Pocatello Field Office
| Contacts: | Sarah Wheeler | , 208-524-7550 |
BLM Hosts Open House for Soda Hills Travel Management Plan
SODA SPRINGS, ID – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Pocatello Field Office is hosting an “open house” style meeting to provide information regarding the proposed Soda Hills Travel Management Plan (TMP). The meeting will be held Wednesday, October 19, 2011 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the U.S. Forest Service Ranger Station, 410 E. Hooper Ave, Soda Springs, ID.
The BLM is in the early stages of developing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to update the Soda Hills Travel Management Plan. This TMP would update regulations for motorized vehicles on approximately 14,664 acres of public lands in the Soda Hills, located just west of Soda Springs, ID. The BLM plans to complete the EA by spring of 2012.
The existing travel management direction on public lands within the Soda Hills includes four designated routes currently open to motorized travel: Idaho Ranch (Upper Valley), Swenson Valley, Ninety Percent, and the Ridgeline Roads. Seasonal restrictions are currently in place for motorized travel from November 16 through May 15 of each year. The BLM proposes to add the “Doe Alley” road to the system of designated routes, which would serve as a connecting route between Idaho Ranch and Upper Swenson roads.
The purpose for updating the travel management plan is to designate specific routes that are available for motorized travel, identify seasons of use and incorporate travel management direction that supports management objective for protecting big game winter range.
This open house will provide an opportunity for the public to review the current and proposed travel management issues on public lands in Soda Hills. BLM staff members will be available to answer questions and take comments regarding travel management.
For information regarding the open house, please contact BLM Supervisory Resource Management Specialist, Blaine Newman at 208-478-6356.
Note to Editors: A high-resolution map of the Soda Hills TMP area is available from the BLM Idaho Falls District Public Affairs Office. Please call Sarah Wheeler, (208) 524-7550 or email sawheeler@blm.gov.
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.