Part of the trail in the Tsankawi section of Bandelier. Courtesy/NPS

BANDELIER News:

Bandelier National Monument Superintendent Jason Lott announced today that the public review period for the Tsankawi Unit Management Plan and Environmental Assessment has been extended through March 16, 2015.  

The plan and environmental assessment evaluate a range of alternatives to improve resource protection, address safety concerns, and enhance visitor opportunities at the Tsankawi section of Bandelier. Three alternatives were developed based on the results of internal and public scoping, agency and pueblo consultation, and prior planning studies.

Proposed actions in the plan include changes to the trail system, interpretive program, and parking. Realignment of existing trails would help protect resources from visitor impacts and natural erosion. New trails would enhance visitor opportunities to experience the area’s rich history of human occupation. New interpretive messaging would help visitors understand the significance and sensitivity of the area’s cultural and natural resources. Trailhead parking along the road shoulder of N.M. 4 would be relocated onto National Park Service lands to provide safer access to the site.

The National Park Service encourages review and input on the plan and environmental assessment, which are available at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/Tsankawi. Comments may be posted online or mailed to: Bandelier National Monument,  Attention: Tsankawi UMP/EA, 15 Entrance Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544; the new deadline is March 16, 2015.