)
Actions or practices that improve or maintain basic soil and vegetation resources. Rangeland practices typically consist of
watershed treatments (planting, seeding, burning, rest, vegetation manipulation, grazing management) in an attempt to establish
desired vegetation species or communities.
MANUAL VEGETATION TREATMENTS
The use of hand-operated power tools and hand tools to cut, clear, or prune herbaceous and woody plants. In manual treatments,
workers cut plants above ground level; pull, grub, or dig out plant root systems to prevent later sprouting and regrowth;
scalp at ground level or remove competing plants around desired vegetation; or place mulch around desired vegetation to limit
the growth of competing vegetation. Manual vegetation treatments cause less ground disturbance and generally remove less vegetation
than prescribed fire or mechanical treatments.
MECHANICAL VEGETATION TREATMENTS
The use of mechanical equipment to suppress, inhibit, or control herbaceous and woody vegetation. BLM uses wheeled tractors,
crawler-type tractors, mowers, or specially designed vehicles with attached implements for such treatments.
MESOZOIC ERA
One of the great eras of geologic time (248 million to 65 million years ago), following the Paleozoic era, preceding the Cenozoic
era, and including the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.
MINERAL ENTRY
The filing of a claim on public land to obtain the right to any minerals it may contain.
MINERALIZATION
Evidence of the presence of minerals.
MINERAL MATERIAL DISPOSAL
The disposal through sale or free use permit of sand, gravel, decorative rock, or other materials defined in 43 CFR 3600.
MINING DISTRICT
An area, usually designated by name, with described or understood boundaries, where minerals are found and mined under rules
prescribed by the miners, consistent with the Mining Law of 1872.
MINOR LINEAR LAND USE AUTHORIZATIONS
Land use authorizations which consist of transmission lines (consisting of 115kV or less), water and gas pipelines (less than
10 inches in diameter), roads (less than 200 feet wide), and other minor utility systems.
MONITORING
The periodic observation and orderly collection of information to determine (1) the effects of resource management actions
by tracking changing resource trends, needs, and conditions; and (2) the effectiveness of actions in meeting management objectives.
MOSAIC
A pattern of vegetation in which two or more kinds of communities are interspersed in patches.
MOTORIZED TRAIL
A designated route which allows the use of small-wheel-based motorized vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles.
MULTIPLE USE
A combination of balanced and diverse resource uses that considers long-term needs for renewable and nonrenewable resources
including recreation, wildlife, rangeland, timber, minerals, and watershed protection, along with scenic, scientific, and
cultural values.
NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS (NAAQS)
The allowable concentrations of air pollutants in the ambient (public outdoor) air specified in 40 CFR 50. National ambient
air quality standards are based on the air quality criteria and divided into primary standards (allowing an adequate margin
of safety to protect the public health including the health of “sensitive” populations such as asthmatics, children, and the
elderly) and secondary standards (allowing an adequate margin of safety to protect the public welfare). Welfare is defined
as including effects on soils, water, crops, vegetation, human-made materials, animals, wildlife, weather, visibility, climate,
and hazards to transportation, as well as effects on economic values and on personal comfort and well-being.
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA)
The Federal law, effective January 1, 1970, that established a national policy for the environment and requires federal agencies-
(1) to become aware of the environmental ramifications of their proposed actions, (2) to fully disclose to the public proposed
Federal actions and provide a mechanism for public input to Federal decision-making, and (3) to prepare environmental impact
statements for every major action that would significantly affect the quality of the human environment.
NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT OF 1966, AS AMENDED (NHPA)
A Federal statute that established a Federal program to further the efforts of private agencies and individuals in preserving
the Nation’s historic and cultural foundations. The National Historic Preservation Act- (1) authorized the National Register
of Historic Places, (2) established the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and a National Trust Fund to administer
grants for historic preservation, and (3) authorized the development of regulations to require Federal agencies to consider
the effects of federally assisted activities on properties included on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL
One of the three categories of national trails defined in the National Trails System Act of 1968 that can only be established
by act of Congress and are administered by Federal agencies, although part or all of their land base may be owned and managed
by others. National historic trails are generally more than 100 miles long and follow as closely as possible and practicable
the original trails or routes of travel of national historic significance. Their purpose is identifying and protecting the
historic route and its remnants and artifacts for public use and enjoyment.
NATIONAL MONUMENT
An area designated to protect objects of scientific and historic interest by public proclamation of the President under the
Antiquities Act of 1906, or by Congress for historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, or other objects of historic
or scientific interest on public lands. Designation also provides for the management of these features and values.
NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL
One of the three categories of national trails defined in the National Trails System Act of 1968 that can only be established
by act of Congress and are administered by federal agencies, although part or all of their land base may be owned and managed
by others. National recreational trails are existing regional and local trails recognized by either the Secretary of Agriculture
or the Secretary of the Interior upon application.
NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT
A group of significant archaeological, historical, or architectural sites, within a defined geographic area, that is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
The official list, established by the National Historic Preservation Act, of the Nation’s cultural resources worthy of preservation.
The National Register lists archeological, historic, and architectural properties (i.e. districts, sites, buildings, structures,
and objects) nominated for their local, state, or national significance by state and federal agencies and approved by the
National Register Staff. The National Park Service maintains the National Register.
NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES
Cultural resource properties that meet the National Register criteria and have been determined eligible for nomination to
the National Register of Historic Places because of their local, state, or national significance. Eligible properties generally
are older than 50 years and have retained their integrity. They meet one or more of four criteria- (a) associated with events
that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; (b) associated with the lives of persons significant
in our past; (c) embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the
work of a master; and (d) have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
A system of nationally designated rivers and their immediate environments that have outstanding scenic, recreational, geologic,
fish and wildlife, historical, cultural, and other similar values and are preserved in a free-flowing condition. The system
consists of three types of streams- (1) recreation—rivers or sections of rivers that are readily accessible by road or railroad
and that may have some development along their shorelines and may have undergone some impoundments or diversion in the past,
(2) scenic—rivers or sections of rivers free of impoundments with shorelines or watersheds still largely undeveloped but accessible
in places by roads, and (3) wild—rivers or sections of rivers free of impoundments and generally inaccessible except by trails
with watersheds or shorelines essentially primitive and waters unpolluted.
