BLM Travel Management Plan

The Shoshone Field Office of the BLM has announced they intend to prepare a new Travel Management Plan for lands north of Highway 20 outside of Carey and has begun a public scoping process soliciting comments from the public on the process.  The planning area consists of over 230,00 acres of BLM-managed public land, including 660 miles of existing roads and trails lying north of Highway 20.  Boundaries include Chimney Creek on the west and Craters of the Moon National Monument and Fish Creek on the east.

The current plan designates the majority of the planning area as ‘‘Open” to off-highway vehicles (OHV), meaning OHVs can travel cross-country. The planning area will be evaluated to consider and identify areas as ‘‘Open,’’ ‘‘Limited to Designated Routes,’’ or ‘‘Closed’’ to OHV use. A ‘‘Limited to Designated Routes’’ designation would result in motorized and possibly mechanized vehicles being limited to designated roads and trails, while a ‘‘Closed’’ designation precludes OHV travel altogether.

The travel management plan will also make decisions regarding future facilities, such as parking areas and trailheads and future trail construction corridors on public land. If you are interested in any of these issues, please attend the informational meeting at 7 p.m. on March 29, 2011 at the Carey City Hall to learn more from the Shoshone BLM about the process.