Mt Taylor Ranger District Fort Wingate Closure Order 03-03-02-25-06

Associated Documents

Forest Order

Order Number: # 03-03-02-25-06

U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service

Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands

Mt. Taylor Ranger District

FORT WINGATE CLOSURE for U.S. ARMY MISSILE TEST LAUNCH 

PROHIBITIONS

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a) and (b), the following are prohibited on the National Forest System (NFS) lands in the Mt. Taylor Ranger District, Cibola National Forest, described below and shown on the attached map, incorporated into this Order as Exhibit A (the “Described Area, Roads, and Trails”):

1. Going into or being upon the Described Area, which is being closed for the protection of public health and safety. 36 C.F.R. § 261.53(e).

2. Being on any Described Road. 36 C.F.R. § 261.54(e).

3. Being on any Described Trail. 36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a).

EXEMPTIONS

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order: 

1. Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order or a written determination by a Forest Service authorized officer that a permit is not required under 36 C.F.R. § 251.50(e)(1) or (2). 

2. Any Federal, State, or Local Officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting resource in the performance of an official duty. 

3. Any Federal personnel performing official duties related to the planned missile test launch which necessitated this order. 

DESCRIBED AREA, ROADS, AND TRAILS

The Described Area, Roads, and Trails are within Township 14 North, Range 16 West, Sections 1-24 and 26-35; Township 13 North, Range 16 West, Sections 2-6; Township 14 North, Range 15 West, Sections 6, 7, and 18, New Mexico Meridian, McKinley County, New Mexico. The Described Area consists of all NFS lands within the boundary starting at the Forest Service gate on NFS Road 547 in Six Mile Canyon, then following NFS Road 547 in a southwesterly direction for approximately 4.6 miles to the point where Sections 23, 24, 25, and 26, Township 14 North, Range 16 West meet (reference point [coordinates]), then following directly south along the section line to the southwest corner of Section 2, Township 13 North, Range 16 West, then following the section line west to the southwest corner of Section 6, Township 13 North, Range 16 West (excluding private inholdings), then following north along the township and range line between Township 13 North., Range 16 West and Township 13 North, Range 17 West to the Cibola National Forest boundary, then following the Cibola National Forest boundary generally northeast, back to the point of beginning, which is the Forest Service gate on NFS Road 547 in Six Mile Canyon, as depicted in Exhibit A of this Order.

The Described Roads and Trails consist of all National Forest System Roads and Trails within the Described Area.

Note: The segment of NFS Road 547 which serves as a boundary for the Described Area is a Described Road and is therefore closed by this order.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Order is to protect public health and safety during the U.S. Army’s planned missile test launch, including pre-launch periods, near the Fort Wingate Army Depot. 

IMPLEMENTATION

1. This Order shall be in effect from May 19, 2025, at 2:00 PM, through May 22, 2025, at 4 PM, and May 27, 2025, at 2:00 PM, through May 29, 2025, at 4 PM. unless rescinded.

2. A map identifying the Described Area is attached and made part of this Order as Exhibit A. For a digital version of this Order and Exhibit A, go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ /alerts-notices.

3. Unless otherwise expressly defined in this Order, the terms used in this Order are defined by the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture, 36 C.F.R. Chapter II, Parts 200-299. If there are terms in this Order that are not expressly defined in the Order or 36 C.F.R. Chapter II, Parts 200-299, their meaning shall be determined by their plain language definitions.

4. A violation of the above prohibitions is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. 16 U.S.C. § 551; 18 U.S.C.§§ 3559, 3571, and 3581.

5. Further information regarding this Order may be obtained at the Mt. Taylor Ranger District located in Grants, New Mexico, telephone number (505) 287-8833, and at the Cibola National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, telephone number (505) 346-3900.

6. This Order supersedes any previous Orders prohibiting the same or similar acts in the same Described Area.

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