Ash Springs Recreation Site closure extended by BLM

The Ash Springs Recreation Site located alongside U.S. Highway 93 in Lincoln County, about 100 miles north of Las Vegas, will remain closed to the public for an additional two years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced in a Federal Register notice published Wednesday, April 13, 2016.

The extension is necessary to ensure public safety and resource protection for Federally-listed endangered species while the BLM completes a management plan and environmental assessment for the 1.18-acre site.

The BLM Ely District, Caliente Field Office closed the site in June 2014 due to extensive modification of the man-made pool by public users, which made it unsafe and degraded habitat for endangered species, i.e., the Federally listed endangered White River springfish. The closure was due to expire in June 2016.

The publication of the Notice of Temporary Closure in the Federal Register signals the start of the two-year extension.

For more information, contact Chris Hanefeld, BLM Ely District public affairs specialist, at (775) 289-1842 or chanefel@blm.gov.