Butte Field Office
| Contacts: | David Abrams 406-533-7617 |
BLM Limits Shooting in North Hills
After a weekend fire burned about two acres in the North Hills near Helena, the Bureau of Land Management’s Butte Field Office is restricting firearm shooting in that area starting Aug. 9.
The small fire started on public lands 10 miles northeast of Helena around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. It was believed to have been caused by a person or persons discharging a firearm. Though the flames on lands managed by the BLM were suppressed, officials are concerned that similar incidents could threaten public safety while vegetation is dry and fire-prone.
The posted notices restrict all forms of shooting—including firing a tracer or other incendiary device—in the North Hills area until further notice.
A copy of the restriction order and a map of the affected area are available at the Butte Field Office.
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.
Butte Field Office 106 N. Parkmont Butte, MT 59702