Wednesday, April 11, 2007

BLM presents travel plan to Hailey

Bureau hopes to take plan to county in June


By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

As the population of Blaine County has increased, so has the demand for public recreation space, and concerns about how to manage public land use.

John Kurtz, a Bureau of Land Management outdoor recreation planner, presented a preliminary plan Monday, April 9, for travel and recreation on public lands to the Hailey City Council.

In 2005, BLM Idaho and Blaine County Commission agreed to start a proactive planning process that would incorporate extensive research to determine the relationship between supply and demand for land and different types of outdoor recreation.

Enlisting the help of Arizona State University's School of Community Resources & Development, the BLM held a number of focus groups during the winter and summer of 2006 in order to understand how important the lands of the Wood River Valley are to its residents.

In addition, the study was aimed at allowing the BLM to find ways of managing the land to maximize benefits to local governments and businesses as well.

While no formal plans have been devised, Kurtz gave a preliminary idea of how different areas around Hailey could be tailored to have primary users, such as motorcyclists, mountain bikers and hikers.

Responding to Mayor Susan McBryant's concern that motorcycles might be channeled to Hailey, Kurtz responded that they are trying to balance what already exists and what would be appropriate, and then constrain the activity to those designated places.

"An important goal is to administer the land in such a way that people are getting the experiences they are looking for," Kurtz said.

The BLM asked Hailey for a letter of support ahead of taking the plan before the county.

The Final Report of the Wood River Valley Lands Benefits Study can be found on the Blaine County Web site (www.co.blaine.id.us).




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