Friday, October 12, 2007

Comments sought on Craters travel plan

Series of open house meetings will be held this month


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

How visitors get around the vast Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve northeast of Carey in years to come will be discussed at a series of upcoming open house meetings.

Officials with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service, the federal agencies responsible for managing separate portions of the 750,000 acre park, will host the public meetings as part of their effort to craft a comprehensive travel management plan for the area.

The travel plan will identify a system of motorized and non-motorized access within the protected area, monument superintendent Doug Neighbor states in a park service press release.

"This travel planning effort will focus on identifying the types of use and seasons of use appropriate on roads, primitive roads and trails within this desert environment," Neighbor said. "We are seeking public input at this initial stage of the process as we shape the future of travel within the Monument."

Each meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the following dates:

- Tuesday, Oct. 16: American Falls City Hall, 550 North Oregon Trail, American Falls.

- Thursday, Oct. 18: Rupert City Hall, 624 F Street, Rupert.

- Tuesday, Oct. 23: Carey School Multipurpose Room, 20 Panther Lane, Carey.

- Thursday, Oct. 25: Arco-Butte Business Incubation Center, 159 N. Idaho Street, Arco.

During the meetings, the public will have the opportunity to help determine the outcome of the travel plan process, said Holly Hampton, monument manager for the BLM.

"Although we must consider agency laws and regulations when making these decisions, we value the knowledge and concerns of those who study, live, work and recreate on public lands," Hampton said.

In his proclamation expanding the monument in 2000, President Bill Clinton directed the BLM and the park service to develop a travel plan following completion of a joint management plan for the monument. The record of decision for the monument management plan was signed in September 2006.

Additional information about the travel management process can be obtained by calling the BLM's Shoshone field office at (208) 732-7200, or the monument headquarters at (208) 527-3257. Information about submitting comments is also available at http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/fo/shoshone/programs/travel_management.html.




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.