Public Scoping for Northwest California Plan

The U. S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will hold a series of public meetings in August to get public ideas on land use and natural resources issues that should be addressed in a new land use plan for northwest California public lands. Participants in the meetings will hear a presentation about development of the new Resource Management Plan and opportunities for public involvement. There will be opportunities to provide written comments. Meetings will be held as follows:

Colusa: Wednesday, Aug. 11, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Conference Room at the Department of Agriculture, 100 Sunrise Blvd., near the Colusa Airport.

Lakeport: Thursday, Aug. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Lake County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 255 North Forbes St.

Ukiah: Tuesday, Aug. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office, 2550 North State St.

Napa: Wednesday, Aug. 18, from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. in the Library Conference Room, 500 Coombs St.

Point Arena: Friday, Aug. 20, from 7 to 9 p.m., Point Arena City Hall, 451 School St.

The new land use plan will apply to about 300,000 acres of BLM-managed public land in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Marin, Mendocino (south of Willits), Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties. BLM Ukiah Field Manager Rich Burns said the new plan will update several existing plans to reflect significant changes in the region, including urban growth, increasing recreation demands, wind and geothermal energy development proposals, additions to federal and state threatened and endangered species lists, and changes in land use requirements by state, county, and local agencies.

Those who do not submit comments at a public meeting can provide them directly to BLM’s website at www.ca.blm.gov/ukiah/rmp, or by email to ukiahrmp@ca.blm.gov, by fax to (707) 468-4027, or by mail to BLM Ukiah Field Office, 2550 N. State St., Ukiah, CA, 95482. To be most helpful, BLM would like to receive comments by Aug. 31, 2004. Burns said the BLM will use public comments in developing a draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, expected to be available for public review and comment in 2005.