BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT OR-030-2014-11
Contact: Larry Moore (541) 473-6218
Vale BLM Releases Plan for Buzzard Complex Stabilization and Rehab
Vale, Ore. – The Burns District and Vale District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are proposing to
implement emergency stabilization and burned area rehabilitation (ESR) actions on the Buzzard Complex
fires.
The Buzzard Complex consisted of the Buzzard, Riley Field, Bartlett, Beaver Creek, and the Saddle Draw
Fires which were ignited by lightning on July 13, 2014. The fire was contained on August 2, 2014. Since
then, the Vale and Burns BLM Districts have been working together to address the damage done to the
various federal, state, and private lands and what actions, if any, to undertake in order to stabilize and
rehabilitate public lands.
This Environmental Assessment (EA) addresses actions identified within each of the three BLM emergency
stabilization and rehabilitation plans and analyzes their potential impacts on the human environment.
The EA will include analysis of two alternatives: a continuation of existing management—known as a “no
action alternative”—and a proposed action on Federal lands within both the Burns District and the Vale
District. The proposed action includes:
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treatments of invasive species
seeding of native and desirable non-native grass species
construction of temporary fences
repair of management fences
planting of shrub seedlings on key portions of the burned area
grazing management
The EA was performed in accordance with Department of Interior and BLM policies and pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). For more information on the NEPA, visit the Environmental
Protection Agency’s NEPA website at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/basics/nepa.html.
A fact sheet summarizing the EA and its proposed actions is also available on the BLM website at
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/index.php. The EA document is available in its entirety at the Vale
District BLM website at http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/plans/nepa-details.php?id=2976.
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. The BLM’s mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use
and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained
yield. In fiscal year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.
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