RENO — The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments to inform the development of a programmatic environmental assessment (EA) that will cover a range of Special Recreation Permits (SRP) for Off-Highway Vehicle events in Nevada.
The development of this programmatic EA will aid BLM staff in responding to private party applications for Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) events on BLM-administered land throughout Nevada. The BLM is seeking public input about route locations and possible stipulations for issuing OHV SRPs on BLM land in portions of Washoe, Storey, Lyon, Douglas, Mineral, Churchill, Esmeralda, Nye, and Lincoln Counties.
“BLM invites input from the public to help inform our development of a programmatic environmental assessment to address Special Recreation Permitting of Off-Highway Vehicle events in various locations across Nevada,” Tammy Owens, BLM Project Lead.
The planning area for the program is 28,712,700 acres. The programmatic EA will streamline the current SRP process for OHV events and lower the cost burden for applicants who bring valuable economic income to the region, in addition to alleviating processing time for BLM staff. Analysis in the programmatic EA will be limited to existing routes currently or previously used for OHV events in the region, as well as new appropriate event OHV event routes suggested by the public. The programmatic EA will establish a set of standard stipulations and mitigation measures that will be applied to all events on the given routes.
The programmatic EA will comply with the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLMPA), which establishes outdoor recreation as one of the principal uses of public lands and directs the Secretary of the Interior to regulate, through permits or other instruments, the use of public lands (43 CFR 2391.3).
Public scoping will be open for comments 30 days, beginning Apr. 20- May 19, 2023.
Specifically, the BLM requests the public’s input on the following:
• Specific routes (or specific event types on those routes) that should be considered for removal from consideration in this programmatic analysis. Please include why you recommend the route be removed, and information on the resource or other concern driving your suggestion.
• Specific routes (or specific event types on those routes) that should be considered for addition to this programmatic analysis. Please include an explanation of why you recommend the route be included, and information on the resource or other concern driving your suggestion.
• SRP stipulations the BLM should consider appending to future OHV SRP permits. This could include both general stipulations applicable to all routes or route-specific stipulations. Please include why you recommend a given stipulation, and information on the resource or other concern driving your suggestion.
PDF maps and a link to the Navigator page displaying the preliminary set of routes the BLM is currently considering for inclusion in the programmatic EA are available on the project planning page at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2024119/510 . The public is invited to review these maps to inform the requested input on routes and stipulations. General comments on this OHV SRP project are also welcome.
Please note that this is project will only make decisions about issuing OHV SRPs, and will not change travel management designations (i.e., establishing areas as open, closed, or limited to OHV use) or open/close any roads or trails in the project planning area to general public use and access.
Written input may be emailed to BLM_NV_SRP_EA@blm.gov, submitted online at the BLM’s Project ePlanning Site, or mailed to the BLM Nevada State Office, Attn: OHV Special Recreation Permit Project, 1340 Financial Blvd Reno, NV 89502. Before including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, or other personal identifying information in comments, be aware that entire comments— including personal identifying information — may be made publicly available at any time. While commenters can request that personal identifying information be withheld from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.