NEWS RELEASE

Salmon Interagency Dispatch Upper Columbia - Salmon  Clearwater District BLM Salmon - Challis National Forest Rural Route 2, Box 600 Salmon, Idaho 83467

For immediate release

Contact:Gail Baer (208) 756-5100 or Kent Fuellenbach (208) 756-5145

Part Of Unit 28 To Open, Part Will Remain Closed

MAP

The Salmon – Challis National Forest the Clearwater District of the Bureau of Land Management will open the area east of the Ridge Road #020 in Hunting Unit 28 to the public effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday, September 22.Most of the Moose Creek drainage will also be opened. The remainder of Unit 28 will remain closed. The agencies closed all of Unit 28 earlier this summer because of the 200,000 acre Clear Creek fire, which burned much of the unit.

“We are happy to be able to open a portion of this popular hunting unit,” said Forest Supervisor George Matejko. “We also regret that we must keep some of the area closed because of continuing fire activity, fire-caused hazards to the public, possible further damage to forest resources and the potential hazard of workers doing rehabilitation work.”

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission is cooperating with the Forest Service by closing to hunting that portion of Unit 28 within in the burned area. The Commission voted unanimously September 18 to close the burned area for one year,

Open Areas

The following areas will be open to public access and hunting: all Forest and public lands in Unit 28 on the Salmon River front from the Deer Creek, Dry Gulch and Hat Creek area down river to North Fork and then to Boulder Creek. This includes all of the area east of the Ridge Road from Iron Lake to the Junction with the Stormy peak road, the Napoleon Ridge area and most of the Moose Creek drainage. That portion of Unit 28 between the Panther Creek road #055 and the Sliver Creek road #108 will also be open. The Ridge Road will be open to the public but roads leading west from the Ridge Road will be closed.

All other hunting units on the Forest and BLM public lands are open.

Closed Areas

The portion of Unit 28 west of the Deer Creek – Dry Gulch – Hat Creek area, west of the Ridge Road and west of the Moose Creek – Boulder Creek area is closed to both public access and hunting.This includes the Panther Creek drainage (including all tributaries) and the Yellow Jacket, Pine Creek and Lake Creek drainages.

For a map and complete description of the closed area contact the Salmon-Challis National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Salmon 756-5100.

No Fire Restriction

On Friday the BLM will lift the Stage I fire restrictions, which have been in place on Public Lands in the Salmon and Challis areas. The Forest Service lifted the Stage I restrictions on the National Forests in Idaho last week.