Implementation of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116-9)
August 26, 2019
In Reply Refer To:
1753 (CA-930) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 09/04/2019
Information Bulletin No. 2019-006
To: BLM California Desert District Manager and Field Managers, Central California
District Manager and Bishop Field Manager, and Division of Natural Resources Staff
From: Danielle Chi, Deputy State Director for Natural Resources
Subject: Implementation of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation
Act (Public Law 116-9)
Background
The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116-9) was signed by the President on March 12, 2019. The Act is the first comprehensive public land legislation in a decade and includes more than 100 separate provisions. BLM California has a specific role in implementing two parts of Title I of the law – Section 1003, Santa Ana River Wash Plan land exchange and Subtitle E, California Desert Protection and Recreation.
On March 27, 2019, the Interior Secretary signed Secretarial Order 3374 creating an Interior Department task force for implementing PL 116-9. The task force’s responsibility is to ensure:
• Timely and coordinated implementation of PL 116-9 throughout the Department;
• Proper allocation of efforts and resources;
• All timelines contained in PL 116-9 are met; and
• Consistency among the various Bureaus and Offices within the Department.
To further these goals, this memo establishes roles and responsibilities for implementing the provisions of PL 116-9 under BLM California’s purview and a communication structure to coordinate the implementation process with state leadership. A list of preliminary implementation tasks is available here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OhuGWUVCBM6QGIiK7ZT5gxpW3cMW-t2XY6bgBYRrpUI/edit#gid=147017616
Roles and Responsibilities
The designations and requirements in PL 116-9 involve multiple program areas across two districts and several field offices. A high level of coordination is necessary to implement the law consistently and meet legislative timelines. The state travel and transportation management program lead, Jane Arteaga, will be responsible for overall coordination of implementation for BLM California. Additionally, each section of the law relevant to BLM California will have one or more leads responsible for implementing the provisions of that section. Section leads will:
• Develop a short action plan (see attached template) identifying implementation tasks and assigning responsibilities and identifying resource needs. This action plan will be shared with the state travel and transportation management lead.
• Carry out implementation tasks identified in the action plan.
• Coordinate with the state travel and transportation management lead and management to track progress and identify implementation issues, including:
o Impediments to or questions regarding implementing the law
o Public interest/concern with implementation, including from Congressional offices
The state travel and transportation management lead and section leads will coordinate at least monthly in the early stages of implementation. Frequency may decrease as appropriate.
The state program lead and/or office(s) responsible for implementing each section of the law are identified below. Each office will identify a specific person to serve as its section lead. Section leads will work together to prepare the section action plan within 30 days.
Section 1003, Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange – Section 1003 directs the BLM to convey up to approximately 417 acres of public land in San Bernardino County to the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District and receive up to 369 acres of land.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• Palm Springs-South Coast – Planning and Environmental Coordinator (John Dalton)
State Office support: Realty specialist for land exchanges (Janet Eubanks)
Section 1411, Designation of Wilderness – Section 1411 designates five new wilderness areas, expands four existing wilderness areas, and eliminates all or a portion of six Wilderness Study Areas.
Responsible offices/Section leads:
• Barstow – Associate field manager (Jeff Childers)
• El Centro – Wilderness coordinator (John Johnson)
• Ridgecrest – Outdoor recreation planner (Martha Dickes)
State/District Office support: State wilderness lead and California Desert District wilderness lead (Leigh Karp) will coordinate consistent implementation across offices, identifying necessary resources, developing outreach materials, etc.
Section 1421, Designation of Special Management Area – Section 1421 designates the Vinagre Wash Special Management Area, which includes wilderness areas and motorized route designations.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• El Centro – Supervisory outdoor recreation planner (Brian Puckett)
State Office support: Wilderness (TBA) and travel and transportation management (Jane Arteaga) program leads.
Sections 1431-1433, National Park Service Additions – These sections transfer parcels of BLM land to the National Park Service to become part of Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and Joshua Tree National Park.
Responsible offices/Section leads:
• Barstow – Realty specialist (Birgit Hoover)
• Ridgecrest – Realty specialist (Elaine Hanson)
State Office support: Possible GIS, Land tenure (Deanne Kidd)
Section 1441, Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Areas – Section 1441 designates five OHV recreation areas and expands one existing OHV recreation area.
Responsible offices/Section leads:
• Barstow – Field manager (Katrina Symons)
• Ridgecrest – Supervisory outdoor recreation planner (Craig Beck)
State office support: Travel and transportation management (Jane Arteaga), will coordinate consistent implementation across the desert, identify necessary resources, etc.
Section 1441, Alabama Hills National Scenic Area – Section 1441 designates the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, takes land into trust for the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, and transfers US Forest Service land to the BLM.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• Bishop – Supervisory Resource Management Specialist (Sherri Lisius)
State Office support: State National Conservation Lands lead (TBA) will provide program guidance and support.
Section 1451, Transfer of Land to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park – Section 1451 transfers the Table Mountain Wilderness Study Area to the State of California upon termination of all mining claims.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• State Office land tenure lead (Deanne Kidd)
Section 1452, Wildlife Corridors – Section 1452 requires Department of the Interior to study habitat fragmentation in the California desert and incorporate information into relevant management plans.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• State Office wildlife lead (Amy Fesnock)
Section 1453, Prohibited Uses of Acquired, Donated, and Conservation Land – Section 1453 prohibits certain activities on acquired, donated, and conservation land in the CDCA.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• California Desert District – Senior Natural Resource Advisor (Russell Scofield)
Section 1454, Tribal Uses and Interests – Section 1454 requires development of a tribal cultural resources management plan and includes provisions for access for traditional cultural and religious practices.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• State Office state archaeologist (Tony Overly)
Section 1455, Release of Federal Reversionary Land Interests – Section 1455 directs the BLM to release reversionary interest in land conveyed to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• State Office land tenure lead (Deanne Kidd)
Section 1456, California State School Land – Section 1456 directs the BLM to work with the California State Lands Commission on exchanges within the CDCA.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• State Office land tenure lead (Deanne Kidd)
Section 1457, Designation of Wild and Scenic Rivers – Section 1457 designates two new wild and scenic rivers and expands an existing wild and scenic river that cross BLM lands.
Responsible offices/Section leads:
• Barstow – Wildlife biologist (Chris Otahal)
• Palm Springs-South Coast – Sand to Snow National Monument manager (Jihadda Govan)
• Ridgecrest – Outdoor recreation planner (Martha Dickes)
State Office support: State wilderness lead (TBA) will coordinate consistent implementation across offices, identifying necessary resources, training needs, etc.
Section 1459, Juniper Flats – Section 1459 prohibits renewable energy generation facilities in the Juniper Flats area.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• California Desert District – Senior Natural Resource Advisor (Russell Scofield)
Section 1461, Desert Tortoise Conservation Center – Section 1461 directs the Department of the Interior to establish a desert tortoise conservation center on public land along the California-Nevada border.
Responsible office/Section lead:
• State Office wildlife lead (Amy Fesnock)
Signed by:
Danielle Chi
Deputy State Director for Natural Resources
Authenticated by:
Larry Weitzel
GIS/Applications Mgmt Branch, CA-946
Attachment - 1
1-Dingell Act Section Action Plan Template