Rawlins Field Office
| Contacts: | Shelley Gregory | |||
| 307-315-0612 |
BLM Rawlins Field Office
Invites Volunteers to National Public Lands Day
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins Field Office (RFO) is inviting volunteers to participate in National Public Lands Day (NPLD) activities at the JO Ranch, a newly designated national historic register site. Volunteers will rendezvous with RFO staff at the I-80 Creston Junction Exit 187 at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27.
The JO Ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 22, 2010 and the BLM plans to preserve this hidden gem for public education and enjoyment. To help accomplish this, NPLD activities will include collecting litter, clearing brush, constructing fence and erecting signs. A BLM archaeologist will also give a presentation about the JO Ranch and its history for NPLD volunteers.
NPLD began in 1994 with 700 volunteers and three sites. Last year, 170,000 volunteers worked at over 2,080 sites and removed an estimated 450 tons of trash, collected an estimated 20,000 pounds of invasive plants, built and maintained an estimated 1,320 miles of trails, planted an estimated 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants and contributed an estimated $15 million to improve public lands across the country.
Volunteers are needed to make any NPLD a success. To volunteer this year, or for more information about the RFO NPLD event, please contact RFO Supervisory Archaeologist Bonni Bruce at 307-328-4287 or bbruce@blm.gov. A brochure about the JO Ranch is also available at http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/news_room/2011/august/16rfo-npld.html.
This NPLD activity will take a full day; lunch and drinks will be provided. Volunteers are asked to wear proper work attire and safety glasses. Sunscreen and insect repellant are also highly recommended.
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.
Rawlins Field Office 1300 North Third Street Rawlins WY 82301