[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56403-56404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14943]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_AZ_FRN_MO4500178910]
Notice of Realty Action: Recreation and Public Purposes Act
Classification; Arizona
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of realty action.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Hassayampa Field Office,
examined two parcels consisting of approximately 640 acres of public
land and determined that the parcels are suitable for classification
for lease and/or conveyance under the provisions of the Recreation and
Public Purpose Act, as amended (R&PP). The R&PP allows local
governments to lease, develop, and subsequently acquire public lands
for recreational uses when the proposed use complies with local
government and
[[Page 56404]]
BLM land use planning. The City of Buckeye (Applicant) filed an
application to develop the land as a local park that will help meet
future expanding recreational needs in Buckeye, Arizona. The BLM is
seeking public comments as to the suitability of the lands for lease
and/or conveyance under the R&PP Act.
DATES: Interested parties may submit written comments regarding this
proposed classification for lease and/or conveyance on or before August
23, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to the BLM Hassayampa Field Office,
Ryan Randell, Land Law Examiner, 2020 East Bell Road, Phoenix, Arizona
85022.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ryan Randell, Land Law Examiner, at
the above address, by telephone at 602-867-5400, or by email at
rrandell@blm.gov. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The R&PP project is consistent with the BLM
Bradshaw-Harquahala Resource Management Plan dated April 22, 2010. The
two parcels are 320 acres each, which would add a total of 640 acres to
the adjacent 8,675-acre Skyline Regional Park. The subject parcels are
located within the White Tank Mountains, within the city of Buckeye,
north of Interstate 10, and are legally described as:
Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona
T. 2 N. R. 3 W.,
Sec. 14, E\1/2\;
Sec. 26, N\1/2\.
The areas described aggregate 640 acres, more or less, according
to the official plat of the survey of the said land on file with the
BLM.
Plans for the R&PP project consist of trails connecting to the
existing and planned Skyline Regional Park trail network with trailhead
parking, rest nodes with restrooms, shade structures, seating and site
furnishings, signage, and access roads from the future Verrado road
network. The trails are anticipated to be single-track, shared-use,
non-motorized trails for hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian use.
Long term future improvements could include a bike skills area that
would utilize the varied terrain of the White Tank Mountains foothills
to offer a variety of bike recreation opportunities, such as pump track
style courses, BMX challenge courses, flow trails, mountain bike trails
ranging in difficulty, and training areas for beginners.
The conveyance document, if and when issued, would be subject to
the provisions of the R&PP Act, to all applicable regulations of the
Secretary of Interior, and the following terms and conditions:
1. A right-of-way thereon for ditches and canals constructed by the
authority of the United States pursuant to the Act of August 30, 1890
(43 U.S.C. 945).
2. All mineral deposits in the land, and to it, or persons
authorized by it, the right to prospect for, mine, and remove such
deposits from the same under applicable law and regulations to be
established by the Secretary of the Interior.
3. Subject to valid existing rights.
4. An appropriate indemnification clause protecting the United
States from claims arising out of the use, occupancy, or occupations on
the lands.
Upon publication of this notice in the Federal Register, the land
described above will be segregated from all other forms of
appropriation under the public land laws, including the general mining
laws, except for lease/conveyance under the R&PP Act, and leasing under
the mineral and geothermal leasing laws.
Interested parties may submit comments to this Notice of Realty
Action (NORA) involving the classification of lands as being suitable
for further development of Skyline Regional Park, whether the land is
physically suited for the proposal, whether the use will maximize the
future use or uses of the land, whether the use is consistent with
local planning and zoning, or if the use is consistent with State and
Federal programs. Comments to this NORA must be submitted in writing
and sent to the BLM Hassayampa Field Office on or before the date
listed under the DATES section above.
All comments received from publication of this notice will then be
considered for analysis in the Environmental Assessment (EA) for this
project. Once the EA is completed, it will be made available on the BLM
National NEPA Register (eplanning website) at https://eplanning.blm.gov. Interested parties on file with the BLM, including
anyone that submitted a comment to the NORA, will be sent a notice that
the EA is available for review. Beginning the day that the EA is
published on the eplanning website, the public will be given an
additional 30 days to submit comments.
Comments during the 30-day EA comment period may include concerns
over the specific use proposed in the application, the Plan of
Development (POD), and whether the BLM followed proper administrative
procedures. All comments during the NEPA comment period must be
submitted directly onto the eplanning website. Comments received during
the EA comment period will be considered in reaching a decision
regarding leasing and/or conveying the lands under the R&PP Act. Other
pertinent information related to the project such as the POD and maps
will also be made available for review on the eplanning website.
Any adverse comments received will be considered protests and will
be reviewed by the BLM Arizona State Director, who may sustain, vacate,
or modify this realty action. In the absence of any adverse comments to
the NORA, the classification of lands will become effective 60 days
from the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. In
the absence of any adverse comments to the EA, a decision will be made
in response to the R&PP application and will be posted on the eplanning
website.
Before including your address, phone number, email, address, or
other personal identifying information in any of your comments, you
should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal
identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
Authority: 43 CFR 2741.5.
James Holden,
Acting Field Manager, BLM Hassayampa Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-14943 Filed 7-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-12-P