Alternative D generally increases conservation of physical, biological, and heritage and visual resources compared to current management, including the designation of one SMA, two Management Areas, and 12 ACECs. Alternative D also emphasizes moderate constraints on resource uses and reclamation and mitigation requirements to reduce impacts to resource values.
Under Alternative D, 4,135,518 acres are available for locatable mineral entry, while 72,031 acres are withdrawn or would be recommended for withdrawal or extension of existing withdrawals; existing withdrawals and segregations not carried forward would be allowed to expire. In addition, approximately 291,294 acres of federal mineral estate are administratively unavailable to oil and gas leasing in the Planning Area. The remaining federal mineral estate in the Planning Area is open to oil and gas leasing subject to the following constraints: 257,512 acres are subject to the standard lease form, 3,540,775 acres are subject to moderate constraints, and 117,968 acres are subject to major constraints. Alternative D delineates Oil and Gas Management Areas to be managed primarily for oil and gas exploration and development. This alternative makes 4,023,356 acres available for mineral materials disposal, while 184,193 acres are closed to mineral materials disposal.
Land resource program actions under Alternative D identify 66,022 acres of BLM-administered land in the Planning Area as available for disposal. Under Alternative D, the BLM manages 2,512,202 acres as ROW avoidance/mitigation areas and 39,003 acres as ROW exclusion areas. Under Alternative D, 2,895,469 acres are open to renewable energy development. Travel management designations under Alternative D include 60,681 acres closed to motorized vehicle use, 2,028,620 acres limited to existing roads and trails, 1,055,257 acres limited to designated roads and trails, and 5,941 acres open to motorized vehicle use. Similar to Alternative A, the BLM considers areas open to over-snow vehicles on a case-by-case basis.
Alternative D designates more recreation management areas than Alternative A, including SRMAs, Recreation Management Zones (RMZ), and ERMAs. Other resource uses such as minerals development are typically allowed to occur within these areas if the adverse impacts can be mitigated. An NSO restriction is applied to all developed recreation sites, national and regional trails, local trail systems, and interpretive sites with exceptional recreation value. Under Alternative D the BLM maintains 12 SRMAs: Absaroka Mountain Foothills (52,422 acres), Badlands (220,808 acres), Bighorn River (2,545 acres), West Slope (126,920 acres), Rivers (6,059 acres), Basin Gardens Play Area (4,468 acres), Canyon Creek (3,687 acres), Horse Pasture (144 acres), Middle Fork of the Powder River (14,778 acres), West Slope of the Bighorns (191,465 acres), Beck Lake (6,475 acres), and Newton Lake Ridge (2,246 acres). All land not included in a SRMA or within the Absaroka, Bighorn River, Rattlesnake Ridge, Red Canyon Creek, or Southern Bighorns ERMAs, is included in the Bighorn Basin ERMA.
Under Alternative D, the BLM closes the same acreage in the Planning Area to livestock grazing as Alternative A (5,171 acres). However, unlike Alternative A, grazing is allowed in closed areas as a tool to maintain or improve resource conditions. To reduce user conflict, new resource uses are mitigated to minimize or avoid conflict with livestock grazing.
Alternative D includes 12 ACECs the nine existing areas and three new ACECs. The three proposed ACECs are Clarks Fork Canyon; Paleocene, Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM); and Sheep Mountain. Alternative D would also designate the Chapman Bench Management Area for the retention and success of sensitive species habitat and would manage a portion of the Little Mountain area as the Craig Thomas Little Mountain SMA. Table 2-3 summarizes acreages and management emphasis in each of these ACECs and other management areas. In addition to retaining the Red Gulch/Alkali National Back Country Byway, Alternative D would designate the Hyattville Logging Road as a primitive Back Country Byway. Alternative D would also provide similar but less protective measures than Alternative B for the Heart Mountain Relocation Center National Historic Landmark, Nez Perce NHT, and Other Trails. Under Alternative D, the BLM finds no WSR eligible waterways suitable for inclusion in the NWSRS, and does not continue interim management to protect their outstanding remarkable values and free-flowing characteristics. Alternative D limits motorized vehicle use to designated roads and trails within six WSAs and closes four WSAs to motorized vehicle use.
