Assisting the Natural Resources Conservation Service With Location of Sites for Assessment on Public Lands Within California

February 11, 2014

In Reply Refer To:
7000 (CA930) P

EMS TRAMSMISSION: 2/11/14
Information Bulletin No. CA-2014-005 

To:            All CA Field Managers

From:        State Director

Subject:    Assisting the Natural Resources Conservation Service With Location of Sites for
                  Assessment on Public Lands Within California

This Information Bulletin provides guidance and explanation for assistance to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for the purpose of the collection of soils and other data on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in California. 

The NRCS is mandated through the Rural Development Act of 1972, the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977, and other supporting legislation to assess the status, condition, and trends of soil, water, and related resources on the Nation’s non-Federal Lands.  Starting in 2011, the on-site framework has been extended to lands managed by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.  The BLM has partnered with NRCS in implementing a National approach to monitoring rangeland resources, by expanding on-site data collection to the BLM managed lands.  The NRCS will be enhanced through this adoption of the National Resources Inventory (NRI) on the BLM managed landscapes.  The NRI Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection is conducted cooperatively with the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology.

Funding to assist the NRCS with their data collection is contained in your base programs.  The NRCS may wish to dig soil pits or conduct additional ground disturbing activities on the BLM Lands within California.  Dependent on the size of the ground disturbance and each Field Office’s Cultural Resource Specialist’s discretion, Protocol Exemption 1A may apply to some, none, or all of these locations.  

You may be requested to assist the NRCS by doing the following:

       •    Reviewing site locations to ensure those locations are on public lands.
       •    Ensuring the NRCS can assess those sites through locked gates, etc.
       •    Identify sites that have no access or that cannot be cleared. 
       •    Cultural Resources compliance and clearance for special status plant and wildlife species.

The NRCS is responsible for all data collection and will report findings periodically to the BLM in preparation of a final annual report. 

Any questions can be directed to Jack Hamby, State Drought Response Coordinator, at (916) 978-4633, or via E-mail at jhamby@blm.gov.

Signed by:                                    
Angie Lara                                  
Associate State Director                            

Authenticated by:
Richard A. Erickson
Records Management