BLM Planning To Protect Target Shooting Opportunities

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Sonora, CA — Over 99-percent of the Bureau of Land Management’s federally owned land is open for recreational target shooting.

The federal agency oversees 245-million acres of land primarily situated in 11 western states. The bureau has released new guidance that it says stresses the protection of current recreational shooting opportunities, and it will also work to expand them in future years.

Casey Hammond, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, says, “Recreational shooting is a longstanding tradition for millions of Americans, and the Department is proud to support this popular pastime as a key component of the BLM’s multiple-use mission,”

Locally, the Mother Lode Field Office of the BLM oversees 230,000 acres of land spread between 10 counties, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Stanislaus and Yuba.

BLM areas include the Cosumnes River Preserve; Pine Hill Preserve; Red Hills Area of Critical Environmental Concern; the North Fork American and Merced Wild & Scenic Rivers; as well as highly visited recreation areas along the South Fork American River, South Yuba River and Mokelumne River.

For more information on target shooting on BLM land, click here. It is typically allowed during the cooler and wetter months and prohibited during the summer fire season.