Aravaipa Canyon Ecosystem Management Plan
August 2010
A draft plan to guide management of the Aravaipa ecosystem in southeastern Arizona is available for public review and comment until November 30, 2010. 
 
The Draft Aravaipa Ecosystem Management Plan and Environmental Assessment, a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona Game and Fish Department, and The Nature Conservancy, outlines goals and objectives for managing the diverse resources on approximately 78,000 acres of public and private lands surrounding the BLM’s Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. The Plan would replace the 1998 Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness Management Plan and guide management for three BLM Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.  

Planning partners developed an Ecosystem Management Vision and the following goals:

  • Keep natural environments healthy, diverse, and productive so that people can benefit from them year after year.
  • Identify limits to use and development of the land’s resources and manage within those limits in order to ensure the long-term health, biodiversity, and productivity of the environment.
  • Try to restore damaged land to a healthy condition.
  • Recognize the inherent connections between various types of land management actions and adapt those actions to meet the full range of management objectives.
The Draft Aravaipa Ecosystem Management Plan and EA are posted below. The Draft Plan is also available on CD with four printed maps. Call the Safford Field Office at 928-348-4400 to request the CD and/or maps.

Aravaipa Canyon Ecosystem Management Plan & Environmental Assessment3214 Kb09/01/2010
Map 2 - Range Allotment Boundaries596 Kb09/01/2010
Map 3 - Areas of Critical Environmental Concern and Wilderness Permit Area623 Kb09/01/2010
Map 4 - Bighorn Sheep High-Use Areas & Desert Tortoise Habitat590 Kb09/01/2010
Map 5 - Travel Management802 Kb09/01/2010