News Release

1. For Release: February 8, 2006
Contact: Doran Sanchez (951) 697-5220;

2. E-mail: Doran_Sanchez@ca.blm.gov

CA-CDD-06-39

Public Meetings Scheduled for Proposed Border Mountain Plan Amendment

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has scheduled an open house and public scoping meetings at the following dates and locations to gather pubic comment regarding the proposed San Diego Border Mountains plan amendment to the BLM South Coast Resource Management Plan (RMP).

The BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office proposes to prepare an amendment to the South Coast RMP with an associated environmental assessment (EA) for BLM-administered public lands in the Border Mountains portion of the San Diego County Management Area. The plan amendment proposes to establish management guidelines for lands acquired since 1994 and designate a route of travel network. This planning activity encompasses approximately 60,000 acres of federally managed public land, including the Otay Mountain Wilderness, the Hauser Mountain Wilderness Study Area, the Kuchamaa Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and the McAlmond Canyon/Hauser Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

The BLM invites the public to participate in this planning effort. Citizens are requested to help identify issues or concerns and to provide input on BLM's proposed planning criteria.

Public meetings will be held during the plan scoping and document preparation period. In order to ensure local community participation and input, public meetings will be held in Campo and Dulzura, located within and adjacent to the planning area in southwestern San Diego County. Early and ongoing participation is encouraged and will help determine the future management of federally managed public lands within the San Diego County Management Area.

Since completion of the South Coast RMP in 1994, new circumstances have prompted the need for an amendment to the plan, particularly in the Border Mountains area. These circumstances include the creation of the San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) and the Otay Mountain Wilderness, along with associated land acquisitions and the changing needs and interests of the public. An important management action required under BLM policy and land use planning requirements is designation of off-highway vehicle (OHV) roads and trails. Although OHV Area designations were completed in 1994, vehicle route designations were not completed.

Since 1994, the BLM has also acquired several thousand acres of public lands for which OHV Area designations have not been assigned.

For additional information contact:

Page last updated: 2006-02-08 10:02:01.15