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(MISSOULA, Mont.) – The Missoula Field Office is publishing a package of a proposed supplementary rules today in the Federal Register that will allow the newly-developed Missoula Resource Management Plan to be fully implemented and give law enforcement rangers the ability to enforce new management decisions finalized through the planning process.

The field office has opened a 60-day comment period on the proposed supplementary rules that would cover the 167,000 acres of BLM-managed public lands within the Missoula area and specifically address management of the Sperry Grade Area, Garnet Ghost Town, the Dupont acquisition, Bear Creek Flats, Limestone Cliffs, and the Blackfoot Special Recreation Management Area. The public comment period for the supplementary rules closes on Oct. 3.

The proposed supplementary rules are based on decisions developed through the Missoula Resource Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement, completed in January 2021, which included robust public engagement throughout the entire process, from scoping through public review, and comments from the public on preliminary and draft alternatives.

“The proposed supplementary rules are needed to enforce protection of natural, geologic, and historic resources; reduce wildland fire risk; and provide for public health and safety,” said Missoula Field Manager Erin Carey.

The Federal Register notice detailing the proposed supplementary rules was published on Aug. 4, 2022. The rules give BLM law enforcement the ability to:

* protect natural resources including crucial elk habitat near the Blackfoot Clearwater Game Range;

* protect geologic resources at Limestone Cliffs;

* protect historic resources at Garnet Ghost Town;

* enhance public safety and experiences at important day-use recreation sites along the Blackfoot River;

* reduce wildland fire potential with restrictions on locating campfires and burning materials on public lands; and

* remove abandoned personal property on public lands.

To read more about the rules, visit the agency’s ePlanning website: https://bit.ly/3Q5CNKD

To submit comments on the proposed supplementary rules, email BLM_MT_Missoula_FO@blm.gov; or mail them to: Proposed Supplementary Rule, Bureau of Land Management, Attention: Erin Carey, Missoula Field Manager, Missoula Field Office, 3255 Fort Missoula Road, Missoula, MT 59804. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment–including your personal identifying information–may be made publicly available at any time. While you can request in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.