Colorado Canyons NCA draft plan release set for Oct. 17

Nearly 123,000 acres of majestic canyons, rugged plateaus and remote trails can be found in the Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area (NCA). On Oct. 17, The Bureau of Land Management, Grand Junction Field Office will release the draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will be used to guide management of the area.

“The community-based planning process for the Colorado Canyons NCA is nearing completion,” Colorado Canyons NCA Manager Greg Gnesios said. “We want to thank the hard work of the Citizens Advisory Council, whose input helped make this planning process a model of cooperation.”

The Colorado Canyons NCA is part of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System, designed to preserve unique landscapes nationwide. It includes the 75,550-acre Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, the wide-open spaces of Rabbit Valley, the challenging mountain bike trails of Mack Ridge and access to 23 miles of the Colorado River through Ruby and Horsethief canyons. The nationally renowned Kokopelli’s Trail also originates and travels through the Colorado Canyons NCA on its way to Moab, Utah. Colorado Canyons NCA also contains world-class paleontological resources including dinosaur fossils.  Many of these can be easily viewed at interpretive trail sites at The Trail Through Time, the Fruita Paleo Area, and Dinosaur Hill. 

The draft RMP/EIS will be available on Oct. 17 at the BLM Grand Junction Field Office or on the web at www.co.blm.gov/mcncaplan/. A 90-day public comment period will end on Jan. 31, 2004. The management plan should be finalized in the summer of 2004.

The RMP represents the work of hundreds of individuals representing numerous interest groups in the Mesa County area, plus collaboration with the National Park Service, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Northwest Resource Advisory Council, Mesa County Commissioners, City of Fruita, and many others.

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure that management of the Colorado Canyons NCA meets the needs of current and future visitors and the community while preserving its valuable natural and cultural resources,” Gnesios said.

For more information on the Colorado Canyons NCA or the planning process, contact Jane Ross or Greg Gnesios at 970-244-3000.

-BLM-