Local volunteers to pitch in for the Coyote Cutoff Tire Removal

1 OF 600 COAST-TO-COAST SITES TARGETED FOR HELPING HANDS

Montrose, Colo. – Volunteers working with the Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Field Office will be removing over 150 tires dumped within the past six months in the Dry Creek area about 30 minutes northwest of Montrose. On September 16, 2006, area residents join in what has become the largest annual coast-to-coast volunteer restoration effort for America’s public lands—the 13th annual National Public Lands Day (NPLD). Sponsored for the seventh consecutive year by Toyota Motor Sales, USA, the event gives everyone an annual chance to give back to the very lands they use to hike, bike, climb, ride, explore, picnic or just plain relax.

“Thousands of volunteers, including those in Montrose, will prove how much they care about their irreplaceable public places,” said Robb Hampton, director of National Public Lands Day. “Each year, more and more Americans come out to lend a hand in September, and we invite all of you to join us.”

You’re invited to join other local volunteers who will roll up their sleeves and devote their day to loading the tires that were previously collected and stock piled at the Coyote Cutoff for removal. The day’s project will begin at 9 a.m. at the Tabeguache Trailhead off Rim Road. Volunteers can help with a wide range and level of activities, such as getting snacks and lunch, helping with set up, or moving tires from the collection area to the trailers.

For the third year in a row, volunteers who work at a site managed by any of five federal agencies will be rewarded with a pass good for free entry any day during the next year at public land sites managed by those agencies: Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USDA Forest Service.

While NPLD is celebrated in September of every year, volunteers are needed year-round at BLM. Trail maintenance and clean-up projects are always on BLM’s “to do” list. In fact, dumping on public lands is a common problem, and BLM is constantly faced with properly disposing of everything from household trash to hazardous materials. Those who abuse your public lands need to learn that it’s not okay—ultimately, all of us pay. Those who witness any suspicious activity on public lands are encouraged to contact the local BLM field office at (970) 240-5300, or call 911.

Those interested in volunteering on September 16 are asked to pre-register and should wear durable work clothes, gloves and a hat, and bring plenty of water, snacks and sunscreen. Go online to get more information and register at voutdoors.org for the “Coyote Cutoff Tire Removal,” or contact BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner Julie Stotler at (970) 240-5310.

-BLM-