Under Alternative D, management of physical resources emphasizes moderate constraints on resource uses and mitigation of impacts. Reclamation practices include beginning interim and final reclamation at the earliest feasible times and, in disturbed areas, reestablishing healthy native or desired plant communities based on predisturbance/desired plant species composition. The BLM requires reclamation plans, stipulations, or measures prior to approval of authorized surface-disturbing activities. Similar to Alternative A, the BLM assesses erosion and soil stability during rangeland health evaluations and allows the surface discharge of produced water from new activities, where compatible with other resource objectives.
Management of biological resources under Alternative D emphasizes protection through avoidance and mitigation of surface-disturbing activity and moderate resource constraints. For example, surface-disturbing activities are avoided at least within 500 feet and up to ¼ mile of riparian/wetland areas. The BLM also applies an NSO restriction on wetland areas greater than 20 acres, but allows aerial application of pesticides on a case-by-case basis. Vegetation resources are managed to maintain contiguous blocks of native plant communities. For fish species, the BLM avoids surface-disturbing activities within ¼ mile of any waters rated by the WGFD as Class 1 or 2 fisheries and applies a 500-foot buffer to all other fisheries. Seasonal wildlife restrictions under this alternative include avoiding livestock grazing in elk parturition habitat during the birthing season but also exempting Oil and Gas Management Areas from discretionary big game seasonal stipulations. Alternative D would manage the Absaroka Front Management Area with a mix of CSU, TLS, and NSO stipulations as well as areas that are unavailable for mineral leasing.
Special status species generally receive greater protection under Alternative D than under Alternative A. For greater sage-grouse, constraints on resource uses are greater within Key Habitat Areas than outside Key Habitat Areas. For example, the BLM would apply a CSU stipulation to restrict surface-disturbing activities within 0.6 mile of greater sage-grouse leks within Key Habitat Areas and within ¼ mile of greater sage-grouse leks outside Key Habitat Areas. The BLM would also apply a goal of consolidating development to maintain greater sage-grouse habitat. To protect raptor habitat, the BLM would apply species specific protective buffers of up to 1 mile of active raptor nests during nesting periods and a year-round ¼-mile CSU stipulation on all raptor nests. Under Alternative D, the BLM applies an NSO restriction on suitable habitat for black-footed ferret reintroduction and on the Sage Creek Prairie Dog Town. The BLM requires avoidance of range improvement projects and aerial application of herbicides within ¼ mile and ½ mile, respectively, of BLM special status plant species populations.
Wild horse management under Alternative D balances providing opportunities for public viewing of wild horses with protection of horse health. Opportunities for public viewing, education, and interpretation of wild horses are promoted within the McCullough Peaks HMA, but SRPs using domestic horses would be prohibited within the McCullough Peaks HMA and avoided within the Fifteenmile HMA. Under this alternative, the BLM applies seasonal restrictions on surface-disturbing activities from February 1 to July 31 to prevent foal abandonment and jeopardy of wild horse health and welfare.
Cultural and paleontological resources generally receive more protection under Alternative D than Alternative A. The BLM protects the foreground of important cultural sites up to 3 miles, using BMPs to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts from mineral development or other surface-disturbing activity. Similar to Alternative A, the BLM attaches Standard Paleontological Resources Protection Stipulations to authorizations for surface-disturbing activities on PFYC 3, 4, and 5 formations and requires an on-the-ground survey prior to approval of surface-disturbing activities or land-disposal actions. Monitoring of surface-disturbing activities for PFYC 3, 4, and 5 formations would be conducted on a case-by-case basis. The BLM allows surface-disturbing activities within 100 feet of a paleontological locality if the impacts can be adequately mitigated but prohibits the resumption of activity within 100 feet of a paleontological discovery until the authorized officer issues a written authorization to proceed.
Under Alternative D, the BLM manages more acres as VRM Class I and II than Alternative A. The class allocations for BLM-administered surface lands include 140,954 acres of VRM Class I, 638,929 acres of VRM Class II, 836,361 acres of VRM Class III, and 1,573,357 acres of VRM Class IV. Under Alternative D, 4,362 acres are unclassified.
Alternative D designates nine LWCs as Wild Lands. These Wild Lands are in areas consistent with similar resource protections (the Absaroka Front Management Area and the Bighorn Front Management Area). This alternative would not designate the remaining LWCs as Wild Lands, and would manage for purposes other than protection of wilderness characteristics.