The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released the Bakersfield Field Office’s Draft Resource Management Plan for public review and comment.  The BLM has also announced a series of public meetings to be in October.

The Draft Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) covers lands (excluding Carrizo Plain National Monument) managed by BLM’s Bakersfield Field Office, which includes lands in eight counties in central California: Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Kings, Tulare, Madera, eastern Fresno and western Kern.

The Draft RMP/EIS establishes goals, objectives and management actions for approximately 404,000 acres of BLM-administered public land and 1.2 million acres of federal mineral estate. It also documents the analysis of the environmental impacts of many land management issues, including, recreation, special status species and energy development.

Copies of the Draft RMP/EIS are available upon request from the Field Manager, Bakersfield Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 3801 Pegasus Drive, Bakersfield, CA 93308 or via the internet at http://www.ca.blm.gov/bakersfield.

The Draft RMP/EIS can also be reviewed at the BLM California State Office at 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W 1834, Sacramento, CA, and at the following public libraries: Bakersfield Beale Memorial Library, Fresno County Public Library, Kern River Valley Branch Library, Taft Branch Library, Three Rivers Library, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, Santa Barbara Public Library and Ventura County Library.

The BLM Bakersfield Field Office will hold meetings to introduce the plan and answer questions beginning on Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the field office. Meetings also will be held, all from 6-8 p.m.:

Oct. 13, San Luis Obispo, Ludwick Community Center, 864 Santa Rosa St.
Oct. 17, Kern River Valley Senior Center, 6409 Lake Isabella Blvd.
Oct. 18, Three Rivers Memorial Building, 43490 Sierra Drive.
Oct. 19, Taft Chamber of Commerce, 400 West Side Highway.
Oct. 20, Prather, Sierra Unified School District, 29143 Auberry Road.

The public is invited to submit comments on the Draft RMP/EIS prior to December 9, 2011, by email to: cacalrmp@blm.gov or by mail to:  Bakersfield RMP, Bureau of Land Management, 3801 Pegasus Dr, Bakersfield, Calif. 93308.

Additional information is available from the Bakersfield Field Office, (661) 391-6022, or by contacting BLM Public Affairs Officer David Christy at (916) 985-4474.