U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Idaho Falls BLM
Idaho Falls BLM
| Contacts: | Sarah Wheeler (208) 524-7550 |
BLM issues Emergency Closure on BLM-managed Lands near Rockland, Idaho
POCATELLO, ID – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pocatello Field Office is implementing an emergency temporary closure for all motorized travel on BLM-managed land in the area burned by the Dairy Canyon Fire, seven miles west of Rockland, Idaho. The BLM is implementing the temporary closure due to concerns over the loss of vegetation from the fire and increased erosion, BLM Pocatello Supervisory Resource Management Specialist Blaine Newman said.
The temporary closure becomes effective Friday, October 8, 2010. The closure prohibits cross-country motorized travel, as well as travel on dozer lines constructed during the fire. It also prohibits travel on an unnamed road that runs approximately north and south on public land in T.10 S. R. 29 E. Sections 12, 13, 24 and T. 10 S. R. 30 E. Sections 8, 19 and 30.
“The BLM is implementing this temporary closure to protect natural resources impacted from the loss of vegetation when the 2,500-acre Dairy Canyon Fire burned through the area on September 13, 2010,” Newman said. “The temporary closure will enable the BLM to implement stabilization treatments such as re-seeding in an effort to protect current resources while preventing erosion and other environmental degradation.”
The temporary closure will remain in effect for 24 months. Individuals exempt from this closure include emergency search and rescue personnel, and federal, state or local officials working within the scope of their duties.
For more information, please contact Blaine Newman of the BLM Pocatello Field Office, phone 208-478-6356.
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.