BLM and State of Oregon Host Meeting to Evaluate Land Transfer in Central Oregon
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Bend, OR – The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), announce a public meeting to discuss the transfer of approximately 1,600 acres of land, currently managed by the Department of the Interior to DSL. The lands, referred to as the “Deschutes Market Road” parcels, are located in Deschutes County, Prineville BLM District.
The meeting will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 23, at the Pilot Butte Elementary School cafeteria, 1501 NE Neff Road, Bend, Oregon. Members of the public will have an opportunity to hear from both the BLM and the State of Oregon, and have an opportunity to comment on the proposed land transfer process.
The BLM and the State have a long-standing relationship in Oregon. When Oregon was admitted into the Union in 1859, the federal government granted sections 16 and 36 within every township to the state for support of public schools.
However, if the Federal government had already disposed of these specific sections or reserved them for some other purpose, the state was allowed to select other public lands “in-lieu” of the unavailable sections. A 1991 federal court decision ruled that the State of Oregon was entitled to an additional 5,202 acres through this provision.
DSL has been working with the BLM since the early 1990s to resolve the state’s entitlement under a joint Memorandum of Understanding. In addition to lands near the Cline Buttes area that were recently transferred to the State in April 2008, the BLM also recently transferred lands located in the Roseburg District in western Oregon, to the state.
The BLM and DSL are currently working toward the transfer of approximately 2,200 acres in Crook and Deschutes Counties selected by the state in their current application.
“The BLM has an obligation to the State of Oregon and we have an obligation to our planning processes. We want to ensure that the public has an opportunity to review our analysis of these selected lands prior to any actual transfer,” said Oregon/Washington BLM State Director, Ed Shepard. “DSL and the BLM have a goal to transfer these remaining acres of land to the State in 2009 -- the 150th anniversary of Oregon’s Statehood,” continued Shepard.
The DSL manages lands to benefit K-12 public schools; all land management revenues are deposited into the Common School Fund, a trust fund established at statehood. In 2008, approximately $55.4 million will be distributed to Oregon’s 198 school districts.
Additional information is also available on the internet at: blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/state-in-lieu/index.php
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.