BLM Central Oregon gets $808,000 from stimulus

Posted: May 6, 2009 04:44 PM EDT

Today, the Bureau of Land Management's Prineville District Office announced $808,000 to fund four projects across Central Oregon under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. These investments will restore landscapes and habitat, spur renewable energy development on public lands and create jobs.

The $808,000 is part of the $32.4 million that will fund 60 BLM projects throughout Oregon and
Washington. Overall, the BLM will manage $305 million in investments nationwide as part of the
recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save jobs, and put a
down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st
century. The Prineville District stimulus projects are as follows:

• Prineville District Biomass: Three thinning and fuels reduction projects will generate about 16,000 tons of biomass from 2,400 acres outside of La Pine in Deschutes County. Work will begin immediately after the contract has been awarded and will continue for the next 9 to 12 months.

• Design for LEED Replacement Fire Cache Facilities with Office Space: This project will design new facilities to replace two warehouses and retrofit existing buildings to an LEED certified silver rating. The existing buildings are used by the BLM and Forest Service for a fire cache warehouse and offices for fire and law enforcement staff.

• Wild and Scenic River Weed Treatments: This is a joint project with the Vale District which will inventory and treat noxious weeds sites within the Wild and Scenic River corridors of the John Day, Deschutes and Crooked Rivers. The project will be accomplished over a two to four year period.

• Motorized and Non-Motorized Trail Construction and Rehabilitation: This project includes trail and trailhead construction at a number of locations in Jefferson, Crook, and Deschutes Counties. The project includes gravel surfacing of trailheads, purchase and installation of signs and interpretive kiosks, improving existing trails and construction of new trails.

The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on
www.interior.gov/recovery. The Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force. Henderson and the Task Force will work closely with the Department of the Interior's Inspector General to ensure that the recovery program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility, and transparency that President Obama has set.


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