5.0—CONSISTENCY/COORDINATION WITH OTHER PLANS
Plans completed by federal and state agencies, local jurisdictions, and organizations were reviewed to
determine whether policies and decisions are consistent or interdependent with resource management in
the Planning Area. The following sections highlight the federal (other than BLM), state, and local agency
and organization policies, regulations, and planning efforts that may impact BLM decision-making for
each resource, or provide opportunities for coordination towards shared or interdependent goals.
The discussion for each resource may include plans completed by other federal and state agencies,
including the EPA, USFS, USFWS, NMED, New Mexico State Land Office, NMDGF, and New Mexico
State Parks. In accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies, this
RMP will be consistent with other RMPs being developed or recently developed by other BLM field
offices throughout the state.
5.1
AIR RESOURCES
Conformity with the applicable SIP must be demonstrated whenever a new project or activity proposed
for location in a non-attainment area will be developed as part of a federal action, and has the potential to
emit greater than 100 tons per year of the non-attainment pollutant. Conformity to an implementation
plan, as defined by the EPA, means the following:

Conforming to a plan’s purpose of eliminating or reducing the severity and number of violations
of national ambient air quality standards and of achieving expeditious attainment of such
standards

Activities will not:

cause or contribute to any new violation of any standard in any area;

increase the frequency or severity of any existing violation of any standard in any area; or

delay timely attainment of any standard or any required interim emission reductions or other
milestones in any area. (EPA 2005e)
When determining whether or not a project or activity conforms to an SIP, a complete inventory of
primary and secondary emissions resulting from the project must be considered, including projections of
vehicle travel and congestion, as determined by a metropolitan planning organization or other agency that
is authorized to make such estimates (EPA 2005e).
Since a portion of the Planning Area is designated as a non-attainment area for particulate matter equal to
or less than 10 microns in diameter and ozone, the BLM must consider conformity analyses as part of the
planning process for substantial new projects. Examples of such projects include construction of new
facilities, road expansions or improvements, and prescribed range management burns for wildfire
mitigation.
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5.2
SOILS
There are no specific plans at the federal, state, or county level that detail soil condition goals and
objectives. The state nonpoint-source pollution plan addresses the transport of sediment from a water
quality goal, as described in the Water Resources Section (Section 3.4). While excess soil erosion,
transport, and deposition are undesirable conditions under county ordinances and building standards,
these ordnances and standards address the built environment and would only be relevant to road or
structural design projects.
5.3
WATER AND WATERSHED RESOURCES
5.3.1
Regional Water Plans
The primary water planning framework in New Mexico is the regional water plan approach initiated by
the ISC of the NMOSE (NMOSE, 2009). The legislation for a regional water planning program, to be
administered by the New Mexico ISC, was adopted by the New Mexico Legislature in 1987 (72-1-43 and
72-14-44 NMSA, Cum Supp. 1993).
Sixteen water planning regions have since been recognized by the ISC (see Figure 5.1).
Regions are charged with identifying water supply, projecting demand, and where water supply is
determined to be inadequate to meet projected demand, which is almost always the case in New Mexico,
regions must develop strategic alternatives to meet their water shortage challenges. Water plans must
include recommended alternatives for regional water resources management, water conservation,
protection of the regional public welfare, and time lines for implementing the water plan. Investigations
are also to identify unappropriated groundwater resources that may be appropriated and reserved on
behalf of region by the ISC.
5.3.2
New Mexico State Water Plan
The ISC adopted the New Mexico State Water Plan in December 2003 with input from the NMOSE,
Water Trust Board, public, state agencies, tribal governments, and other interested stakeholders (NMOSE
2009a). The plan identifies priorities, goals and objectives for water management in New Mexico, which
have an impact on the public welfare of the state. It contains policy statements, implementation strategies,
a brief background discussion and summary of public input. The 2003 State Water Plan was developed as
strategic management tool for the following:
1. Promoting stewardship of the state’s water resources
2. Protecting and maintaining water rights and their priority status
3. Protecting the diverse customs, culture, environment, and economic stability of the state
4. Protecting both the water supply and water quality
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5. Promoting cooperative strategies, based on concern for meeting the basic needs of all New
Mexicans
6. Meeting the state’s interstate compact obligations
7. Providing a basis for prioritizing infrastructure investment
8. Providing statewide continuity of policy and management relative to our water resources
The NMOSE and ISC are required to undertake a review of the New Mexico State Water Plan (SWP)
every five years and to subsequently update the plan as needed (NMSA72-14-3.1). The 2008 Review and
Proposed Update, New Mexico State Water Plan (NMOSE 2008c) summarizes the review and presents a
proposed work program for conducting the update.
5.3.3
Source Water Assessment and Protection Program
In 1999, the EPA approved the New Mexico Source Water Assessment and Protection Program, under
programs implemented for compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. According to NMED, the
objectives of the New Mexico Source Water Assessment and Protection Program are the following:
5.4

