The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is in the process of designating roads and trails where motorized travel will be restricted on BLM lands in Arizona.
BLM's Tucson Field Office recently released a travel management plan for the Middle Gila Canyons, which proposed that cross-country motorized travel for hunting or to retrieve game be prohibited.
BLM is taking public comment on the plan until Friday, May 8. Other plans in various stages of development are: the Bullhead Unit in the Lake Havasu Field Office, La Posa in the Yuma Field Office, and the Black Canyon Corridor in the Hassayampa Field Office. Information about all of these plans can be found at http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/travel_mgmt.html.
Hunter access by motorized vehicles will likely be restricted or prohibited in the other three areas as well. It is important for those who hunt on BLM lands in the state to get involved in the planning processes that are underway, and to review and submit comments on the plan for the Middle Gila Canyons.
The BLM and the Forest Service are developing plans to manage the use of motor vehicles on their lands nationwide. Some of the plans allow for game retrieval off of designated roads and trails and others do not.
It is important for all hunters who hunt on federal lands to check with the local federal office about the status of such plans in that area. Contact information to voice your opinion about each plan can be found at http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/travel_mgmt.html under “Arizona Plans.”
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