<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><br></div><div><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252">Hi All,<div><br></div><div>Last night, I attended a public scoping meeting for the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument at the BLM Office in Santa Fe. They presented the plan to create a new national monument the will encompass the Rio Grande Gorge north of Pilar to the Colorado border and the San Luis valley in New Mexico. You can see more information here: <a href="http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/national_monuments/rio_grande_del_norte.html">http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/national_monuments/rio_grande_del_norte.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>This is something that has been a long time coming, with several people speaking at the meeting indicating that they have been working to see this happen for 20 years. The changes to the area, by making it a National Monument will not have any impact on river access. They are asking for public comments to the Monument Plan, which would provide amendments to the Plan. This could include suggestions for additional trails for improved river access. See: <a href="http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/fo/Taos_Field_Office/Taos_Planing/rgdnnm_management.html">http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/fo/Taos_Field_Office/Taos_Planing/rgdnnm_management.html</a></div><div><br></div></div><div><div>I’d like to email them with a trail improvement suggestions. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where trails would be useful? The only one that I know of that falls within their jurisdiction is that trail into the lower box where folks have to lower their kayaks on ropes to get them in… Let me know and we can email them about it.</div></div><div><div><br></div><div>All the best,</div><div><br></div><div>Peter </div></div></body></html>