§542d Comprehensive Management Plan

Summary

Designates about 31,000 acres for a research site, including a main research area of about 1,000 acres. The site map called "Langmuir Research Site," dated August 1980, is kept at the Forest Service office. The Secretary of Agriculture must, as soon as possible after December 19, 1980, create a comprehensive management plan under the National Forest Management Act and add it to the initial Cibola National Forest land and resource management plan. The Secretary may make small boundary changes after giving written notice to the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, but those changes cannot add or remove more than 7,000 acres. When making the plan, the Secretary must talk with the National Science Foundation, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, the New Mexico Academy of Science, and suitable conservation, wilderness, wildlife, industry, and other public interest groups. The plan must set clear research and management goals. The main research area is to be used mainly for scientific work, but dispersed recreation, grazing, and other uses that do not interfere may be allowed. The site must support research activities, equipment, and structures allowed by the plan. Roads will be kept to what is needed, and motor vehicles may use only the roads the plan names. Small instrumented research rockets may keep landing in parts of the site the plan sets aside for that purpose.