President Signs Legislation that Enhances Protection

News Release

For Release: March 30, 2009
Contact: Cheryle Zwang, 208-373-4016

President Signs Legislation that Enhances Protection for Public Lands in Idaho

BOISE, ID -- President Obama today (Monday, March 30) signed into lawan omnibus lands bill that enhances protection for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management across the West, including Idaho.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar hailed the bill as a "milestone for the stewardship of America’s natural wonders. This legislation is the product of years of work in hundreds of communities across America, where citizens, elected officials, stakeholders and land managers have forged wise protections for our treasured landscapes that will boost local economies while protecting traditional ways of life. The conservation areas, wild lands, and open spaces protected through this landmark legislation will be a proud legacy for generations to come."

The bill’s BLM land designations include Wilderness Areas in California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah; four new National Conservation Areas in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah; one new National Monument in New Mexico; and new Wild and Scenic River designations in Idaho, California, and Utah. The legislation, cleared for the President’s signature after passage by the U.S. House on a 285-140 vote last week, also codifies the BLM’s administratively created National Landscape Conservation System, which consists of 850 Federally recognized areas covering 27 million acres of BLM-managed land.

In Idaho, the Act, among other things, recognizes a long-time advocate for the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area by adding Morley Nelson’s name to the title; and it conveys four parcels of public land to the city of Twin Falls to support public purposes, including enhancement of water quality and wildlife habitat improvements. The bill also protects 517,000 acres as wilderness in the Owyhee Canyonlands, releases 199,000 acres of wilderness study areas to multiple use, designates 316 miles of waterways under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, provides for protection of cultural resources particularly important to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes, and maintains access for hunting and other recreational activities.

"The bill preserves Idaho’s wild places, and provides for continued multiple use for current and future generations," said BLM Idaho State Director Tom Dyer. "These designations are the culmination of years of work among diverse stakeholders in Idaho and strong Congressional leadership. We look forward to continuing that cooperation as we move forward with management of the public lands and resources here in Idaho."

The BLM manages more land – 256 million surface 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, and cultural resources on the public lands.

– BLM –