U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
| Contacts: | Erin Curtis, 970-244-3097 |
Nearly 100 Grand Junction Volunteers Turn Out For 2009 National Public Lands Day Events
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Nearly 100 volunteers turned out for two National Public Lands Day events sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office in the last few weeks.
On Oct. 10, 78 volunteers turned out to help the BLM and Western Colorado Conservation Corps build one mile of a new, yet-to-be-named trail in the eastern part of the Lunch Loop trail system. Volunteers also performed maintenance on the Pucker Up Trail, the newest freeride mountain bike trail in the Lunch Loop trail system.
The Lunch Loop trail system lies at the north end of the 142-mile Tabeguache Trail that connects the cities of Grand Junction and Montrose.
On Sept. 26, 36 volunteers participated in a clean-up and maintenance project at the shooting ranges on 27 1/4 Road. Nearly 2,700 pounds of trash were collected and removed.
“We had a great mix of volunteers out for both projects,” said BLM volunteer coordinator Chris Pipkin. “Their time and effort made a significant contribution to public lands stewardship.”
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.