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 Topic: Land Use AlertsThe new items published under this topic are as follows.
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HOLLISTER, CA (Aug. 22) - Off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation continues without the cloud of litigation over the popular Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA) for the first time in over eighteen months following the recent dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and California Native Plant Society. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the CCMA has been under attack for several years by anti-access groups seeking to close the popular off-road riding area, home of the AMA-sanctioned Quicksilver Enduro and known by enthusiasts throughout the country.
The BlueRibbon Coalition, a national non-profit recreation group (BRC), spearheaded an effort by motorized recreation interests to intervene in this case in order to help to protect public access to the CCMA. The suit, filed in Federal District Court in San Jose in November 2004, threatened to eliminate most motorized use of the entire area. The Plaintiffs filed numerous motions seeking immediate judicial imposition of travel restrictions, none of which were granted.
"We are pleased at this result. The recreation community is proud of its strong legal defense of the agency's planning process and continued support for active management of the CCMA," noted Paul Turcke, a Boise, Idaho, attorney representing the Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle Club, the American Motorcyclist Association District 36, the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, the California Off Road Vehicle Association, the Off Road Business Association and the BlueRibbon Coalition in the lawsuit. "However, this success should not trigger complacency. A number of CCMA issues remain pending, including our Interior Board of Land Appeals challenge to the 'dry season' closure, and future litigation at the CCMA and other California riding areas is, unfortunately, more likely than not," Turcke cautioned.
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The Forest Service is underestimating the impact of proposed closure. They are saying we are loosing only 43 miles of single track out of 700 miles of trails, but that total includes mostly jeep roads. After reviewing Forest documents we calculate they are proposing closing about 68 miles out of about 250 miles of single track for a loss of about 27% of single track.
Visit Stewards of the Sequoia to see how you can help!
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Our partners in Colorado are fighting a skirmish in an ongoing battle that essentially extends from Canada to Mexico. The legislation authorizing the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail did not specifically exclude this trail being open to motorized vehicles. Unfortunately, agenda driven bureaucrats have once again twisted the intent of Congress and are attempting to make the CDNST totally non-motorized. BRC is working this issue in Montana, Colorado and New Mexico where anti-access groups are all too eager to assist.
BRC applauds the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO: see http:www.cohvco.org ) for their diligent effort to keep motorized portions of the CDNST open. So far, their efforts have been successful.
Strong public support must be shown for alternatives that leave motorized sections of the CDNST open. Please help us by responding to the action alert below.
Thanks,
Brian Hawthorne
Public Lands Director
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008
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I've been asked to have folks send this letter off to the Superintendent of the Mojave National Preserve. Please share with your friends...
To: Superintendent Mojave National Preserve 2701 Barstow Road Barstow, CA 92311
Superintendent of the Mojave National Preserve:
Please consider this letter an official response to the National Park Service's request for public comment in answer to the Environmental Assessment for a proposal to convert twelve ranching wells into wildlife guzzlers/drinkers distributed 11/22/05.
I feel very strongly that Alternative B is the correct action for the NPS to pursue. This action will have no negative impact on the environment and needs to be undertaken as soon as possible. I see no reason for further analysis regarding soil, water resources, wildlife, vegetation, endangered species, cultural landscape resources, visitor experience, public health and safety, park operations, or wilderness. Wildlife and visitor experience would have a positive impact whereas the other topics listed above would be insignificant or cause no impact to the MNP. If no action is taken, there will continue to be a negative impact on wildlife, visitor experience and preserve resources.
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The West Mojave Plan, the largest habitat conservation plan (HCP) ever developed in the United States, encompassing 9.3 million acres in San Bernardino, Kern, Los Angeles, and Inyo counties, has been jointly released, along with the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR), by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the County of San Bernardino, and the City of Barstow.
The HCP and proposed BLM plan amendment provides a comprehensive strategy to conserve and protect more than 100 listed or sensitive wildlife species and their habitats, including the desert tortoise and Mohave ground squirrel. The plan also provides a streamlined program for public agencies and private parties to comply with requirements of the State and Federal Endangered Species Acts. In addition to being a multi-agency HCP, it is also an amendment to the 1980 California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan and includes a final EIS/EIR analyzing the impacts of the plan's provisions.
In addition to BLM, San Bernardino County, and Barstow, many other entities cooperated or participated in the plan's development, including three other counties, 10 other cities, the California Department of Fish and Game, the California Department of Transportation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, four U.S. military bases, and numerous non-governmental organizations and businesses.
