Bureau of Land Management offices post News Releases to share news or let you know upcoming plans for their area. If you have questions regarding a specific News Release, contact information is at the top of each News Release. Please feel free to contact the Prineville Office with your questions or comments, at (541)573-4400 or by email.

Announcements

February 13, 2008 - March Oil and Gas Lease Sale

The BLM Oregon State Office will offer six parcels totaling approximately 9,313 acres, in Oregon, at its March 13, 2008 Oil and Gas Lease Competitive Sale. All of the parcels to be offered are in Jefferson County, Oregon, within the Crooked River National Grassland, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, Ochoco National Forest.

The sale will be held at 9:00 AM at the Robert Duncan Plaza Building, 333 SW 1st Avenue, Portland, Oregon in the 3rd floor conference rooms.

• News Release - March 2008 Oil and Gas Sale, Jefferson County, Oregon (PDF)
• March 2008 Oil and Gas Sale Map, Jefferson County, Oregon (PDF)

Click to View Large Dry River Canyon Closure Map

January 31, 2008 - Annual Seasonal Wildlife Closure In Effect in Dry River Canyon East of Bend

A seasonal wildlife closure will soon be in effect on Prineville Bureau of Land Management administered lands just east of Bend, Oregon. The temporary closure is in Dry River Canyon, which is located north of State Highway 20 and approximately 20 miles southeast of Bend.

The closure is adjacent to Horse Ridge viewpoint and includes the entire canyon, in addition to all public lands within one-quarter mile of the rim of the canyon. The Dry River Canyon closure is effective February 1, 2008 and expires August 31, 2008.

2007 Helicopter Training Exercises - Helitack Crew, Pilots & ONDA Volunteers Remove Tons of Trash From Public Lands

A BLM & Forest Service interagency helicopter crew, Prineville Helitack, and USFS pilots Kim Reed and Jim Lucas, who needed annual training and re-certification, recently paired up to accomplish a dual objective on public lands. The pilot and crew successfully accomplished their training requirements in the process of removing tons of trash dumped on Prineville BLM lands in various locations, including difficult to access Wilderness Study Areas and Wild & Scenic River Corridors. more>> (PDF)

Sept 2007 - If "Pigs" Could Fly

Have you ever wondered if pigs could fly? On a bright sunny day in late September of 2007, a pig did indeed “fly” in Eastern Oregon, perhaps marking a moment in history…

Logan Butte is a landscape feature located amidst the Cenozoic era geology of central Oregon. It is a landscape that is timeless and beautiful, quiet and stark. The Butte is designated as an "Area of Critical Environmental Concern" that is dedicated to the study of fossil mammals from 30 million years ago. In the 1990’s, a paleontology researcher working at Logan Butte discovered the remains of a nearly complete "oreodont," or prehistoric sheep-like critter, high on a steep slope. Nearly complete specimens such as the found oreodont are rare and provide science with the opportunity for analysis and perhaps, new knowledge. more>> (PDF)

Badlands Stewardship Group Seeks Long-Term Volunteers

A group of community members, local organizations and the Bureau of Land Management have teamed up to support site stewardship in the Badlands Wilderness Study Area, east of Bend. Volunteer stewards are being sought for establishing and maintaining route closures, long-term trailhead maintenance, and other duties.

For more information on stewardship opportunities, please contact Gavin Hoban, BLM Recreation Planner at (541)416-6879, or by email at Gavin_Hoban@blm.gov