Alternative A represents the current management of resources on BLM-administered surface and mineral estate within the Planning Area under the three existing plans. Management under Alternative A continues to balance the use and development of Planning Area resources.
Under Alternative A, 4,033,195 acres are available for locatable mineral entry and 174,354 acres are withdrawn from locatable mineral entry. Approximately 154,861 acres of federal mineral estate in the Planning Area are administratively unavailable to oil and gas leasing. The remaining federal mineral estate in the Planning Area is open for oil and gas leasing subject to the following constraints: 863,564 acres are subject to standard stipulations, 1,789,634 acres are subject to moderate constraints, and 1,399,490 acres are subject to major constraints. The BLM identifies constraints on mineral leasing in the Planning Area to protect resource values. Alternative A does not include specific management decisions regarding Oil and Gas Management Areas. Under this alternative, 3,975,695 acres are available for mineral materials disposal and 231,854 acres are closed to mineral materials disposal.
Land resource program actions under Alternative A identify 116,800 acres in the Planning Area as available for disposal. Under Alternative A, the BLM manages 941,778 acres as ROW avoidance/mitigation areas, and 61,416 acres as ROW exclusion areas. Alternative A requires approval of renewable energy development projects to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Travel management designations under Alternative A include 59,192 acres closed to motorized vehicle use, 2,332,355 acres limited to existing roads and trails, 787,626 acres limited to designated roads and trails, and 1,320 acres open to motorized vehicle use. Under Alternative A, the BLM considers areas open to over-snow vehicles on a case-by-case basis.
Recreation management under Alternative A balances protection of recreational resources with other resource uses. The BLM applies NSO restrictions to fishing and hunting access areas, Five Springs Falls Campground, the Cody Archery Range, and Recreation and Public Purpose (R) lease areas for the Cody Shooting Complex and the Lovell Rod and Gun Club. Under Alternative A, the BLM maintains seven Special Recreation Management Areas (SRMAs) Absaroka Mountain Foothills (72,177 acres), Badlands (214,099 acres), Bighorn River (15,417 acres), West Slope (373,755 acres), The Rivers (18,278 acres), Historic Trails (12,083 acres), and Worland Caves. Alternative A also includes two Extensive Recreation Management Areas (ERMAs) the Cody and the Worland general ERMAs.
Under Alternative A, the BLM allows livestock grazing on all but 5,171 acres of the Planning Area. The alternative allows the use of produced water for livestock on a case-by-case basis and prohibits the placement of salt, mineral, or forage supplements within ¼ mile of water, wetlands, riparian areas, or reforested areas.
Alternative A includes nine ACECs Carter Mountain, Five Springs Falls, Little Mountain, Sheep Mountain Anticline, Brown/Howe Dinosaur Area, Upper Owl Creek Area, Spanish Point Karst, Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite, and Big Cedar Ridge. Table 2-3 summarizes acreages and management emphasis in each of these ACECs. Under Alternative A, there is one National Back Country Byway (Red Gulch/Alkali Road National Back Country Byway), one National Historic Landmark (Heart Mountain Relocation Center), and one NHT (the Nez Perce NHT). This alternative also manages 20 WSR eligible waterways, each with interim protective management, and 10 WSAs.
Under Alternative A, the BLM manages physical resources to conserve air, water, and soil resources and to support resources and resource uses. Alternative A includes soil reclamation practices such as seeding of disturbed areas using approved seed mixtures of native species and reestablishing vegetative cover over disturbed soils within 5 years of initial seeding. No reclamation plans are required, and the BLM considers stabilization of heavily eroded roads and topsoil salvage and segregation on a case-by-case basis. The BLM assesses erosion and soil stability during rangeland health evaluations. Alternative A allows for the proper disposal of produced water on BLM-administered lands if it meets the State of Wyoming water quality standards. This alternative does not include management actions to maintain contiguous blocks of vegetation and habitat on BLM-administered lands. Alternative A prohibits surface-disturbing activities within 500 feet of surface water and riparian/wetland areas and allows aerial application of pesticides in all areas on a case-by-case basis.
Alternative A management actions attempt to provide habitat for fish and wildlife, meet public demand for forest products, protect natural functions in riparian areas, control the spread of invasive species, and comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and BLM policy for special status species. Alternative A applies an NSO restriction and manages surface-disturbing activities using standard restrictions within 500 feet of surface water and riparian areas to protect fish habitat. Seasonal wildlife restrictions under Alternative A include prohibiting livestock grazing in elk parturition habitat during the birthing season and avoiding surface-disturbing activities in big game crucial winter range from November 15 through April 30 and in big game parturition habitat from May 1 through June 30. This alternative applies CSU stipulations for big game migration corridors, narrow ridges, overlapping big game crucial winter ranges, and big game parturition habitat.
Under this alternative, the BLM prohibits surface-disturbing activities within ¼ mile of occupied greater sage-grouse leks and within 2 miles of occupied leks in greater sage-grouse nesting and early brood-rearing habitats. The BLM prohibits surface-disturbing activities in greater sage-grouse winter concentration areas from November 15 to March 14. Alternative A does not include travel management restrictions in greater sage-grouse Key Habitat Areas. Alternative A prohibits any activity within ¾ mile of active raptor nests from February 1 through July 31. The BLM identifies no specific management actions for black-footed ferret reintroduction but does implement conservation measures, Biological Evaluations, and inter-agency coordination memorandums for all prairie dogs. Impacts to special status plant species from a variety of resource uses are reviewed by the BLM which implements avoidance and mitigation measures on a case-by-case basis.
Alternative A provides for wild horse viewing opportunities in both the Fifteenmile and McCullough Peaks HMAs. Mitigation of surface-disturbing activity to protect wild horse health is applied only in the Fifteenmile HMA. As required by national policy, the BLM prohibits wild horse gathers between April 15 and July 15.
Alternative A requires the BLM to balance the protection of cultural and paleontological resources with resource development. Under this alternative, the BLM pursues restrictions and places stipulations on mineral leasing and mineral materials disposal on a case-by-case basis near cultural resources. Alternative A also allows renewable energy development near cultural resource sites on a case-by-case basis, consistent with applicable policy and guidance and other resource management objectives. Under Alternative A, the BLM attaches Standard Paleontological Resources Protection Stipulations to authorizations for surface-disturbing activities on Potential Fossil Yield Classification (PFYC) 3, 4, and 5 formations. This alternative also requires an on-the-ground survey prior to approval of surface-disturbing activities or land-disposal actions, and monitoring of surface-disturbing activities in PFYC 5 and, on a case-by-case basis, in PFYC 4 areas. Under this alternative, the BLM prohibits surface-disturbing activities within 50 feet of the outer edge of a paleontological locality and also prohibits the resumption of activity within 50 feet of a paleontological discovery until the authorized officer issues a written authorization to proceed.
Under Alternative A, the BLM manages visual resources in accordance with four VRM classes. The class allocations for BLM-administered surface lands include 141,110 acres of VRM Class I, 339,205 acres of VRM Class II, 890,353 acres of VRM Class III, and 1,814,373 acres of VRM Class IV. Under Alternative A, 4,361 acres are unclassified. Alternative A does not apply special management prescriptions for LWCs or designate Wild Lands.