Public Invited to Comment on Secretary’s Proposal to Continue Current Management of Dash Lake Waterfowl Production Area
Organization
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
(DICKINSON, N.D.) — The Secretary of the Interior is proposing that management and administration of a small area in north central North Dakota important to waterfowl and wildlife continue for the next century in the same manner as it has for the past 40 years.
Dash Lake Waterfowl Production Area is a 13.50-acre parcel of public land located in Towner County. Since 1982, it has been administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and is one of over 250 similar areas FWS administers in the Devil’s Lake Wetland Management District.
“The Pothole Prairie Region is extremely important waterfowl habitat,” said Brian Vose, Refuge Manager for the Devil's Lake National Wildlife Refuge. “Dash Lake and areas like it allows us to protect breeding grounds for migratory birds, waterfowl, and other wildlife.”
Current protections enacted in 1982 prohibit mining and provide for site management by the FWS. The Secretary of the Interior is proposing that this arrangement continue, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is processing this proposal to renew those same protections for the next 100 years.
The formal process began with the publication of a Notice of Proposed Withdrawal that was published in today’s Federal Register. This publication initiates a 90-day public review and comment period and enforces current protections for two years to allow the agencies to prepare environmental and other reviews needed for Secretarial decision-making. Members of the public may request that the agencies hold a public meeting about the proposal.
You can find more details online at lis, and comments can be submitted by email to dsorg@blm.gov or by U.S. Mail to Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Debby Sorg, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, MT, 59101. You may request a public meeting by submitting a written request to the email and addressed noted above. The BLM and FWS are preparing an environmental assessment and anticipate reaching a finding of no significant impact. Information regarding the proposed withdrawal, including environmental and other reviews will be available at the Montana BLM State Office and at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017980/510.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
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.