| Contacts: | David Boyd, Public Affairs Specialist, (970) 876-9008 |
Desert Clean-up Planned for National Public Lands Day Sept. 25 (09-10-10)
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Volunteers will be marking National Public Lands Day Sept. 25 by cleaning up BLM public lands in the desert north of Grand Junction. Volunteers will fan out across the desert to collect trash left by careless visitors. One of the focus areas for the cleanup will be the shooting ranges at the north end of 27 ¼ Road. That location will also host a firearms sight-in opportunity.
“This event is one way for us to encourage stewardship of our public lands on National Public Lands Day,” said Chris Ham, recreation program manager for the BLM Grand Junction Field Office. “We’ll be helping to keep a popular recreation area clean and promoting gun safety and shooting range ethics at the same time.”
The range at 27 ¼ Road will be closed from 8:00 a.m. through 10:30 a.m. on Saturday Sept. 25 for the cleanup. It will be reopened at 11 a.m., when a range safety officer and experienced volunteers will offer sight-in assistance to interested members of the public.
Anyone interested in participating in the event as a volunteer should register by logging on to VolunteerOutdoors.net. Click “Search,” then enter keywords “desert clean-up” and click “Search” again. Click on the National Public Lands Day opportunity, then click the “Register” button. You may also call the BLM Grand Junction Field office at 970-244-3000.
What: Desert cleanup of BLM public lands. Firearms sight-in opportunity with assistance from experienced volunteers.
When: Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 8:00-Noon clean-up, 11:00-2:00 public firearm sight-in with assistance from volunteers if desired.
Where: BLM public lands between 25 Road and 29 Road. The more volunteers that sign up, the more areas we’ll be able to clean up.
Why: To celebrate National Public Lands Day and promote public lands stewardship, gun safety and hunter ethics.
How to get involved: Follow the registration steps shown above.
Here's the direct link to the online opportunity posting:
http://www.volunteeroutdoors.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=Opportunities.View&Opportunity_ID=3009.
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.
2815 H Road Grand Junction, CO 81506