Las Cienegas Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision

Posted by
Jessica HittPublished
Abstract
The approved Las Cienegas Resource Management Plan (RMP) is a plan for managing 49,000 acres of public land, resources and uses within Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (NCA) and Sonoita Valley Acquisition Planning District (SVAPD) (Map 1). We have prepared this approved RMP and Record of Decision (ROD) according to the requirements of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Act establishing Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (H.R. 2941), and BLM management policies, including BLM Manual section 1601 - Land Use Planning (11/22/01) and BLM Land Use Planning Handbook H-1601-1 (11/22/01). The approved RMP/ROD was developed with broad public participation through a six-year collaborative planning process with the Sonoita Valley Planning Partnership (SVPP).
Through this document BLM is making land use plan decisions, including desired resource conditions, land use allocations, special designations, and land tenure decisions for Las Cienegas NCA and BLM-administered lands within the SVAPD.
The approved Las Cienegas RMP is designed to achieve or maintain desired future conditions that were developed through the collaborative planning process with the SVPP. Under the approved RMP, the public lands are open to livestock grazing and dispersed recreation. Both motorized and mechanized vehicles are limited to designated routes. Recreation is managed within three zones. Two utility corridors are established and the public lands are closed to mineral entry and location. The public lands in the planning area are designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). This approved RMP also includes a series of management actions to meet the desired resource conditions for upland and riparian vegetation, wildlife habitats, cultural and visual resources, as well as livestock grazing and recreation management actions.
Citation
U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Arizona State Office. (2003). Las Cienegas resource management plan and record of decision.