NATIVE DIVERSITY
The diversity of species that have evolved in a given place without human influence.
NATIVE SPECIES
A species that is part of an area’s original flora and fauna.
NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRDS
Birds that travel to Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico during the fall to spend the winter and then
return to the United States and Canada during the spring to breed. These birds include almost half of the bird species that
breed in the United States and Canada.
NICHE
The role of an organism in the environment, its activities and relationships to the biotic and abiotic environment.
NITROGEN OXIDES (OXIDES OF NITROGEN, NO2)
A general term for compounds of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and other oxides of nitrogen. Nitrogen oxides are typically created during combustion and are major contributors to smog
formation and acid deposition. NO2 is a criteria air pollutant and may have many adverse health effects.
NON-LINEAR LAND USE AUTHORIZATIONS
LUAs that are not linear in fashion and do not exceed 5 acres of total surface disturbance. These LUAs do not produce or store
more than 100MW of power.
NON-ATTAINMENT AREA
An area in which the level of a criteria air pollutant is higher than the level allowed by the federal standards. A single
area may have acceptable levels of one criteria air pollutant but unacceptable levels of one or more other criteria air pollutants.
Therefore, an area can be both attainment and nonattainment at the same time.
NON-FUNCTIONAL
Riparian-wetland areas are considered to be in nonfunctioning condition when they don't provide adequate vegetation, landform,
or large woody debris to dissipate stream energy associated with high flows and thus are not reducing erosion, improving water
quality, or other normal characteristics of riparian areas. The absence of certain physical attributes, such as a flood plain
where one should be, is indicators of nonfunctioning conditions.
NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION (WATER)
Pollution sources that are diffuse and do not have a single point of origin or are not introduced into a receiving water body
from a specific outlet. These pollutants are generally carried off the land by storm water runoff from such sources as farming,
forestry, mining, urban land uses, construction, and land disposal.
NON-REPRODUCING WILD HORSES
An HMA composed, in whole or in part, of sterilized wild horses (either stallions or mares) to aid in controlling on the range
population numbers.
NUTRIENT CYCLE
The process of use, release and reuse of elements by plants and animals through uptake by incorporation into and decomposition
of organisms. Elements involved in nutrient cycling remain in the vicinity of the earth's surface.
OBLIGATE
Essential, necessary, unable to exist in any other state, mode, or relationship.
OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE (OHV)
Any motorized vehicle capable of, or designed for, travel on or immediately over land, water, or other natural terrain, excluding:
(1) any nonamphibious registered motorboat; (2) any military, fire, emergency, or law enforcement vehicle while being used
for emergency purposes; (3) any vehicle whose use is expressly authorized by the authorized officer, or otherwise officially
approved; (4) vehicles in official use; and (5) any combat or combat support vehicle when used for national defense.
PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES
The remains of plants and animals preserved in soils and sedimentary rock. Paleontological resources are important for understanding
past environments, environmental change, and the evolution of life.
PALEOZOIC ERA
An era of geologic time (600 million to 280 million years ago) between the Late Precambrian and the Mesozoic eras and comprising
the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Missippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian periods.
PASSAGE SETTING
Passage setting provides a motorized travel corridor traversing the Back Country setting. This corridor is 200 feet wide (100
feet each side), centered on a motorized travel route designated for public use, and is available for management infrastructure
in response to resource concerns and visitor demand. The lands are generally natural in appearance and may see minor to moderate
alterations over the life of the LUP due to land use authorizations and BLM management actions.
PATENT
The instrument by which the Federal Government conveys title to the public lands.
PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TAXES (PILT)
Payments made to counties by BLM to mitigate losses because public lands cannot be taxed. BLM calculates the amount of payments
using a formula based on population and the amount of Federal land in a particular local jurisdiction. These payments are
in addition to Federal revenues transferred to local governments under other programs, such as income generated from timber
harvests, mineral receipts, and the use of federal land for livestock grazing.
PASTURE
A grazing area that is separated from other areas by fencing or natural barriers.
PEDESTALLING
The removal of soil from the base of a plant, exposing the roots. Pedestalling is often a result of wind and stream bank erosion.
PERENNIAL STREAM
A stream that flows from source to mouth throughout the year; a stream that normally has water in its channel at all times.
PERMEABILITY, SOIL
The ease with which gases, liquids, or plant roots penetrate or pass through a bulk mass of soil or a layer of soil.
PERMIT
A short-term revocable authorization to use public lands for specified purposes.
PERMITTEE
A person or company permitted to graze livestock or conduct commercial recreation on public land.
PERSONAL INCOME
The sum of wage and salary payments, other labor income, proprietors’ income, rental income of persons, personal dividend
and interest income, and transfer payments to persons, less personal contributions for social insurance.
PETROGLYPH
Pictures, symbols, or other art work pecked, carved, or incised on natural rock surfaces.
PITHOUSE
A type of house built partly underground by prehistoric people.
PLACER CLAIM
A mining claim located on surface or bedded deposits, particularly for gold, located in stream gravels.
PLANNING CRITERIA
The standards, rules, and other factors developed by managers and interdisciplinary teams for their use in forming judgments
about decision making, analysis and data collection during planning. Planning criteria streamline and simplify the resource
management planning actions.
