Ely District Office
| Contacts: | Chris Hanefeld | , 775-289-1842 | , chanefel@blm.gov |
BLM Reconstructs Sacramento Pass Recreation Area
It is not entirely out with the old, but it is in with the new as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ely District reconstructs the now 17-year-old Sacramento Pass Recreation Area, located alongside U.S. Highway 50 about an hour’s drive east of Ely.
The district is reconstructing the increasingly popular recreation area to improve visitor access and safety. Improvements to the site include new campsite designs and furnishings, sun shelters and toilet facility, re-graded roadways and a reconstructed fishing pond that will feature an accessible fishing deck. The improved facilities will more closely comply with Federal disability act requirements and be designed to be environmentally friendly, where practical.
Sacramento Pass is one of the district’s highest profile recreation areas because of its location on the highway, which serves as the main travel corridor across central Nevada, and its proximity to Great Basin National Park. The recreation area serves local residents, visitors from southern Nevada, travelers crossing the state and, ever more frequently, park visitors. Recreation area user’s interests range from camping, fishing, hiking and hunting to horseback riding, mountain biking and panning for gold.
The recreation area was initially constructed in 1993 with federal highway funding obtained through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A legacy for Users program. It is being reconstructed through Round 12 of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, or SNPLMA. The reconstruction is expected to cost about $375,000.
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.
Ely District Office 702 N. Industrial Way Ely, NV 89301