Analysis of the management situation for the Jarbidge Resource Management Plan

Publication Type:

Report

Authors:

Source:

USDI Bureau of Land Management, Jarbidge Field Office, p.372 (2007)

Call Number:

U07BLM02IDUS

Keywords:

Black-throated Sparrow, Cicindela plutonica, Cicindela waynei, Cicindela waynei waynei, Columbia Spotted Frog, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, Fringed Myotis, Great Basin black-collared lizard, Greater Sage-Grouse, kit box, Lewis's woodpecker, Loggerhead Shrike, longnose snake, Mountain Quail, Northern Goshawk, northern leopard frog, pallis bat, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcon, pygmy rabbit, Rana luteiventris, Sage sparrow, Sage Thrasher, Spotted Bat, Townsend's Big-Eared Bat, western ground snake, Western Toad, white-faced Ibis, woodhouse toad, yellow-billed cuckoo

Abstract:

At the time of this report, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Twin Falls District was preparing a Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) for the Jarbidge Field Office (FO) planning area. This area was previously recognized as the Jarbidge planning area of the Boise and Lower Snake River District. Management decisions for this land area are currently covered by the 1987 Jarbidge RMP. A limited number of amendments to this plan have been made during the past 19 years. The revised Jarbidge RMP will replace the 1987 RMP and its amendments for lands within the current planning area. While preparing an RMP, BLM must analyze inventory data and other information available to identify issues and opportunities; this is called the Analysis of the Management Situation (AMS). The AMS provides BLM’s current understanding of resources and uses in the planning area---a snapshot in time that BLM is continuing to refine through additional compilation and analysis of data and information. BLM will consider these preliminary and subsequent assessments of conditions, current management, and management opportunities in the RMP/EIS. All data, maps, and figures are based on preliminary analyses of datasets as of March 2007. As both the data and analyses are in draft form, any numbers, acreages, and maps are presented for illustrative and comparative purposes only and are not intended for use beyond this document. Prior to the publication of the Draft RMP, new data may be added and existing data may be refined. This document represents an early component of the resource management planning process. The AMS is not intended to be an exhaustive review of resources or uses within the planning area, nor does it provide specific details about various resources. It is intended to provide a summary analysis of existing management practices, including direction from existing plans and agency policy; local resources and resource uses; and social and economic conditions. Maps included show the extent of the planning area. The key findings of the AMS are as follows: • The planning area contains lands that are unique and desirable as places to live and recreate. • Human uses and impacts on public lands are likely to increase in the future. • Wildfire has affected all resources within the planning area to some degree and is a major driving force in the current condition of most resources. • Restoration is needed to improve degraded lands and could be an important component of the revised RMP. • There is a downward trend in native vegetation associated with the increase in annual non-native vegetation. • Sagebrush communities have declined and become fragmented, affecting the special status species that rely on them for habitat. • There is an increased demand for varying uses of the public lands including access, transportation routes, right of ways, and renewable energy development. • Livestock grazing management influences the condition of resources. • Rangeland health, wildfire, off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, and special designations impact resource conditions.