The Socorro Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze and update the 1989 Socorro Resource Management Plan (RMP). The purpose of the Proposed RMP is to provide a comprehensive framework for BLM’s management of public land in Socorro and Catron Counties, New Mexico. Public land in the two counties includes approximately 1.5 million surface acres and 6 million acres of Federal mineral estate.

The BLM is responsible for management of public land and its resources based on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield, diversity, and productivity of public lands for present and future generations. Management direction is provided by land use plans, which are used to determine appropriate multiple uses and allocate resources, develop strategy to manage and protect resources, and establish systems to monitor and evaluate status of resources and the effectiveness of management programs over time.

A 30-day protest period begins on the date the Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement is published by the Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register.  For additional information on filing a protest, please refer to the Dear Reader letter in the Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement.