[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75625-75626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-32239]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-020-1110-PC, NM-020-1220-PC]


Notice of Public Land Closure, Ute Mountain, Taos County, NM

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior, Taos Field Office, New 
Mexico.

ACTION: Temporary closure of certain recently acquired public lands 
near Ute Mountain, Taos County, New Mexico, to public entry and use; 
notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice closes to all public entry and use certain public 
lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the vicinity of 
Ute Mountain, in Taos County, New Mexico, in order to protect the land 
and

[[Page 75626]]

its resources until BLM prepares a management plan for the area. 
Excepted from this emergency closure is the Rio Grande Gorge below the 
rim, which will remain open to foot travel and boating between June 1 
and March 31 each year. Also excepted from the closure are certain 
official activities.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 31, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Send inquiries or suggestions to the Taos Field Office, 
Bureau of Land Management, 226 Cruz Alta Road, Taos, NM 87571.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Huntsinger, Taos Field Office 
Manager, (505) 758-8851.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The land subject to this closure is part of a tract of land being 
acquired by BLM primarily because of its value as wildlife habitat and 
open space for recreation. The Ute Mountain property is situated within 
and adjacent to the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River corridor north of 
Taos, New Mexico, on the New Mexico-Colorado border. This property 
offers spectacular views of the Rio Grande Gorge and the Sangre de 
Cristo Mountains and encompasses the entire extinct volcano called Ute 
Mountain. The land includes the mountainous and forested former 
volcano, high mesa desert with sagebrush-grasslands, cliffs of the 
gorge, and riparian areas along the Rio Grande.
    Ute Mountain rises to 10,093 feet from an elevation of about 7,600 
feet at its base and has been a private sanctuary for elk, deer, 
antelope, and other game. The land is host to large herds of deer and 
elk. The property also provides critical riparian and breeding habitat 
for peregrine falcon, golden eagle, brown trout, and the federally-
listed endangered southwestern willow flycatcher and threatened bald 
eagle. The property is bordered by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
lands and private lands. The western edge of the property, the Rio 
Grande Gorge, is an active recreation area, providing river sports and 
associated camping, hunting, picnicking, and wilderness recreation.
    The property being closed is a little more than half of the entire 
14,344-acre Ute Mountain Property. The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and 
BLM have completed the first phase of a multi-year effort to preserve 
Ute Mountain. TPL, a national non-profit land conservation 
organization, conveyed to BLM 7,924 acres of the Ute Mountain property, 
bringing part of one of New Mexico's most notable landscapes into 
permanent protection. When completed, the Ute Mountain property will be 
protected from development, leaving open a critical migratory wildlife 
corridor and adding approximately 7 miles of the Rio Grande to the 
active recreation area. BLM will manage the land, located within the 
Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River corridor, to protect its open space, 
recreational, and habitat values.

II. Lands Affected

    This order affects public land in Taos County, New Mexico, 
described as: A certain tract of land near Costilla, Taos County, New 
Mexico; within the Sangre de Cristo Grant; described as part of 
projected Sections 24, 25, and 36, Township 32 North, Range 11 East; 
part of projected Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, and 13, Township 31 North, 
Range 11 East; part of projected Sections 19, 20, 21, 28, and 33, and 
all of projected Sections 29, 30, 31, and 32, Township 32 North, Range 
12 East; part of projected Sections 4, 5, 8, 17, and 18, and all of 
projected Sections 6 and 7, Township 31 North, Range 12 East of the New 
Mexico principal meridian (New Mexico system); and further described as 
part of Tract ``A'' shown on a plat entitled ``A Survey of the Westerly 
Portion of the Sangre de Cristo Grant,'' by Leo Archuleta, NMLS no. 
4249, dated February 1980.
    This tract contains 7923.85 acres, more or less; all as shown on a 
survey plat entitled ``Robert Starks to the Trust for Public Land'' 
RGSS survey no. L203-A1, by Scott B. Crowl, NMLS no. 12441, dated June 
16, 2003, as revised August 27, 2003.

III. Closure

    In compliance with 43 CFR 8364.1(c), notice is hereby given that 
BLM is closing the public lands in the Ute Mountain Property. These 
restrictions will be in effect year-round from December 31, 2003, until 
rescinded by BLM. The order to close these lands is needed to protect 
the public land resources there until the land use plan for the tract 
is complete. BLM is establishing and will administer this emergency 
closure under the authority of 43 CFR 8364.1.
    BLM finds good cause to publish this closure notice effective on 
the date of publication and without providing for public comment due to 
the immediate need to protect the habitat for the endangered and 
threatened species in the tract. Also, the regulations on Closures and 
Restrictions at 43 CFR 8364.1 do not require publication of a request 
for comments.
    BLM hereby closes the described public lands to all entry and use, 
except for the Rio Grande Gorge below the rim, which will remain open 
to foot travel and boating between June 1 and March 31. Any person who 
fails to comply with this order may be subject to the penalties 
provided in 43 CFR 8360.0-7.
    This closure will remain in effect until BLM completes the 
acquisition of the property, expected to occur no later than the end of 
FY 2005. At that time BLM will prepare a management plan with input 
from local residents and other interested parties. During this closure 
period, BLM will consult with the public and develop a process for 
completing a management plan for the area.
    BLM will post closure signs at main entry points and trails in the 
area indicating the area closed and explaining the reason for the 
closure. Maps of the closure area and more detailed information are on 
file at the Taos Field Office.

IV. Exceptions

    The following persons are exempt from this order: all Federal, 
State, and local officers or employees in the scope of their duties, 
members of any organized rescue or fire-fighting force in performance 
of an official duty, and persons authorized in writing by the Bureau of 
Land Management.

    Dated: November 21, 2003.
Paul Williams,
Acting Field Office Manager.
[FR Doc. 03-32239 Filed 12-30-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P