The Bureau of Land Management’s Boise District Office has picked back up on efforts to complete comprehensive travel management planning throughout Owyhee County. The travel management planning process formally designates motorized and non-motorized routes to the public. Travel management is essential to ensure that there is an adequate level of access for sportsmen and women while also minimizing environmental impacts that may be occurring from pioneered routes. It’s a balancing act- the BLM has to create a plan that is supported across a variety of user groups, is enforceable, and does not create undue degradation to sensitive wildlife habitat.

This balancing act is especially difficult down in Owyhee County, where off-highway vehicle use has increased 258% between 1998 and 2014. This rapid increase in OHV use, in addition to other recreational uses, has created pressure on the landscape that now requires a travel management planning process.

The Canyonlands East landscape contains some of the largest, unburned sagebrush habitat remaining in the state, as well as one of the largest areas with a high density of sage-grouse leks. It also contains productive habitat for pronghorn and bighorn sheep. This area spans over 1,000 square miles and currently has 1,493 miles of inventoried routes. Some of these routes will be maintained for motorized use while some will not be incorporated into a comprehensive travel management plan.

Read Travel Plan: BLM Canyonlands_East_