Heinrich: New Online Portal Allows Public Input On Public Land Access
Heinrich passed the HUNT Act to identify public lands that are currently inaccessible but could provide valuable opportunities for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is encouraging the public to utilize a new internet-based portal created by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to more easily and efficiently nominate public lands that are currently inaccessible but could provide valuable opportunities for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities.
The new portal is a result of the HUNT Act, legislation Senator Heinrich championed that was signed into law in 2019 as part of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The law requires federal agencies to ask for the public’s input on identifying lands where there is no legal public access or where access is significantly restricted, in order to help create a list of parcels where access could be improved. In 2020, BLM received more than 6,000 responses.
“Improving access to our public lands plays a key role in growing our outdoor recreation economy and passing on traditions like hunting and fishing to our children and grandchildren. I encourage New Mexicans to use this new tool to flag public lands that are inaccessible so improvements can be made,”said Heinrich.
The BLM web-based geospatial portal opened for nominations on May 23, 2022 and will remain open to the public until June 30, 2022. Interested parties can read the directions on the site itself or watch a three-minute instructional video.