Determining the source water protection area for the water system

Taking inventory of actual and potential contaminant sources within the source water protection
area

Determining the susceptibility of the source area and water system to contamination

Reporting the Source Water Assessment and Protection Program findings to the water utility, its
customers, and the community

Working with the community and other stakeholders to implement source water protection
measures that safeguard and sustain the water supply into the future
VEGETATIVE COMMUNITIES
No specific plans provide guidance for management of vegetative communities. Plans related to special
status species are mentioned in Section 5.7, Special Status Species.
5.5
FISH, WILDLIFE, AND HABITAT
The common goal in the management of fish, wildlife, and habitat on lands administered by local, state,
and other federal agencies within the Planning Area is very similar to that on BLM-administered lands.
Each agency’s goals are to protect and enhance wildlife and their habitat, comply with federal laws and
policies, and ensure species do not become listed in the future.
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5.5.1
State Agencies
The NMDGF has published the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy for wildlife in the state as
part of the federal State Wildlife Grants Program. The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy
will be developed to ensure that funds provided through the program are spent wisely and effectively on
restoration and enhancement of wildlife populations and habitat. Projects supported by state wildlife
grants can include restoration of degraded habitat, reintroduction of native wildlife, development of
partnerships with private landowners, education of the public, and collection of data to find out more
about declining species.
5.6
SPECIAL STATUS SPECIES
The USFWS is required under Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA to prepare recovery plans for newly-listed
species, unless it is determined that the plan will not promote the recovery of the species. Recovery plans
are not regulatory documents, but are guidance documents intended to assist agencies in prioritizing,
delineating, justifying, and scheduling management actions necessary to support the recovery of a species.
Within the Planning Area, three federally listed species have recovery plans.
5.7
CULTURAL RESOURCES
Federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as tribal governments, manage lands within and
adjacent to the Planning Area and have completed several planning documents for areas within the
Planning Area that address cultural resources. Review of these plans identified no inconsistencies with the
BLM cultural resources program. Most of the plans include only general statements regarding
consideration of heritage resources during the planning and review of specific projects and a commitment
to comply with applicable federal, state, and local government historic preservation regulations and
ordinances. Close coordination with agencies that manage lands adjacent to the public lands is
appropriate, particularly for individual cultural resources that overlap jurisdictional boundaries.
5.7.1
Other Federal Agencies
Other federal agencies that manage lands or administer units within or adjacent to the Planning Area
include the Department of Defense (Ft. Wingate Army Depot and Kirtland Air Force Base), USACE
(Jemez Canyon Dam), NPS (Bandelier National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro
National Monument, Petroglyph National Monument, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument),
USFS (Cibola National Forest, Santa Fe National Forest, and Valles Caldera National Preserve), and
USFWS (San Andres National Wildlife Refuge). These federal agencies have cultural resource programs
similar to those of the BLM to address federal cultural resource protection mandates, and it is appropriate
for the BLM RPFO to coordinate with these agencies as well as other BLM field offices that manage
adjacent public lands.
The BIA also has federal trust responsibilities for tribal lands within the Planning Area. The Navajo
Nation, Acoma, Cochiti, Laguna, Isleta, San Felipe, Santa Ana, and Santo Domingo have developed
programs to manage cultural resources on their lands, and it is appropriate for BLM to coordinate with
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these programs about the management of specific heritage resources that overlap boundaries with
adjacent public lands. NPS and BLM prepared a CMP and final EIS for El Camino Real Tierra Adentro
National Historic Trail (the Royal Road of the Interior; 2004). The plan envisions a multi-use recreational
retracement trail and venue for public interpretation of the broad themes of history of the region traversed
