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NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-CO-S070-2002-0001-RMP-EIS
Project Name: Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

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Project Information

NEPA Number

DOI-BLM-CO-S070-2002-0001-RMP-EIS
Project Name

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement
Project Type

RMP - EIS
NEPA Status

Completed - Completed
Lead Office

Canyon of the Ancients National Monument
Last Updated

3/4/2026 5:00:00 PM

Project Description

The purpose of the Plan is to determine the management approach for the Monument.
The primary objective of the Plan is to provide protection for the values (e.g., cultural
resources) for which the Monument was created. The Monument was established on June 9, 2000, with the signing of Proclamation 7317 by President William J. Clinton. BLM currently manages the Monument according to various criteria, including the Proclamation, Interim Management
Guidelines, the 1985 San Juan/San Miguel Resource Management Plan (SJ/SM-RMP),
management prescriptions for the Anasazi Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and other related laws, regulations, policy, activity plans, land use authorizations and permits.

The Monument encompasses 164,000 acres of high desert in the southwest corner of Colorado. Established on federal lands administered by BLM, the Monument was established to protect cultural and natural resources on a landscape scale. The rugged landscape contains the highest known density of archaeological sites in the United States and is home to a variety of wildlife species, including unique herpetological resources.

The cultural resources located on the Monument, which include archaeological and historical resources, have been a focal point of interest for more than 125 years. To date, approximately 6,000 sites have been recorded, reflecting all the physical components of past human life, including villages, field houses, check dams, reservoirs, great kivas, cliff dwe

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LAND USE PLANNING
BLM COLORADO SOUTHWEST DISTRICT

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	BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
	CANYONS OF THE ANCIENTS
	NATIONAL MONUMENT
	RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN




Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (Monument) was designated by Presidential Proclamation on June 9, 2000 in order to protect the area's significant cultural and natural resources on a landscape scale. The Monument is located in the Four Corners region of southwestern Colorado, about 50 miles west of the town of Durango, 10 miles west of Cortez, and 12 miles west of Mesa Verde National Park and encompasses approximately 171,000 acres of public land administered by the BLM. The Monument contains the highest known archaeological site density in the United States, with rich, well-preserved evidence of native cultures. The number of sites is estimated to total between 20,000 and 30,000.		The archeological record etched into this landscape is much more than isolated islands of architecture. The more than 6,355 recorded sites reflect all the physical components of past human life: villages, field houses, check dams, reservoirs, great kivas, cliff dwellings, shrines, sacred springs, agricultural fields, petroglyphs, and sweat lodges. Some areas have more than 100 sites per square mile. Lands within and around the Monument have been used or inhabited by humans, including the Northern Ancestral Puebloan culture (or Anasazi), for 10,000 years, and continue to be used by humans today. Historic uses of the Monument include recreation, hunting, livestock grazing, and energy development. Federal Register Notice of Availability	The Approved Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision was issued on June 25, 2010. The plan provides direction for managing and protecting objects of scientific and historic interest identified in the Proclamation (including archaeological artifacts and geological and biological specimens), as well as the values and historic uses for which the Monument was created. The plan sets forth management objectives, identifies areas where different types of opportunities and experiences are available, and establishes management standards and guidelines for specific program areas. The plan was completed under authority of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and is accompanied by an environmental impact statement in compliance with National Environmental Policy Act standards and other applicable laws.


LAND USE PLANNING
BLM COLORADO SOUTHWEST DISTRICT

Contact Information


	For questions or additional information related to the Canyons of the Ancients NM RMP, please contact the following BLM staff members:

	Tracy Perfors CANM NEPA Coordinator (970) 882-1136 [email protected]

	Connie Clementson Tres Rios Field Office Manager (970) 882-1150 [email protected]

	Maggie Magee Public Affairs Specialist (970) 240-5323 [email protected]

Draft EIS Publication

Actual Date

10/26/2007

Final EIS Publication

Actual Date

6/25/2010

Project Location

City	State/Territory	Zip Code	County(ies)
Pleasant View	Colorado	81331

Application Information

Project Dates

Start Date

8/26/2016
End Date

6/24/2010

Notice of Intent Publication

NOI Publication Date

4/24/2002

Record of Decision Publication

Actual Date

6/24/2010

Project Office Information

Lead Office

Canyon of the Ancients National Monument
Offices

Canyon of the Ancients NMON

Contacts

Contact 1 Name

Randi Lupardus
Contact 1 Email

[email protected]
Contact 1 Phone

(970) 385-1251