Utah
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In The Spotlight Lee's Canyon Road Temporarily Closed to Motorized Use The BLM Salt Lake Field Office (SLFO) is temporarily closing the Lee’s Canyon Road to protect crucial raptor nesting habitat. The temporary closure will remain in effect from April 5 through July 15, 2013. In 2011, a pair of raptors attempted to nest in Lee’s Canyon, but abandoned the nest. In 2012, the SLFO placed gates on each side of the canyon and temporarily restricted access through the canyon. As a result, the nest was successful, and the pair fledged one young. The birds have already returned this year to the same site, and the SLFO is working toward protecting their nesting habitat. “The temporary closure is necessary to protect crucial raptor nesting habitat that is on the route through Lee’s Canyon,” said SLFO Manager Bradley Washa. “The protection of these magnificent creatures is not only required by law, it is also a benefit to all of us.” Locked gates will be installed on both the east and west sides of Lee's Canyon. The gates will be positioned in locations to allow motorized vehicles to turn around. Signs will also be installed to inform motorists that the road is seasonally closed for wildlife protection, and travel through the canyon is not possible. Hasting's Pass Road, south of Lee's Canyon, remains open and offers the public the same ability to travel across the Cedar Mountains. The public is reminded that vehicles must remain on designated routes. Anyone violating the closure may be fined up to $1,000, imprisoned for up to 12 months, or both. Violators may also be subject to additional fines. Lee’s Canyon is located along the Cedar Mountain Wilderness boundary in Tooele County, Utah, and remains open to non-motorized recreation such as hiking and horseback riding. A map of the temporary closure area can be found here. For additional information contact: Masako Wright (801) 977-4300.
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BLM Extends Comment Period on Kiewit Mine Proposal to March 20, 2013
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Salt Lake Field Office is extending the comment period on the Kiewit Mine Project until March 20, 2013. The proposal includes an open pit mine and waste rock disposal facility on public land, as well as cyanide heap leach processing facilities on adjacent patented land. The proposed project would create approximately 43 acres of surface disturbance on public lands. The Plan of Operations and Environmental Assessment (EA) are available for public review and comment at the BLM-Utah Salt Lake Field Office during regular business hours—8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday.
An electronic copy of the Environmental Assessment (EA) can be found here.
The comment period is now open until 4:30 p.m., March 20, 2013. Please note that the most useful comments are those that identify issues relevant to the proposed action or contain new technical or scientific information. Comments which contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response, but may be considered in the BLM decision-making process.
Please reference the Kiewit Mine Project EA when submitting your comments. Written comments may be mailed, emailed, or submitted via fax using the following:
| Mailing Address | Bureau of Land Management Salt Lake Field Office 2370 South 2300 West Salt Lake City, Utah 84119 |
| Email Address | blm_ut_sl_comments@blm.gov |
| Fax Number | (801) 977-4397 |
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, please be aware that your entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask in your comment to withhold personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. The BLM will not consider anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.
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About Us
The SLFO is located in the northwest corner of Utah. Much of this area is part of the Great Basin region, a place of isolated mountain ranges separated by wide sweeping sagebrush flats.
This area is also a land of illusions, floating islands and vanishing water mirages. Almost touching the Utah-Nevada borders are the Bonneville Salt Flats, a unique plain of almost- pure, white salt. This geological oddity is one of the only places in the United States where one can see the curvature of the earth over dry land. Just south of the Salt Flats lies the Pony Express Trail where horse riders risked their lives delivering the mail in 1860 and 1861. [more]
Salt Lake Field Office
2370 South 2300 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84119
(801) 977-4300
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