BLM seeks public input on Draft Resource Management Plan for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area
Organization:
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is accepting public comments on a Draft Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (NCA) located near Sierra Vista, AZ.
Currently, there is no comprehensive resource management plan specifically addressing the NCA’s resources. Once approved, the plan will guide the BLM’s management of the area.
“Our goal is to have a plan that will guide the management of the SPRNCA’s resources while allowing uses where appropriate,” shared BLM Gila District Manager Scott Feldhausen.
The BLM has worked together with federal, state, local and tribal cooperators to develop a range of alternatives, including the Preferred Alternative, in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The Draft evaluates the environmental impacts of each of the alternatives.
Members of the public can review the Draft and provide public comments for the next 90 days, until Sept. 27, 2018. The BLM will hold public meetings to present the draft alternatives as follows:
- July 30, 5:30-7 p.m., Sierra Vista Police Department, 911 N. Coronado Drive, Sierra Vista, Ariz. (Meeting attendees should use the lobby entrance to access the room)
- Aug. 8, 5:30-7 p.m., Benson Fire Department Station 71, 375 E. 7th Street, Benson, Ariz.
- Aug. 22, 5:30-7 p.m., Sierra Vista Police Department, 911 N. Coronado Drive, Sierra Vista, Ariz. (Meeting attendees should use the lobby entrance to access the room)
The Draft is available for the public to review and provide comments on the BLM ePlanning website at https://go.usa.gov/xnTuM.
The San Pedro Riparian NCA, part of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System, is located in southeastern Arizona, about 70 miles southeast of Tucson. The southern boundary of the NCA borders Mexico; the northern boundary is just south of Benson. The NCA contains about 40 miles of the upper San Pedro River and approximately 55,990 acres of public lands located within Cochise County, Arizona.
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.