BLM hosts open house seeking public input on Ajo Travel Management Plan
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PHOENIX – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lower Sonoran Field Office is seeking public input to inform the Ajo Travel Management Area Travel Management Plan (Ajo TMP) and associated environmental assessment. The Ajo Travel Management Area covers approximately 177,112 acres of BLM-managed public land in Pima County.
Travel management planning is necessary for designating and providing appropriate access to and across public lands for a variety of uses including recreation, hunting, grazing, mineral exploration and energy development. Travel management planning consists of three phases: route inventory, route evaluation, and the development of the travel management plan. On-the-ground inventory within the Ajo Travel Management Area identified approximately 385 miles of routes. These routes that the BLM has identified through an initial inventory and their ultimate designation has not yet been decided. These routes will be evaluated as part of the travel management planning process, including environmental analysis and public input.
To provide information and receive public input on this route inventory within the Ajo Travel Management Area, the BLM will host virtual public meetings. During the virtual public meetings, the BLM will present an overview of its travel planning process and the Ajo Travel Management Plan specifically. Maps of the inventoried routes will be available for review on the project’s National NEPA Register / ePlanning page: https://bit.ly/BLM_AZ_AjoTMP. The public is encouraged to review the inventoried routes and make comments during a 15-day period starting May 22 and ending June 6.
The BLM will conduct two virtual Zoom meetings to provide information about the project and how to participate:
- Meeting 1: Tuesday, May 23 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.,
- Meeting 2: Wednesday, May 24 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.,
Comments may be submitted in the following ways:
- Online via the “participate now” feature on the National NEPA Register. https://bit.ly/BLM_AZ_AjoTMP
- Email to: BLM_AZ_LS_AjoTravelMgmtPlan@blm.gov
- US Mail to: BLM Arizona State Office, ATTN: Ajo TMP, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 85004
The BLM plans to release the proposed travel management plan and environmental assessment for public review and comment in August 2023 and expects to issue the Decision Record in fall 2023.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.