Four years in the making, the resource-management plan-draft analysis includes such topics as recreation, motorized travel, mineral development, land with wilderness characteristics, wilderness study areas, fire management, wildlife, livestock grazing and special land qualities.
It also proposes that 10 segments of the Green, Dolores and Colorado rivers be given wild and scenic designation and outlines the preferred land use for oil and gas leasing. The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The plan, which for a decade will govern 1.8 million acres of federal lands in Grand County and northern San Juan County, is the first update in 22 years. In that time, friction has escalated between wilderness advocates, off-road vehicle enthusiasts and energy development companies.
The plan and its supporting documentation are available to the public, which plays a major part in BLM decision-making, said Shelley Smith, acting field manager for the BLM in Moab.
Information has been available during the scoping period, in mailings, on CDs and the Internet, where the agency has posted all its background documents, including mineral reports, wilderness characteristic inventories, range and road maps and trail analyses.
- Patty Henetz
