BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Contact: Whitney Wirthlin, Planner, 503-375-5612
For Release: March 1, 2016
Trish Hogervorst, Salem District PAO, 503-375-5657
BLM Asks for Public Comment on
Neal Creek Road Closure During Extreme Fire Weather
Salem, Ore—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Salem District is proposing a temporary
emergency closure of the Neal Creek Access Road (10S-1E-23), and the associated road system,
during extreme fire weather events. Neal Creek Road is located 7 miles southwest of Lyons,
Oregon. The BLM proposes installing a gate at Neal Creek Bridge to restrict public vehicle
access in extremely dry periods during fire season.
The proposed project would result in the temporary closure of 44 miles of the Neal Creek Road
System to motorized vehicles when extreme fire weather conditions and high temperatures
greatly increase the possibility of human-caused wildfire resulting in natural resource destruction
and impacts to public health and safety. The gate would be closed when the Oregon Department
of Forestry (ODF) State Forester issues an Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPLs) Level 4 in
either one of the two zones in which the Neal Creek Road System is located.
Comments on the proposed gate can be submitted to John Huston, Cascades Field Manager, BLM
Salem District, 1717 Fabry Road SE, Salem, Oregon, 97306, or by email to: [email protected].
All comments must be submitted by close of business on March 30, 2016. More information,
including the scoping letter and maps, can be found at the Salem District ePlanning
webpage: https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/nepa/nepa_register.do
(Do a "Text Search" for ORWA-Cascades FO)
For more information about the BLM: http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/salem/index.php
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 2014, the
BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.
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