In a move aimed at protecting the Sonoran Desert National Monument's intricate ecosystem, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has adjusted the areas permitted for target practice on public lands, heavily restricting the activity to a mere fraction of the monument's expanse, according to a report by AZPM. The new enforcement restricts shooting to designated spots scattered over 5,295 acres, safeguarding the landscape dotted with various plant species, archeological sites, and historic trails.

Chris Wonderly, BLM spokesman, revealed the changes stem from a settlement reached in April 2022 with several preservation entities, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the WIlderness Society, and the Sierra Club, Wonderly said, "BLM agreed to reopen a planning process to investigate how and if recreational target shooting can work alongside natural resources and cultural resources in the Sonoran Desert National Monument." This appears to solidify the organization's dedication to examining how recreational activities such as target shooting intersect and potentially disrupt the delicate balance of natural and cultural resources within the national monument's confines.

Hunters will find reprieve in the ruling as it does not apply to hunting practices within the designated monument's boundaries. Moreover, Wonderly pointed out that outside the monument's limits, recreational shooters can still access approximately 93% of the 12.1 million acres of Arizona's BLM-managed lands for dispersed target shooting activities.

The Sonoran Desert National Monument, established in 2001 by then-President Bill Clinton, carries the objective to preserve its vast array of biological, archaeological, and cultural treasures, the BLM has been entangled in a series of legal challenges regarding recreational shooting since 2012 after completing a resource management plan, and following a 2015 court order from the case National Trust for Historic Preservation et. al v. Raymond Suazo, BLM and Department of the Interior, there was a call for a new analysis of shooting impacts, leading to the amended 2018 plan and subsequent 2022 court settlement that has spurred the current planning efforts.