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The Imperial Sand Dunes, one of the most popular recreation sites in the country with more than 1.2 million visitors annually, has a new land use plan balancing off-highway vehicle (OHV) use with protection of wilderness and threatened plant and wildlife species, and emphasizing a family-oriented safety and law enforcement program.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State Director Mike Pool said he today signed a record of decision (ROD) approving a new Recreation Area Management Plan (RAMP) that will guide management of the 160,000-acre Dunes for the next 15 years. "I am very pleased to be able to finalize this five-year cooperative planning effort and move management of the Dunes forward into a new, progressive era." The ROD is available online at www.ca.blm.gov.
Pool said the key feature of the RAMP is "zoning" the entire Dunes into eight distinct management areas, each designed to emphasize varying levels of OHV use or environmental protection. These areas range from no vehicle use in the 26,202-acre North Algodones Dunes Wilderness Area to intensive OHV use in the 21,225-acre Gecko Management Area.
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"If not there, where?" is a slogan that we hope will soon be heard in Olympia from hundreds of motorized off road users on March 25, 2005--if the Northwest Outdoor Coalition (NOC), a coalition of dedicated off road vehicle users of every type, has its way.
That is the date that was picked for a Rally in Olympia by this dedicated core group representing motorized users of ATV, 4WD, Rally Car, Motorcycle, Sports Car, Motocross, Enduro, Poker Run, Play Riders, Trail Riders, Off Road Racers.
These people are fed up with what is happening in Olympia and want to draw attention to it in the mainstream press!
Some of the current things that are going on in Olympia:
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Who: El Dorado County Rubicon Trail planning team and all interested individuals and organizations
What: A public session to discuss revisions to the Preliminary Draft Rubicon Trail Master Plan released December 4, 2004. This session will present revisions to the Preliminary Draft Rubicon Trail Master Plan based on comments received on the Master Plan presented at the January 22, 2004 public workshop.
When: Saturday, March 19 beginning at 10:00 AM and to conclude no later than 2:00 PM.
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a plan would close more than 90,000 acres to off-road vehicle users in central Oregon, including a desert area known as the Badlands that has been identified as suitable for wilderness designation. The closure would prohibit trucks, off-highway vehicles (OHVs), motorcycles and cars from being driven on any of the roughly 50 miles of roads and trails that run through the 32,000-acre area.
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SACRAMENTO, CA: In an order dated February 15, 2005, Senior U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton agreed with both vehicle access advocates and opponents that the U.S. Forest Service has not been properly managing off-highway vehicle ("OHV") use on the Eldorado National Forest. The order came in a case originally brought by anti-access organizations, and later joined by vehicle access advocates such as the California Enduro Riders Association, the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, the California Off-Road Vehicle Association, and the BlueRibbon Coalition. Judge Karlton's order found that the Forest Service failed to fully comply with the National Environmental Policy Act when it issued its 1990 travel management plan, and further found legal violations associated with the 1999 Rock Creek Trail Plan.
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A new fee scheme for recreational use of federally managed public lands has started a firestorm of opposition among Western elected officials.
Known as the Recreational Access Tax, or RAT, the measure was buried as a rider in a 3,000-plus page appropriations bill in the waning days of the last congress.
Three Colorado counties have already called for repeal of the RAT, and the Montana State Legislature is considering a similar measure. Officials, especially in states with significant federal acreage, are outraged that a major change in public land policy was made behind closed doors, without congressional debate.
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San Diego Union-Tribune - 2/11/2005
"California is on the verge of designating more than 55,000 acres in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park as wilderness, a proposal that once again pits conservationists against off-roaders for control of public land." And: "'The shrill tone of the debate is part of a broader social shift toward winner-take-all politics,'" says one observer....Public-land policy resonates across the West, particularly on the hundreds of millions of acres managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management."
Read the complete story at SignOnSanDiego.com
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Salt Lake Tribune - 2/12/2005
"When is a highway a highway? What does the word 'construction" mean, exactly? And how much jurisdiction does the Bureau of Land 'Management have over backcountry roads on federal land that have been claimed by states and counties?" A case being heard in Salt Lake City "will determine whether Western states and counties can claim ownership of trails and roads across millions of acres of federal lands, including national parks, or if the federal government retains control and can continue to impose restrictions on use."
