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Ironwood Forest National Monument
Bureau of Land Management
Notice of Intent to (1) prepare a Resource Management Plan
(RMP) for the Ironwood Forest National Monument, designated on June 9,
2000, and (2) amend the 1989 Phoenix RMP to consider land tenure
adjustments in support of the Pima County Sonoran Desert Conservation
Plan. These two actions will require a single Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). These lands are located northwest of Tucson in Pima
and Pinal Counties, Arizona.
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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) intends to prepare a RMP for the Ironwood Forest
National Monument and an amendment to the Phoenix RMP to consider land
tenure adjustments with one EIS prepared for both plans. The plan
development will continue and expand the planning approach in the
Tucson Field Office, which means working closely with interested
parties to identify the management decisions that are best suited to
the needs of the public. This collaborative process will take into
account local, regional, and national needs and concerns. The planning
effort will include the Ironwood Forest National Monument and other
lands managed by the Tucson Field Office. The planning effort will
fulfill the needs and obligations set forth by the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (FLPMA), the National Monument proclamation, and BLM management
policies. This notice also initiates the public scoping process to
examine issues and develop planning criteria to guide the planning
process. Formal scoping will last a minimum of 60 days. The scoping
process will include an evaluation of the existing RMP in the context
of the needs and interests of the public and protection of the objects
of scientific and historic interest in the National Monument.
ADDRESSES: For further information and/or to have your name added to
our mailing list, contact Tony Herrell, Telephone 520-258-7203, Bureau
of Land Management, Tucson Field Office, 12661 East Broadway, Tucson,
Arizona 85748; Fax 520-258-7238. Comments, including names and street
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the
above address during regular business hours 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published as part of
the EIS. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you
wish to withhold your name or street address from public review or from
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their
entirety.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The designation of the Ironwood Forest
National Monument and the changing needs and interests of the public
necessitate the development of a RMP for the Ironwood Forest National
Monument. In addition, the Phoenix RMP will be amended to address land
tenure adjustments in support of the Pima County Sonoran Desert
Conservation Plan. These two actions require a single EIS. Public
meetings will be held throughout the scoping and preparation period. In
order to ensure local community participation and input, meeting
locations will occur in local communities in the Tucson area, including
Marana, Eloy, Casa Grande, and Picture Rocks, as well as in the Phoenix
area. At least 15 days public notice will be given for activities where
the public is invited to attend. The minutes and list of attendees for
each meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days to
any participants who wish to clarify the views they expressed. Written
comments will also be accepted throughout the planning process at the
address shown above. Meetings and comment deadlines will be announced
through the local news media, newsletters and the BLM web site
(www.az.blm.gov). Additional opportunities for public participation
will be provided through comment on the alternatives and upon
publishing the draft RMP/Draft EIS. Documents pertinent to this
proposal may be examined at the Tucson Field Office located in Tucson,
Arizona. Early participation by all those interested is encouraged and
will help determine the future management of the Ironwood Forest
National Monument.
Preliminary issues and management concerns have been identified by
BLM personnel and other agencies and in meetings with individuals and
user groups. They represent BLM's knowledge to date on the existing
issues and concerns with current management. The major issue themes
that will be addressed in the plan effort are: Management and
protection of Monument resources; appropriate scientific research
activities; visitor use and safety; identification of protection
measures for cultural resources, sensitive plant and animal species and
other special resources; public access and transportation within the
Monument; commercial and industrial uses; integrating Monument
management with tribal, other agency and community needs; and
addressing urban interface and land tenure issues. Other issues may be
identified by interested parties during the public scoping phase of the
planning. After gathering public comments on what issues the plan
should address, the suggested issues will be placed in one of three
categories:
1. Issues to be resolved in the plan.
2. Issues resolved through policy or administrative action.
3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan.
Rationale will be provided for each issue placed in category 2 or
3. In addition to the preceding major issues, management questions and
concerns to be addressed in the plan effort include, but are not
limited to: Native American consultation; rangeland management;
watershed management; wildlife management; soil, water, and vegetation
management; air quality; and hazardous materials. Disciplines
corresponding to these issue areas will be represented and used during
the planning process. Where necessary, outside expertise may be used.
Background Information: The Ironwood Forest National Monument was
created to protect the resources of the Sonoran Desert. The Ironwood
Forest National Monument Presidential Proclamation of June 9, 2000,
designated about 129,068 acres of land in Pima and Pinal Counties,
Arizona, managed by the BLM as the Ironwood Forest National Monument.
Before designation, management of the area was guided by the
Phoenix RMP, completed in 1989. Previously
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completed wildlife habitat plans, such as the Silverbell Habitat
Management Plan, allotment management plans, as well as other activity
level plans provide specific management direction and actions on lands
within and immediately adjacent to the Ironwood Forest National
Monument. As these plans address many significant issues, those
decisions that are still valid will be incorporated into the new plan.
Pima County, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
with the unanimous endorsement of the Board of Supervisors, spearheaded
the planning effort that addressed growth issues in the county, largely
related to construction delays because of the identification of
threatened and endangered species. This local, collaborative effort
involved all interested parties in developing the Sonoran Desert
Conservation Plan. This collaborative approach will continue to be used
in the planning for the Ironwood Forest National Monument. Among the
management prescriptions included in the Sonoran Desert Conservation
Plan are the identification of lands critical to threatened and
endangered species throughout Pima County, including the recommendation
to designate the Ironwood Forest National Monument.
Elaine Marquis-Brong,
Director, National Landscape Conservation System, Bureau of Land
Management.
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