[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 90 (Monday, May 10, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25931-25932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-10525]


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MORRIS K. UDALL SCHOLARSHIP AND EXCELLENCE IN NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL 
POLICY FOUNDATION


Notice of Tucson Basin Recreational Shooting Workshop 1

AGENCY: U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, Morris K. 
Udall Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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    Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix; 20 U.S.C. 5601-5609.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution will 
convene a public meeting on Saturday, May 22, 2004, at the Doubletree 
Hotel at Reid Park, 445 S. Alvernon Way, Tucson, Arizona 85711. The 
meeting will occur from 1 p.m. to approximately 5 p.m.
    Members of the public are invited to attend however, seating is 
limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. During this 
meeting, working groups comprised of Federal, State and local agency 
and stakeholder representatives will discuss the following: (1) Issues 
relating to locations for recreational shooting; (2) Safety and

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enforcement issues; (3) Resource impacts; (4) Education. The meeting 
will emphasize a problem-solving approach, using a range of practical 
tools and exercises such as shared history, mapping, and joint fact-
finding in order to solicit information and further clarify and address 
the issues related to recreational shooting in the Tucson Basin.

Background

    In 2003, the Tucson Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), in the process of developing a management plan for the Ironwood 
Forest National Monument, requested that the U.S. Institute for 
Environmental Conflict Resolution conduct a situation assessment on 
issues related to recreational shooting. Safety concerns and resource 
damage were identified as significant concerns in the Monument, and the 
assessment was viewed as an important means to gain an understanding of 
public attitudes and perceived opportunities for addressing these 
issues.
    At the outset, BLM staff underscored their mandate to manage the 
Monument for multiple uses, with recreational shooting being one among 
many appropriate public uses within the Monument.
    The BLM perceived a need to bring agencies and stakeholders 
together to consider developing appropriate management guidelines. 
Believing that issues around recreational shooting could not be 
adequately addressed without taking a basin-wide approach, BLM staff 
sought to identify opportunities to work with a wide array of 
stakeholders to define a common vision for resolving these resource 
management and public safety issues. The BLM provided the initial 
funding for the situation assessment. However, in the early stages of 
development of the project, the USDA Forest Service's Coronado National 
Forest and the Arizona Game and Fish Department joined as co-sponsors, 
confirming the importance of looking at the situation in the Tucson 
basin as a whole.
    All three agencies are now supporting a series of public workshops 
to explore the issues identified in the situation assessment. Workshop 
1 is the first in that series. Dates have not yet been 
established for subsequent workshops.
    In the initial planning for the situation assessment, the sponsors 
determined that the project would specifically address ``recreational 
shooting,'' defined as the discharge of any firearm for any lawful, 
recreational purpose other than the lawful taking of a game animal. 
They separated this activity from hunting, which the project was not 
intended to address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Any member of the public who desires further 
information concerning the meeting or wishes to submit oral or written 
comments should contact Olivia Montes, Administrative Assistant, U.S. 
Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, 130 S. Scott Avenue, 
Tucson, AZ 85701; phone (520) 670-5299, fax (520) 670-5530, or e-mail 
at [email protected]. Requests to make oral comments must be in writing 
(or by e-mail) to Ms. Montes and be received no later than 5 p.m. 
Mountain Standard Time on Friday, May 14, 2004. Copies of the draft 
meeting agenda may be obtained from Ms. Montes at the address, phone 
and e-mail address listed above.
    A copy of the situation assessment ``Recreational Shooting in the 
Tucson Basin: The Potential for Collaborative Dialogue and Action'' can 
be obtained at http://www.ecr.gov/s_publications.htm#Tucson_Basin

    Dated: May 4, 2004.
Christopher L. Helms,
Executive Director, Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in 
National Environmental Policy Foundation, and Federal Register Liaison 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-10525 Filed 5-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-FN-P