PLANT SUCCESSION
The process of vegetation development by which an area becomes successively occupied by different plant communities of higher
ecological order.
PLANT VIGOR
The relative wellbeing and health of a plant as reflected by its ability to manufacture enough food for growth and maintenance.
PM2.5 PARTICULATES
Tiny particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 microns or less. These particles penetrate most deeply into the lungs.
PM10 PARTICULATES
A criteria air pollutant consisting of small particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 microns or less. Their size allows
them to enter the air sacs deep within the lungs where they may be deposited in have adverse health effects. These particles
include dust, soot, and other tiny bits of solid materials in the air.
POPULATION
A group of interbreeding organisms of the same kind occupying a particular space; a group of individuals of a species living
in a certain area.
The stable biotic community that would become established on an ecological site if all succession stages were completed without
human interference under present environmental conditions. The PNC is the vegetation community best adapted to fully use the
resources of an ecological site.
PRESCRIBED FIRE (BURNING)
The planned applying of fire to rangeland vegetation and fuels under specified conditions of fuels, weather, and other variables
to allow the fire to remain in a predetermined area to achieve such site-specific objectives as controlling certain plant
species; enhancing growth, reproduction, or vigor of plant species; managing fuel loads; and managing vegetation community
types.
PRIME FARMLAND
As defined by the Farmland Protection Policy Act of 1981, land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics
for producing food, feed, fiber, forage, oilseed, and other agricultural crops with minimum inputs of fuel, fertilizer, pesticides,
and labor, and without intolerable soil erosion, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. Prime farmland includes land
with the above characteristics, but is being used to produce livestock and timber. It does not include land already in or
committed to urban development or water storage.
PRIORITY WILDLIFE SPECIES
Includes fish and wildlife species requiring protective measures and/or management guidelines to ensure their perpetuation.
Moreover, priority wildlife species includes State Endangered, Threatened, Sensitive, and Candidate species; animal aggregations
considered vulnerable; and those species of recreational, commercial, or tribal importance that are vulnerable.
PRIORITY HABITAT
Includes fish and wildlife habitats requiring protective measures and/or management guidelines to ensure habitat availability.
PROPAGULES
A structure (as a cutting, a seed, or a spore) that propagates a plant.
PROPERLY FUNCTIONING CONDITION
• Riparian-wetland areas are functioning properly when enough vegetation, landform, or large woody debris is present to dissipate
stream energy associated with high waterflows, thereby reducing erosion and improving water quality; filter sediment, capture
bedload, and aid floodplain development; improve floodwater retention and groundwater recharge; develop root masses that stabilize
stream banks against cutting action; develop diverse ponding and channel characteristics to provide the habitat and the water
depth, duration, and temperature necessary for fish production, waterfowl breeding, and other uses; and support greater biodiversity.
The functioning condition of riparian-wetland areas is influenced by geomorphic features, soil, water, and vegetation.
• Uplands function properly when the existing vegetation and ground cover maintain soil conditions capable of sustaining natural
biotic communities. The functioning condition of uplands is influenced by geographic features, soil, water, and vegetation.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Lands that are part of the original public domain and have never left federal ownership and lands in federal ownership that
were acquired in exchange for public domain lands or for timber on public domain lands.
PUBLIC LAND ORDER
An order effecting, modifying, or canceling a withdrawal or reservation. Such an order is issued by the Secretary of the Interior
pursuant to powers of the President delegated to the Secretary by Executive Order No. 9146 of April 24, 1943.
PUBLIC LANDS
Land or interest in land owned by the United States and administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the BLM without
regard to how the United States acquired ownership, except lands located on the Outer Continental Shelf, and land held for
the benefit of Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimos.
RANGELAND
A kind of land on which the native vegetation, climax, or natural potential consists predominately of grasses, grass like
plants, forbs, or shrubs. Rangeland includes lands revegetated naturally or artificially to provide a plant cover that is
managed like native vegetation. Rangelands may consist of natural grasslands, savannas, shrub lands, moist deserts, tundra,
alpine communities, coastal marshes, and wet meadows.
RANGE IMPROVEMENT
An authorized physical modification or treatment which is designed to improve production of forage; change vegetation composition;
control patterns of use; provide water; stabilize soil and water conditions; restore, protect and improve the condition of
rangeland ecosystems to benefit livestock, wild horses and burros, and fish and wildlife. Range improvements may be structural
or nonstructural. A structural improvement requires placement or construction to facilitate the management or control the
distribution and movement of animals. Such improvements may include fences, wells, troughs, reservoirs, pipelines, and cattle
guards. Nonstructural improvements consist of practices or treatments that improve resource conditions. Such improvements
include seedings; chemical, mechanical, and biological plant control; prescribed burning; water spreaders; pitting; chiseling;
and contour furrowing.
RANGELAND STUDIES
Any study methods accepted by the authorized officer for collecting data on actual use, utilization, climatic conditions,
other special events, and trends to determine whether management objectives are being met.
REACH (CHANNEL)
A relatively homogeneous section of a stream having a repetitious sequence of physical characteristics and habitat types.
RECORD OF DECISION
A document signed by a responsible official recording a decision that was preceded by the preparing of an environmental impact
statement.
RECREATION AND PUBLIC PURPOSES ACT of 1926 (44 Stat. 741, as amended; 43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.)
An act of Congress that allows lease or acquisition of public land to be used for recreation or public purposes by local government
entities (county or city governments) and nonprofit organizations.
RECREATION EXPERIENCES
Psychological outcomes realized either by recreation-tourism participants as a direct result of their onsite leisure engagements
and recreation-tourism activity participation or by non-participating community residents as a result of their interaction
with visitors and guests within their community and/or interaction with the BLM and other public and private recreation-tourism
providers and their actions.
