| Contacts: | Erin Curtis, Public Information Officer, (970) 244-3097 |
BLM Uncompahgre Releases Proposed Travel Planning Decision
Montrose, CO -- The Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Field Office (UFO) has released a proposed Decision Record to change Off-Highway Vehicle designations on public lands in the Uncompahgre Field Office.
This is the final step in the decision-making process for revising travel management designations. In this step the UFO proposes to amend the Uncompahgre Basin Resource Management Plan and San Juan/San Miguel Resource Management Plan (RMPs). The new plan will limit motorized and mechanized use to existing roads and trails.
The public has until March 26, 2010, to protest the changes.
Starting in the spring of 2007, BLM worked with the public and interested user groups to develop updated travel designations. Comments were gathered and considered as the proposed changes were developed. In addition, another public comment period was held in 2008 to ensure public input. More comments were gathered during that period that helped shape the final plan.
The Uncompahgre Field Office Travel Management Plan Amendment is available for review at the Montrose Public Lands Center, 2465 S. Townsend Ave., Montrose, CO, as well as on-line at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo.html.
The BLM planning regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that “any person who participated in the planning process and has an interest which is or may be adversely affected by the approval or amendment of a resource management plan” may protest the BLM’s proposed amendments to the RMP. A protest may raise only those issues which were submitted for the record during the planning process. A person who meets the conditions and files a protest must file the protest by March 26, 2010. For complete protest procedures, please contact the BLM Uncompahgre Field Office, 2465 S. Townsend Ave., Montrose, CO: phone (970)240-5300, email at cotmpufo@blm.gov, or go online at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo.html.
For further information or to request a copy of the plan, contact the Montrose Public Lands Center front desk or Julie Jackson, Outdoor Recreation Planner at (970) 240-5300; or send an e-mail to cotmpufo@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
2465 South Townsend Avenue Montrose, CO 81401