BLM Idaho News Release Feed

Stinking Springs Area Closure Starts December 1st

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:50:30 -0700

IDAHO FALLS – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Upper Snake Field Office reminds the public that starting December 1, 2009, the Stinking Springs area near the popular South Fork of the Snake River will be closed to all motorized vehicles and human entry. The closure is scheduled to remain in effect through April 30, 2010, depending on weather conditions.

Snake River Birds of Prey Festival Sponsoring Art Contest

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:10 -0700

BOISE, ID – Calling all Artists! The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area and the Western Heritage Foundation are sponsoring an art contest. The deadline for entries is January 4, 2010. First place will receive $500; 2nd place, $300; and 3rd place, $200.

Individuals 18 years or older may enter; one entry per person. Original artwork with a completed entry form will be accepted until 4:30 pm on Monday January 4, 2010. The winning artwork will be used to promote the 2010 Snake River Birds of Prey Festival through various media, including the annual Festival poster. Ward Hooper, a prominent Idaho artist created the poster for the Festival in 2009.

For additional details and to receive an entry form please, contact BLM Boise District Education Specialist Barb Forderhase at 208-384-3485 or by email at Barbara_Forderhase@blm.gov.

BLM Sets Meeting of National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:45:50 -0700

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet on Monday, December 7, 2009, in Reno, Nevada, to discuss issues relating to the management, protection, and control of wild horses and burros on Western public rangelands. The one-day meeting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., local time, at the John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Avenue, Sparks, Nevada 89431 (hotel phone: 1-800-648-1177). The agenda of the meeting can be found in the November 10, 2009, Federal Register on page 58044.

The Advisory Board provides input and advice to the BLM as it carries out its responsibilities under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The law mandates the protection, management, and control of these free-roaming animals in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to support them. The BLM manages nearly 37,000 wild horses and burros that roam public rangelands in 10 Western states.

The public may address the Advisory Board at the December 7 meeting at an appropriate point in the agenda, which is expected to be about 3 p.m., local time. Individuals who want to make a statement should register with the BLM by noon on the day of the meeting at the meeting site. Depending on the number of speakers, the Board may limit the length of presentations, set at three minutes for previous meetings.

Speakers must submit a written copy of their statement to the BLM at the meeting; those who would like to comment but are unable to attend may submit a written statement no later than close of business December 2, 2009, to: Bureau of Land Management, National Wild Horse and Burro Program, WO-260, Attention: Ramona DeLorme, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada, 89502-7147. Comments may also be e-mailed to: Ramona_DeLorme@blm.gov. Those submitting comments electronically should include the identifier “WH&B” in the subject of their message and their name and address in the body of the message.

For additional information regarding the meeting, please contact Ramona DeLorme, Wild Horse and Burro Administrative Assistant, at 775-861-6583. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may reach Ms. DeLorme at any time by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

The Advisory Board meets at least two times a year and the BLM Director may call additional meetings when necessary. Members serve without salary, but are reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses according to government travel regulations.

BLM Seasonal Closures for Motorized Trails in Pocatello

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:40:20 -0700

POCATELLO – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Pocatello Field Office would like to remind the public that seasonal trail closures are going into effect for motorized travel in the Pocatello and Soda Springs areas, specifically the Blackrock/Chinese Peak, Pocatello West Bench and Soda Springs Hills areas.

The Blackrock/Chinese Peak trail system is closed to motorized and mechanized travel from November 15 to April 15. The Pocatello West Bench and Soda Hills areas are closed to motorized travel from November 16 to May 15.

At Direction of Congress, BLM Will Collect $6,500 Processing Fee

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 13:55:00 -0700

WASHINGTON, DC - The Fiscal Year 2010 Interior appropriations bill – enacted into law on October 30 – directs the Bureau of Land Management to charge a $6,500 processing fee for each new oil and gas drilling permit application, known as an Application for Permit to Drill (APD). The fee took effect November 2; the previous fee was $4,000 per APD. The money generated by APD fees constitutes a reimbursement to the U.S. Treasury for the estimated cost of processing new APDs.

To carry out this congressional directive, the BLM has developed guidance for its field offices regarding the collection and handling of APD fees in the current fiscal year (FY 2010), which began Oct. 1, 2009. The previous collection and handling policies remain in effect except for the amount of the fee to be collected.

BLM Waives Recreation Fees for Veterans on Veterans Day

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 15:35:50 -0700

The Bureau of Land Management will waive recreation-related fees for veterans and military personnel, along with their families, on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11.

