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CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST PLAN REVISION The current Coronado National Forest Plan was implemented in 1986. In the years since then, many social and resource conditions changed, scientific information improved, and land management policies evolved. Though the plan was amended many times, some changes could not be addressed quickly or effectively. The 1986 Plan will be revised in a way that encourages increased public participation. What Does Plan Revision Mean?The current Coronado Plan still provides a solid foundation for forest management. So, instead of starting over from scratch, planners will identify and retain parts of the existing plan that continue to work. New scientific information will be incorporated. Existing policy that isn't working will be eliminated. The planning process is lengthy and rigorous, so we expect the initial plan revision to take at least two years. Public Participation Welcome!Public participation helps promote better decisions and greater understanding of those decisions. We are currently formulating ways to work actively with the public during the revision process. Please let us know your ideas about how you would like to interact with our planning team, both now and over the course of the process. click here to see the forest service plan revision main web page click here to get directly to the handouts web page click here to get directly to the maps click here to get directly to the Santa Rita map outlining the Land Use Zones We may want to challenge/propose changes to land use zone designations and/or the text, or both. In particular we may wish to recommend adding a designation for "Mineral Extraction Zones" to the table on page 2 of the "Land Use Zones" link. to get directly to the land use zones document click here The document titled "Comprehensive Evaluation Report" virtually avoids any meaningful discussion of mining. The discussion that does appear is on page 7 and is now out of date with respect to mineral resource prices and thus misleading. We do need to get this changed to accurately reflect current mineral prices and the anticipated drop in mining activities over the next few years. We should also seek to strengthen the Management Challenges in the Social and Economic Environment (page 11) with a particular focus on increased eco-tourism and the diminished importance of mining to the local economy. Other areas where we should comment (specifically regarding adverse effects of mining) include Water Quality and Water Quantity (page 15), Air Quality (page 16) and Management Challenges: Wildlife, Fish and Rare Plants (page 18) drawing on the fine corridor work completed by Arizona Dept of Wildlife and Fish (also missing from the bibliography). Finally, we should seek to strengthen Chapter 4: Need for Change particularly the subsection dealing with Preservation of Open Space, again demonstrating how mining and quality open space are antithetical. Naturally other folks may want to comment on off-road vehicle use, grazing, trail riding, and a host of other matters of individual concern. I am simply suggesting that we urge our membership to include comments regarding the adverse impacts of mining in their individual comment letters. Click here to get directly to the comprehensive evaluation report HOW TO COMMENT: Click here for a form to comment on the Desired conditions for the future of the Coronado National Forest Click here for a form to comment on the Land Use Zones
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‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’ If you have information you would like to be included on this web page E-mail hiltonroad@msn.com Let us know if you would like to receive information from us
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