RECREATION MANAGEMENT ZONES (RMZs)
Subunits within a SRMA managed for distinctly different recreation products. Recreation products are comprised of recreation
opportunities, the natural resource and community settings within which they occur, and the administrative and service environment
created by all affecting recreation-tourism providers, within which recreation participation occurs.
RECREATION NICHE
The place or position within the strategically targeted recreation-tourism market for each SRMA that is most suitable (i.e.,
capable of producing certain specific kinds of recreation opportunities) and appropriate (i.e., most responsive to identified
visitor or resident customers), given available supply and current demand, for the production of specific recreation opportunities
and the sustainable maintenance of accompanying natural resource and/or community setting character.
RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES
Favorable circumstances enabling visitors’ engagement in a leisure activity to realize immediate psychological experiences
and attain more lasting, value-added beneficial outcomes.
RECREATION OPPORTUNITY SPECTRUM (ROS)
One of the existing tools for classifying recreation environments (existing and desired) along a continuum ranging from primitive,
low-use, and inconspicuous administration to urban, high-use, and a highly visible administrative presence. This continuum
recognizes variation among various components of any landscape’s physical, social and administrative attributes; and resulting
descriptions (of existing conditions) and prescriptions (of
desired future conditions) define recreation setting character. Descriptions of settings follow:
Primitive:
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Remoteness: An area designated by a line generally 3 miles from all open roads, railroads, and motorized trails. |
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Evidence of Humans: Setting is essentially an unmodified natural environment. Evidence of humans would be unnoticed by an observer wandering
through the area. |
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Evidence of trails is acceptable but should not exceed standard to carry expected use. |
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Structures are extremely rare. |
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Social: Usually less than six parties per day encountered on trails and less than three parties visible at campsites. |
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Managerial: Onsite regimentation is low with controls primarily offsite. |
Semi-primitive Non-motorized:
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Remoteness: An area designated by a line generally 1/2 mile from any road, railroad, or trail open to public motorized use. (The guideline
for applying the 1/2 mile criterion is to use 1/2 mile except where topographic or physical features closer than 1/2 miles
adequately screen out the sights and sounds of humans and make access more difficult and slower. For example, if a ridge is
1/4 mile from the road, use the ridge instead of the 1/2 mile.) |
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Any roads, railroads, or trails within the semi-primitive non-motorized areas will have the following characteristics: |
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Closed to public motorized use, and |
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Are reclaimed, or in the process of reclaiming (when reclaiming will harmonize with the natural appearing environment). Some
examples are old logging roads, old railroad beds, old access routes to abandoned campsites, temporary roads, and gated roads
that are used for occasional administrative access. |
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Evidence of Humans: Natural setting may have subtle modifications that would be noticed but not draw the attention of an observer wandering through
the area. |
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Little or no evidence of primitive roads and the motorized use of trails and primitive roads. |
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Structures are rare and isolated. |
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Social: Usually 6-15 parties per day encountered on trails and six or fewer parties visible from campsite. |
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Managerial: Onsite regimentation and controls present but subtle. |
Semi-Primitive Motorized:
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Remoteness: An area designed by a line generally 1/2 mile from open better than primitive roads. (The guideline for applying the 1/2
mile criterion is to consistently use 1/2 mile where topographic or physical features closer than 1/2 mile adequately screen
out the sights and sounds of humans, e.g. a ridge 1/4 mile from the road). |
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Contains open primitive roads that are not maintained for the use of standard passenger-type vehicles, normally OHVs and high-clearance
vehicles, e.g. an old pickup with high clearance. These open roads are generally tracks, ruts, or rocky-rough surface and
upgraded and not drained. The roadbeds and cuts are mostly vegetated with grass or native material unless they are too rocky
for vegetation. The roads harmonize with the natural environment. Examples include old logging roads from before specified
road years, old revegetated railroad beds, old access roads to abandoned home-sites, temporary logging roads that are revegetated,
and low standard administrative roads (normally used for access to wildlife openings). |
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Evidence of Humans: Natural setting may have moderately dominant alterations but would not draw the attention of motorized observers on trails
and primitive roads within the area. Any closed improved roads must be managed to revegetate and harmonize with the natural
environment. |
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Strong evidence of primitive roads and the motorized use of trails and primitive roads. |
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Structures are rare and isolated. |
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Social: Low to moderate contact frequency. |
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Managerial: Onsite regimentation and controls present but subtle. |
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Remoteness: No criteria. |
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Evidence of Humans: Natural setting may have modifications, which range from being easily noticed to strongly dominant to observers within the
area. But from sensitive travel routes and use areas these alterations would remain unnoticed or visually subordinate. |
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There is strong evidence of designed roads, highways, or both. |
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Structures are generally scattered, remaining visually subordinate or unnoticed to the sensitive travel route observer. Structures
may include utility corridors or microwave installations. |
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Social: Frequency of contact is- Moderate to High on roads; Low to Moderate on trails and away from roads. |
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Managerial: Onsite regimentation and controls are noticeable but harmonize with the natural environment. |
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Remoteness: No criteria. |
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Evidence of Humans: Natural setting is culturally modified to the point that it is dominant to the sensitive travel route observer. This setting
may include pastoral, agricultural, intensively managed wild landscapes, or utility corridors. Pedestrian or other slow-moving
observers are constantly within view of culturally changed landscape. |
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There is strong evidence of designed roads, highways, or both. |
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Structures are readily apparent and may range from scattered to small dominant clusters, including utility corridors, farm
buildings, microwave installations, and recreation sites. |
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Social: Frequency of contact is: Moderate to High developed sites, on roads and trails, and water surfaces; Moderate away from developed
sites. |
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Managerial: Regimentation and controls obvious and numerous, largely in harmony with the human-made environment. |
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Remoteness: No criteria. |
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Evidence of Humans: Setting is strongly structure dominated. Natural or natural appearing elements may play an important role but be visually
subordinate. Pedestrian and other slow moving observers are constantly within view of artificial enclosure of spaces. |
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There is strong evidence of designed roads and/or highways and streets. |
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Structures and structure complexes are dominant. |
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Social: Large numbers of users onsite and in nearby areas. |
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Managerial: Regimentation and controls obvious and numerous. |
RECREATION-TOURISM MARKET
Recreation-tourism visitors, affected community residents, affecting local governments and private sector businesses, or other
constituents and the communities or other places where these customers originate (local, regional, national, or international).