by the trail. NPS and BLM will provide leadership for federal, state, regional, and local government,
private landowners, non-profit organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals to create,
mark, and interpret the trail. The trail does not cross public lands within the Planning Area, but it is
desirable to acquire lands containing the trail in the future.
5.7.2
State Agencies
In 2007, the New Mexico Historic Preservation Plan (NMHPD 2007) was approved. The plan presents
goals, objectives, challenges, and opportunities for preservation within the state. The state plan outlines
strategies for expanding public knowledge about historic preservation, improving knowledge about
preservation funding, incorporating historic preservation into community planning, strengthening legal
protections for historic properties, and expanding the number of historic preservation organizations
throughout the state.
The plan also includes an overview of New Mexico’s cultural resources, the identification of local, state,
and federal agencies included in the New Mexico preservation network, and preservation
accomplishments from 2002 to 2006. The New Mexico Historic Preservation Plan recognizes that BLM,
as a federal land managing agency, is an important partner in the state’s historic preservation network.
5.7.3
City and County Plans
The city of Albuquerque with Bernalillo County has a comprehensive plan, Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County Comprehensive Plan, that guides urban conservation and development and for environmental
management for the area. This land use plan addresses cultural resources, including historic structures and
an archaeological site, and identifies goals and policies guiding these resources. The management of
cultural resources under this plan is consistent with state and federal mandates. This plan and city policies
governing cultural resources are most relevant in the Placitas area of the Planning Area, where the City of
Albuquerque Open Space Division manages lands adjacent to public lands.
5.7.4
Other Plans
In addition to governmental plans, some lands within the Planning Area are owned and managed by the
Archaeological Conservancy, a non-governmental organization. This non-profit organization acquires
archaeological and historical properties for the purpose of preserving them from damage and destruction
in order that through a long future they may be studied to increase our understanding of the lives of their
occupants and of the past in general. Within the Planning Area, the Archaeological Conservancy owns the
site of San Jose de Las Huertas, which is protected by the GBASPA. The conservancy operates under a
general management plan, and has a site-specific management plan for San Jose de Las Huertas.
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5.8
WILDLAND FIRE AND ECOLOGY
5.8.1
Joint Powers Agreements/Operating Plans
The boundaries of the RPFO include parts of two Fire Management Zones (Albuquerque Zone and Santa
Fe Zone), lands of six federal agencies, and state and private lands. While these areas are not all in the
Planning Area, fire management resources from all areas may be utilized within the Planning Area. An
effective fire management program requires close coordination among local and regional jurisdictions.
Information in the RPFO FMP will refine and strengthen the ongoing fire management coordination
efforts of all of the related agencies.
One Joint Powers Agreement/Operating Plan is used to coordinate the fire management program of the
RPFO within the Albuquerque Zone and the Santa Fe Zone. The Joint Powers Agreement/Operating Plan
outlines agreements and commitments among federal agencies and the State of New Mexico for wildland
fire protection, joint fire management, and large-fire support. The agencies jointly conduct mutual interest
projects, within their authority, to maintain or improve fire management capability. For instance, the
RPFO, Cibola National Forest, and officials of Cibola, Sandoval, and Torrance counties have collaborated
to complete community wildfire protection plans. These efforts are part of the community assistance and
protection planning efforts developed through public meetings with the County WUI working groups in
these counties. Future projects may involve such activities as prescribed fire and fuels management,
suppression, preparedness, rehabilitation, prevention education, public affairs, rural fire assistance, and
fire planning.
The RPFO, Cibola National Forest, and the BIA Southwest Region have an inter-agency agreement for
staffing and funding of the Albuquerque Interagency Dispatch Center. In addition, the RPFO provides a
full-time dispatcher to the Albuquerque Interagency Dispatch Center. A number of agencies have been
consulted and are considered partners in the fire management program within the area administered by the
RPFO. Major partners include:

