| Contacts: | David Boyd, Public Affairs Specialist, (970) 876-9008 |
BLM to host Greater Sage-grouse EIS economic workshop (05-25-12)
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management’s Northwest Colorado District is hosting a public workshop June 12 in Steamboat Springs designed to gather social and economic information that will be used in its district-wide Greater Sage-grouse planning effort.
The BLM is writing an Environmental Impact Statement to analyze incorporating new Greater Sage-grouse conservation measures into its Resource Management Plans for the five field offices within the District: the Colorado River Valley Field Office in Silt, the Grand Junction Field Office, the Kremmling Field Office, the Little Snake Field Office in Craig and the White River Field Office in Meeker.
The conservation measures being considered cover a wide range of activities on BLM land, including mineral leasing and development, recreation, and livestock grazing. These measures could have social and economic impacts on communities in northwestern Colorado. The workshop is designed to share information and to offer the public an opportunity to provide comments to help BLM identify potential social and economic impacts to be addressed in the EIS and considered in BLM’s decision.
The open house meeting will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. June 12 in Steamboat Springs at the Community Center, 1605 Lincoln Ave. Repeating presentations will be given at 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The public is welcome to stop by anytime during the open house.
More than 1.8 million acres of Colorado’s Greater Sage-grouse habitat are on BLM lands in the Northwest District. That’s almost half of the entire Greater Sage-grouse habitat in Colorado. For more information on the Great Sage-grouse conservation effort in northwestern Colorado, visit: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/wildlife/sage-grouse.html.
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