For Immediate Release: 6/1/12
Contact:
Lisa Clark
(541) 280-9560
BLM Waives Camping Fees for Crooked River
PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Prineville District Office will
celebrate National Get Outdoors day by waiving the overnight camping fees on the Crooked
River for the night of June 9, 2012. The fee waiver applies to BLM-administered campgrounds
only on the Chimney Rock segment of the Lower Crooked River south of Prineville. The area
has more than 90 campsites that are available on a first come – first served basis. Big Bend
Campground near Bowman Dam is managed by Bureau of Reclamation and is excluded from the
fee waiver.
The Chimney Rock segment of the Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River is becoming
increasingly popular for all kinds of recreation. The area provides for many types of recreation
activities including: camping, fishing, hiking, and driving, or bicycling on the Crooked River
Backcountry Byway, as well as boating activities on the nearby Prineville Reservoir. A paved
portion of the 43-mile long Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway winds its way through
the river canyon.
Get Outdoors “GO” Day is an outgrowth of the Get Outdoors USA! campaign, which
encourages Americans, especially our youth, to seek out healthy, active outdoor lives and
embrace our parks, forests, rangelands and other public lands and waters.
Additional information about BLM Prineville recreation opportunities is available online at:
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/recreation/index.php
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About the BLM: The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land – the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as
the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million
acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed
land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of
a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the
BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public
lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor
recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other
resources on public lands.