management of key winter habitats for 

 migratory elk and mule deer on the 

 BCWMA. Current management 

 includes: 



• FWP holds lease/licenses with Plum 

 Creek and DNRC for grazing rights 

 for big game. These are issued for 

 1-10 year terms, and can be 

 terminated on the renewal date by 

 either party. 



• The three partners informally 

 maintain an annual winter closure to 

 all public access on the BCWMA 

 from November 1 1 through May 14, 

 and allow public recreation access 

 on all ownerships during the 

 remainder of the year. These 

 agreements could also be 

 terminated at any time. 



• FWP and DNRC agreed by 

 Memorandum of Understanding 

 (July 21 , 1 999) that DNRC would 

 take measures to mitigate potential 

 impacts of forest management 

 activities on big game habitat in its 

 ownership statewide. However, 

 such measures must be "consistent 

 with overall management objectives 

 as described in the constitution, 

 state statute, the State Forest Land 

 Management Plan (SFLMP), and 

 with DNRC's Biodiversity 

 Management Standards." FWP is 

 under no obligation to compensate 

 DNRC for these considerations, and 

 DNRC can choose to adversely 

 impact big game habitat, as long as 

 the effects comply with the SFLMP 

 and are fully disclosed. 



• DNRC is further required by law to 

 consider other uses for DNRC lands 

 (such as cabin sites, special 

 recreation leases, commercial or 

 industrial developments, and 

 outfitted hunting) to maximize 

 income for State Trust beneficiaries. 

 These uses may conflict with 

 preferred wildlife management on 

 critical winter ranges. 



• DNRC and Plum Creek would retain 

 control of timber harvest and other 



aspects of vegetation and property 

 management. Plum Creek's current 

 direction on lands subject to this 

 proposal is to manage timberlands 

 for economic profit, either through 

 harvest or potential sale. DNRC 

 would design and propose timber 

 sales periodically to manage forests 

 and generate revenues on its lands. 

 If the land base or habitat suitability 

 were reduced in the BCWMA by 

 these activities, conflicts could 

 increase. Active management of 

 forested stands would remain a low 

 priority for FWP, in part due to 

 limited personnel, time, and 

 expertise, and in part to mitigate for 

 past and possible future cover 

 reductions on key Plum Creek and 

 DNRC parcels in the BCWMA. 



ALTERNATIVE B— DNRC/PLUM 

 CREEK LAND EXCHANGE with 

 Cooperative IVIanagement Agreement 



Land Ownership 



Plum Creek would exchange its ownership in 

 the project area to DNRC. In exchange, Plum 

 Creek would acquire DNRC lands of equal 

 value but located outside of the BCWMA 

 (Table 2). DNRC could effectively manage the 

 lands in the BCWMA for profit, and at the 

 same time improve management efficiency on 

 their current holdings. Plum Creek has 

 identified several DNRC parcels outside of the 

 BCWMA that would be advantageous for 

 DNRC to dispose and for Plum Creek to 

 acquire. These are small, widely scattered 

 tracts adjacent to currently-owned Plum Creek 

 lands, which are difficult for DNRC to access 

 and manage profitably. FWP and DNRC 

 agree that a Cooperative Management 

 Agreement (discussed below) is an essential 

 part of this exchange, as a safeguard against 

 potential future conflicts between the agency 

 missions. 



Management in the BCWMA 



Alternative B includes a Cooperative 

 Management Agreement between DNRC and 

 FWP, which would cover current DNRC 

 ownership in the BCWMA (Table 3), and the 

 additional acres that DNRC would acquire in 



BCWMA Land Exchanges Draft Environmental Impact Statement 



Executive Summary - 4 



