Kemmerer Field Office
| Contacts: | Shelley Gregory, | |||
| 307-315-0612 |
BLM Kemmerer Closes Big Game Winter Range Areas
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Kemmerer Field Office (KFO) is notifying the public that BLM-administered public lands in the Slate Creek, Rock Creek, and Bridger Creek big game winter ranges will be closed to all motorized vehicle travel from Jan. 1 through Apr. 30.
Motorized vehicles such as snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, pickups, and sport utility vehicles are prohibited while use of these areas by non-motorized means such as walking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking is allowed. Highways and county roads are not subject to this closure.
This annual closure has been in effect since 2002 and is necessary to protect elk, moose, pronghorn, and mule deer from disruptive human activities which, during the difficult winter months, can increase the mortality rate for these animals.
The following BLM-administered lands are included in this seasonal closure:
- The Slate Creek area south of Fontenelle Creek, west and north of Highway 189, and east of the crest of Slate Creek Ridge;
- The Rock Creek area south of County Road 204 (Pine Creek Road), west of the crest of Dempsey Ridge, west of Fossil Butte National Monument, north and east of Highway 30; and
- The Bridger Creek area south of Highway 30, west of Fossil Ridge, west of the Bear River Divide, north of the Uinta-Lincoln County line, and east of the Utah-Wyoming border and southeast of Highway 89.
Exceptions to this closure include:
- The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, the Lincoln and Uinta County Sheriff’s Offices, and the BLM when performing official duties;
- Operators of existing oil and gas facilities performing maintenance and pumping, as approved in their permits;
- Livestock operators conducting permitted activities;
- Utility companies conducting emergency maintenance after notifying the KFO; and
- Other users who have been granted an exception by submitting a written application to the KFO for review and approval.
A map of the closed areas can be found at www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/field_offices/Kemmerer/recreation/closures.html.
For more information or for maps of the closed areas, please contact Wally Mierzejewski at 307-828-4508.
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.