Photo of the Moon Hill area that is being considered for a small equestrian campground.
Written by Karen Withrow, Steens Mountain Advisory Council Statewide Environmental Representative
The Steens Mt Advisory Council (SMAC) met on June 13th and 14th, 2024 in Burns, Oregon. We welcomed two new members. We are now up to our full membership for the first time in a number of years.
Thursday June 13th, we had a field trip to Steens Mountain. Our first stop was the proposed site of the Moon Hill Campground on the North Loop Road. Efforts to have a water source by drilling a well here have failed. But a dry horse camp could still be established. We then went to the Indian Gorge Overlook on the South Loop Road. The progress of removing the rockfall was discussed. It is currently out for contract to hopefully open the road later in the summer. We also went to the Riddle Brothers Ranch.
Friday, June 14th we met at the Burns BLM office. Jeff Rose reported that they continue to work on staffing. They have a 7% reduction in budgeted funds for this year. The BLM updated us on current projects. Don Rotell reported that Inflation Reduction Act funding will help offset these reductions. He also reported there will be a horse gather in the South Steens area in August. They are closing in on the Bridge Creek Environmental Impact Assessment. Options for removal of the Page Springs Weir are being considered. There will be restoration work in the Mud Creek area and more juniper cutting across the district. The Travel Management Plan is under a settlement agreement.
We were given information on the Land Health Assessment process on the Bridge Creek area. Three allotments were evaluated in the areas of upland watershed, riparian wetland, ecological processes, water quality, and native locally important species. The are no grazing permits on the area since 2014 and conditions have been improving.
The proposed Penland campground has run into some issues. It will be expensive to develop the site and connect to the trail system. These trails are low use and reverting to nature. There is also a cultural site present. The Moon Hill site is seeing use and is an already disturbed area. The Steens Back Country Horseman are interested in helping with developing this site. This site is shovel ready. SMAC voted to recommend a small equestrian campground development at this site.
Calla Hagle gave information on the Inflation Reduction Act. Funds will be used for a youth engagement project. Habitat restoration and juniper reduction will also be a focus. The Page Springs Weir removal project is being evaluated for minimum tool use. It will go through NEPA and EIS with a final decision probably around 2026-27. The No Livestock Grazing Area Fence will get some much-needed maintenance. There is a Burns Paiute Cultural Study of the area to add this vision into management and honor tribal sovereignty.
We ended with a lively discussion of the Reasonable Access for Reasonable Use document. This will continue to be discussed in the future.
Our next meeting is currently scheduled for October 10-11, 2024 in Burns, OR. Please email us with comments, concerns, or information! We want to hear from you. The address is [email protected].
