The Bureau of Land Management to increase public access along the Gunnison River
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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office announced today the recent acquisition of the Hallock Homestead property in Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area. The 134-acre property stretches for approximately one mile along an alluvial bench of the Gunnison River.
This section of river is listed as critical habitat for two federally endangered fish species, the Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker. In addition, the property contains known occupied habitat for the threatened Colorado hookless cactus, along with other riparian, scenic, and recreation values.
“Under the Trump Administration, the BLM has prioritized and been successful in its efforts to expand access to our public lands,” said BLM Deputy Director for Policy and Programs William Perry Pendley. “It is particularly exciting to increase the recreational opportunities available in the Grand Junction area, near the Bureau’s Robert F. Burford national headquarters.”
“This acquisition will ensure continued protection of the recreation setting for boaters along a 24-mile stretch of the Gunnison River,” noted BLM Colorado State Director Jamie Connell. “We are pleased to be able to increase recreational access in the area, including opportunities for hunting and fishing.”
Funding for this BLM acquisition was approved in Fiscal Year 2017 through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Just last month President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law, permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This significant piece of legislation reflects a commitment to safeguard natural areas and water resources, such as the Hallock Homestead property, as well as our cultural heritage, and to provide recreation opportunities to all Americans. Western Rivers Conservancy purchased the property in 2013 as part of its broader effort to conserve additional lands within the National Conservation Area.
“Western Rivers Conservancy set out to conserve the Hallock Homestead because of its tremendous importance to fish, wildlife, and the Gunnison River and to improve the integrity of the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area as a whole,” said Dieter Erdmann, WRC’s Interior West Program Director. “The BLM is an outstanding partner, and we are proud to be able to work together to improve recreational access while adding these high-priority riverlands to the NCA.”
For information about the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area, please visit the BLM website at: https://www.blm.gov/office/dominguez-escalante-national-conservation-area. For information about the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate- bill/3422.
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.