Missoula BLM invites public to be part of planning process for major project

Organization

Bureau of Land Management

Media Contact:

David Abrams

Jan 13, 2017

(MISSOULA, Mont.) – The Bureau of Land Management’s Missoula Field Office wants to hear from one of the most valuable members on its team—the public—as work continues on the landmark Resource Management Plan.

The office is undertaking one of its biggest projects in recent years: overhauling its RMP—the document that guides its management of 156,000 acres of public lands and 268,000 acres of federal mineral interests.

The BLM will hold a series of scoping meetings to identify issues and concerns within the planning area, which includes BLM-administered public lands and federal mineral estate in Flathead, Granite, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Powell, Ravalli, and Sanders counties.

“The intent of these workshops is to share information about our resources and resource uses, as well as our preliminary purpose, need and issues,” said Missoula Field Manager Joe Ashor. “We are also interested in soliciting information related to planning issues and the planning process itself from those who attend. These workshops continue our commitment to providing many avenues for the public to be involved in the planning process.”

The BLM will hold public scoping meetings in the Missoula area at the following locations:

DATE	TIME	LOCATION	ADDRESS
Jan. 17	3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.	Greenough, MT	Lubrecht Forest-Castles Forestry Center 38689 Hwy. 200 East Greenough, MT 59823
Jan. 19	3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.	Philipsburg, MT	Granite County Museum 135 South Sansome St. Philipsburg, MT 59858
Jan. 24	3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.	Helmville, MT	Helmville Community Club 201 South Main Helmville, MT 59843
Jan. 26	3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.	Missoula, MT	University of Montana University Center, 3rd Floor, Rm. 332 32 Campus Dr. Missoula, MT 59812

Even after the formal scoping period ends, comments and input will be welcome throughout the planning process. Written comments on the scope of the RMP revision should be postmarked or otherwise hand delivered to Missoula RMP, Missoula Field Office, 3255 Fort Missoula Road, Missoula, MT 59804 or faxed to (406) 329-3721. Comments can also be e-mailed to blm_mt_missoularmp@blm.gov. More information is available online at http://1.usa.gov/21RNCPG.

Comments may be published as part of the EIS. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

To be included on the RMP mailing list or to request more information, contact Maggie Ward, RMP Project Manager, at (406) 329-3914 or e-mail blm_mt_missoularmp@blm.gov.

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.