BLM to host roads and trails meeting Saturday
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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management will host a public meeting on April 6 from 4:30 p.m to 6:30 p.m. at the Two Rivers Convention Center in Grand Junction to discuss its Draft Resource Management Plan’s travel management alternatives.
BLM will have maps showing the various proposals, and area groups representing a wide range of viewpoints on road and trail management of BLM lands in the Grand Junction Field Office will also be on-hand to help answer questions. BLM personnel will make a brief presentation at 5 p.m., followed by a question and answer session. BLM personnel will then be available for one-on-one discussions about the proposals.
“The purpose of this meeting is to help the public get the information they need to provide us with specific, written comments about our proposals for roads, trails and travel,” said Katie Stevens, Grand Junction Field Manager.
Following the close of the public comment period, which has been extended to June 24, BLM will use the comments it receives to help develop the Proposed RMP and Travel Management Plan, which are currently expected to be completed in winter of 2014.
“Our goal with the travel management plan is to provide quality recreation for a variety of road and trail users, and ensure that permit holders such as ranchers and oil and gas companies can get where they need to go,” Stevens said. “We must balance these uses with protecting sensitive natural resources, like wildlife, cultural resources and water quality.”
BLM has developed four possible management plans, called alternatives, for the public to consider.
“Our final proposed plan will likely contain elements of all four alternatives, so we are really hoping to hear specific comments on all four of the alternatives,” Stevens said. “We are required to identify a preferred alternative in this draft, but all the alternatives are on the table. The preferred alternative is not our final proposal.”
More than 500 people attended the five public open houses BLM held in January and February to answer questions about the Draft RMP and travel management proposals.
When finalized, the plan will provide a framework to guide subsequent management decisions for the next several decades on more than 1 million surface acres and 1.2 million acres of subsurface mineral estate in Mesa and Garfield counties, with small amounts in Montrose and Rio Blanco counties. BLM released the draft plan for public review on Jan. 14, 2013.
For additional information including how to provide comments or to view a copy of the Draft RMP, including the draft travel management plan and a list of frequently asked questions about the travel management proposals, visit http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/gjfo/rmp/rmp.html.
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.