Bureau of Land Management publishes proposed grazing plan amendment for Sonoran Desert National Monument
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PHOENIX – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today released its analysis of a proposed amendment to the management plan for the Sonoran Desert National Monument that would change the management of grazing allotments in the Monument. The analysis was prepared in response to a 2016 Federal court decision that required the BLM to complete a new Land Health Evaluation and Grazing Compatibility Analysis to be incorporated into the Resource Management Plan (RMP).
Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would amend the Monument’s 2012 Approved RMP and Record of Decision, changing the availability of grazing and the amount of available forage on six allotments north of Interstate 8, which bisects the Monument. The proposed plan amendment would make livestock grazing available on portions of these six allotments on the Monument and livestock grazing would range from ephemeral only to a maximum 4,232 perennially authorized Animal Unit Months.
“We’ve worked closely with stakeholders throughout the planning process," said Sonoran Desert National Monument Manager Katie White Bull. "This proposal strikes the right balance by creating a flexible framework for responsible grazing on the Monument."
The proposal is contained in a Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment/Final Environmental Assessment (PRMPA/EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) published today on the BLM’s ePlanning website.
The publication of the PRMPA/EA initiates a 30-day protest period and 60-day Governor’s Consistency Review before a Decision Record can be signed. Any person who participated in the process for this PRMPA/EA and has interest which is, or may be, adversely affected by the proposed planning decision may submit a protest on the proposed amendment.
The 2001 presidential proclamation that established the Monument directed the BLM to determine the compatibility of livestock grazing on Monument lands north of Interstate 8, which bisects the Monument. The BLM completed an RMP and Record of Decision for the Monument in 2012, which addressed grazing and other resource uses. In 2016, the U.S. District Court in Arizona remanded a portion of the 2012 RMP and Record of Decision back to the BLM.
The 30-day protest period runs from July 9 through August 7, 2020. The PRMPA/EA and related documents, including instructions for submitting a protest, can be found at the BLM’s ePlanning website.
The BLM worked together with local, state, and tribal partners and members of the public to develop a range of alternatives analyzed in a draft RMPA/EA. Based on the analysis and public input on the draft document the BLM developed the PRMPA/EA. The planning process included a public comment period that ran from May 8 through June 7, and comments have been considered in the Proposed Action.
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.