BLM issues proposed Rio Puerco Field Office resource management plan
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Albuquerque, N.M. - The Bureau of Land Management is issuing a Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Rio Puerco Field Office, which would update BLM’s management of more than 730,000 acres of public lands spanning portions of Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Torrance, Sandoval, and Valencia counties in central and west-central New Mexico. The plan update will help BLM balance increased interest in recreation and renewable energy development, while protecting the region’s unique cultural, scenic, and natural resources.
“This proposed plan will update BLM’s management approach in central New Mexico, responding to conditions on the ground to guide management of these public lands for the benefit of current and future generations as part of BLM’s multiple-use mission,” said BLM Albuquerque District Manager Sabrina Flores.
The proposed resource management plan updates management direction for recreation, lands with wilderness characteristics, livestock grazing, transportation access, renewable energy, visual resources, wildland/urban interface, and mineral resources. The plan also reflects the BLM’s intention to work more closely with Tribes in management of the area, including the Honoring Chaco Initiative, a collaborative process to protect Chacoan culture and other areas of importance to Pueblos and Tribes.
The Rio Puerco planning area encompasses approximately 9.5 million acres of land, including approximately 731,600 acres of BLM surface area, and 3,600,000 acres of Federal mineral estate within the decision area. The final plan will replace the 1986 Rio Puerco Resource Management Plan and its 1992 amendment.
A Notice of Availability will publish in tomorrow’s Federal Register to begin a 30-day protest period. For information on how to submit a protest and to view the documents for the Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement, please visit the BLM National NEPA Register.
For more information, contact Rio Puerco Field Office Resource Management Plan Team Lead Adam Lujan at 505-761-8734.
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.