Pocatello, ID – An inventory of segments of the Oregon-California National Historic Trail in southeastern Idaho recently completed using economic recovery funding will allow the Bureau of Land Management to better protect and manage the important cultural resources the landscape contains.  The BLM awarded a $37,000 contract under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to Golder Associates, an environmental services and engineering consulting firm with expertise in cultural sciences.

The company has completed an inventory of the approximately 28 miles of the Oregon/California National Historic Trail that traverse the BLM Pocatello Field Office and will submit a final report to the BLM and the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office.  

“Now that trail segments and associated archaeological sites in southeastern Idaho are fully documented, we will be able to better protect these resources,” said BLM archaeologist Amy Lapp. “With the inventory information, we will be able to identify which areas need monitoring, maintenance, signing and interpretation – all of which will benefit the preservation of these historic trails.”  National Historic Trails on public lands are units of the BLM National Landscape Conservation System, whose 27 million acres encompass some of the West’s most significant cultural, ecological and scientific resources.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed earlier this year gave $3 billion to the Department of the Interior.  Of that amount, $305 million in funding goes to the BLM,  with $11.8 million allocated to projects on public lands in Idaho.

The ARRA funds are part of a stimulus package that is an important component of the President's plan to jumpstart the economy and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so the country can thrive in the 21st century.  Under the ARRA, Interior is making an investment in conserving America's timeless treasures – our stunning natural landscapes, our monuments to liberty, the icons of our culture and heritage – while helping American families and their communities prosper again. Interior is also focusing on renewable energy projects, the needs of American Indians, employing youth and promoting community service.

“With its investments of Recovery Act funds, the Department of the Interior and its bureaus are putting people to work today to make improvements that will benefit the environment and the region for many years to come,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said.

Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department’s economic recovery projects.  Follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery.  Secretary Salazar has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force to work closely with Interior’s Inspector General and ensure the recovery program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility, and transparency set by President Obama.

The BLM Idaho website features a slideshow about the inventory project, and a project fact sheet is available on the DOI Recovery website.  The BLM Idaho website has additional information on the Oregon and California National Historic Trails in the Pocatello Field Office and on public lands elsewhere in southern Idaho.