Contact: David Boyd, Public Affairs Specialist, 970-947-2832 

Dec. 1, 2008

BLM Grand Junction land-use planning meetings this week

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office is hosting three public meetings this week to help inform the public and identify issues as it begins revising its Resource Management Plan.

The land-use plan revision will guide the management of 1.2-million-acres of BLM lands primarily in Mesa and western Garfield counties for the next two decades.

The public is encouraged to stop by one of three open house meetings anytime between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to talk to BLM specialists, learn more about the revision, and provide comments. An informal presentation will be given at 6 p.m. each night. Open houses will be:

· Dec. 02, Whitewater/Kannah room at Two Rivers Convention Center, 159 Main St., Grand Junction
· Dec. 03, Grand Center, 182 N 500 W, Moab, Utah
· Dec. 04, Collbran Auditorium, 102 Main St., Collbran, Colo.

This “scoping” period, which runs through Jan. 9, 2009, gives the public the opportunity to identify issues to be addressed in the plan revision before BLM begins drafting it.

“It’s very important to hear from the public before we begin drafting these plan revisions,” said BLM Grand Junction Field Manager Catherine Robertson.  “We want to address their concerns in the revision from the outset, and we want to ensure we have the most complete information.” 

Attendance at these open houses is not required to submit scoping comments to BLM.  For further information about this plan revision and how to provide scoping comments, log on to www.blm.gov/co (select Grand Junction from the map), or contact Matt Anderson, Planning and Environmental Coordinator, at (970) 244-3027.

Scoping comments may be mailed to BLM GJFO RMP, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506, faxed to 1-866-625-0707, or e-mailed to GJFO_RMP@blm.gov.  Scoping comments will be most helpful if they are specific and received by BLM before January 9, 2009.

A draft of the Resource Management Plan Revision is expected to be released for a 90-day public comment period in early 2010.

-BLM-