The public can now weigh in on the Bureau of Land Management’s plan for how to use more than 2 million acres of public land near Carlsbad. This new plan will replace one from 1988.
There are many ways the land in the BLM Pecos District can be used. Grazing, mineral and oil and gas extraction, and recreation, for example.
But Judy Calman said some areas of the land need to be protected for wildlife. She is with the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.
“The way that those are managed by the federal government really can have an impact on people’s lives that they might not think about," Calman said.
The plan has multiple options including one that would limit use of nearly 500,000 acres to prevent irreparable damage to wildlife habitats. Another would only set aside 100,000 acres.
The BLM will accept comments through November 5th.
