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—
SUMMER 2015 UPDATE —
 Collaborative
Area Management Plan
The
Friends of Redington Pass (FRP) is currently developing a Collaborative
Area Management Plan (CAMP) for Redington Pass, as recommended
in the 2013 Coronado National Forest (CNF) Draft Forest Plan Revision.
The
CAMP process addresses the need for sustainable future use of
the Pass through a unique public participatory approach in which
spatial data and local knowledge help collaborative decision-making
by providing concrete, specific information about issues and “hot
spot” focus areas on the Pass. This process began in Spring
2014 with a public community meeting in which over 150 participants
used a detailed map of the Pass to pinpoint personal favorite
and trouble spot areas and completed a survey about their specific
uses and interests regarding the Pass. This initial data helped
FRP determine what further information was needed to begin discussing
the CAMP.
FRP
then posted an online community survey and met with individual
interest-groups (organizations, clubs, individuals, and agencies)
in Fall 2014. A second public meeting in November 2014 was organized
to share the results of that data collection effort, which included
a list of shared values held by visitors to the Pass and key issues
that needed to be addressed in the CAMP. Participants were encouraged
to volunteer to serve on one of four issue working groups focusing
on recreational shooting, recreational access, highly used areas,
and user conflicts. FRP then composed each working group based
on the applicants’ stated interests, familiarity with the
Pass, connections to formal organizations and informal networks,
as well as the need to balance the interests within each group.
The four working groups have been meeting monthly through Spring
2015 to develop management options for the CAMP. An April field
trip also brought working group members together out in the field
at stops along Redington Road and at different locations in the
Pass, including staging areas and pull offs, the Race Track area,
the currently closed and potential new sites for recreational
target shooting, the Arizona Trail trailhead, and Chiva Falls.
Research will continue over the summer and the working groups
will complete their draft recommendations in the Fall 2015. An
integration group has also been meeting monthly to review the
overall progress of the working groups.
The
results of this collaborative effort will be shared at a third
community meeting as a draft set of recommendations. That draft
CAMP document will also be available for public review and comment
on the FRP website. The final CAMP document will then be presented
to the CNF for further consideration and possibly formal environmental
(NEPA) review. The FRP plans to continue its commitment to Redington
Pass through assistance in implementing the CAMP, further monitoring,
and adaptation of management recommendations in the future.
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