BLM LIBRARY 88045753 Draft Wilderness Management Plan for the Cottonwood Point Wilderness ARIZONA U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Arizona Strip District - Arizona ..5 .6 11 191 2 <^ fo Draft Wilderness Management Plan And Enviromental Assessment For The Cottonwood Point Wilderness ARIZONA U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Arizona Strip District - Arizona Vermillion Resource Area Mohave County, Arizona EA #AZ-010-90-029 United States Department ofthe Interior PMKM, AMERICA BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT ARIZONA STRIP DISTRICT OFFICE 390 NORTH 3050 EAST ST. GEORGE. UTAH 84770 IN REPLY REFER TO: Date Feb. 1991 Enclosed for your review and comment is the Draft Cottonwood Point Wilderness Management Plan. Bureau policy requires that a plan be prepared for all designated wilderness areas on public lands. This plan will establish the management direction and objectives, as well as management actions for this Wilderness. Parts I-IV provide information on the proposed wilderness management for the Cottonwood Point Wilderness. Part V provides cost estimates for implementing this plan; part VI the Environmental Assessment, analyzes the proposed management action emd selected alternatives. Part VII is a collection of Appendices, one of which is a draft Fire Management Plan for the area. The Pubhc will have a 45 day public comment period to comment on this plan, begining with a publication announcement in the Federal Register. We will welcome your written comments for inclusion in the management plan. Copies of the fmal Cottonwood Point Wilderness Management Plan will be provided to those who submit comments and to others upon request. Thank you for your interest in the Cottonwood Point Wilderness. Sincerely yoiu^s, 2^m Area Manager, Vermillion Resource Area District Manager, /tfizona Strip District 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS I INTRODUCTION 2 PURPOSE OF MANAGEMENT PLAN 2 ORGANIZATION OF PLAN 2 WILDERNESS AREA OVERVIEW 2 II WILDERNESS GOALS 5 III MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 6 IV OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS FOR WILDERNESS MANAGEMENT 7 ADMINISTRATION 7 RECREATION 9 SEARCH & RESCUE 11 COMMERCLAI. USE 12 WATER 13 WILDLIFE HABITAT MANAGEMENT 14 CULTURAL RESOURCES 17 GRAZING MANAGEMENT 18 LANDS MANAGEMENT 19 MINERALS MANAGEMENT 20 HRE MANAGEMENT 20 INSECTS, DISEASE, AND NOXIOUS PLANTS 21 V ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 28 INTRODUCTION 28 PURPOSE AND NEED 28 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES 28 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 39 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 39 PROPOSED ACTION 39 ALTERNATIVE A 41 NO ACTION 42 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION 43 VI COST ESTIMATES 44 VII APPENDICES 45 APPENDIX A: WILDLIFE AND VEGETATION 45 APPENDIX B: LIVESTOCK AND RANGE DATA 47 APPENDIX C: RANGE MECHANIZED EQUIPMENT USE & IMPROVEMENTS 48 APPENDIX D: HRE MANAGEMENT PLAN 52 APPENDIX E: PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROCESS 56 APPENDIX F: PLAN PARTICIPANTS 57 APPENDIX G: GLOSSARY 58 m Figure 1: Perspective View of Cottonwood Point Wilderness 1