This section will assist local planners describe the current resource management setting. Particular emphasis is placed on the existing level of county involvement in planning and decision-making processes of land management agencies.
This is accomplished by listing broad issues of conflict and concern. These issues should be included in a County RMP.
This section addresses the following:
Defining the Management Setting
Steps in Compiling the Existing Condition
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Tool Kit Contents
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-Brian Cottam, GOPB
Current Resource Management Setting
Defining the Current Resource Management Setting
The purpose of this section is to describe the Current Resource Management Setting in the county. The setting is essentially the planning environment within the county. More specifically, the setting is reflective of the existing level of county involvement and participation in planning and decision-making processes of federal land management agencies. For example, a county's management setting might be one of regular interaction with state and federal land management agencies, while another's setting might be one of disconnections where most decision-making processes end with litigation.
Articulating the current resource management setting is an essential component of resource management planning because it establishes the baseline that can be used in monitoring.
Steps in Compiling the Current Resource Management Setting
The current resource management setting should consist of three parts. The setting will be clearer if the steps are conducted sequentially.
- Issues of Resource Management Conflict and Concern: These issues should be broad-based, and related to the management of resources generally (Specific resources will be addressed in other areas of the plan.). It also may be helpful to reference some of the important indicators in the Social-Economic section. Examples of these issues can be found in the example Counterfeit County Resource Management Plan.
- Major Resource Management Issues: A list of major issues can be generated as the county prioritizes the concerns previously raised. They will be broad categories of resource management issues and topics that the plan will address in more detail in the Resources chapter. It is important to also reference the legal basis of the county's concern (as noted in the Legal Basis section ). These major issues will then form the foundation of the Policies and Goals section of the CRMP.
- Need for Change in Management Direction: This section is the place where the County will define the management problems (e.g., the County has difficulty in getting information on X&Y ). The "need for change" statements will become the basis for the Desired Management Condition and will also be used in monitoring.
