Reading the Draft RAMP/EA

The BLM prepared the Harris Springs Draft RAMP/EA to guide the agency’s overall management of recreation in the Harris Springs planning area as part of the General Management Plan for the RRCNCA. The Harris Springs Draft RAMP/EA includes the following sections:

• Chapter 1 identifies the project background, context, early planning, and issues for consideration.

• Chapter 2 is the proposed Harris Springs RAMP.

• Chapter 3 describes the monitoring, enforcement, and adaptive management associated with implementing the RAMP.

• Chapter 4 describes the affected environment and analyzes the environmental consequences.

• Chapter 5 documents the BLM’s consultation and coordination relative to the RAMP and the associated EA.

• Chapter 6 provides references.

• Chapter 7 includes a glossary for terms used in the RAMP/EA.

Issues considered in the Draft RAMP/EA

Following the identification of preliminary issues by the public, stakeholders, and BLM interdisciplinary team in the early planning and information gathering process, the BLM identified two issues (Section 1.7) to structure the proposed RAMP (Chapters 2 and 3) and focus the EA analyses of environmental consequences (Section 4.3).

• Issue 1: How will the proposed RAMP meet the RRCNCA’s primary management objective of protecting and enhancing natural and cultural resources?

• Issue 2: How will the proposed RAMP address recreation opportunities and access for current and future visitors?

The RAMP consists of a mission, guiding principles, goals, strategies, and decisions. The BLM recognizes that achieving the mission, goals, strategies, and decisions of the RAMP would require continued coordination with the public and key stakeholders. Plan monitoring would inform the need for any future plan updates and associated adaptive management.

• The mission provides a broad vision for management

• Guiding principles provide direction for consistency with the values of the RRCNCA

• Goals explain the aspirations for desired conditions toward which the BLM would like to move

• Strategies define the methods the BLM would use to achieve those goals

• Decisions reflect the specific, detailed management BLM would employ to achieve the mission and goals for the RAMP. The degree to which these specific management decisions are carried out depends on priorities, available personnel, funding levels, and completion of further environmental analyses and decisionmaking, as appropriate.

The BLM is proposing recreation area management goals, strategies, and decisions under the aforementioned issues. This management direction is guided by the need to conserve, protect, and enhance natural resources. Strategies and decisions are considered further under goals such as Resource Protection; Recreation Use; Trails and Access; Safety; etc. This organization allows readers of the RAMP (and future decision-makers at the RRCNCA) to clearly follow specific topics and understand the rationale and context for management decisions.

Analysis in the EA

Chapter 4 of the Harris Springs Draft RAMP/EA describes the affected environment, which is the existing or baseline conditions relevant to each resource or resource use. Following the affected environment is a description of the environmental effects relative to each alternative and in consideration of the three previously mentioned issues and each relevant each resource or resource use. This portion of the Harris Springs Draft RAMP/EA provides the reader with an understanding of how the alternatives could impact various resources or activities.

An interactive map below shows a 2020 inventory of dirt roads and other routes, used by 4x4 vehicles and OHVs within the Harris Springs planning area. This information can also be downloaded as PDF maps or Google Earth KMZ files. Please note that viewing the KMZs requires the user to have Google Earth, which is available here.

Harris Springs Routes

Notes on map use

• You can access the map legend by toggling it on or off with the arrow in the upper left corner

• Map layers can be turned on and off in the legend

• You can click on a layer in the map to find out more information

• Local residents can search for their address in the upper right corner

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a RAMP (Recreation Area Management Plan)?

A RAMP is a document the BLM prepares to guide the agency’s management of a specific recreation area. A RAMP contains focused management for recreation activities, sites, and facilities within the recreation area. In Harris Springs, a RAMP will provide coordinated management and implementation strategies to support recreation and future public demand while protecting natural and cultural resources and restoring disturbed areas, including unauthorized routes and trails.

2. Why is a RAMP necessary at Harris Springs?

The Harris Springs RAMP will help the BLM to establish the vision, objectives, and goals that will identify the appropriate travel network in Harris Springs within the RRCNCA and establish a plan for restoring disturbed areas, as well as addressing unauthorized routes and trails. This will provide for improved recreation and travel management of Harris Springs routes.

3. What will be considered in the RAMP/EA?

The EA is a concise document that the BLM will prepare to determine whether to prepare an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact as required by the NEPA process. The EA will include brief discussions of the purpose and need for the RAMP, alternatives for management in the RAMP, and disclosure of the environmental impacts of the proposed action and alternatives. The analysis will be driven by the issues identified during the early planning and information gathering period.

4. How can the public provide their input?

The public has opportunities to provide input in several ways. During the comment period on the Draft RAMP/EA from January 19 through February 18, 2022, stakeholders and the public may provide written comments by mail or email as described in more detail here. Further, the public is invited to attend a virtual public information meeting on the Harris Springs Draft RAMP/EA to be held on February 1, 2022. The purpose of the virtual public meeting will be for the BLM to provide information on the Harris Springs Draft RAMP/EA and give an opportunity for the public to provide comments. Participants can register for the February 1, 2022 live virtual public information meeting at: https://empsi.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8ajcnULNTSOEMFB9SbYxwg. More information on the February 1, 2022 virtual public meeting is provided here.

5. What did the BLM do with the input received from the public during the 30-day early planning and information gathering period?

The BLM completed public outreach as part of the early planning and information gathering comment period that ran from November 1 to December 1, 2021. The BLM conducted this public comment period to identify issues to be addressed and to help determine the appropriate scope of the NEPA analyses. The BLM also conducted a virtual meeting with the public on November 10, 2021 from 6 to 8 p.m. PST. During this meeting, the BLM presented an overview of the proposed RAMP/EA and requested public input. The BLM developed a comment summary that identified preliminary issues the BLM used to help formulate a reasonable range of alternatives and the scope of analyses for the Harris Springs Draft RAMP/EA.

Next Station: Providing Comments

For more information on the Harris Springs RAMP/EA, please email the BLM.