Notice2026-03912
Notice of Intent To Amend the Resource Management Plan for the Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona, and Prepare an Associated Environmental Assessment
Primary source
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Published
February 27, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arizona State Director intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment with an associated environmental assessment (EA) concerning recreational target shooting for the Sonoran Desert National Monument (SDNM). By this notice the BLM is announcing the beginning of the scoping period to solicit public comments and identify issues and is providing the planning criteria for public review.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 39 (Friday, February 27, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 39 (Friday, February 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9878-9880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03912]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[A2407-014-004-065516, #O2509-014-004-125222; LLAZP040000]
Notice of Intent To Amend the Resource Management Plan for the
Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona, and Prepare an Associated
Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arizona State
Director intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment
with an associated environmental assessment (EA) concerning
recreational target shooting for the Sonoran Desert National Monument
(SDNM). By this notice the BLM is announcing the beginning of the
scoping period to solicit public comments and identify issues and is
providing the planning criteria for public review.
DATES: The BLM requests that the public submit comments concerning the
scope of the analysis, potential alternatives, planning criteria, and
identification of relevant information, and studies by March 30, 2026.
To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider issues, please ensure
your comments are received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping
period.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to the SDNM RMP amendment and EA addressing recreational target
shooting availability in the monument by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2039927/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2039927/510</a>.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1c5e5051435d46434f585251687d6e7b79686f7473736875727b5c7e7071327b736a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="eeaca2a3b1afb4b1bdaaa0a39a8f9c898b9a9d8681819a878089ae8c8283c0898198">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail: BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument, Attn.: RMP
Amendment, 2020 E Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85022.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at
https://
[[Page 9879]]
eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2039927/510 and at the Phoenix
District Office, 2020 East Bell Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85022.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terrance Scott, Lower Sonoran Field
Manager, telephone 602-867-5400; address 2020 East Bell Road, Phoenix,
Arizona 85022; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a4d0d7c7cbd0d0e4c6c8c98ac3cbd2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0773746468737347656b6a29606871">[email protected]</span></a>. Contact Mr. Scott to have your
name added to our mailing list. Individuals in the United States who
are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay
services for contacting Mr. Scott. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point of contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM
Arizona State Director intends to prepare and consider an RMP amendment
with an associated EA for recreational target shooting availability in
the SDNM, announces the beginning of the scoping process, and seeks
public input on issues, preliminary alternatives, and planning
criteria. The RMP amendment would change the dispersed recreational
shooting allocations in the existing approved RMP amendment for the
SDNM, as amended. Pursuant to the last RMP amendment, which occurred in
2024, dispersed recreational shooting is currently allowed on
approximately 5,295 acres of the monument and is prohibited on
approximately 480,496 acres of the monument.
The planning area is located in Maricopa and Pinal counties,
Arizona, and encompasses approximately 486,400 acres of public land.
The scope of this land use planning process does not include
addressing the evaluation or designation of Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern (ACECs), and the BLM is not considering ACEC
nominations as part of this process.
Purpose and Need
The purpose of the planning process is to consider allocations and
management guidance concerning dispersed recreational shooting on
public land within the SDNM, consistent with the SDNM proclamation
(January 17, 2001) and other resource decisions in the 2012 SDNM Record
of Decision and Approved RMP, as amended. The planning effort will
review recreational shooting allocations following policy changes
identified in Section 2(b) of Executive Order 14313, ``Establishing the
President's Make America Beautiful Again Commission,'' which directed
Federal land management agencies to ``expand access to public lands and
waters for recreation, hunting, and fishing.''
Preliminary Alternatives
The RMP amendment process will consider whether and where
recreational target shooting should be allowed in the SDNM, along with
any associated management actions. Preliminary alternatives include the
No Action alternative, which reflects the 2024 Decision Record and
Approved RMP Amendment that identified approximately 5,295 acres of
public land as available for dispersed recreational target shooting
along with a monitoring and mitigation protocol to avoid or minimize
impacts on monument objects while increasing public safety. The BLM
welcomes comments on the preliminary No Action alternative as well as
suggestions for additional alternatives.
Planning Criteria
The planning criteria guide the planning effort and lay the
groundwork for effects analysis by identifying the preliminary issues
and their analytical frameworks.
Preliminary issues for the planning area have been identified by
BLM personnel and from early engagement conducted for this planning
effort with Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribes; and other
stakeholders. The BLM has identified four preliminary issues for this
planning effort's analysis: (1) impacts on monument objects from
recreational target shooting, (2) effectiveness of the mitigation and
monitoring protocol in protecting monument objects, (3) public health
and safety, and (4) impacts to recreational target shooting
availability. The planning criteria are available for public review and
comment at the National NEPA Register project website (see ADDRESSES).
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping period and public
review of the planning criteria, which guide the development and
analysis of the RMP amendment and EA.
The BLM does not intend to hold any public meetings, in-person or
virtual, during the public scoping period. Should the BLM later
determine to hold public meetings, the specific date(s) and location(s)
of any meeting will be announced at least 15 days in advance through
news release, social media, on the BLM National NEPA Register project
web page and the <a href="http://BLM.gov">BLM.gov</a> website. You may submit comments to the BLM
using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section previously.
EXPLORE Act and Dingell Act Recreational Target Shooting Closures
If the BLM proposes recreational shooting closures as part of the
RMP amendment process, it will comply with the requirements of Section
4103 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and
Recreation Act of 2019 (16 U.S.C. 7913) and Section 123 of the
Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act (16
U.S.C. 8423).
Interdisciplinary Team
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the RMP
amendment to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns
identified. Specialists with expertise in various disciplines, such as
recreation management, National Conservation Lands, wildlife,
vegetation, range management and soils, cultural and heritage
resources, socioeconomics, planning and environmental coordination, and
geographic information systems will be involved in this planning
effort.
Additional Information
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA and land use planning
processes for this planning effort to help support compliance with
applicable procedural requirements under the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1536) and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), including public
involvement requirements of section 106. The information about historic
and cultural resources and threatened and endangered species within the
area potentially affected by the proposed RMP amendment will assist the
BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources.
The BLM will consult with Indian Tribal Nations on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175, BLM Manual
Section 1780, and other Departmental policies. Tribal concerns,
including impacts on Indian trust assets and potential impacts to
cultural resources, will be given due consideration. Federal, State,
and local agencies, along with Indian Tribal Nations and other
stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the proposed RMP
amendment that the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate in the
scoping process and, if eligible, may request or
[[Page 9880]]
be requested by the BLM to participate in the development of the
environmental analysis as a cooperating agency.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
(Authority: 43 CFR 1610.2)
Raymond Suazo,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2026-03912 Filed 2-26-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-12-P
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