This appendix displays the details of the management action prescriptions for each of the alternatives (B, C and D). Alternative A prescriptions are described in Chapter 2 of the Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Recreation management in the Bighorn Basin Planning Area is separated into two types of recreation management units; Special Recreation Management Areas (SRMA), and Extensive Recreation Management Areas (ERMA). These units are delineated and managed accordingly to the desired recreational setting character conditions, activities, experiences, and beneficial outcomes. Data collected to arrive at allocating these areas as separate recreation management areas were from intensive public outreach including formal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public scoping meetings, on the ground visitor surveys, field monitoring and observations, and work with stakeholders such as tourism entities and industries, Special Recreation Permit (SRP) permittees, and others who rely heavily on BLM-administered public lands.
SRMAs have identified distinct, primary recreation-tourism market as well as a corresponding and distinguishing recreation management strategy. Each SRMA has been determined whether that primary market-based strategy will be to manage for a destination recreation-tourism market, a community recreation-tourism market, or an undeveloped recreation-tourism market. Recreation areas that have more than one distinct, primary recreation market are divided into separate SRMAs. SRMAs are further divided into Recreation Management Zones (RMZ) based on desired settings, activities, experiences, and beneficial outcomes. Recreation Management is prescribed and implemented at the RMZ level. For example; the Badlands SRMA is further divided into three RMZs; one managed for recreational touring activities and associated experiences and benefits; one managed to enhance back-country types of activities and associated experiences and benefits; and one managed for primitive activities, experiences, and benefits. Not all SRMAs within the Planning Area are divided into RMZs because of the commonality of desired settings, activities, experiences, and beneficial outcomes. Canyon Creek SRMA and Middle Fork of the Powder River SRMA are such examples.
Anything not delineated as an SRMA is an ERMA. Management within all ERMAs is restricted to custodial actions only. Therefore, actions within ERMAs are generally implemented directly from land use plan decisions and do not require activity-level planning. Recreational resources and uses exist and are recognized and managed for in an ERMA. Refer to the matrix for ERMA recreation management.
If recreation is either one of the dominant uses in an area, or requires additional recreational management focus so as to prevent resource damage, use or user conflicts, or public health and safety, the area can be managed as a separate ERMA, which elevates recreation management focus so as to address these issues, as well as avoiding misguided marketing. Within the Planning Area, an area proposed to be managed as such is the Rattlesnake Ridge ERMA.
Recreational activities are popular within the Planning Area for both residents and non-residents. Popular recreational activities include but are not limited to camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, rock hounding, spelunking, floating and rafting, cross country skiing, wildlife viewing, driving for pleasure, all-terrain vehicle (ATV)/four-wheel drive touring, motocross and endurance sports, mountain biking, target shooting, and sightseeing. A spike in recreational use on BLM-administered public lands is observed during the summer months, and especially during the big game hunting season, which attracts most of the recreational users, not just within the region, but visitors from outside of Wyoming.
Recreational uses inherently contain conflicting uses which compromises health and safety, user conflicts, goal interference, un-realization of desired experiences and beneficial outcomes, and ultimately natural resource damage. Allocating, or dividing the Planning Area into sub-recreational units, based off of desired settings, activities, experiences, and beneficial outcomes will aid in appropriate recreational marketing, niche-matching, diminish user conflicts, and ultimately an appreciation of the recreational resources which fosters resource protection.
Recreation and visitor services scoping meetings were conducted throughout the Planning Area, resulting in a stand-alone Recreation and Travel Management review report. The BLM will use this land use planning process to gather additional data to support managing areas as either an SRMA or an ERMA, and to further identify the desired recreation settings character conditions, activities, experiences, and beneficial outcomes. Recreation management designation or prescriptions may be modified if deemed necessary as a result of public comments.
The Bighorn Basin Resource Management Plan Revision Project Summary of the Recreation and Travel Management Workshops reports may be viewed under the Documents Library at:http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Planning/rmps/bighorn/docs.html.
The following recreational matrix further details the allocation of recreation management based on desired settings, activities, experiences, and beneficial outcomes. Because the criteria currently being used as guidance for allocating recreational management into SRMAs and ERMAs did not exist at the time of the last Land Use Plans, the following recreational matrix does not include recreation sub-units for Alternative A.
