| Contacts: | Arnie Pike | , 208-384-3331 | ||
| Buddy Green | , 208-896-5913 | |||
| Jill Ralston | , 208-736-2364 |
Hunters and Recreationists Be Aware of Motorized Restrictions in New Owyhee Wilderness Areas
BOISE, ID – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Idaho Department of Fish and Game are asking all recreationists, including hunters, to become aware of restrictions on using motorized vehicles and equipment for hunting and other recreational activities within Wilderness Areas. There are six new Wilderness Areas in Owyhee County with the passage of the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act, “The Act”.
Section 1503(b)(1) of The Act states, “Subject to valid existing rights, each area designated as wilderness by this subtitle shall be administered by the Secretary [of Interior] in accordance with the Wilderness Act [of 1964].”
While The Act specifically provides for continued operation of commercial outfitting and guiding activities in wilderness areas, those activities are limited by the requirements of Section 4(c) of the 1964 Wilderness Act, which states that “…subject to existing private rights…there shall be…no use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment..., no other form of mechanical transport, and no structure or installation within any such area.”
On the subject of Road Closures, to comply with the Wilderness Act of 1964, BLM is locating and signing wilderness boundary roads, which will remain open to the public. All roads leading into Wilderness Areas will eventually be signed and barricaded. According to the Act, gates will allow passage of motorized vehicles and equipment for emergency purposes, and will also provide grazing permittees access to repair or maintain existing range improvements on a limited and as-authorized basis only.
Hunters and other recreationists accessing Wilderness Areas will not be allowed the use of motorized or mechanized vehicles or equipment. Section 1507(d)(1) of The Act also states, “…all recreational motorized and mechanized off-highway vehicle use [within Owyhee County] shall be limited to roads and trails lawfully in existence on the day before the date of enactment of this Act.”
BLM has maps on its website, which can be downloaded, showing where these Wilderness Areas are located in Owyhee County. To view the latest maps of the new Wilderness Areas, go to www.id.blm.gov and click on “Owyhee Wilderness MAPS”. The routes on the maps that appear to enter Wilderness Areas are cherry-stem routes that Congress specifically excluded from Wilderness designation. All other routes, whether or not they are currently gated or barricaded, officially end at the wilderness boundaries. Please ensure that you do not enter any Wilderness Area on a closed route.
If you have questions regarding the above information, please call Bruneau Field Manager Arnie Pike at (208) 384-3331, Owyhee Field Manager Buddy Green at (208) 896-5913, or Jarbidge Assistant Field Manager Jill Ralston at (208) 736-2364.
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.