The Bureau of Land Management conducted a public scoping meeting last week in Jackson as part of a roughly three-year attempt to draw up the next 20-year management plan for federal lands, including those in Amador County.

Rick Cooper, BLM representative, discussed its work toward the plan, during the public session last Tuesday and said they will continue meeting with the public and taking written and/or oral input until March. Their schedule includes a March to November span when they plan to complete scoping analysis, document the existing situation in the region and begin to develop management alternatives.

Per the schedule, the BLM would issue a draft plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for public review by November 2006. The final EIS and plan are expected to be out in August 2007.

The "Sierra Resource Management Plan" would include approximately 230,000 acres of public land in the Folsom Field Office's region, including Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado , Mariposa, Merced, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne and Yuba counties, John Scull of the Folsom office said in a release.

"The BLM is asking the public to help identify issues and concerns regarding future management of about 9,000 acres of public lands in Amador County," Scull said.

Deane Swickard, Folsom office field manager, said information gathered "will guide management activities on public lands under its jurisdiction for the next 20 years."

The BLM, an agency in the Department of the Interior, manages 261 million acres of public land in the United States, said Cooper of the Folsom office. In contrast, the U.S. Forest Service manages 191 million acres, U.S. Fish and Wildlife handles 93 million acres, the National Park Service handles 84 million acres and the Department of Defense manages 12 million acres.

Cooper said the federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 requires that management plans be developed with public input. It also allows "multiple use" of public land.

He said the Folsom office's priorities include stopping abuse of public land, improving "resource conditions," providing safe and appropriate use and producing resource products.

Comments may be sent to: Bureau of Land Management, Folsom Field Office, 63 Natoma Street, Folsom, 95630. For information, call (916) 985-4474. Also, see the agency's Web site at www.ca.blm.gov/folsom.