Arizona - Tucson FO - San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) Resource Management Plan (RMP)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

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Last Updated:
04/26/2019 10:53:03 MDT

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Announcements

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tucson Field Office is pleased to announce the release of the Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/FEIS) as part of our ongoing planning effort. The protest period is from April 26, 2019 - May 28, 2019.

All protests must be in writing and filed with the BLM Director, either as a hard copy or electronically via this ePlanning website.

To submit a protest electronically, navigate to the Documents & Reports page. Click on the "submit protest" link under the "public participation" heading right next to the "Volume I: SPRNCA Proposed RMP Chapters 1-4."

To submit a protest in hard copy, it must be mailed to one of the following addresses:
Regular Mail:                                      Overnight Delivery:
BLM Director (210)                            BLM Director (210)
Attention: Protest Coordinator          Attention: Protest Coordinator
P.O. Box 71383                                  20 M Street SE, Room 2134LM
Washington, D.C. 20024-1383          Washington, D.C. 20003

Feel free to contact Amy McGowan at 520-258-7231 or amarkstein@blm.gov if you have questions.

More information on how to get involved in the planning process can be found here.

♦ The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) Resource Management Plan (RMP) process began with the publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register.

♦ Initial public engagement planning meetings were held in Sierra Vista on May 15, in Benson on June 18, and in Tucson on June 20, 2013. Meeting minutes from these initial meetings are posted under documents.

♦ Education and Scoping Forums were held in Sierra Vista on July 20, July 27, August 10, August 17, and August 24, 2013.

♦ Links to the videos of the presentations from the Education Forums can be found under links. Copies of the powerpoints can be found under documents.

♦ Videos of every educational forum presentation are available on the Tumblr website. All presentations can be downloaded here.

♦ The scoping report from winter 2014 can be found here.

♦ The notes and presentation from the July 22nd, 2014 Adaptive Management Educational Forum have been posted and can be found here.

♦ A video of the Adaptive Management Overview presentation that was given at the July 22, 2014 Adaptive Management Educational Forum can be found here.

♦ Notes from the public meetings on the Draft Resource Management Plan can be found under Documents & Reports.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tucson Field Office is developing a new Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) in southeastern Arizona.
The planning area includes the entire conservation area, an expanse covering nearly 57,000 acres (approximately 90 square miles). The area was given formal protection in 1988 when it was designated by the United States Congress as the nation’s first Riparian National Conservation Area. It is now a key component of BLM’s National Conservation Lands, a system of conserved public lands spanning 30 million acres nationwide.

The RMP will guide management of the SPRNCA for the next 15 to 20 years. As the comprehensive guiding document for all management activities within the conservation area, the RMP is a crucial component of BLM’s land stewardship program.

This ePlanning site is the clearinghouse for all SPRNCA RMP reference materials, documents, meeting information and project updates.

The SPRNCA was created to “conserve, protect and enhance the riparian area and the aquatic, wildlife, archaeological, paleontological, scientific, cultural, educational, and recreational resources of the conservation area.” It is now part of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System or National Conservation Lands. The San Pedro RNCA is located in Cochise County, with 40 miles of the upper San Pedro River flowing north from the U.S.-Mexico border near Palominas to St. David near Benson. Management has been guided by the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area Plan since it was approved in 1989, as well as the Safford District Resource Management Plan.

Planning Area

The planning area encompasses all public lands within the SPRNCA.

An important riparian area, the San Pedro River flows through the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts. This ribbon of green, composed of riparian habitat and surrounding grasslands, provides an important migratory bird corridor. More than100 species of breeding birds and 250 species of migrant and wintering birds depend on this invaluable habitat. The San Pedro RNCA was formally designated as the nation’s first Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy in 1995 and Arizona Audubon reaffirmed that designation in 2013.

The river’s stretch is also home to 84 species of mammals, 14 species of fish, and 41 species of reptiles and amphibians. This diversity of wildlife presents an incredible watchable wildlife viewing area.

The San Pedro River nourishes this ribbon of life in the RNCA. Numerous threats to the health of the river include urban development, drought, and contaminants from upstream in Mexico. The National Riparian Service Team concluded in their 2012 report that “Pumping of groundwater that serves as the lifeblood for the San Pedro River and its tributaries poses significant threats to its long-term function and sustainability.”

This page was created by the Bureau of Land Management