By Judi Perez
Special to The SUN
The Rio Grande National Forest will be holding public meetings to answer questions and explain the recently released land management plan and supporting documents, and the next steps in the process.
The 60-day filing period where participants with specific concerns may file objections started on Aug. 2. The objection process provides an opportunity for those who have participated in the process to have their unresolved concerns reviewed prior to the forest supervisor issuing a final decision.
All meetings start at 5:30 p.m., and the dates and locations for the meetings are below:
• Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Rio Grande County Annex, 965 6th St. in Del Norte;
• Wednesday, Aug. 28, at the Saguache County Road and Bridge building, 305 3rd St. in Saguache;
• Sept. 4, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Hall, 6633 County Road 13 in Conejos;
• Sept. 5, at the Conejos Peak Ranger District Office, 15571 County Road T. 5, in La Jara; and
• Sept. 10 at the Creede Community Center, #9 USFS Road #503 in Creede.
The land management plan is the culmination of working together with local communities, neighboring forests, special interest groups, and state and federal partners for over four years and will guide all management decision and activities conducted on the 1.8 million acre Rio Grande National Forest. The plan will guide stewardship of the Rio Grande National Forest into the future.
The land management plan, updated story maps and all supporting documents are available at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=46078.
For more information, contact Judi Perez, forest planner, at (719) 852-5941.
