| Contacts: | Katie Stevens, 970-244-3049 | |||
| Scott Gerwe, 970-244-3077 |
BLM to Secure Abandoned Mine Openings in Dominguez Canyon Wilderness (08-31-10)
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - The Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office will secure openings at a historic copper mine located in the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. The BLM asks that visitors avoid hiking beyond the mouth of Dominguez Canyon from the Bridgeport trailhead while the project is completed.
A helicopter will deliver equipment to the area to allow the BLM to install a bat grate on the adit and backfill the shaft near Triangle Mesa. Bat grates keep people and predators out of abandoned mines while providing bats with a pathway to access the mines.
“We appreciate the public's patience as we complete this project. Our goal is to protect the public while ensuring long-term safety for recreation users near the historic mine site” said Katie Stevens, Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area Manager.
The operations will not affect camping and other recreation uses at the mouth of Dominguez Canyon.
Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area is one of the BLM’s newest National Conservation Areas. Designated in 2009, this 210,000-acre area includes the 66,280-acre Dominguez Canyon Wilderness. National Conservation Areas are part of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System, a unique network of special places that serve as scenic showcases for the conservation, protection, and restoration elements of BLM's multiple use mission. These treasured landscapes make up more than 27 million of the 253 million total acres of western public lands managed by the BLM in the western United States. The NCA is managed by the BLM’s Grand Junction and Uncompahgre field offices.
The BLM manages more land - over 245 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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.
2815 H Road Grand Junction, CO 81506