Because cultural resources are fragile, often unique, nonrenewable resources that occupy relatively small areas, almost any management action has the potential to affect them. Principle impacts to cultural resources result directly from surface disturbance or visual intrusions, and indirectly from increased access related to management of other resources. The BLM anticipates impacts to cultural resources from the alternatives to be similar in type, but different in intensity. Proactive cultural resource management actions result in beneficial impacts across all alternatives. Overall, Alternative C allows the most resource use; therefore, it likely will result in the most direct and indirect impacts, adverse and beneficial, to cultural resources. However, despite the most use and the most potential impact, Alternative C incorporates a contemporary understanding of cultural resources management, in contrast to current management (Alternative A), which reflects the status of cultural resource management from the 1980s. While the BLM instituted current management in good faith and in compliance with Section 106 and BLM regulations, improved approaches and increased knowledge of options allow for more protection, even with more resource use. Potential impacts are likely to be the least adverse under Alternative B because of more restrictions on resource uses for the protection of other resources. However, with less use of other resources, there also is likely to be less Section 106 compliance and associated inventory, so that the knowledge base will not grow at the same rate as it would under Alternative C. Alternative D reflects a balanced approach overall, in some cases mirroring the active management recommendations of Alternative A, providing less specific protection than Alternative B, but acknowledging and specifying situations in which more protective measures will be needed than under alternatives A or C.

Under all alternatives, the BLM continues its obligation to engage in government-to-government consultations with interested tribes. Actions required by the NHPA and the Wyoming State Protocol will form the foundation of all project-specific decisions regarding cultural resources. The Wyoming State Protocol and NHPA provisions will resolve conflicts between cultural resources and other resource uses not addressed in the RMP.