Agreement protects Agua Fria National Monument
Staff Report ~ 6/2/2010

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced that a new land use plan will protect the unique resources of the Agua Fria National Monument governing how BLM manages these lands for the next 15 to 20 years.
“The Friends of the Agua Fria National Monument are excited to see the spectacular array of ecological and cultural resources being protected as they will provide significant opportunities for scientific exploration and a valuable contribution to ecotourism in the region,” said Peggy Biegler, Executive Director of the Friends of Agua Fria. “The plan safeguards the Monument's natural resources, as well as providing guidance for managed compatible land uses. I believe it will serve as the basis for making sound management decisions in the future.”
The Monument covers the land on the east side of I-17 from Sonoran Desert near Black Canyon City on the southern end to high desert grasslands near Cordes Junction on the north. More than 80 percent of the Monument (57,650 acres) is designated for back country recreational use. This is generally a non-motorized zone that allows opportunities for primitive and undeveloped experience of the monument in a variety of ways, including activities like hiking, camping, and hunting. Areas not in the back country portion of the Monument will allow for educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities with easier access, closer to the highway, and with basic informational kiosks for interpretation and convenience.
According to today’s announced plan, all motorized vehicles are limited to designated roads throughout the Monument; there is no cross-country off-road use as it was prohibited in the presidential proclamation designating the Monument. Of the 171 miles of roads identified in the in the Monument, 94 miles are open, 52 miles have been closed, and 25 will be used for administrative purposes only. The land use plan also prohibits shooting on the Monument except for hunting. This offers the recreational user quiet and safe backcountry experience.
The long process to create this management plan started shortly after the Monument was designated in 2000. The Monument includes hundreds of archaeological sites, threatened and endangered species, and a newly designated Audubon Important Bird Area. It is part of the 28 million acre BLM National Landscape Conservation System that is also celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.
The Friends of the Agua Fria are a volunteer, non-profit organization that works alongside the BLM to protect, preserve and promote the monument and its resources. For more information contact peggy@aguafriafriends.org or visit www.aguafriafriends.org.