Based on analysis of supply and demand, land use plans strategically identify primary recreation-tourism markets for each
SRMA: destination, community, or undeveloped.
RECREATIONAL TARGET SHOOTING
The discharge of any firearm for any lawful, recreational purpose other than the lawful taking of a game animal. Recreational
target shooting does not include firearms use employed in accordance with state hunting regulations and policy regarding recreational
target shooting does not apply to hunters in pursuit of game with firearms that are being employed in accordance with such
regulations.
RECRUITMENT
The increase in population caused by natural reproduction or immigration.
REFUGIUM
An area that has remained unaffected by adverse environmental changes to the surrounding area, allowing a population to survive
where others have perished.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally
replenished).
RESEARCH DESIGN
A statement of proposed identification, documentation, evaluation, investigation, or other research that identifies the project’s
goals, methods and techniques, expected results, and the relationship of the expected results to other proposed activities
or treatments.
RESILIENT SITES
Sites with bare mineral earth clear of vegetation, that do not have crust that can be broken through or other characteristics
that will cause permanent or long-term changes to the site due to activities.
RESOURCE ADVISORY COUNCIL (RAC)
A citizen-based group of 10 to 15 members chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and appointed by the secretary
of the interior to forward advice on public land planning and management issues to the BLM. Council membership reflects a
balance of various interests concerned with the management of the public lands and users of the public lands.
RESOURCE CONSERVATION AREA (RCA)
A citizen-based group of 10 to 15 members chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and appointed by the secretary
of the interior to forward advice on public land planning and management issues to the BLM. Council membership reflects a
balance of various interests concerned with the management of the public lands and users of the public lands.
RESTORATION (CULTURAL RESOURCE)
The process of accurately reestablishing the form and details of a property or portion of a property together with its setting,
as it appeared in a particular period of time. Restoration may involve removing later work that is not in itself significant
and replacing missing original work. Also see STABILIZATION (CULTURAL RESOURCE).
REST-ROTATION GRAZING
A grazing system in which one part of the range is ungrazed for an entire grazing year or longer while other parts are grazed
for a portion or all of a growing season.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
A permit or easement that authorizes the use of lands for certain specified purposes, commonly for pipelines, roads, telephone
lines, or power lines.
RILL
A narrow, very shallow (a few centimeters deep), intermittent water course having steep sides and formed as a result of erosion.
RILL EROSION
Removal of soil by running water forming shallow channels that can be smoothed out by normal cultivation.
RIPARIAN
Pertaining to or situated on or along the bank of streams, lakes, and reservoirs.
RIPARIAN AREA
A form of wetland transition between permanently saturated wetlands and upland areas. Riparian areas exhibit vegetation or
physical characteristics that reflect the influence of permanent surface or subsurface water. Typical riparian areas include
lands along, adjacent to, or contiguous with perennially and intermittently flowing rivers and streams, glacial potholes,
and the shores of lakes and reservoirs with stable water levels. Excluded are ephemeral streams or washes that lack vegetation
and depend on free water in the soil.
ROADSIDE
A general term denoting the area adjoining the outer edge of the road.
ROAD & ROUTE TYPES
From BLM Manual 9100, revised 2008:
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Road: A linear route declared a road by the owner, managed for used by low-clearance vehicles having four or more wheels, and maintained
for regular and continuous use. |
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Primitive Road: A linear route managed for use by four-wheel drive or high-clearance vehicles. Primitive roads do not normally meet any BLM
road design standards. |
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Primary Road: A regularly maintained route, paved or unpaved, wide enough for at least two vehicles to pass. Provides access between two
major points. Serves a large area with many routes of lesser quality branching from it. |
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Secondary Road: Paved or unpaved, a regularly maintained one- to two-lane route with routes of lesser quality branching from it. Connects
primary roads and major points. |
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Tertiary Road: Generally a two-track route that may or may not be usable by a two-wheel drive vehicle. Does not receive formal maintenance. |
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Single-Track Route: A route up to 1/2 meter wide upon which all-terrain vehicles or trucks are not allowed. |
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Way: A road-like feature used by vehicles having four or more wheels but not declared a road by the owner. A way receives no maintenance
to guarantee regular and continuous use. |
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Spur: A route that exists for a specific purpose, such as access to a specific use or feature. Uses can be recreational or commercial.
Features include campsites, mines, or range developments. A spur route is connected to another road or route type. |
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Reclaiming or Reclaimed (route): A route that has had very little or no use, so that there is woody vegetation growing in the route that would be damaged
by the passage of a vehicle. Erosion or vegetation may block the route and could damage a vehicle or cause it to get stuck. |
ROCK CRAWLING
The use of specialized motor vehicles for crossing difficult terrain. Also known as extreme technical trail driving.
ROUTE
Any motorized, non-motorized, or mechanized transportation corridor. Corridor may either be terrestrial or waterway. “Roads”
and “Trails” are considered routes.
RUNOFF
Precipitation, snow melt or irrigation water that appears in uncontrolled surface streams or rivers.
SAFE YIELD
The rate at which water can be withdrawn from a groundwater basin (aquifer) without depleting the supply so as to cause undesirable
effects.
