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COTTONWOOD, Idaho – Over the past two years, the Bureau of Land Management’s Cottonwood Field Office has completed improvements at five popular boat launches accessing the Lower Salmon River – Pine Bar, Hammer Creek, Shorts Bar, and the launches at both Lucile recreation sites. These improvements, when fully completed, will improve access and provide a safer launching experience for visitors recreating on the river. Recreation fee receipts from fee sites such as the Slate Creek recreation area, combined with deferred maintenance monies, are being used to fund the improvement work.

Beginning in early January, construction will begin at the two remaining launches that are managed by the Field Office that access the Lower Salmon. Taking advantage of lower water levels, work at the Slate Creek and the White Bird launch sites will include constructing new concrete ramps that extend further into the river. The tentative construction schedule is as follows:

• Slate Creek Boat Ramp:  Jan. 3, 2022 – Mar. 31, 2022
• White Bird Boat Ramp: Jan. 10, 2022 – Mar. 31, 2022

While construction is underway, the boat ramps and adjacent area will be temporarily closed to provide for the public’s safety. Closures will be lifted as work at each site is completed. While construction is underway, the BLM recommends the boat ramp at Hammer Creek recreation area as an alternative launch site.    

For more information about recreation and fishing opportunities on the Lower Salmon River, please visit https://www.blm.gov/visit/lower-salmon-river