However, there are seven areas currently designated as SRMAs within the Planning Area. The Cody Field Office manages the Worland Caves, Historic Trails, and The Rivers SRMAs and part of the Bighorn River and West Slope SRMAs. The Worland Field Office manages the Absaroka Mountain Foothills and Badlands SRMAs and part of the Bighorn River and West Slope SRMAs. The Cody Resource Area Land Use Plan (November, 1990), the Grass Creek Resource Area Land Use Plan (September, 1998), and the Washakie Resource Area Land Use Plan (September, 1988) designated these areas to be managed as SRMAs because of the unique recreational niches, recreational setting characters, opportunities and activities, and popularity.
Table O.1. COMMON TO ALL ALTERNATIVES
| Bighorn Basin ERMA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rationale | BLM-administered public lands within the Bighorn Basin contains many important recreational resources readily available and accessible to the public, such as,but not limited to, high scenic quality, abundant wildlife, rich variety of dramatic landscapes, abundant two-tracks and routes available for motorized touring, and numerous fishable streams. The Bighorn Basin ERMA contains all of these recreational resources, as well as other important land uses such as grazing, oil and gas development, potential renewable energy development, right-of-way (ROW) corridors, and mining areas, primarily bentonite. This area consists of the rest of the available BLM-administered public lands within the Bighorn Basin that is not identified as, and managed as, a SRMA, or a specific ERMA. Although recreation is not the predominant land use, important key recreation areas still exist, such as, but not limited to, Castle Gardens, Gebo interpretive area, Hogan/Luce Recreation Site, and Legend Rock. | |||
| Management Objectives | Manage the Bighorn Basin ERMA to maintain recreational opportunities on BLM-administered public lands, with a priority to address use and user conflicts, public health and safety, and resource protection. Recreational development may be pursued to address these issues. Such development may include trails, trailheads, campsites, etc. | |||
| Desired Recreation Setting Character Condition | ||||
| Physical Remoteness: Middle Country. Dominant portions of the Bighorn Basin ERMA are on or near 4-wheel drive roads, but at least 0.5 mile from all improved roads, though they may be in sight. Such exceptions include oil and gas fields, Duck Swamp Environmental Education Area, and Gebo, where the settings are Front to Rural country; and wilderness study areas (WSA) and BLM-administered public lands inventoried as containing wilderness characteristics, which the settings are back country. Naturalness: Middle Country. The natural settings contained in the dominant portions of the Bighorn Basin ERMA may have moderately dominant alterations but would not draw the attention of the observers on trails and primitive roads within the area. Exceptions include oil and gas fields, mining areas, Duck Swamp Environmental Education Area, and Gebo, where the settings are Front to Rural country; and the WSAs and BLM-administered public lands inventoried as containing wilderness characteristics, which the settings are back to primitive country. Facilities and Structures: Front Country. For the majority of the ERMA, primitive and improved routes/trails may exist; facilities and structures are scattered. Other areas such as oil and gas fields are rural to urban country, where as other areas such as the WSAs and BLM-administered public lands inventoried as containing wilderness characteristics are back to middle country. | Social Contacts and Group Size: Middle Country settings. Most of the Bighorn Basin ERMA is usually up to 14 encounters/day off travel routes, and up to 29 encounters/day en route. Usually group size is small to moderate. Other areas such as the oil and gas fields, popular recreation sites (developed and un-developed), and main travel corridors are front country, while other areas such as WSAs and BLM-administered public lands inventoried as containing wilderness characteristics are primitive to back country. Visitor encounters can be high during peak use periods during the spring/early summer, and hunting season during the fall to early winter. | Operational Mechanized Use: Front Country. 2-wheel drive vehicles predominant, but also 4-wheel drive vehicles and non-motorized mechanized use throughout the majority of the ERMA. Other areas such as the WSAs and BLM-administered public lands inventoried as containing wilderness characteristics are back country to middle country. Management Controls and Visitor Services: Front Country. The majority of the ERMA consists of onsite controls and services are present but harmonize with the natural environment. Areas such as WSAs and BLM-administered public lands inventoried as containing wilderness characteristics are primitive to back country, and oil and gas fields and recreation sites are rural. | ||
| Implementing (Support) Actions | ||||
