News Release

For Release:  August 27, 2008           
Contact:  Jeff Fontana (530) 252-5332 or Kelly Williams (530) 224-2100)
CA-N-08-85

BLM Acquires More Riverfront Property For Public Access

Public access to the Sacramento River between Redding and Red Bluff will be expanded soon, with the acquisition by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of 71 acres in the Sacramento River Bend area.
 
"These areas will be open for public access this fall, after we remove some deteriorating buildings, old fences and other hazards," said Kelly Williams, the BLM's manager of the Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Natural Area.  "With these purchases there are now more than 17,500 acres of river frontage and oak woodlands available to the public."
 
Williams said the Bend area is becoming increasingly popular with horseback riders, hikers, mountain bike riders and birders.

Hunters visit the area to pursue upland birds, waterfowl, wild turkey and deer.  Bend area public lands are used each year for special pheasant hunts sponsored by the BLM, California Department of Fish and Game and the Shasta County Sportsmen's Association. Up to 200 youth participate in a special hunt every year.

The area also provides opportunities for primitive camping (there are no developed campgrounds) and boat-in camping.  There are launch and takeout points for rafts and kayaks.
 
Williams said the BLM has been purchasing property in the Bend area from willing sellers since 1972.  Public land access to the river has grown from about a mile in the 1970s to more than 17 miles today.
 
In the most recent purchase, the BLM used an allocation from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to buy the private parcels surrounded by public land.  The total purchase price was $1.85 million.
 
Information on the Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Natural Area is available on the internet at www.blm.gov/redding, or by contacting the BLM Redding Field Office, (530) 224-2100.

-BLM-

Redding Field Office     355 Hemsted Dr.,      Redding, CA  96002