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July
6, 2000
Journal Staff Report
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt sent a memorandum Wednesday afternoon to Tom Fry, the director of the Bureau of Land Management, directing him to set up an advisory committee on issues related to the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
“As I committed to the local county commissioners, you should constitute an advisory committee to advise the BLM on management plan development and implementation as well as to encourage cooperation with local volunteers to provide for the protection of the important resources of the Monument,” wrote Babbitt.
Mark Stiles, the regional BLM manager in Montrose, said that although the memorandum is short, further decisions about the management plan and advisory committee would be made at the state and local levels. Babbitt’s letter was also forwarded to Ann Morgan, the BLM’s Colorado state director.
Babbitt’s memo also directed the BLM to implement the interim management plan, and review relevant management plans in the area to make sure they are consistent with the proclamation, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Under the BLM interim plan for the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, grazing activities shall continue to be governed by applicable laws and regulations already in place, the Colorado Division of Wildlife will continue to manage wildlife in the region, and all valid existing rights will be recognized.
According to the BLM, existing management policies will remain except where changes are necessary to comply with the proclamation and to protect the objects of scientific and historic interest within the monument.
In addition to prohibiting motorized and mechanized off-road travel, Babbitt asked that the management plan include a transportation plan that addresses road closures and the continued use of the Sand Canyon/East Fork Rock Creek mountain bike loop.
“The public should have more explicit information concerning the management of specific activities during the interim period,” wrote Babbitt.
In his letter, Babbitt stressed that the BLM’s management plan could have a profound impact on the public’s opinion of federal land management policies.
“The management of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is one of the Department’s most visible and important priorities,” Babbitt wrote. “Your work will have a profound impact on the public’s assessment of the Bureau of Land Management and of federal land management in general.”
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