The Bureau of Land Management announces publication of the Agua Fria National Monument and Bradshaw-Harquahala Draft Resource Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement! The document is now available on the web (link above), on CD, or as a multi-volume document. A 90-day public comment period begins January 6th, 2006 and will conclude on April 5th, 2006.

The document is posted in HTML format as an interactive document accessible from the above link. The HTML format is an introduction to a new method for developing planning documents and posting them to the web now under development in BLM called ePlanning. The ePlanning document is designed to provide the public a format that is more easily searched and navigated to find what is important to the reader. The maps also provide a more “GIS-like” interface that allows layers to be turned off and on or the user can zoom in closer to geographic areas of interest. One caution in using the ePlanning version of the document… the application is a pilot and we are still learning how to make best use of the technology. Some things may not work the way we intended. Please be patient.

During the 90 day public comment period, we will be holding a number of meetings to introduce the document and to collect public comment. Important meeting dates will be posted on this website as soon as they are scheduled. How to get copies of the document, comment, and other information can be found in the 2005 Planning Bulletin.

NOTE TO REVIEWERS: As we look at the document in its many formats, we have discovered errors. We have compiled an “Errata Sheet” that lists the errors we have noted so far, and we will maintain that list as other mistakes are found. Some errors include maps with mislabeled or missing data. Corrected versions can be found under the “Maps” link to the right. If you are reading the document and it refers you to a table or map that doesn’t seem to have the right data on it, you may have discovered another mistake. Check the Errata Sheet to see if we have found it already. If not, let us know where the error is. A link to the Errata Sheet can be found on the opening page of our ePlanning web site.

Please check back here on a regular basis to get the latest information about how to stay involved in this planning effort.