The Bureau of Land Management Southwest District Resource Advisory Council will hold its first of six meetings of a sub-committee formed to consider domestic sheep grazing in bighorn sheep habitat. The initial meeting will introduce sub-committee members to the issue of domestic sheep grazing and overlapping bighorn sheep habitat on high alpine terrain managed by the BLM Gunnison Field Office just outside of Silverton, CO.
The meeting is open to the public and is scheduled to take place on Tuesday March 14 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the BLM Uncompahgre Field Office, 2465 S. Townsend Ave., Montrose, CO.
A thirty-minute public comment period will be provided from 12:45pm to 1:15pm. Individuals who wish to speak are encouraged to submit a written copy of their statement for the administrative record. Interested parties unable to attend the meeting in person are invited to join online via Zoom: https://blm.zoomgov.com/j/1605529017?pwd=VmFNTHlzVUZvTW5PSGdaMnl5Mml2QT09.
“We are excited to hold our first meeting to address domestic sheep grazing in bighorn sheep habitat,” said District Manager Stephanie Connolly. “Our sub-committee members live and work in southwest Colorado and their diverse experiences will be essential as they take a deep dive into this complex issue and develop recommendations to bring to our full RAC.”
The Southwest District Resource Advisory Council advises the BLM Colorado Southwest District, which includes the Gunnison, Uncompahgre, and Tres Rios field offices. The sub-committee consists of five members who have demonstrated their interest and experience related to sheep grazing. The sub-committee will aim to present their conclusions to the full Resource Advisory Council for their consideration in fall 2023.
The meeting agenda is available online, here.
For more information or to register to speak during the public comment period, please contact Maggie Magee at (970) 240-5323 or dmagee@blm.gov.