BLM to hold public scoping meetings for Horsethief Mesa Travel Management Plan and Environmental Assessment
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TAOS, N.M. - The Bureau of Land Management invites the public to participate in an online public engagement meeting on the travel and transportation planning process for the Horsethief Mesa Travel Management Area (TMA). The TMA is north of Arroyo Hondo, N.M., on the east rim of the Rio Grande.
Travel management includes all forms of transportation on BLM-managed public lands, including travel by foot, horseback, and mechanized vehicles such as bicycles as well as the numerous motorized vehicles such as four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles to cars and trucks, motorcycles, and ebikes. The goal of travel and transportation planning is to create travel networks that are logical and sustainable, as well as meet the increasingly diverse transportation, access, and recreational needs of the public.
The 2012 Taos Resource Management Plan allocated eight Transportation Management Areas (TMA). This current planning effort will designate routes as either open, limited, or closed within a 2,060.57-acre area of the Taos Plateau TMA, identify formal public access and some basic recreation development.
The BLM is offering a virtual public scoping meeting to discuss the future of public access and resource management within the TMA. The online event will be from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24. Please register for the meeting by following this link https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_HYt2N-CyQRCiEvj_iAzFcQ . Meeting materials will be posted online and distributed digitally before the meeting and will be viewable live during the meeting.
The virtual public meeting will be held using Zoom video conferencing technology. Prior to the meeting, the public can log onto the project website https://go.usa.gov/xvQh9 to view the PowerPoint presentation. There will also be a link on this website for the public to review the EA.
To register:
Online: Visit https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_HYt2N-CyQRCiEvj_iAzFcQ. Once you have registered for the virtual meeting, you will receive an email containing instructions on how to join the meeting.
By phone: Call 575-758-8851. An operator will register you and provide you with details on how to join the conference by phone.
If you plan on making comments during the meeting, please indicate that when you register. If you are using the phone-only option, you will be able to listen to the public meeting, but you will not see the presentation. Instructions will be given during the presentation regarding how you will be able to provide your oral comments. We recommend that the public log into the meeting platform ten minutes prior to the beginning of the presentation to ensure that they can connect.
Those interested are invited to review the preliminary route network alternatives, discuss and identify new recreational and access opportunities and learn more about the implementation of the travel management plan. Travel management includes all forms of transportation, including travel by foot, horseback and mechanized vehicles such as bicycles as well as the numerous types of motorized vehicles such as e-bikes, motorcycles and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles as well as cars and trucks.
Scoping comments for this project will be accepted until July 24, 2020. Comments can be submitted by one of the following methods:
- Mail: BLM Taos Field Office, ATTN: Horsethief Mesa TMA, 226 Cruz Alta Rd., Taos, NM 87571
- ePlanning website: https://go.usa.gov/xvQh9
- Public meeting: We will be accepting oral comments during the virtual meetings; however, all written comments should be submitted through the ePlanning website. If you plan on making comments during the meeting, please indicate that when you register.
If you are unable to participate in the virtual meeting, please submit comments in writing to the Taos Field Office or online by July 24, 2020.
Please download the comment form available at https://go.usa.gov/xvQh9 .Comments can be submitted via the web address, or by mail to BLM Taos Field Office, Attn.: Tami Torres, Outdoor Rec Planner, 226 Cruz Alta Road, Taos, NM 87571.
For additional information, contact Tami Torres, Outdoor Recreation Planner, by email at ttorres@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.