Notice of Availability of the Proposed California Desert Conservation Area Plan Amendment for the Coachella Valley, and the Final Environmental Impact Statement

Resumo

The Coachella Valley Plan amends the CDCA Plan for a 1.2 million-acre planning area encompassing the Coachella Valley, California. The BLM administers approximately 28 percent, or 330,516 acres, of the planning area. The Coachella Valley Plan is being developed in coordination with the Coachella Valley Association of Governments in support of their efforts to prepare a Coachella Valley Multiple-Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP). The Coachella Valley Plan includes goals, objectives, and management prescriptions in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) for comprehensive management of desert ecosystems, including actions supporting recovery of ten species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act: Peninsular Ranges Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis nelsoni), Arroyo Toad (Bufo microscaphus californicus), Desert Pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius macularius), Desert Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps aridus), Desert Tortoise (Xerobates [or Gopherus] agassizii), Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus), Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus), Yuma Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris yumanesis), Coachella Valley Milk Vetch (