SALEABLE MINERALS
Common variety minerals on public lands, such as sand and gravel, which are used mainly for construction and are disposed
of by sales or special permits to local governments.
SCOPING
An early and open process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed in an environmental impact statement and the
significant issues related to a proposed action.
SEASON OF USE
The time period when livestock grazing is permitted on a given range area as specified in the grazing permit.
SEASONAL GRAZING
Grazing restricted to a specific season.
SECTION
640 acres, 1 mile square.
SECTION 2920 PERMIT
Revocable authorizations, for up to three years to permit land uses that involve either little or no land improvement or construction,
or investment which can be amortized within the terms of the permit. A permit conveys no possessory interest. The authorized
officer may renew it at his/her discretion or revoke it in accordance with its terms or the provisions of 43 CFR 2920.9-3.
There are no limitations on the amount of land that maybe included in a permit; however, the area should be limited to the
size justified.
SECTION 404 PERMIT
A permit required by the Clean Water Act, under specified circumstances, when dredge or fill material is placed in the waters
of the United States, including wetlands.
SEDIMENT
Solid material that originates mostly from disintegrated rocks and is transported by, suspended in, or deposited from water.
Sediment includes chemical and biochemical precipitates and decomposed organic material such as humus.
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Rocks, such as sandstone, limestone, and shale, that are formed from sediments or transported fragments deposited in water.
SEDIMENTATION
The process or action of depositing sediment.
SEDIMENT LOAD (SEDIMENT DISCHARGE)
The amount of sediment, measured in dry weight or by volume, which is transported through a stream cross-section in a given
time. Sediment load consists of sediment suspended in water and sediment that moves by sliding, rolling, or bounding on or
near the streambed.
SEDIMENT TRANSPORT
The movement of mineral and organic solid materials in a stream.
SEDIMENT YIELD
The amount of sediment removed from a watershed over a specified period, usually expressed as tons, acre-feet, or cubic yards
of sediment per unit of drainage area per year.
SEEPS
Wet areas, normally not flowing, arising from an underground water source.
SEGREGATION
The removal for a limited period, subject to valid existing rights, of a specified area of the public lands from the operation
of the public land laws, including the mining laws, pursuant to the exercise by the Secretary of the Interior of regulatory
authority to allow for the orderly administration of the public lands.
SELF-SUSTAINING
The ability of reproducing herds of wild horses and burros to maintain themselves in a healthy condition and to produce healthy
foals.
SENSITIVE SHEEP HABITAT
Habitat identified by BLM and AZGFD that provides one or more essential biological elements including: lambing areas, migration
routes, mineral licks, water source, and foraging areas.
SHARED USE TRAIL
A trail shared for a variety of uses such as motorized and non-motorized uses; a combination of non-motorized uses such as
hiking, horseback riding, and bicycling; or a combination of motorized uses such as dirt bikes and small and large four-wheel-drive
vehicles.
SHOULDER
The portion of the roadway contiguous to the travel way for accommodation of stopped vehicles.
SIKES ACT OF 1974
A Federal law that promoted federal-state cooperation in managing wildlife habitats on both BLM and Forest Service lands.
The act requires BLM to work with State wildlife agencies to plan the development and maintenance of wildlife habitats and
has as its main tool the habitat management plan.
SINUOSITY
The ratio of stream length between two points divided by the valley length between the same two points.
SMALL TRACT LANDS
Parcels of public lands of 5 acres or less that have been found to be chiefly valuable for sale or lease as home, cabin, camp,
recreational, convalescent, or business sites under the Act of June 1, 1938.
SOCIAL TRAIL
An unplanned random trail made by first visitors and then followed by others.
SOIL ERODIBILITY
The predisposition of a particular soil to be transported by wind or water if it is disturbed and exposed to the elements.
SOIL INFILTRATION
The ability of soil to absorb moisture that falls on it as precipitation.
SOIL MOISTURE STORAGE
The water content stored in a soil.
SOIL PRODUCTIVITY
The capacity of a soil in its normal environment to produce a specified plant or sequence of plants under a specified system
of management.
SOIL STABILITY
A qualitative term used to describe a soil’s resistance to change. Soil stability is determined by intrinsic properties such
as aspect, depth, elevation, organic matter content, parent material, slope, structure, texture, and vegetation.
SOIL STRUCTURE
The physical constitution of soil material as expressed by size, shape, and the degree of development of primary soil particles
and voids into naturally or artificially formed structural units.
SPECIAL CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AREA (SCRMA)
An area containing cultural resources that are of special importance for public use, scientific use, traditional use or other
uses as defined in BLM Manual 8110.4.
SPECIAL RECREATION MANAGEMENT AREAS (SRMAs)
A public lands unit identified in land use plans to direct recreation funding and personnel to fulfill commitments made to
provide specific, structured recreation opportunities (i.e., activity, experience, and benefit opportunities). Both land use
plan decisions and subsequent implementing actions for recreation in each SRMA are geared to a strategically identified primary
market: destination, community, or are undeveloped.
SPECIAL RECREATION PERMIT (SRP)
An authorization that allows for specific nonexclusive permitted recreational uses of the public lands and related waters.
SRPs are issued to control visitor use, protect recreational and natural resources, provide for the health and safety of visitors,
and accommodate commercial recreational uses.
SPLIT-ESTATE
Land whose surface rights and mineral rights are owned by different entities.
STABILIZATION (SOIL)
Chemical or mechanical treatment to increase or maintain the stability of a mass of soil or otherwise improve its engineering
properties.
STAGING AREA
An area where participants in an activity gather and make final preparations for the activity.
STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (SIP)
Strategic document, prepared by a state (or other authorized air quality regulatory agency) and approved by the EPA, that
thoroughly describes how requirements of the Clean Air Act will be implemented (including standards to be achieved, control
measures to be applied, enforcement actions in case of violation, etc.).
