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November 4, 2008 Contact:     Sarah Beckwith      307-347-5207 BLM National Public Lands Day Event in Worland a Success NPLD volunteers Bev & Bill Moore & BLM Worland employees Emily Hake & Jim Gates. NPLD volunteer Pete Cavalli & BLM Worland employee Doug Bleak. NPLD volunteers & BLM employees (L-R) Emily Hake, Jim Gates, Doug Bleak, Paul Rau, Robert Peterson, Barb Vetti, Janet Chimenti, Dorothy Milek, Jim Kirsch, Pete Cavalli, Nancy Baker & Mike Bies. Not pictured, Bill & Bev Moore. Thanks to local volunteers and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) staff, the Gebo/Crosby Historic Mining District was improved for recreational use on Oct. 25. during a workday in celebration of National Public Lands Day (NPLD). BLM staff and volunteers from Worland, Thermopolis, and Evanston, Wyo. worked to improve the parking area at Gebo/Crosby by installing over 40 bollards with cable running through them. In addition, trails were posted with carsonite markers indicating them as mountain biking, hiking, and horse routes. These trails are actually old neighborhood streets from the small mining town of Gebo, which was occupied in the early 1900s. BLM Volunteer Coordinator Nancy Baker thanked all the volunteers for participating in this worthy project. "Public lands belong to everyone and the improvements made today will result in more enjoyable experiences in the Gebo/Crosby area for everyone," Baker said. Lunch was served at the completion of the project and all volunteers were presented with a NPLD T-shirt and a one-time, fee-free use certificate for any public land area that charges an entrance fee. The Gebo/Crosby area was part of the original discovery of coal in Wyoming's Bighorn Basin, and was the area's largest producer of coal in the early 20th century. The Jones Mine opened in the summer of 1889 as the first commercial production in the district. Later, the Gebo Number 1 Mine produced from the same coal seam. Mining in this area largely ended in 1938 but many of the facilities are still present and provide interpretive opportunities. For more information about National Public Lands Day or recreational opportunities on public lands in the Bighorn Basin, contact the Worland Field Office at 307-347-5100 or visit www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/field_offices/Worland.  Note to Media: right click on the images to download large format images suitable for printing. - BLM -