| Marketing (Information and Education,[inc. promotion & interpretation]) Use information and interpretation to lessen visitor conflicts, resource impacts, and to increase visitor awareness of wildlife habitat and wetland management. Adequately educate users (via on-site signs and/or educational pamphlets) of presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas, and other oil and gas related activities. Offer recreation-related educational services such as hunter safety and hunter fest. Provide stewardship information to help preserve the special landscape character. Make available for special outdoor educational programs such as CORE and Take it Outside! Partner with local chambers of commerce, tourism boards and private service providers to communicate definitive recreation information (e.g., accurate recreation information, user ethics, distinctiveness of the area and use/user expectations). Develop interpretive signs at trailheads and parking areas on user ethics, non-native invasive weed species found within the area, history, hunting, and other current resource programs. | Monitoring Monitor visitor use, visitor safety, and resource conditions through; BLM staff, volunteers and recreation-tourism partnerships (e.g., towns, outfitters, recreation organizations, etc.). Vehicle counters with routine surveys and observation. If trends show that use is over acceptable limits, additional action may be considered, such as encouraging use on other river or trail segments, institute fee areas, or limit river or trail use. | |||
| Management Provide and maintain visitor facilities, services, signing, and programs. New recreation developments (e.g., trails, trailheads, restrooms) to effectively address recreation activity demand created by growing communities and recreation-tourism may be developed if: 1) the proposal is consistent with interdisciplinary land use plan objectives and 2) sufficient funding and long-term management commitments are secured from managing partners. Visitor services (e.g., visitor information/maps, directional signage, facilities, on-the-ground staff presence) would be provided at the level to maintain activity participation and achieve ERMA objectives. | Administration Visual Resource Management: Manage visual resource objectives as prescribed by adjacent resource program prescriptions. Appropriately manage surface-disturbing activities so as to minimize visual contrasts. Comprehensive Trails and Travel Management: All modes and types of travel would be managed by other underlying resource Comprehensive Travel and Transportation Management prescriptions. Oil and Gas Leasing and Other Surface-Disturbing Activities: Apply No Surface Occupancy (NSO) restrictions on developed (and future) recreation sites and to mapped (and future) national/regional trails, local system trails that connect communities, trailheads andinterpretive sites with exceptional recreation values or significant to the public. A Controlled Surface Use (CSU) stipulation will be applied to future developed recreation sites on parcels that had previously been issued leases. Partners: Develop partnerships to maintain recreation activity opportunities (e.g., Partner with energy companies to increase the awareness about gas production or community groups to adopt trails). Other administration: Access: Maintain recreation access to and through public lands by creating route connectivity and by creating loop trails, where appropriate. Firearm Use Restriction: The discharge or use of firearms, other weapons, or fireworks is prohibited in developed recreation sites. Funding: BLM funding (sometimes substantial when circumstances require it) and staff will be directed toward effectively addressing visitor health and safety, use/user conflict and resource protection issues created by recreation activities. As one part of a comprehensive funding strategy to support recreation sites and services, the BLM (with partner support) may charge fees for standard or expanded amenity recreation sites and services. Standard or expanded amenity fees are defined in the Recreation Enhancement Act (REA). Special Recreation Permits: SRPs will be issued as a discretionary action. Issue SRPs for a wide variety of uses, that are consistent with resource/program objectives, and within budgetary/workload constraints. Cost recovery procedures for issuing SRPs would be applied where appropriate. If circumstances warrant, limitations on available SRPs may be developed and implemented. If circumstances warrant, limitations on SRP group numbers may be developed and implemented. To assist in the determination of whether an organized group activity or event would require an SRP, factors such as the following may be considered: resource concerns, user conflicts, need for monitoring, health and safety concerns, risk of damage to federal facilities or property. The following guidelines will be used in determining SRP status: 1-15 participants–No SRP required, unless otherwise determined that an SRP will be needed. 16-30 participants –Letter of Agreement, unless otherwise determined that an SRP will be needed. Over 30 participants –SRP required. | |||