COEUR d'ALENE - New trails could be coming to the Blue Creek Bay Conservation Area after the U.S. Bureau of Land Management gathers public input on the 736-acre site.

"We are just now in the initial stages of this," said Suzanne Endsley, a spokeswoman for BLM. "We kind of have a vision, but we want to know what the public's vision is."

The Coeur d'Alene Field Office has opened a public scoping period to collect feedback on proposed hazardous fuel treatments and recreation trail improvements.

Endsley said BLM foresters are looking at several ways to thin out dead and dying trees and brush on 500 acres of the Wallace L. Forest Conservation Area.

"There is quite a bit of root rot especially in the Douglas Firs," she said, adding there are many different tools being considered.

Selective harvest, pre-commercial thinning, and prescribed burning are treatment methods that could be utilized in the area.

In addition to the thinning, the field office is proposing trail additions to the area. The trail system could include environmental education components and a re-designation of trails on the western portion of the area is being proposed.

Endsley said the BLM already maintains 4 to 5 miles of trails in the area.

"There is a trailhead just off of Yellowstone Trail Road," she said. "Those trails have become more and more popular lately."

Endsley said the public input will be used to develop alternatives for an environmental analysis which will be completed this fall. On-the-ground treatments would likely begin in July 2016. If all goes well, Endsley said the project will likely be phased in over the next five years.

An on-site public open house will also be held on the evening of Aug. 18.

Endsley said BLM foresters and recreation staff will be available to discuss the proposed activities and answer questions beginning at 6 p.m. at the trailhead parking lot on Yellowstone Trail Road.

"We really want to get the word out on this," she said. "We have been working closely with the Wallace Forest family as well."

Since 2003, the BLM has managed the 736-acre Wallace L. Forest Conservation area surrounding Blue Creek Bay, providing public access to Lake Coeur d'Alene and maintaining the land's conservation, recreation and historical values.

Comments on the proposal are most useful if received by Aug. 28, Endsley said in a release.

Comments can be sent electronically to blm_id_bluecreekbay@blm.gov or by mail to BLM Coeur d'Alene Field Office, attention Blue Creek Bay Project, 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815.