Read the complete story at The Salt Lake Tribune
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RESPONSE NEED BY February 17, 2005!
Please take action now to save the White Mountains' Furnace Creek Road from being closed to four-wheel drive vehicles. Stop the Forest Service and BLM plans to restrict motorized access on Furnace Creek Road, which well-known author Roger Mitchell has called "one of the most interesting jeep trails in the county."
It takes only a minute or two minutes of your time to visit http://www.deathvalley.com/action/furnace_creek.shtml (fill in the short form and click the button to send a fax)to help keep a great area open.
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When I was a boy growing up in California we called them "mud puddles." If they grew large enough, grown-ups called it "flooding."
But now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which enforces the Endangered Species Act, has adopted the bogus poetry of the environmentalist left, calling them "vernal pools."
Read more at www.washingtontimes.com
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CWA ACTION ALERT
From: Bill Gaines, Director of Government Affairs
Mark Hennelly, Deputy Director of Government Affairs
Subject: Confirmation of Marilyn Hendrickson
California Fish and Game Commission
Date: February 2, 2005
CWA needs your help in countering a campaign by animal-rights and environmental groups seeking to deny State Senate confirmation of Marilyn Hendrickson as a member of the California Fish and Game Commission.
Last March, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Marilyn Hendrickson to a six year term on the California Fish and Game Commission - the important State regulatory body responsible for setting all fishing and hunting regulations. In order to hold this seat for the full 6 year term, her appointment must be confirmed by the State Senate within the first 12 months - i.e. by mid-March, 2005. Thus, in order to remain on the Commission, Ms. Hendrickson must be confirmed by the Senate within the next six weeks. A hearing date has not yet been scheduled by the Senate Rules Committee, but should be set shortly.
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On December 22, 2004 the Bush administration issued broad new rules overhauling the guidelines for managing the nation's 155 national forests and making it easier for regional forest managers to decide whether to allow logging, drilling or off-road vehicles. The final rule requires forest managers to comply with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, but an accompanying proposal - which is open to public comment for 60 days - gives managers new discretion on what kind of environmental review constitutes compliance.
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After years of preparation and litigation, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has released its Biological Opinion for the Recreation Area Management Plan (RAMP) for the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA) (a.k.a. Glamis). The plan was drafted two years ago with extensive input from the off-highway vehicle recreation community as well as the environmental community. The "No Jeopardy" opinion concludes that implementation of the RAMP will not lead to a decline in the population of the Peirson's MilkVetch Plant (PMV) or the Desert Tortoise - currently listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. The PMV is believed to exist only in the Imperial Sand Dunes.
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An off-road vehicle advocacy group is appealing a court decision that has closed off thousands of acres in Box Elder and Grand counties to off-highway-vehicle use.
The Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-All), a coalition of OHV organizations, argues that the Bureau of Land Management closed about 250,000 acres in Grand County and 189,000 acres in Box Elder County without conducting any environmental analysis or allowing public comment. . .
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ARRA wants to alert you to a great opportunity for responsible recreationists to provide input on how responsible OHV use is compatible with preserving and protecting our public lands in California.
The Forest Service has requested comments on its OHV route designation process and its impact on historic property preservation. Comments on the proposed Programmatic Agreement for the OHV route designation will be accepted until January 31st.
ARRA encourages you to read more about the agreement by clicking here (http://www.arra-access.com/ct/z1LKMPM1DmSD/) and then submit your comments by Monday.
Comments may be submitted electronically to r5_ohvpa_comments@fs.fed.us or via mail to:
Judy Rose
USDA Forest Service
1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA 94592
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Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it completed its review of the Bureau of Land Management's draft Recreation Area Management Plan for the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, and determined that the proposed plan would not jeopardize Peirson's milk-vetch (Astragalus magdalenae var. peirsonii) or the desert tortoise (Xerobates agassizi) ? two federally threatened species that occur within the dunes. The Service also concluded that implementation of the recreation plan would not adversely modify Peirson's milk-vetch designated critical habitat.
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Environmentalists win legal round to protect a reptile, but off-roaders push to keep desert open.
By Randy Dotinga | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
SAN DIEGO - As Congress considers whether to tinker with the venerable Endangered Species Act, a dust-up between environmentalists and off-road enthusiasts is spotlighting the power of judges to protect animals from the agencies assigned to defend them.
