Contact: Jon Crowley
Friends of Sand Mountain, 530/677-1651
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OFF-ROAD ENTHUSIASTS OUTRAGED WITH NEW
BLM PLAN FOR SAND MOUNTAIN RECREATION AREA
Bureau’s Emergency Closure Plan Exceeds
Resource Advisory Council Recommendation
FALLON, NV (Sep. 9, 2003) – Several thousand off-road vehicle enthusiasts who recreate at the popular northern Nevada Sand Mountain Recreation Area feel strongly that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has deceived them.
According to Jon Crowley, who spearheads the Friends of Sand Mountain, the bureau announced in July that it planned to close selected riding trails within a 1,000-acre area to protect and restore the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly and its habitat, the Kearney Buckwheat plant. Crowley said that the butterfly is not listed as threatened or endangered and the proposed trail closures were in excess of what was needed.
Subsequently, this past Labor Day weekend, Crowley said the bureau issued new maps outlining more trail closures in an adjacent 2,000-acre riding area without public input or recommendations from the bureau’s Resource Advisory Council (RAC).
“We were very surprised to see the new bureau map that included closing much more acreage than the Resource Advisory Council had recommended,” said Crowley. “Since April, we have been discussing ways to protect habitat while curbing trail proliferation within the original 1,000 acres. Now, it appears the bureau wants to keep just a few trails open in a 3,000-acre parcel.”
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Sand Mountain
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Crowley said the bureau’s plan closes an excessive number of trails, while failing to focus on truly protecting the necessary habitat for the butterfly.
Crowley was also disappointed that the bureau had not installed any educational signs on the access road as recommended by the RAC such as “Stay on Existing Routes” and “Don’t Ride on Vegetation.”
“Local businesses in and around Fallon are very concerned about the loss of revenue due to the closures,” said Rick Gray of the Fallon Convention & Tourism Bureau. “Less riding areas could cause enthusiasts to go elsewhere.”
Gray said that this year’s Labor Day weekend turnout was much lower than previous years and local businesses are voicing concerns that BLM actions have affected the number of people visiting the Sand Mountain Recreation Area.
“Creating habitat in areas already closed to vehicles should be a top priority in any sensible approach to managing Sand Mountain,” said Roy Denner, president of the nationwide Off-Road Business Association. “It really makes one wonder why the bureau would rather see a forest of closed signs instead of creating and maintaining a healthy population of host plants for the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly.”
Denner also explained that the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service earlier agreed to assist with a program to learn how to grow Kearney Buckwheat; however, he said the bureau has been slow to take the lead on the project.
Crowley said his organization and other OHV organizations are awaiting a reply from the bureau to a recent letter that outlines their access and management concerns. “They are dedicated to working with the bureau on a sensible approach to protecting sensitive habitat, while maintaining quality OHV opportunities,” Crowley said.
###
Friends of Sand Mountain is a non-profit corporation comprised of citizens and business representatives who enjoy the benefits of public access and usage of the Sand Mountain Recreation Area. Their goal is to keep Sand Mountain clean, safe and open for future generations. More information can be found on the Friends of Sand Mountain website at www.SandMountain-NV.org.
Full Version: Sand Mountain vs. BLM
Sounds and looks familiar! :x I sure am glad that the current administration is catering to the "off-road" community! :roll: Just remember, the BLM are our friends! 
BLM embattled over Sand Mountain
September 13, 2003
By CORY MCCONNELL, Lahontan Valley News
Stuck between a flower and a four-wheeler, land managers are taking flack
from all sides over their attempt to devise a conservation plan for Sand
Mountain Recreation Area.
While off-roaders say Bureau of Land Management strategies to stop the
die-off of vegetation at Sand Mountain go way too far, conservationists say
the bureau hasn't done anything yet and the plans it has are voluntary
measures that have never worked anywhere before.
"John Singlaub is allowing himself to be a puppet of the off-road industry
and that's not going to fly," said Daniel Patterson an ecologist with the
conservationist group, Center for Biological Diversity.
"The biggest thing is, the BLM is acting as though it's just trying to avoid
litigation... it's easier to close an area than it is to manage it," said
Jon Crowley, president of the off-road enthusiast group Friends of Sand
Mountain.
