What is a National Conservation Area (NCA)? An NCA is the designation given by the U.S. Congress to special lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). There are 10 NCAs in the nation, and each is managed in accordance with the special provisions provided by the legislation that designated the area. Specifically, Congress designates an NCA to permanently protect and conserve identified resource values of national interest. How will the NCA be managed? The Bureau of Land Managment, as directed in the enabling legislation, has completed the Resource Management Plan (RMP), which serves as a masterplan for the managememnt of the NCA Resources. The RMP was developed with substantial public participation to assure the resource is managed in a manner that is in balance with the needs and desires of the public. What Uses Are Currently Allowed in McInnis Canyons NCA? The NCA encompasses a diverse landscape ranging from salt bush desert to the spectacular canyons of the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness. This landscape supports an equally diverse range of uses in the NCA -- activities such as boating on the Colorado River, big-game hunting for mule deer, elk, mountain lion and waterfowl, off-highway vehicle use in Rabbit Valley, domestic livestock grazing, fossil viewing, sightseeing, wildlife photography, hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking, as well as dispersed camping. What Uses Are NOT Allowed in McInnis Canyons NCA? Subject to valid existing rights, the NCA is "withdrawn from all forms of entry, appropriation or disposal under the public land laws; from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and from disposition under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing, and all amendments thereto." This means that, except where they currently exist, the following uses/activities are not allowed within the NCA: Location, exploration, development and patent of mining claims Sand and gravel extraction activities Oil and gas or geothermal leasing, exploration and development Sale or lease of public lands for any purpose
How will the legislation affect private land within the boundaries of McInnis Canyons NCA? Private land within the exterior boundaries of McInnis Canyons NCA could be acquired by the BLM through purchase or exchange from a willing seller, exchange or donation. This is specified within the legislation in Section 6(j) ACQUISITION OF LAND. Once this land is acquired, it will be managed as part of McInnis Canyons NCA in accordance with the Act that created McInnis Canyons NCA and Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness. Other than potential acquisitions private lands are not affected by this legislation. Where is the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness? The Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness is south of the Colorado River and on the north end of the Colorado Plateau. It is located approximately 10 miles west of Grand Junction and one mile south of Fruita with 5,200 acres extendng in to Utah to the west. What is Wilderness? In 1964 Congress passed the Wilderness Act that created the National Wilderness Preservation System to preserve some of American's wild lands in their natural condition. As the act states; "In order to assure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas..., leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness". The System is composed of Federally-owned lands designated by Congress as Wilderness Areas. To qualify for Wilderness designation, areas must offer outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation and contain ecological, geological or other features of scientific, scenic or historic value. In addition, human influence must be substantially unnoticeable. In 1976 Congress, with passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) directed the BLM to study its remaining roadless areas and recommend those that should be designated as Wilderness. From 1977 - 1992 the BLM evaluated 860 roadless areas called "Wilderness Study Areas" (WSAs) encompassing more than 27 million acres. The BLM has recommended that Congress designate 330 WSAs (9.7 million acres) as Wilderness Areas and release all or part of 654 WSAs (16.9 million acres) for other uses. However, until Congress passes laws to that effect, the BLM must protect wilderness characteristics of all the WSAs. What Uses Are Allowed in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness? Generally, wilderness designation allows for any use or activity that does not utilize motorized vehicles or equipment, mechanized transport or result in a permanent or human-made structure or installation; this would include, but is not necessarily limited to: What Uses Are NOT Allowed in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness? Travel by motorized or mechanized vehicles (e.g. ATVs, motorcycles, 4 wheel drive vehicles, mountain bikes). Construction of any temporary or permanent roads Construction of any human-made structure or installation Location, exploration, development and patent of mining claims Sand and gravel extraction activities Oil and gas or geothermal leasing, exploration and development Sale or lease of public lands for any purpose Rights-of-ways for any purpose (e.g. roads, power lines, pipelines and communication sites)
Visit the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness web page for specific visitor use regulations. Are User Fees Required? At the present time there are no user fees within McInnis Canyons NCA. |
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