Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan 

Completed!

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will release the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved

Resource Management Plan (RMP) for Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (the Monument) on 

June 25, 2010. “It’s been a long and complex process”, says Monument Manager LouAnn Jacobson, “but 

we are pleased with the direction the Plan takes the Monument.”

Throughout the analysis, the focus was on five primary issues: cultural resources, grazing management, 

fluid minerals, recreation, and transportation. After minor adjustments to acres and miles in the 

transportation system, required because of recent land acquisitions, BLM approved the Proposed 

RMP/Final Environmental Impact Statement (Alternative VI) as the Approved RMP for the Monument. The 

Approved RMP provides an optimal balance for the protection of sensitive cultural and natural resource 

values and authorized resource uses.

The ROD/RMP provides a framework for management direction and appropriate uses. It emphasizes 

cultural-resource values and protection, as well as natural resource protection and enhancement, while 

providing for resource use and development. Its land-use planning and implementation decisions will guide 

multiple-use management, in addition to the guidance offered in the Presidential Proclamation and existing 

laws and regulations. 

How to Access the ROD/RMP

The ROD/RMP, along with other primary planning documents, will be posted on our website:

http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/nm/canm.html. CD copies will be available to the public for personal use. In 

order to conserve natural resources, paper copies of the document are not being printed in bulk. Paper 

copies will be available for viewing during regular business hours at the following locations: 

 

• Anasazi Heritage Center, 27501 Highway 184, Dolores 

• Dolores Public Lands Center, 29211 Highway 184, Dolores

• San Juan Public Lands Center, 15 Burnett Court, Durango

• Dolores Public Library, 420 Railroad Ave., Dolores

• Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park, Cortez

• Mancos Public Library, 211 W. Main, Mancos

• Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd, Durango

• Dolores County Extension Office, 409 N. Main, Dove Creek

Bureau of Land Management

Canyons of the Ancients

National Monument

Planning Newsletter #6 June 2010

 
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The Planning Area

The Monument covers almost 171,000 acres of high desert in 

southwestern Colorado. It is 50 miles west of Durango, 10 

miles west of Cortez, and 12 miles west of Mesa Verde 

National Park in Dolores and Montezuma counties. The 

Monument planning area consists of BLM lands inside the 

original Monument boundary, inholdings and edgeholdings 

acquired by the Federal government since the Monument was 

established, and the Anasazi Heritage Center (AHC).

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument:

A Treasured Landscape

The Monument is part of the BLM’s National Landscape 

Conservation System (NLCS), which contains some of the 

West’s most spectacular landscapes. The NLCS includes 

more than 886 federally recognized areas with 

approximately 27 million acres in National Monuments, 

National Conservation Areas, Wilderness Areas, 

Wilderness Study Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, 

Conservation Lands of the California Desert, and 

National Scenic and Historic Trails.

The mission of the NLCS is to conserve, protect, and 

restore nationally significant landscapes with outstanding 

cultural, ecological, and scientific values for the benefit of 

current and future generations. Sharing this mission, 

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument was created 

by Presidential Proclamation on June 9, 2000, to protect 

cultural and natural resources on a landscape scale. The 

Canyons of the Ancients landscape includes the highest 

known density of archaeological sites in the nation, wellpreserved remnants of Native American culture, 

spectacular landforms, a wide variety of wildlife species, 

and unique recreational opportunities. The Approved RMP 

for the Monument emphasizes the protection of Monument 

objects as directed by Presidential Proclamation.
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National Landscape Conservation System and

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

Celebrate 10th Anniversary

This year is the 10th anniversary of the administrative establishment of the BLM’s National Landscape 

Conservation System (NLCS). The BLM is celebrating national and local accomplishments and setting the 

vision for the next 10 years. The national website provides an interactive map and calendar of events for 

states with NLCS areas. For more information go to: 

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS/NLCS_10th_anniversary.html.

Established in 2000, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is the first and only BLM National 

Monument in Colorado. Following are a few of our accomplishments from the last 10 years:

Volunteers – Every year an army of more than 200 

volunteers contributes 10,000 to 15,000 hours as Site 

Stewards, Trail Information Specialists, and Wilderness 

Study Area Monitors. They assist with visitor information 

services, education for school groups, collections 

management, library services, museum shop services, 

maintenance and National Public Lands Day and other 

service projects.

Partners - The San Juan Mountains Association, 

Canyonlands Natural History Association, Colorado State 

Historical Fund, Elderhostel, McElmo Canyon Research 

Institute, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, The 

Conservation Fund, the Anasazi Historical Society, and 

many others support our volunteer programs, service 

projects, acquisitions, research, interpretation, and 

education programs and projects.

Cultural Resources – Preservation activities, including stabilization and detailed site documentation, have 

been completed at several sites. New cultural resource inventories have been completed on 14,000 acres, 

and 1,200 new sites have been recorded. The total area inventoried in the Monument now totals about 

44,200 acres, with a total of 6,350 sites recorded. This updated information will help us monitor changing 

site conditions and the impacts of multiple use and vandalism.

Fluid Minerals - 13 Applications to Drill and 20 Sundry Notices for well recompletions have been approved. 

Working with operators, Best Management Practices have been implemented at many existing locations, 

and 13 wells no longer in production have been plugged and reclaimed. Tribal representatives have been 

included in pre-approval discussions, leading to the resolution of tribal and cultural concerns associated with 

new development. 

Range - Rangeland health assessments were completed on all allotments and provided the foundation for 

grazing permit renewals. Adjustments in grazing management have been made to help improve rangeland 

health and to comply with grazing regulations and the Colorado Rangeland Health Standards and 

Guidelines. 

Fire and Hazardous Fuels – Several fires have burned, varying in size from one or two trees to 1,000 acres. 

Depending on conditions, restoration efforts have included erosion control and reseeding. Hazardous fuelsreduction projects were completed adjacent to urban development and in areas with vulnerable cultural 

sites.
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Interpretation - The AHC installed exhibits about the 

Monument, Lowry Pueblo, and the Trail of the Ancients 

Backcountry Byway and redesigned the Main Gallery. 

Brochures about the Monument, Lowry and Painted 

Hand Pueblo are available. The award-winning video, 

“Visit with Respect”, offers a personal Native American 

perspective on the importance of cultural sites.

Acquisitions - Working with willing sellers, more than 

6,000 acres have been added through land exchanges, 

purchases and interagency transfers. These 

acquisitions enhance protection of significant cultural 

and natural resources and the Monument’s landscape.

Law Enforcement - Two law enforcement officers watch over Monument resources. Unfortunately, looting of 

sites, trafficking of artifacts, and vandalism are increasingly prevalent. With the help of a special agent now 

located in the area, law enforcement actions have resulted in arrests and successful prosecutions for 

several illegal actions. 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Funding was awarded for eradication of tamarisk and other 

invasive species, riparian restoration and restoration of areas impacted by unauthorized user-created 

routes, and improving energy efficiency at the AHC. Several projects are employing and training local youth. 

As we look toward implementing the RMP and the next 10 years of managing a treasured landscape, the 

BLM is committed to continuing the proactive efforts already underway.