| Contacts: | Shannon Borders, 970-240-5399 |
BLM Continues Implementing Travel Management Plan (03-06-12)
DOLORES, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management’s Canyons of The Ancients National Monument staff, crews and contractors will continue implementing the Travel Management Plan starting in April through early 2013.
Last year, crews began implementing the TMP by eliminating 31 miles of redundant routes that caused habitat fragmentation. The plan limits travel in sensitive areas and also allows for the rehabilitation of previously disturbed areas thereby minimizing soil erosion, water contamination and loss of forage for both domestic and wild animals. The plan also guides cultural resource protection by allowing motorized and mechanized travel only on designated routes.
The 2010 TMP, which is a part of the Monument’s Resource Management Plan, specified route modifications. Prior to completing the RMP, the BLM incorporated eight years of public input into a TMP strategy.
Crews from the Southwest Conservation Corps, contractors and the BLM will use on-site materials to manually block routes, reseed the routes, post signs and install gates.
“The work we completed last year with natural barriers camouflaged the trails so well that most people didn’t realize a route existed,” said Marietta Eaton, Anasazi Heritage Center/Canyons of the Ancients National Monument manager. “We look forward to seeing the resource benefits to the routes that were closed last year and the work we’re completing throughout 2012.”
Originally, the BLM inventoried 194 miles of routes through the TMP process, 178 miles of which were accessible to vehicles. When the BLM finishing implementing the TMP this year, 147 miles of routes will remain open to motorized use. Cross country travel in the Monument will still be open to foot and horse travel except for off-trail travel in the Sand Canyon/Rock Creek areas. In the Sand Canyon/Rock Creek areas, the TMP restricts foot, bike and horse travel to designated routes only.
The public is invited to learn more by attending an informational meeting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 13 at the Anasazi Heritage Center (27501 Highway 184) in Dolores. For further information on the TMP, contact Marietta Eaton at meaton@blm.gov or 970-882-5600.
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.
27501 Highway 184 Dolores, CO 81323