News Release
BISHOP, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office and Inyo National Forest will hold an open house at the co-located BLM/Forest Service office, 351 Pacu Lane, Bishop, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, to gather public input for potential off-highway vehicle grant funding requests.
The agencies annually request funding from the state of California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division to help enhance and manage motorized recreation in the Eastern Sierra. The OHMVR Division distributes a portion of off-highway vehicle registration fees collected to federal- and state-agencies, cities, counties, academic institutions, tribes and non-profit organizations to help develop, maintain and restore trails; provide law enforcement; and offer safety and training for riders.
Interested citizens are invited to drop in at any time during the open house and provide ideas for projects and opportunities that could be incorporated into the grant applications. Representatives from the two agencies will be available to answer questions about the application process and to receive input to help develop the proposals.
Preliminary grant applications will be submitted to the OHMVR Division by March 2. The public will then be able to comment on the preliminary applications from March 3 to May 4. Final applications must be submitted by June 1. For more information about the state grant process and requirements, visit the OHMVR Division website at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov.
For more information, to submit ideas, or if you have special needs for accommodation to participate in this open house, please call BLM Natural Resources Specialist Sara Manley at 760-872-5000, or email her at [email protected]. You may also call Inyo National Forest District Recreation Staff Officer Tony Papa at 760-873-2561, or email him at [email protected].
The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In fiscal year 2018, the diverse activities authorized on BLM-managed lands generated $105 billion in economic output across the country. This economic activity supported 471,000 jobs and contributed substantial revenue to the U.S. Treasury and state governments, mostly through royalties on minerals.
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Sierra Wave thanks Serena Baker Bureau of Land Management – Central California District Public Affairs Officer for providing this news release.