Each time the BLM has submitted a plan to protect the habitat, it has taken
an outpouring of such criticism from one side, the other or both.
"What we are moving to do is protect the habitat while trying to provide a
recreation area," said BLM Associate Field Manager Elayn Briggs.
The bureau's current strategy is to post signs discouraging use of certain
trails and encouraging use of others. While Patterson says the plan is
toothless and ineffectual, Crowley says the BLM wants to "discourage" use of
an ever-growing number of trails, and that's just the beginning of a more
forceful and draconian closure plan.
"We're not going to get a ticket or anything but later environmentalists
will come along and say 'look there's tracks over there.' That's when
closures will start," Crowley said.
The two most vociferous players in lobbying BLM Sand Mountain plans are
Crowley, an off-highway vehicle parts and accessories business owner from
California; and Daniel Patterson, an ecologist and environmental activist
from Arizona.
Off-roaders have on their side the outspoken support of a Nevada congressman
and a shared sympathy with the current federal administration, which may or
may not affect decisions by the BLM's Carson City office.
Environmentalists on the other hand, have in their favor the written code by
which the BLM is supposed to manage land, a long list of judicial precedents
and the backing of an organization with a history of taking fights into
courtrooms and the resources to do it again.
While much of the debate between conservationists and off-roading
enthusiasts has centered around the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly, the BLM is
actually mandated to protect the habitat of all land under its management.
If the bureau notices degradation of public land, it's required to restore
and protect that land.
Rather than the butterfly, the issue is actually how the BLM manages public
land, and the BLM is not managing Sand Mountain according to its mandate,
conservationists say. Off-roaders agree.
"(The BLM) could have started educating people along time ago," Crowley
said, "If they would have done their job this wouldn't even be an issue."
Armed with a similar opinion, Patterson said his organization's next step
could very well be litigation against the BLM.
"The law requires (the BLM) to protect land under its management. We are
looking into our options to make them comply," Patterson said.
Briggs said the BLM's current plan is to phase in signing at Sand Mountain
as it determines which trails should be discouraged and which shouldn't. The
bureau also plans to post some signs asking riders not to make new trails
but say on existing paths.
September 13, 2003
By CORY MCCONNELL, Lahontan Valley News
Stuck between a flower and a four-wheeler, land managers are taking flack
from all sides over their attempt to devise a conservation plan for Sand
Mountain Recreation Area.
While off-roaders say Bureau of Land Management strategies to stop the
die-off of vegetation at Sand Mountain go way too far, conservationists say
the bureau hasn't done anything yet and the plans it has are voluntary
measures that have never worked anywhere before.
"John Singlaub is allowing himself to be a puppet of the off-road industry
and that's not going to fly," said Daniel Patterson an ecologist with the
conservationist group, Center for Biological Diversity.
"The biggest thing is, the BLM is acting as though it's just trying to avoid
litigation... it's easier to close an area than it is to manage it," said
Jon Crowley, president of the off-road enthusiast group Friends of Sand
Mountain.
Each time the BLM has submitted a plan to protect the habitat, it has taken
an outpouring of such criticism from one side, the other or both.
"What we are moving to do is protect the habitat while trying to provide a
recreation area," said BLM Associate Field Manager Elayn Briggs.
The bureau's current strategy is to post signs discouraging use of certain
trails and encouraging use of others. While Patterson says the plan is
toothless and ineffectual, Crowley says the BLM wants to "discourage" use of
an ever-growing number of trails, and that's just the beginning of a more
forceful and draconian closure plan.
"We're not going to get a ticket or anything but later environmentalists
will come along and say 'look there's tracks over there.' That's when
closures will start," Crowley said.
The two most vociferous players in lobbying BLM Sand Mountain plans are
Crowley, an off-highway vehicle parts and accessories business owner from
California; and Daniel Patterson, an ecologist and environmental activist
from Arizona.
Off-roaders have on their side the outspoken support of a Nevada congressman
and a shared sympathy with the current federal administration, which may or
may not affect decisions by the BLM's Carson City office.
Environmentalists on the other hand, have in their favor the written code by
which the BLM is supposed to manage land, a long list of judicial precedents
and the backing of an organization with a history of taking fights into
courtrooms and the resources to do it again.