BLM Director Bob Abbey encouraged veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces to recreate on BLM-managed or other Federal lands on November 11, saying, “We want to thank the men and women who have served or are serving our country through military service. This is a small, but special way in which we can express our gratitude and our appreciation to them.”

The waiver of entrance and/or standard amenity fees on Veterans Day applies annually, starting in 2006, to public recreation lands under the management of the BLM, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation (all agencies of the Department of the Interior), along with the U.S. Forest Service (part of the Department of Agriculture).

The Veterans Day fee waiver takes place on November 11, even if the Federal observance of the holiday should occur on a different day. This year, the Federal observance of Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11.

Recreation fee-setting and waiver authority for the BLM and other Federal agencies is based on the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, passed by Congress as part of a Fiscal Year 2005 appropriations bill that became law in 2004.

Christmas Tree Permits Available

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:45:50 -0700

IDAHO FALLS, ID – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be issuing Christmas tree permits from November 16 through December 24. The permits are $5.00 each ($6.00 at the Kwik Stop in Malad City), with a limit of one permit per family. Each permit allows the cutting and removal of one tree from public land managed by the BLM in southeastern Idaho. They may be purchased at the following locations:

· Idaho Falls Visitor Center, located at 630 W. Broadway, Idaho Falls
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

· Pocatello Field Office, located at 4350 S. Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID
Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

· Westside Ranger District, located at 195 S. 300 E., Malad City
Thursday and Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

· Kwik Stop, located at 226 E. 50 South, Malad City
Monday through Sunday, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

You must have a valid permit to cut or remove trees from public land. Further questions regarding Christmas tree cutting on public land may be directed to Heather Worley or Channing Swan of the BLM Pocatello Field Office at (208) 478-6340. Visit our web site at: http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/fo/pocatello.html.

BLM Honors Hailey Area Ranch with Stewardship Award

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:05:30 -0600

TWIN FALLS, ID – In recognition of rangeland management practices on public lands around Hailey, ID, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Bob Abbey recently presented Lava Lake Land and Livestock with the BLM’s 2009 Rangeland Stewardship Award.

The ranch holds BLM grazing permits in connection with its sheep operation on 27 grazing allotments within the BLM Shoshone Field Office. Since owners Brian and Kathleen Bean purchased the ranch in 1999, they have worked to implement conservation planning and management actions to improve resource conditions while producing high-quality lambs for an organic meat market.

According to Shoshone Field Office Rangeland Management Specialist Codie Martin, “Their vision is to have a working landscape that is rich with healthy wildlife populations and functioning ecosystems, preserving the wild nature of the land while using it carefully.” The operation is adjacent to the Craters of Moon National Monument and Preserve and the foothills of the Pioneer and Boulder White Cloud Mountains. They are realizing their vision by working to restore riparian vegetation along streams, improve sage grouse habitat, support and participate in research projects, promote educational opportunities for visitors to the ranch, and create a vital biological research hub for both scientists and students.

Lava Lake has also actively applied adaptive management to their grazing strategies throughout their range. By continually monitoring the vegetation and habitats, they adjust their management to provide optimal conditions for both vegetation and wildlife. Martin said, “A prime example of their adaptive management strategies is the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) collars on their sheep. These GPS collars are used to track the movements and locations of their sheep bands. This information helps them determine future grazing strategies and adjust management accordingly.”

In presenting the award at a recent meeting of the Public Lands Council in Sacramento, California, Director Abbey noted Lava Lake Land and Livestock’s use of innovative monitoring technology and their extensive contributions to the region.

The Beans continually promote public support for sustainable agriculture and the traditional sheep ranching culture. Their management efforts have shown tangible and measurable improvement in ecological conditions across more than 500,000 acres of private and public lands. They support research that can be used to guide land management decision and as a result, implement innovative range management practices on their rangelands, including in the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.

Road Maintenance near Leadore

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:35:30 -0600

SALMON, ID: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Salmon Field Office will be installing culverts and conducting road maintenance activities along the Baldy Basin and Dipping Vat roads located approximately 20 miles south of Salmon, Idaho. These roads are located off of the main McDevitt Creek Road. The Salmon Field Office will also be working on the McFarland Blvd. Road located approximately 20 miles south of Leadore, Idaho. Work will continue on these roads through October 31, 2009. The work schedule will be Monday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

BLM Challis Travel Management Maps Available

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:05:20 -0600

CHALLIS, ID – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Challis Field Office travel maps are available at BLM offices (Challis and Salmon), Eastern Idaho Visitor Center (Idaho Falls), Idaho Fish & Game Office (Idaho Falls), Rexburg Motor Sports, Action Motor Sports and various locations in Challis. These maps are free to the public and depict seasonal closures areas and approved motorized trails.