Signing project a community effort

GRAND JUNCTION, CO – After Saturday, September 10, visitors traveling in the 72,000-acre North Fruita Desert will be guided by over 300 travel management signs and greeted by new information kiosks. The Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office is partnering with a variety of special interest groups, ranging from mountain bike and motorcycle interests to energy, agricultural and local business groups to install the signs. Volunteers, regardless of their interests, are invited to join in the day’s activities. This project furthers BLM efforts to implement the North Fruita Desert management plan, which was developed through widespread community involvement before being finalized in 2004.

“The collaboration among the BLM and those user groups who work and play in the North Fruita Desert is very important in accomplishing on-the-ground management objectives and protecting our shared resources,” said BLM Transportation Planner Jim Cooper.

“The entire community of those who have an interest in, or play in, the North Fruita Desert is coming together to celebrate the many uses this area has to offer,” said John Martin, a public-at-large member of the BLM’s Northwest Resource Advisory Council.

The North Fruita Desert sees a diverse mix of uses. A popular destination for all trail enthusiasts, the area features a bicycle emphasis area, a multi-use trail system, a horse-foot emphasis area and an off-highway vehicle area designated for open/cross country travel. An active coal mining operation and several natural gas wells can also be found in the North Fruita Desert vicinity. Other actions slated for the area include campground development, rerouting of trails and an adopt-a-trail program.

Work begins at 10 a.m., Sat., Sept. 10, at the trailhead located about 4 miles north of the canal on 18 Road. Volunteers will meet back at the trailhead about 3 p.m. for fun and refreshments. Register now for this project at http://www.voutdoors.org. (Click on "Find Volunteer Opportunities," enter "September 10" and select BLM Grand Junction as the agency), or by calling (970) 244-3021. For additional information on this project and others, contact Jim Cooper at 970-244-3047.

Editor’s Note: Media interviews and photo ops available at 10 a.m., September 10. Call Mel Lloyd for details and directions to site, which is roughly 30 minutes from downtown Grand Junction.

-BLM-