DENVER – A federal government plan for drilling in energy-rich northwestern Colorado released Friday includes stepped-up protections for public land near Dinosaur National Monument.

The proposal would also ease limits on what time of year drilling rigs can operate if energy companies consolidate well sites to minimize environmental disruptions.

Seasonal restrictions on drilling are designed to protect wildlife during winter, nesting times and other periods when they’re more vulnerable.

The restrictions include measures to keep the night sky dark and limit noise and visual intrusions.

The 330-square-mile national monument, which straddles the Colorado-Utah border, includes dinosaur fossils, petroglyphs and the canyons of the Green and Yampa rivers. Rafting is popular in the area.

The Western Energy Alliance, an industry group, expressed concern about how much surface area might be closed to drilling under the overall plan, requiring companies to use directional drilling to tap gas pockets from a distance.

Directional drilling doesn’t work in every situation, said Kathleen Sgamma, a spokeswoman for the group.

Conservation and recreation groups praised the plan, particularly protections for the Dinosaur Monument area.

The release of the plan triggers a 30-day period for public protests and a 60-day period for state officials to review it. A final decision is expected this year.