Public Invited to Attend Focus Group Meetings in Las Cruces
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces District is hosting two focus group meetings to discuss recreation use and management in the 496,330-acre Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. The two meetings will be held on the New Mexico State University Campus in the Corbett Center’s first-floor Otero Room on November 12 at 10 a.m. and November 18 at 7 p.m.
The meetings seek to engage the public, including local leaders, business owners, residents and visitors, to share their perceptions, opinions, preferences and attitudes toward their recreational use and experience on the Monument, which was designated in May 21, 2014.
The focus group research will be facilitated by Dr. Tim Casey, a professor of Political Science at the Natural Resource Center at the Colorado Mesa University. The meetings will last approximately 90 minutes each and will follow an interactive group discussion and question and answer format. Some of the questions to be asked include:
- Do you engage in recreational activities in the different units of the Monument?
- Are you interested in how the BLM manages recreation in these units?
- Are any of your favorite recreational areas in the Monument? Places especially important to you?
Questions like these and others will give the BLM a better understanding of the public’s desires and expectations for how recreation should be managed in the Monument. The information and data gathered at these meetings will also help the BLM with its resource management planning for recreation-based activities and its goal to deliver quality recreational experiences in the Monument.
For more information on the focus group meetings and format, the public can contact McKinney Briske, BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner, at 575-525- 4334 or at mbriske@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.