Montezuma County signs Section 106 programmatic agreement for Yellowjacket and Flodyne Park grazing allotments

The Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners signed a programmatic Section 106 agreement on Feb. 11, 2025, to remain a concurring party in the Bureau of Land Management—s review of proposed reissuance of the Yellowjacket and Flodyne Park grazing allotment permits in the Canyon of Ancients National Monument.

County staff and the moving commissioner described the agreement as part of the NEPA process and the Section 106 historic-preservation review that will evaluate cultural resources and mitigation measures as the BLM moves forward. Staff said the two allotments have been unused for roughly 20 years and that the BLM initially rescinded permits while conducting a full NEPA review after litigation by environmental groups.

The programmatic agreement establishes a methodology for identifying and evaluating cultural resources and allows the county and regional tribes and other concurring parties to provide comments and remain engaged as the environmental review proceeds. County staff said the agreement does not itself reauthorize grazing but preserves county standing to consult on mitigation and site-specific cultural-resource surveys.

Commissioners discussed the long timeline for the process; a county presenter summarized the multi-decade history and cautioned that further progress may be slow but that having a formal agreement keeps local interests at the table.

Ending: County staff said they will follow the NEPA process and engage with BLM managers and tribal concurring parties as the Section 106 review moves forward.