| Contacts: | Mike Blakeman, Public Affairs (719) 852-6212 |
BLM Continues To Implement Travel Management Plan (04-20-12)
MONTE VISTA - The San Luis Valley Field Office will continue to implement the 2009 travel management plan (TMP) this year by signing roads and, in some places, constructing barricades.
“Many of our roads and trails do not have official numbers and names, so much of our effort this year will be spent signing and sometimes barricading unauthorized roads and trails,” said Outdoor Recreation Planner Sean Noonan. “We expect to have numbers and names for all our roads by this fall, which will allow us to begin signing them next year.”
BLM roads and trails are being signed as funding allows. Signing and some barricading have already occurred in the Elephant Rocks, Penitente, Trickle Mountain and Poncha Pass West areas. This year the SLV Field Office will focus on the San Luis Hills, Poncha Pass East and Limekiln areas.
The TMP was signed in 2009 after almost five years of analysis and extensive public outreach. The plan limits travel in sensitive areas and also allows for the rehabilitation of previously disturbed areas, thereby minimizing soil erosion, water contamination and the loss of forage for both domestic and wild animals. The TMP also improves protection of cultural resources by allowing motorized and mechanized travel only on designated routes.
For more information about the travel management plan or its implementation, contact Sean Noonan at 719-852-6267.
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.
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