STOCK TANK (POND)
A water impoundment created by building a dam, digging a depression, or both, to provide water for livestock or wildlife.
STREAMBANK
The portion of a stream channel that restricts the sideward movement of water at normal water levels. The stream bank’s gradient
often exceeds 45° and exhibits a distinct break in slope from the stream bottom.
STREAMBANK STABILITY
A stream bank’s relative resistance to erosion, which is measured as a percentage of alteration to stream banks.
STRUCTURAL DIVERSITY
The diversity of the composition, abundance, spacing, and other attributes of plants in a community.
SUBSTRATE
(1) Mineral and organic material forming the bottom of a waterway or water body; (2) The base or substance upon which an organism
is growing.
SUBSURFACE
Of or pertaining to rock or mineral deposits which generally are found below the ground surface.
SUPPLEMENTAL WILDERNESS VALUES
Resources not required for an area to be designated a wilderness but that are considered in assessing an area’s wilderness
potential. Such values include ecological, geologic, and other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical
value.
SURFACE-DISTURBING ACTIVITY
Surface-disturbing activities are those that normally result in more than negligible disturbance to public lands and accelerate
the natural erosive process. Surface disturbance may, but does not always, require reclamation. These activities normally
involve use or occupancy of the surface, cause disturbance to soils and vegetation, and are usually caused by motorized or
mechanical actions. They include, but are not limited to: the use of mechanized earth-moving equipment; truck-mounted drilling
and seismic exploration equipment; off-road vehicle travel in areas designated as limited or closed to off-road vehicle use;
vegetation treatments; construction of facilities such as power lines, pipelines, oil and gas wells; recreation sites, improvements
for range and wildlife; new road construction; and use of pyrotechnics and explosives. Surface disturbance is not normally
caused by casual-use activities. Activities that are not considered surface-disturbing include, but are not limited to: livestock
grazing, crosscountry hiking, minimum impact filming, and vehicular travel on designated routes.
SUSPENSION
The temporary withholding from active use through a decision issued by the authorized officer or by agreement of part or all
of the permitted use in a grazing permit or lease.
SUSTAINED YIELD
Achieving and maintaining a permanently high level, annual or regular period production of renewable land resources without
impairing the productivity of the land and its environmental values.
TAILINGS
The waste matter from ore after the extraction of economically recoverable metals and minerals.
TAKE
As defined by the Endangered Species Act, “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, capture, or collect, or attempt
to engage in any such conduct.”
TARGET SPECIES
Plant species to be reduced or eliminated by a vegetation treatment.
TEMPORARY NONUSE
The authorized withholding, on an annual basis, of all or a portion of permitted livestock use in response to a request of
the permittee or lessee.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Stipulations contained in livestock grazing permits and leases as determined by the authorized officer to be appropriate to
achieve management and resource condition objectives for the public lands and other lands administered by BLM and to achieve
standards for rangeland health and ensure conformance with guidelines for grazing administration.
TERTIARY PERIOD
The earlier (65 million to 1.8 million years ago) of the two geologic periods in the Cenozoic era of geologic time.
TINAJA
A small pool in a rocky hollow, usually along an ephemeral water course where it runs through exposed bedrock, that holds
water into the dry season.
TRAIL
(Interagency definition) Linear route managed for human powered, stock, or off highway vehicle forms of recreation or for
historic or heritage values. Trails are not generally managed for use by four wheel drive or high clearance vehicles.
TRAILHEAD
The terminus of a hiking, horse, or bicycle trail accessible by motor vehicle and sometimes having parking, signs, a visitor
register, and camping and sanitary facilities.
TRANSFER PAYMENT
A government grant to an individual of money that represents a gift without anything being received or required in return.
Examples of transfer payments include student scholarship grants, welfare checks, and social security benefits.
TRANSITIONAL PATHWAYS
The processes that cause a shift from one vegetation state to another.
TRAVEL MANAGEMENT AREAS
Polygons or delineated areas where a rational approach has been taken to classify areas open, closed, or limited, and have
identified and/or designated network of roads, trails, ways, and other routes that provide for public access and travel across
the planning area. All designated travel routes within travel management areas should have a clearly identified need and purpose
as well as clearly defined activity types, modes of travel, and seasons or timeframes for allowable access or other limitations.
TREAD LIGHTLY!TM
A not-for-profit organization whose mission is to increase awareness of ways to enjoy the great outdoors while minimizing
human impacts.
TREND
The direction of change, over time, either toward or away from desired management objectives.
TURBIDITY
Cloudiness of water measured by how deeply light can penetrate it from the surface. Highly turbid water is often called “muddy”
although all kinds of suspended particles/sediment contribute to turbidity.
UNAUTHORIZED USE
Any use of the public lands not authorized or permitted.
UNDERSTORY
Plants growing under the canopy of other plants. Understory usually refers to grasses, forbs, and low shrubs under a tree
or brush canopy.
UNDEVELOPED RECREATION-TOURISM MARKET
National, regional, and/or local recreation-tourism visitors, communities, or other constituents who value public lands for
the distinctive kinds of dispersed recreation produced by the vast size and largely open, undeveloped character of their recreation
settings. Major investments in facilities are excluded within SRMAs where BLM’s strategy is to target demonstrated undeveloped
recreation-tourism market demand. Here, recreation management actions are geared toward meeting primary recreation-tourism
market demand to sustain distinctive recreation setting characteristics; however, major investments in visitor services are
authorized both to sustain those distinctive setting characteristics and to maintain visitor freedom to choose where to go
and what to do—all in response to demonstrated demand for undeveloped recreation.
USABLE FORAGE
That portion of the forage that can be grazed without damage to the basic resources; may vary with season of use, species,
and associated species.
