| Contacts: | Brad Higdon | , 575.751.4725 |
BLM Announces Public Meetings on the Draft Taos Resource Management Plan
Taos, N.M. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces three open house meetings to present the Draft Taos Resource Management Plan for public lands in northern New Mexico. The Plan is now available for review and comment. The open house meetings will be from 6-8 p.m. each night. The public is invited to attend meetings scheduled for the following locations:
Wednesday, July 28
New Mexico State Office
301 Dinosaur Trail
Santa Fe, NM
Thursday, July 29
Northern New Mexico College
ADM 101 & 102 Joseph Montoya Building
921 Paseo de Oñate
Española, NM
Friday, July 30
Taos Convention Center
Coronado Hall
El Taoseño
120 Civic Plaza Drive
Taos, NM
The Draft Taos Resource Management Plan, released on June 11, 2010, as part of an environmental impact statement, considers and evaluates a range of management options for public lands in Colfax, Harding, Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos, and Union Counties. These lands are administered by the BLM’s Taos Field Office and consist of approximately 595,100 acres of surface estate and 1.5 million acres of mineral estate.
When complete, the Taos Resource Management Plan will revise the current plan, prepared over 20 years ago, to reflect current policies and to consider new management strategies for land uses and tenure, mineral resources, recreation, renewable energy, special designations, travel management, visual resources, and other resources.
The draft plan is available online at www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/fo/Taos_Field_Office/taos_rmpr.html. Copies of the draft plan are also available at the BLM’s Taos Field Office at 226 Cruz Alta Road in Taos and the New Mexico State Office at 301 Dinosaur Trail in Santa Fe.
Comments on the draft plan will be accepted through September 8, 2010, and may be submitted at the online address or by mail to the Taos Field Office, Attention Brad Higdon, 226 Cruz Alta Road, Taos, NM 87571. For more information on the draft plan or BLM’s planning process, contact Brad Higdon at 575-751-4725.
The BLM manages more land - over 245 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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.