While much of the debate between conservationists and off-roading
enthusiasts has centered around the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly, the BLM is
actually mandated to protect the habitat of all land under its management.
If the bureau notices degradation of public land, it's required to restore
and protect that land.
Rather than the butterfly, the issue is actually how the BLM manages public
land, and the BLM is not managing Sand Mountain according to its mandate,
conservationists say. Off-roaders agree.
"(The BLM) could have started educating people along time ago," Crowley
said, "If they would have done their job this wouldn't even be an issue."
Armed with a similar opinion, Patterson said his organization's next step
could very well be litigation against the BLM.
"The law requires (the BLM) to protect land under its management. We are
looking into our options to make them comply," Patterson said.
Briggs said the BLM's current plan is to phase in signing at Sand Mountain
as it determines which trails should be discouraged and which shouldn't. The
bureau also plans to post some signs asking riders not to make new trails
but say on existing paths.
In an effort to expose the CBD's true agenda to Fallon, this letter to the editor was printed in today's version of the local Fallon newspaper.
Editor:
After reading the article regarding Sand Mountain last weekend, I started to wonder if people here in Fallon really understand what the “conservationist group” Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) is really about.
Through lawsuits filed against ill prepared federal agencies like the BLM and Fish & Wildlife, the CBD has obtained federal Endangered Species Act protection for 280 species and the designation of over 38 million acres of "critical habitat". Critical habitat is just a fancy term for “public use not allowed”.
Don’t be fooled by the “conservationist group” tag. Their goal is to eliminate grazing, farming, hunting and vehicle use on public land. Sand Mountain just happens to be the first of many planned targets for Nevada. They like to pick us off one by one, so we don’t organize to defeat their socialist agenda.
If sensible use of our public land is important to you, get involved with stopping them now before you become their next target.
Danny Smith
Fallon, NV
Editor:
After reading the article regarding Sand Mountain last weekend, I started to wonder if people here in Fallon really understand what the “conservationist group” Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) is really about.
Through lawsuits filed against ill prepared federal agencies like the BLM and Fish & Wildlife, the CBD has obtained federal Endangered Species Act protection for 280 species and the designation of over 38 million acres of "critical habitat". Critical habitat is just a fancy term for “public use not allowed”.
Don’t be fooled by the “conservationist group” tag. Their goal is to eliminate grazing, farming, hunting and vehicle use on public land. Sand Mountain just happens to be the first of many planned targets for Nevada. They like to pick us off one by one, so we don’t organize to defeat their socialist agenda.
If sensible use of our public land is important to you, get involved with stopping them now before you become their next target.
Danny Smith
Fallon, NV
[quote]
Crowley, an off-highway vehicle parts and accessories business owner
[/quote]
that says it all.
Crowley, an off-highway vehicle parts and accessories business owner
[/quote]
that says it all.
| QUOTE | ||
that says it all. |
I've got some stuff that would be great for you!
| QUOTE |
|
that says it all |
No this says it all:
All eco-wackos that have never heard the sounds of a thunderous turboed Sand Rail cresting a dune a daybreak have not lived their life to the fullest.
One more thing Effff-U.
I am sorry to inform you of this: Species die. All species will pass on one day, am I happy of it? No but efffff-it, I care but I don't. Bring on tomorrow. Tomorrow comes there is nothing you can do about it.
The Gay Baby Desert Turtle (GBDT) that only lives in a compound on the fringe of the animal kingdom can/will not be saved.
By anyone.
It's nature's way.
We as off roaders do not go out of our way to hit this GBDT; he's just a stupid animal.
I remember reading one time the Eco wacks pushed an highway department to put in a deer (or some stupid animal) crossing under a highway, as if the animal would be smart enough to use it...
Don't let progress stand in your way.
Walk to work
Turn off the TV/Microwave/Lights/Dish/phone/computer.
Live a simpler life for awhile.
Efff-the eco-wackos.
I'd like to run over an ELF member with a flaming Hummer.
Looking forward to a beautiful dune season!
Duning formally closed dunes that are now open again!
Hall-e-whoooo-ya
SB
| QUOTE | ||
that says it all. |
OHhhhhhhhhh, I see. If you try to make a living that is in any way related to OHV use, your just an evil, money grubbing, monster with no regard for the environment. WHATEVER **** sky! :roll:
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