The Proposed Resource Management Plan is now available for viewing.

The Draft Resource Management Plan remains available for the purpose of review and comparison.

Review the Planning Criteria for the McInnis Canyons NCA Resource Management Plan (RMP).

The Grand Junction field office and the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (McInnis Canyons NCA) staff are preparing an RMP to guide the management of the McInnis Canyons NCA for the next 10 to 15 years. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is being prepared concurrently with the RMP. The planning process was initiated on December 12, 2001, with publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register.

The Grand Junction Resource Management Plan, completed in July 1986, guided management of the area prior to Congressional designation of the McInnis Canyons NCA. Specific management direction has been provided by the more than 25 activity plans covering recreation, cultural resource protection, wildlife, grazing, and watershed protection. The Ruby Canyon/Black Ridge Integrated Resource Management Plan, completed in March 1998, provides the most recent management direction for the area.

The Act recognized the historic involvement of the local community in public land management by directing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to incorporate a citizen's Advisory Council as an integral part of the planning process. The McInnis Canyons NCA Advisory Council is composed of ten members from the local community, appointed by the Secretary of the Interior and regulated under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Advisory Council meets monthly, and all meetings are open to the public.

To facilitate the work of the BLM and the Advisory Council, the McInnis Canyons NCA was divided into four planning zones. These zones are:

(1) The Wilderness Zone

(2) The Rabbit Valley Zone

(3) The Mack Ridge Zone

(4) The River Corridor Zone

Working Groups have been established for each of the four zones. These Working Groups meet periodically to discuss issues and concerns, as well as to formulate management recommendations that are forwarded to the McInnis Canyons NCA Advisory Council for further discussion. Working Group members represent the diverse activities seen in each zone, including mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, grazing, camping, river running, wildlife watching, backpacking, off-highway vehicle riding, hunting, and much more.

As part of this planning process, a Land Health Assessment has been completed for the McInnis Canyons NCA, and the final draft is now available for review.  It is a large document, please be patient when opening.