Cibola National Forest hosting workshops to identify lands potentially suitable for wilderness consideration
Release Date:?Aug 19, 2014??
Contact(s): Champe Green, Forest Planner
Albuquerque, NM ? August 19, 2014.? The Cibola National Forest is hosting a series of public collaborative workshops to identify and inventory lands that are potentially suitable for wilderness consideration. The Cibola is conducting this assessment as part of its forest plan revision process, which requires forests to assess for potential wilderness.
?This is the first step of a lengthy process that we will use to determine whether an area should be recommended for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System,? said Forest Supervisor Elaine Kohrman. ?There will be many opportunities for the public to participate throughout the process.? Kohrman said that no decision has been made and will not be made until the revision process is completed.
The first round of workshops will be held in the following communities:
Albuquerque? - Tuesday, September 9 ? ? ? ? ?
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
UNM Continuing Education Bldg. North; Rooms B & C
1634 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM
Grants - Thursday, September 11
6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Grants High School, Performing Arts Auditorium
500 Mountain Rd.,? Grants, NM
Mountainair - Tuesday, September 16
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Dr. Saul Community Bldg.
109 Roosevelt, Mountainair, NM
Socorro - Thursday, September 18
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Socorro County Annex Bldg., Commission Room
198 Neel Ave., Socorro, NM
The Cibola will also have an interactive mapping tool posted on its website. This tool will provide another opportunity for the public to participate in this collaborative process. The mapping tool will be available on September 9, 2014.
Once the inventory process is complete, the next phase will be to evaluate the areas identified in the inventory phase to determine if the area meets wilderness characteristics. The Cibola will hold a second round of collaborative ?public workshops on early 2015 to evaluate the lands not eliminated during the inventory phase.
?Because of the high interest in this process, we're asking everyone to sign up for one of the workshops to ensure we have adequate accommodations,? Kohrman said.? To sign up, please call 505.346.3900 or send an e-mail to:
[email protected] August 29, 2014. Anyone who needs assistance with verbal translations or accessibility should contact the Cibola a week before the workshop that they are planning on attending.
For more information, please go to the Cibola?s website:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/cibolaand click on the Forest Plan Revision link or contact Champe Green, Forest Planner at 505.346.3889 or
[email protected].
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Electronic version of this media release
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