The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has set its sights on significantly curtailing the area available for recreational target shooting in Arizona's Sonoran Desert National Monument, the announcements made last Friday. Under a proposed amendment to the resource management plan, target shooting would be confined to a mere 5,295 acres of the sprawling monument, as reported by U.S. News. This dramatic reduction in permissible shooting areas represents a steep decline from the current 435,700 acres, where shooting enthusiasts can presently take aim.
The BLM's decision attempts to reconcile the preservation of the monument's 480,496 acres, with the needs of recreational shooters, according to a spokesperson, target shooting remains permitted on other BLM-managed lands in the vicinity of the Phoenix metropolitan area. While the plan proposes a dramatic shift, ABC15 critics' concerns that such activities jeopardize the natural and cultural resources that the Sonoran Desert National Monument, established in 2001, aims to protect, including the iconic saguaro cactus and Native American petroglyphs.
Interested parties and the general public will have their voices heard during a 60-day comment period, announced to commence earlier today, with the notice expected to appear in the Federal Register. The BLM, tasked with managing over 245 million acres of public land, predominantly across 12 Western states, has thus triggered a thorough dialogue on the future disposition of the Sonoran Desert's vast expanse, as stated by a spokesperson in a statement obtained by ABC15.
