Assisting the Natural Resources Conservation Service with Sites for Assessment on Public Lands within California

March 1, 2016

In Reply Refer To:
7000 (CA930) P

EMS TRANSMISSION: 3/2/16
Information Bulletin No. CA-2016-006

To:                   All CA Field Managers

From:               Deputy State Director, Natural Resources

Subject:           Assisting the Natural Resources Conservation Service with Sites for Assessment
                         on Public Lands within California

This Information Bulletin provides guidance for assistance to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for the purpose of collecting data on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-California.

The NRCS is mandated through several laws and supporting legislation to assess the status, condition, and trends of soil, water, and related resources on the Nation’s non-Federal lands. Starting in 2011, the onsite framework has been extended to lands managed by the Department of the Interior, BLM. The BLM has partnered with the NRCS in implementing a national approach to monitoring rangeland resources by expanding onsite data collection to BLM- administered lands. The efforts of the NRCS will be enhanced through this adoption of the National Resources Inventory (NRI) on BLM-managed landscapes. The NRI Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection is conducted cooperatively with the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology.

Funding to assist the NRCS with their data collection is contained in your base programs. The NRCS may wish to dig soil pits or conduct additional ground disturbing activities on lands administered by BLM-California. Depending on the size of the ground disturbance (average hole size is about 20 inches deep and 12 inches across) and each Field Office’s Cultural Resource Specialist’s discretion, Protocol Exemption A1 may apply to some, none, or all of these locations.

The files containing information about the site locations on BLM-administered lands where the NRCS would like to collect data are available from the California State Office (see contacts below). You will need GIS assistance to open the zipped files. Please note that these files are specific to each field office in the California Desert District. It is anticipated that files specific to field offices in the Central and Northern California Districts will be available from the California State Office later this winter/early spring when the NRCS has completed processing the files.

You may be requested to assist the NRCS by doing the following:

•           Reviewing site locations to ensure these locations are on BLM-administered lands.
•           Ensuring the NRCS can assess those sites through locked gates, etc.
•           Identify sites that have no access.
•           Provide guidance to NRCS on best methods to access sites in Wilderness Study Areas to 
             assure these areas maintain their character. NRCS is aware that they must not use
             motorized vehicles in Wildernesses.
•           Compliance for cultural resources and special status plant and wildlife species.

The NRCS is responsible for data collection and will report findings periodically to the BLM in preparation of a final annual report.

Any questions can be directed to Jack Hamby, State Rangeland and Weeds Coordinator, at (916) 978- 4633 or via email at jhamby@blm.gov, and James Barnes, Associate State Archaeologist, at (916) 978-4676 or via email at jjbarnes@blm.gov.
 

Signed by:                                                                                                      
Tom Pogacnik                                                                                                
DSD, Natural Resources                                                                                

Authenticated by:
Richard A. Erickson
Records Management