[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