At issue is the Mojave desert tortoise, a species whose numbers in Southern California have shrunk in recent decades. Federal wildlife officials, who believe they only have an obligation to keep the tortoise from dwindling further, are facing fire from environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club. A federal judge has been sympathetic to the tortoise's defenders, rejecting pleas from off-roaders who fear losing access to large swaths of the desert.
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SALINAS, CA (January 17) -- A Monterey Bay-Area recreation group has been spearheading a grassroots effort to raise funds for the legal battle to save the Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA), a popular off-highway vehicle (OHV) destination near Coalinga, California. The Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle Club (SRMC) is leading the charge to generate donations for the Blue Ribbon Coalition's (BRC) Save Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.
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Federal Court Issues Injunction Prohibiting OHV Travel in Desert Washes
A Federal Court in San Francisco has issued an injunction prohibiting off-highway vehicle (OHV) use in wash zones within 571,000 acres of public lands in the Northern and Eastern Colorado Desert region of the California Desert to protect the threatened desert tortoise.
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The San Juans public lands office is currently beginning a new Resource Management Plan (RMP) to cover all public lands managed by both BLM and the Forest Service in the Durango Colorado office. The process has just begun and this is the time to be heard by the planners and voice your opinion on how your public lands in this area should be managed. This phase is absolutely critical in forming the direction the RMP will take, please take a few minutes and send some comments to them on what types of uses you believe are important and appropriate on your public lands.
The details can be found at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/sanjuan, http://www.co.blm.gov/sjra/index.html or through Fort Lewis College at http://ocs.fortlewis.edu/forestplan.
If you would prefer to write or call you can get info at:
SJ Public Lands Center
15 Burnett Court
Durango CO 81301
ph 970 247 4874
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Tread Lightly!
The nonprofit organization Tread Lightly! has just released its 2005 "Master Tread Trainer" schedule. We hope you take advantage of a course in your area. These are fantastic opportunities. Scroll down for more information.
WHAT IS TREAD TRAINER?
The Tread Trainer program is designed to train participants in innovative, practical methods of spreading outdoor ethics (specifically regarding motorized and mechanized recreation) to the public. The training is provided through a one-day course and will qualify the participant to become a Tread Lightly! representative-- a "Master Tread Trainer."
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Forest Service
Under the 36 CFR 800 regulations for the National Historic Preservation Act, the Forest Service is negotiating a Programmatic Agreement for its Off-Highway Vehicle route designation program. The proposed agreement considers the effects to historic properties from route designation. It identifies historic property inventory, monitoring, and treatment standards.
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Utah House Representative Joseph G. Murray has introduced HB 161 in the Utah house that would require health care providers to report to a law enforcement agency when a person suffers any wound or other injury from an accident involving an off-highway vehicle.
Current law requires health care workers to report injury inflicted by means of a knife, gun, pistol, explosive, infernal devise or deadly weapon. Murray's bill would add "off-highway vehicle" to that list.
BlueRibbon Coalition hopes that it is not necessary to explain why Utah's recreation community should oppose this outrageous legislation.
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A Federal Court in San Francisco has issued an injunction prohibiting off-highway vehicle (OHV) use in wash zones within 571,000 acres of public lands in the Northern and Eastern Colorado Desert region of the California Desert to protect the threatened desert tortoise.
The areas affected are public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within designated desert wildlife management areas (DWMAs) in Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
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BLM ASKS FOR PUBLIC INPUT: The Folsom field office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has scheduled a public meeting regarding future management of about 35,400 acres of public lands in Calaveras County.
The meeting is set from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jan.19 at the Health Education Center at Mark Twain St. Joseph's Hospital, 768 Mountain Ranch Road, San Andreas. Deane Swickard, BLM Folsom field manager, said the information gathered at the meeting will help the BLM develop a regional resources management plan to guide the agency's land management activities for the next 20 years. For more information, contact the Folsom office at
985-4474 or 63 Natoma St., Folsom 95630.
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Published: January 14, 2005
By Lily Raff
Originally from The Bulletin
The Bulletin
PRINEVILLE - A proposal to be released today by the Bureau of Land Management would reduce the overall acreage on which off-highway vehicle use is permitted in Central Oregon.
The three-volume plan proposes banning recreational motorized use in the Badlands, a desert area about 20 miles east of Bend.
But the plan could also open doors for OHV users, as it proposes year-round vehicle access in some areas now closed during winter, and proposes constructing "corridors" that would connect popular OHV trails.
Four years in the making, the Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan will guide the long-term management of about 400,000 acres of public land.
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