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As part of a joint effort with the U.S. Forest Service to conserve the Greater Sage-Grouse (GRSG) and its habitat across 10 western states, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah today issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a 90-day public review and comment period. The draft Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Land Use Plan (LUP) Amendment/EIS would amend 14 BLM and six Forest Service land use plans. The planning effort includes all GRSG mapped occupied habitat lands in Utah for which the BLM and Forest Service have authority to make management decisions. In addition, the BLM has jurisdiction over federal minerals on National Forest System lands and in some areas where the surface is owned by a non-federal entity. The Utah draft EIS planning area also includes the portions of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and the Ashley National Forests that extend into Wyoming. Approximately 3,313,800 acres of GRSG habitat are on BLM-administered and National Forest System surface lands, and another 694,880 acres of habitat have underlying federal mineral estate in the state of Utah. The proposed management direction in this LUP amendment applies only to BLM-administered public lands or National Forest System lands in the planning area. They do not apply to private land. “Throughout this process, BLM Utah has collaborated with a number of partners including the state of Utah, Counties and the Fish and Wildlife Service," said Juan Palma, BLM-Utah State Director. “The range of alternatives being assessed in the draft EIS analyzes a broad array of options to consider as we move forward in developing the final plan for managing BLM and Forest Service lands to provide for the protection of Greater Sage-Grouse habitat in Utah. Information open houses will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the following locations: November 19 Snow College Richfield Campus 800 West 200 South Richfield, UT 84701 November 20 Heritage Center-Festival Hall 105 North 100 East Cedar City, UT 84720 November 21 Panguitch City Library Conference Room 25 South 200 East Panguitch, UT 84759 December 4 Vernal City Office, Community Room 374 E Main Street Vernal, UT 84078 December 5 Carbon County Event Center 310 South Fairgrounds Road Price, UT 84501 December 10 Salt Lake City Downtown Library, Conference Room 4 210 East 400 South Salt Lake City UT 84111 December 11 Randolph Senior Center Gymnasium 5 North Main Street Randolph, UT 84064 December 12 Snowville Elementary School, Multi-purpose Room/Gymnasium 160 North Stone Road Snowville, UT 84336 The draft EIS considers five management alternatives for maintaining and increasing habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse on BLM-administered public lands or National Forest System lands in the planning area. Alternative A is the no-action alternative which would retain the management goals, objectives, and direction specified in the 20 existing land management plans; Alternative B includes conservation measures and prescriptions outlined in the National Technical Team Report. Alternative C includes conservation measures and prescriptions provided by various conservation groups during the scoping process, including the creation of new BLM Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs) and FS Greater Sage-Grouse Zoological Areas covering approximately 2,233,800 acres. Alternative D includes conservation measures and prescriptions developed by the BLM Utah and FS Intermountain Region (Region 4), in coordination with the local USFWS. Alternative E includes conservation measures and prescriptions based on the state of Utah's Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-Grouse in Utah and the state of Wyoming's Governors Executive Order 2011-05 and 2013-3. The BLM has identified Alternative D as the preferred alternative. Identification of this alternative does not represent the final agency decision; the final LUP amendment may include a mix of objectives and actions from any of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS. The Draft Utah Greater Sage-Grouse LUP Amendment/EIS is available for review and comment on the BLM-Utah's website at: http://www.blm.gov. Comments on the draft EIS will be accepted until Jan. 29, 2014. Please note that the most useful comments are those that contain new technical or scientific information relevant to the proposed action. Comments should be as specific as possible. Comments which contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response but may be considered in the BLM decision-making process. Written comments may be submitted using any of the following methods: Mail BLM Utah Attn: BLM/FS Utah Greater Sage-Grouse EIS 440 West 200 South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1345 Email - blm_ut_comments@blm.gov Fax - (801)539-4074 Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in any comments, be aware that the entire comment - including personal identifying information - may be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so. The BLM will not consider anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety. For additional information about the draft EIS, contact Quincy Bahr at (801)539-4122 or Tyler Ashcroft at (801)539-4068. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question with the above individual(s). The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are sent during normal business hours.