U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
| Contacts: | Erin Curtis, 970-244-3097 |
Youth Corps to Start Trail Project on Opal Hill
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Hikers and equestrians will soon have longer trails and easier access to BLM’s McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area thanks to a grant from Colorado State Parks.
Youth with the Western Colorado Conservation Corps will begin construction on the new trails next week.
The project includes building 2 ½ miles of new hiking trails in the Opal Hill area across from Devil’s Canyon and conducting maintenance on two miles of existing trails. Part of the project includes completing a loop trail around Fruita’s Snooks Bottom fishing lake.
“This project will enhance recreational opportunities for residents of Fruita as well as other visitors to the NCA,” said Katie Stevens, manager of McInnis Canyons NCA. “It will create a sustainable trail system in the NCA with better links to open space areas in Fruita. That means longer trails in better shape and better access for everyone.”
The same grant is also funding construction of a restroom at Snooks Bottom in partnership with the City of Fruita, a key supporter of this grant.
Construction begins Nov. 2, and the youth corps will be working Monday through Thursday next week and the following two weeks.
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.