BLM Plans Socio-Economic Workshop on Clear Creek Plan

The Bureau of Land Management’s Hollister Field Office will host a workshop February 22 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at San Juan Oaks Golf Club, 3825 Union Road, Hollister, to discuss potential social and economic impacts under alternatives in the BLM’s Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA) draft resource management plan (RMP) and environmental impact statement (EIS).

“The goal of the workshop is to provide business leaders, private landowners and local government with information about the draft plan and to help the BLM identify social and economic trends to consider in public land use planning decisions for CCMA,” said Rick Cooper, BLM Hollister Field Office manager .

The workshop will include a presentation on economic concepts, the sources of economic data and the processes of economic analysis. Participants will discuss the social and economic values of the region and the role that the BLM public lands in CCMA have in supporting these goals and values. “The workshop will focus on social and economic issues, not general planning issues and comments,” Cooper said.

Participants will have the opportunity to discuss the social and economic data presented in the draft RMP/EIS and respond to questions about the way public land resources are integrated into the local economy and quality of life. For example:

• Have businesses seen a drop in activity and revenue since the CCMA closure?
• Have any businesses closed since the closure of the CCMA?
• Has there been a rebound in economic activity since the initial closure?
• How would CCMA draft RMP alternatives affect you economically?
• How would CCMA draft RMP alternatives affect your lifestyle?
• Does the information in the CCMA draft RMP/EIS reflect current social and economic conditions and the potential impacts associated with the range of alternatives?

Does the information in the CCMA draft RMP/EIS reflect current social and economic conditions and the potential impacts associated with the range of alternatives?
Consultants from Tetra Tech, Inc. will be available to answer questions before the meeting about the role of economic analysis in land use planning and how to prepare for the workshop discussions. For more information, please contact Genevieve Kaiser, environmental planner, at (720) 406-9110, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time).

BLM specialists are also available to answer questions before the meeting. For more information, please contact Sky Murphy, Hollister Field Office environmental coordinator, at (831) 630-5039, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time).

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