Dear Interested Party:
We are pleased to let you know about the next phase of public engagement in the Forest Plan Revision process for the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF). Attached is a letter from Joseph Norrell, the Deputy Forest Supervisor, describing upcoming opportunities to get involved in Forest Plan Revision along with more details on meetings and field trips open to the public this fall.
In September 2016, we will have five general and five technical meetings on wilderness evaluation, all of which are open to the public. These meetings are an opportunity to learn about the wilderness characteristic criteria and how the wilderness evaluation is performed and provide site-specific input for areas that will be evaluated for wilderness character. The meeting dates and locations are:
- September 7th in Española
- September 12th in Cuba
- September 13th in Pecos
- September 19th in Jemez
- September 20th in Gallina
The general meetings, scheduled for the evening (6-8pm) to make it easier for members of the public to participate, will include opportunities to interact with Forest Service staff and provide comments. There is no need to RSVP for the general meetings.
The technical meetings, earlier in the afternoon on the same dates (1-4:30pm), will include more in-depth discussions about the evaluation process. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about our internal processes and provide public input about specific features on the landscape. We are asking for RSVPs for the technical meetings so we know how many people to expect. Please email (santafeforestplan@fs.fed.us) or call (505-438-5442) the Forest Plan Revision Team and let us know if you plan to attend a technical meeting.
You can comment in person at the meetings, by email (santafeforestplan@fs.fed.us), or by postal mail (11 Forest Lane, Santa Fe, NM 87508). Wilderness evaluation comments are most useful if we receive them by September 30, 2016.
In addition to the evaluation meetings scheduled in September, we are planning seven field trips to give members of the public the opportunity to see resources on the ground and have conversations with SFNF resource specialists. The field trips will launch discussions on what should go into the Draft Forest Plan which will be written over the next year. Space on the field trips is limited. Attendees must register by email (santafeforestplan@fs.fed.us) or by phone (505-438-5442), and reservations will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. We are giving members of our mailing list an opportunity to register for a field trip before we open them to the general public.
We look forward to your continued involvement.
Forest Plan Revision Team
Santa Fe National Forest
505-438-5442
santafeforestplan@fs.fed.us
11 Forest Ln.
Santa Fe, NM 87508
Big thanks to