The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has signed a Record of Decision (ROD) approving the Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument (Monument) administered by the Las Cruces District Office in southern New Mexico. About 5,255 acres of Paleozoic Era fossilized footprints, plants, and wood dating back about 280 million years ago located 10 miles northwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico, are designated as the Monument.
In 2009, Congress passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (Act), which designated the Monument and generally prescribed management and use of the area. The Act also requires that the Secretary of the Interior, through the BLM, develop a comprehensive management plan for the long-term protection and management of the site.
The Approved RMP provides a comprehensive management plan for the long-term protection and management of the resources within the National Monument. Public comments submitted during the scoping and public comment periods were considered and incorporated as appropriate in the Approved RMP. The Approved RMP replaces the 1993 Mimbres RMP within the Monument boundaries.
The public has 30 days from Dec. 21, 2015, to appeal the implementation decisions in the Approved RMP to the Office of Hearings and Appeals. The appeal period will end on Jan. 20, 2016.
Copies of the ROD and Approved RMP are available at the Las Cruces District Office at 1800 Marquess Street in Las Cruces and the BLM New Mexico State Office at 301 Dinosaur Trail in Santa Fe. The proposed plan is available online at: http://www.blm.gov/nm/trackwaysrmp
For more information on the plan, contact Jennifer Montoya at 575-525-4316.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
