Decision Made for Mountainair Ranger District Travel Management Project
The following press release was forwarded yesterday by Arlene Perea at the Mountainair Ranger District.
MOUNTAINAIR, NM – September 10, 2010 – Cibola National Forest Supervisor Nancy Rose has issued a decision for the Environmental Assessment for Travel Management on the Mountainair Ranger District after careful consideration of many public comments. The legal notice of the decision will be published in the newspaper of record, the Albuquerque Journal, on September 10, 2010.
The selected alternative 3 with modifications designates a system of roads for public motorized use. This decision will:
- Add 10.5 miles of decommissioned and unauthorized roads to the system and designate them as open for use by all vehicles. 8.5 miles are comprised of decommissioned roads that have been in use and 2.0 miles are unauthorized roads.
- Change 3.3 miles of closed roads to roads open for use by all motorized vehicles.
- Construct 2.7 miles of road to reroute around private lands where the Forest Service does not have access through a right-of-way easement. These roads will be designated as open to all vehicles. The new roads will not appear on the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) until construction is complete.
- Reconstruct segments of National Forest System (NFS) roads 422I, 422I1, 205A2 and 137A1 to provide motorized access. The roads will not appear on the MVUM until reconstruction is complete.
- Designate motorized dispersed camping corridors on 23.2 miles adjacent to system roads. Motorized dispersed camping corridors are 150 feet from each side of the road where designated on the Manzano Division and 300 feet from each side of the road where designated on the Gallinas Division, except where the corridor is designated along only one side of the road.
- Change the designation of 253.6 miles of NFS roads currently open to the public to restricted to administrative use only (these roads will not appear on the MVUM.
- Cross country motorized big game retrieval will not be allowed beyond use of the designated system.
When combined with previous decisions, the designation of this alternative will result in a motorized system with 234.3 miles of roads open to all vehicles and 23.2 miles of motorized dispersed camping corridors.
This decision will result in the publication of a Motor Vehicle Use Map. Designations made with past decisions will also be shown on the MVUM. After the MVUM has been released, travel off of the designated system will be prohibited unless authorized by permit or other authorization. The Environmental Assessment and Decision Notice/Finding of No Significant Impact can be obtained from the Supervisor’s Office at Cibola NF, 2113 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87113, or can be requested by phone at 505-346-3900, by email cibolatravel@fs.fed.us, or on the Mountainair Ranger District Travel Management web site: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/cibola/travel-management/tm_mt_air/index.shtml
Mark M. Chavez
Public Affairs/Web Manager
Cibola National Forest & Grasslands
mchavez@fs.fed.us
505-346-3900