Cibola National Forest

Santa Fe National Forest

NRCS

New Mexico State Forestry: Bernalillo District

U.S. Department of Defense: Kirtland Air Force Base

NPS: El Malpais National Monument

BOR

BIA: Southern Pueblos Agency
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
County governments of Cibola, Sandoval, Bernalillo, Torrance, and McKinley Counties.
In the future, it is anticipated that the RPFO FMP will be amended as opportunities to collaborate with
interagency partners in the area of shared suppression resources, facilities, cooperative agreements,
stewardship, prevention, and education and training become available.
5.8.2
Review and Update of the 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and National
Fire Plan
The Review and Update of the 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy (National Interagency
Fire Center 2001) provides the philosophical and policy foundation for federal interagency fire
management activities conducted under the National Fire Plan. The National Fire Plan is not a single,
cohesive document. Rather, it is composed of various documents, including: 1) a September 8, 2000,
report—Managing the Impact of Wildfires on Communities and the Environment—from the Secretaries
of the Interior and Agriculture to the President of the United States, in response to the wildland fires in
2000; 2) congressional direction accompanying substantial new appropriations for wildland fire
management for Fiscal Year 2001; 3) the 1999 Forest Service–released Protecting People and Sustaining
Resources in Fire-Adapted Ecosystems: A Cohesive Strategy, in response to the U.S. General Accounting
Office Report, Western National Forests: A Cohesive Strategy is Needed to Address Catastrophic
Wildfire Threats (U.S. General Accounting Office /RCED-99-65); and 4) several approved and draft
strategies to implement all or parts of the plan.
The 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy directs federal agencies to achieve a balance
between suppression to protect life, property, and resources, and fire use to regulate fuels and maintain
healthy ecosystems. The policy provides nine guiding principles that are fundamental to the success of the
federal wildland fire management program:

Firefighter and public safety is the first priority in every fire management activity.

The role of wildland fire as an essential ecological process and natural change agent will be
incorporated into the planning process.

Fire management plans, programs, and activities support land and RMPs and their
implementation.

Sound risk management is a foundation for all fire management activities.

Fire management programs and activities are economically viable, based upon values to be
protected, costs, and land and resource management objectives.

Fire management plans and activities are based upon the best available science.

Fire management plans and activities incorporate public health and environmental quality
considerations.
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
Federal, state, tribal, local, interagency, and international coordination and cooperation are
essential.

Standardization of policies and procedures among federal agencies is an ongoing objective.
5.9
PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES
After many of the RMPs were completed and the BLM General Procedural Guidance for Paleontological
Resources Management (USDI BLM 1998b) was completed, the USDI prepared an Assessment of Fossil
Management on Federal and American Indian Lands (USDI Secretary of the Interior 2000) in response to
Congress’s request for an assessment of the need for a unified federal policy on the collection, storage and
preservation of fossils, and for standards that would maximize the availability of fossils for scientific
study. The BLM, BIA, BOR, USFWS, USFS, NPS, Smithsonian Institution, and USGS all contributed to
this study. In the assessment, it was determined that
fossils are nonrenewable and (except for microfossils and those that make up the energy minerals)
relatively rare resources with significant scientific, educational, and commercial and recreational
values. . . . Fossils on [federal] lands . . . are managed for their scientific, educational and, where
appropriate, recreational values. (USDI, Secretary of the Interior 2000)
The Assessment of Fossil Management on Federal and American Indian Lands (USDI Secretary of the
Interior 2000) presents the following principles and recommendations for administrative and
Congressional actions pertaining to fossils:

Principle 1: Fossils on federal lands are a part of America’s heritage. Recommendation: Future
actions should reaffirm the current use of federal fossils for their scientific, educational, and
where appropriate, recreational values.

Principle 2: Most vertebrate fossils are rare. Recommendation: Future actions should reaffirm the
restriction of vertebrate fossil collection to qualified personnel, with fossils remaining in federal
ownership in perpetuity.

Principle 3: Some invertebrate and plant fossils are rare. Recommendation: Future actions should
reaffirm mission-specific agency approaches to the management of plant and invertebrate fossils.

Principle 4: Penalties for fossil theft should be strengthened. Recommendation: Future actions
should penalize the theft of fossils from federal lands in a way that maximizes the effectiveness of
prosecutions and deters future thefts. Penalties should take into account, among other factors, the
value of the fossils themselves, as well as any damage resulting from their illegal collection.
Future program strategies should emphasize education of federal managers, prosecutors, law
enforcement personnel, and the judiciary regarding the value of fossils and the techniques for the
appropriate protection of fossil resources.

Principle 5: Effective stewardship requires accurate information. Recommendation: Future
actions should acknowledge the need for gathering and analyzing information about where fossils
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occur, in particular, the critical role of inventory in the effective management of fossil resources.
Increased emphasis on fossil inventory should take into consideration, where possible, regional
approaches across agency lines, using modern technology such as geographic information
systems. Such work could also address specific issues such as the impact of erosion on the loss of
resources.

