BLM suggests amendment for recreational shooting in Sonoran Desert National Monument

PHOENIX – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking feedback on a proposed adjustment to its resource management plan with the aim of safeguarding human health, wellbeing, and vital resources by refining areas available for recreational target shooting in the Sonoran Desert National Monument located in Maricopa and Pinal counties. 

BLM strives to strike a secure balance between various recreational activities on public lands while preserving historically and scientifically significant features within the national monument. The proposed amendment to the resource management plan would designate 5,295 acres for recreational target shooting in the monument, while restricting it on the remaining 480,496 acres.

A notification regarding the commencement of the 60-day public comment period on the proposed recreational target shooting limitations will be published in the Federal Register on Monday. The proposed adjustment also involves a 30-day protest phase starting on Monday. Information on how to file a protest is accessible online. 

The Sonoran Desert National Monument was established in 2001 and consists of 485,791 acres of BLM-managed public lands in Maricopa and Pinal counties.

BLM finalized a resource management plan for the monument in 2012. A court ruling in March 2015 compelled BLM to reassess the impact of recreational target shooting in the monument. In 2018, BLM modified the resource management plan to permit dispersed recreational shooting in specified areas of the monument; this plan can be reviewed at the National NEPA Register. This decision was legally challenged in 2019. The proposed amendment to the resource management plan, along with the associated environmental assessment, would fulfill the obligations of a court settlement reached in April 2022.

Documents, maps, and details about the planning process will be accessible on BLM’s National NEPA Register on Monday. Interested parties can submit comments on the proposed recreational shooting limitations via email to BLM_AZ_SDNMtargetshooting@blm.gov or via mail to BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument, Attn.: RMPA EA, 2020 E. Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85022. Comments must be received by March 22.