UPLANDS
Lands at higher elevations than the alluvial plain or low stream terrace; all lands outside the riparian-wetland and aquatic
zones.
URBAN INTERFACE (WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE)
The line, area, or zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetation.
This interface creates conflicts and complicates fighting wildfires and conducting prescribed burns, as well as all other
natural resource management activities.
UTILITY-SCALE RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT
Utility-scale renewable energy facilities (managed as a land use authorization), where the proponent has signed a purchase
power agreement with a utility company to sell power. These facilities typically produce more than 100MW of power.
UTILIZATION (FORAGE)
The proportion of the current year’s forage consumed or destroyed by grazing animals. Utilization is usually expressed as
a percentage.
VANDALISM (CULTURAL RESOURCE)
Malicious damage or the unauthorized collecting, excavating, or defacing of cultural resources. Section 6 of the Archaeological
Resources Protection Act states that “no person may excavate, remove, damage, or otherwise alter or deface any archaeological
resource located on public lands or Indian lands…unless such activity is pursuant to a permit issued under section 4 of this
Act.”
VEGETATION STRUCTURE
The composition of an area’s vegetation--plant species, growth forms, abundance, vegetation types, and spatial arrangement.
VEGETATION TREATMENTS
Treatments that improve vegetation condition or production. Such treatments may include seedings; prescribed burning; or chemical,
mechanical, and biological plant control.
VEGETATION TYPE
A plant community with distinguishable characteristics.
VIABILITY
The capability of living, developing, growing, or germinating under favorable conditions.
VIEWSHED
The entire area visible from a viewpoint.
VISITOR DAY
12 visitor hours, which may be aggregated continuously, intermittently, or simultaneously by one or more people.
VISUAL ASPECT
The visual first impression of vegetation at a particular time or seen from a specific point.
VISUAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (VRM)
The planning, design, and implementing of management objectives to provide acceptable levels of visual impacts for all BLM
resource management activities.
VISUAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (VRM) CLASSES
Categories assigned to public lands based on scenic quality, sensitivity level, and distance zones. There are four classes.
Each class has an objective which prescribes the amount of change allowed in the characteristic landscape.
VOLATILE ORGANIC MATERIALS
Carbon-containing compounds that with few exceptions evaporate into the air. Often having odors, they contribute to the forming
of smog and may be toxic. Some examples are gasoline, alcohol, and solvents used in paints.
WATER DEVELOPMENTS
Construction of artificial, or modification of natural water sources to provide reliable, accessible water for livestock,
wildlife, or people.
WATER QUALITY
Term used to describe the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water in respect to its suitability for a
particular purpose.
WATER RIGHT
The right to use a specific quantity of water occurring in a water supply, on a specific time schedule, at a specific place
and putting it to a specific beneficial use.
WATERSHED (CATCHMENT)
A topographically delineated area that is drained by a stream system, that is, the total land area above some point on a stream
or river that drains water past that point. The watershed is a hydrologic unit often used as a physical-biological unit and
a socioeconomic-political unit for planning and managing natural resources.
WATERSHED CONDITION (WATERSHED HEALTH)
The comparison of watershed processes to normal or expected measurements of properties such as soil cover, erosion rate, runoff
rate, and groundwater table elevation; an assessment or categorization of an area by erosion conditions, erosion hazards,
and the soil moisture/temperature regime.
WATERSHED FUNCTION
The combination of processes attributed to watersheds as part of the hydrologic cycle, including interception of rain by plants,
rocks, and litter; surface storage by the soil; groundwater storage; stream channel storage; soil evaporation; plant transpiration;
and runoff. These processes affect the following properties of the watershed: runoff rate, water infiltration rate, soil building
rate, soil erosion rate, groundwater recharge rate, groundwater discharge rate, water table elevation, and surface water discharge.
These properties in turn affect plant communities through soil attributes, including soil parent material, soil moisture,
and nutrients; stream and rivers through flooding duration and magnitude, as well as sediment load, which structures the dimension,
pattern, and profile of channels; and lakes and reservoirs through sedimentation and nutrient input.
WEED
Any plant that interferes with management objectives. A weed may be native or non-native, invasive or passive, or non-noxious.
WETLANDS
An area that is inundated or saturated by surface or ground water often and long enough to support and that under normal circumstances
supports a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil. Wetlands include marshes, shallows, swamps,
lake shores, bogs, muskegs, wet meadows, estuaries, cienegas, and riparian areas.
WIDTH/DEPTH RATIO
Bank-to-bank, full-stream width divided by average depth.
WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS
Attributes defined in Section 2(c) of the Wilderness Act, including the area’s size, its apparent naturalness, and its outstanding
opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation. Wilderness characteristics may also include supplemental
values such as ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value that may
be present but are not required.
WILDCAT ROAD
A non-permitted road on federally managed land.
WILDFIRE
Any wildland fire that is not meeting management objectives and therefore requires a suppression response.
WILDLAND FIRE
Any non-structure fire, other than prescribed fire, that occurs in the wildland.
WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE (WUI)
Areas where human structures and natural fuels interface or intermix with each other. This interface occurs mainly within
66 to 200 feet of houses, where fire most directly threatens houses and where a defensible zone can be developed.
WILDLIFE
A broad term that includes birds, reptiles, amphibians, and non-domesticated mammals.
WILDLIFE HABITAT AREAS (WHAs)
An area that offers feeding, roosting, breeding, nesting, and refuge areas for a variety of wildlife species native to an
area. Referred to as Wildlife Management Areas in prior plans.
XERORIPARIAN
An area in a drainage that supports plant species more characteristic of uplands than wetlands, but that is more densely vegetated
than areas removed from the drainage. Any flows in these channels are characteristically ephemeral but water may also be subsurface
and the drainage may not flow.