Principle 6: Federal fossil collections should be preserved and available for research and public
education. Recommendation: Future actions should reaffirm the importance of curating
scientifically valuable fossils as federal property, often in partnership with non-federal
institutions. Future program approaches should emphasize the use of modern technology to
improve curation and access, as well as the sharing of information between and among
government agencies and other institutions.

Principle 7: Federal fossil management should emphasize opportunities for public involvement.
Recommendation: Future actions should include an emphasis on public education and
participation in the stewardship of fossil resources. Future program approaches should emphasize
the use of technology to increase public education and awareness of the importance and benefit of
fossil resources.
5.10
WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS
Wilderness characteristics may be evaluated for significance under visual and biological resources or
under recreational resource use. Wilderness characteristics typically have not been addressed as part of
state or city/county planning documents applicable within the Planning Area.
5.11
CAVE AND KARST RESOURCES
Caves may be evaluated for significance under cultural, biological, geological, hydrological, and
educational and recreation significance. Caves typically have not been addressed as part of city/county or
state land use planning documents in the Planning Area.
5.12
RECREATION
5.12.1 United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
The USFS management plans provide for integrated multiple use and sustainable yield or goods and
services from the forest in a way that maximizes long-term net public benefits in an environmentally
sound manner (USFS 1988, 1986, 1985). Recreation is managed using the ROS, Visual Quality
Objectives, and any additional management prescriptions outlined in management plans.
5.12.2 National Management Strategy for Mountain Biking
The National Management Strategy for Mountain Biking provides guidance to BLM field offices for
developing a proactive management approach that is supported by the BLM Washington Office. To
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promote consistency agency-wide and locally for successful nonmotorized trail management, BLM field
offices are directed to coordinate at the national level and with states, local organizations, and volunteers.
5.12.3 New Mexico Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2004–2009
SCORP exists to provide state-level recreational use and area information (an analysis of supply and
demand for recreational opportunities, public input, a list of current trails and wetlands) to the Land and
Water Conservation Fund to establish priorities for funds allocations for land acquisitions to serve the
outdoor recreation requirements of the people of New Mexico. The plan is the primary means by which
the State of New Mexico and the USDI, via the NPS, cooperate to provide for the outdoor recreation
needs of the state. SCORP uses Regional Planning Districts to support the outdoor recreation planning
and economic strategies of concentrated areas throughout the state to allow greater efficiency in tying
together quality of life, issues, economic development, and protection of natural systems.
Regional issues identified in the SCORP include access problems, lack of resources for maintenance, and
the desire for urban and rural trail systems. In addition, the public expressed a desire for equestrian and
multi-sport complexes. SCORP identifies the most important issue as the need to “expand and develop
new urban/multi-use/open space trails,” followed by other issues related to conflicts between OHV use
and other uses, protecting access to public land, and promoting recreation that positively impacts
economies [citation].
5.13
TRANSPORTATION AND ACCESS
5.13.1 New Mexico Department of Transportation FY 2003–2008 Statewide Transportation
Improvement Program
The Statewide Transportation Improvement Program is the state’s multi-modal transportation
preservation and capital improvement program, listing projects for the three-year period from Fiscal Year
(FY) 2006 to FY 2008. The document becomes a pre-scheduling and funding document. Various local,
state, and federal transportation corridors have been identified for improvement within the Planning Area.
Future improvements have been identified along U.S. Highway 70, Interstate 40, Interstate 25, and
various state routes and local roads (New Mexico Department of Transportation [NMDOT] 2003).
5.14
PUBLIC SAFETY
5.14.1 State Plans and Programs
According to the NMDOT, New Mexico participates in highway-related safety programs such as Project
Lifesaver, and the federally sponsored State Safety Participation Program (NMDOT 2005). The New
Mexico Highway Safety Improvement Program Section of NMDOT provides engineering services to
accomplish the following:

Develop, prioritize, and select roadway safety improvement projects on a statewide basis.
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
Coordinate with the Transportation Programs Division, Traffic Safety Bureau to administer a
statewide transportation safety management system.

Assist other groups within NMDOT and other agencies in highway safety-related matters.
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