BLM will present draft recreational target shooting management alternatives for Sonoran Desert National Monument
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PHOENIX– The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host an informational meeting to present draft alternatives regarding the management of recreational target shooting on the Sonoran Desert National Monument (SDNM) at a public meeting in Phoenix.
· Meeting Date & Time: October 4, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
· Location: Burton Barr Central Library,1221 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004 in the Pulliam Auditorium
The environmental impacts of the draft alternatives, which were developed following public input earlier this year, will be analyzed as part of a court-ordered Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The BLM anticipates releasing the Draft EIS for public review in early 2017.
The BLM, in partnership with the public, began developing the plan amendment and alternatives to manage recreational target shooting in the SDNM in response to a March 27, 2015, court order of the U.S. District Court – District of Arizona that found the BLM failed to properly study the environmental impacts of recreational target shooting on the monument. The court also ordered approximately 10,600 acres of the monument, or 2.1%, closed to recreational target shooting pending the outcome of the planning amendment process. This area, located near the northern boundary of the SDNM, is approximately 40 miles southwest of downtown Phoenix in Rainbow Valley.
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.