Please don't think I'm being ignorant in asking the question "who owns Glamis." I was just wondering, does the BLM have final authority over that land? Is it possible for the land to be a State Vehicular Recreation Area(SVRA)? How is it that Ocotillio Wells is is designated as such? Just wondering what the difference is between the two. It would seem Glamis should be designated an SVRA. What else can you do there?

KS

This is a great question and I hope someone can come up with a definitive answer.

Off the cuff I think that the BLM land is land that is controlled by the United States FEDERAL government. The Bureau of Land Management is the department that is in charge of these lands. Their goal is to manage the lands so that the public can use them while at the same time they are not destroyed for future generations. They are, in effect, protected lands, though generally not of any particular good use. Many people use BLM land to graze their cattle and sheep. The ISDRA is land under the control of the BLM that they've designated an off road use area. That is, they've decided that the best use for this land for all concerned is that it be used for off road recreation. Just like they have designated the area NORTH of 78 as a nature hike area.

The difference between ISDRA and Ocotillo Wells is that Ocotillo Wells is controlled by the State of California and not the Federal Government.
I've mentioned that one form of fighting back on this issue would be to get the State of California to kick the Federal Government out of here. Not sure how effective that would be but I know that the State people do an AWESOME job over at Ocotillo Wells and I am sure would do just as good a job here in the ISDRA!

Hopefully someone can come back and correct me wherever I was wrong... I was writing off the cuff and don't really have all the facts.

Vor

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May the Dune Gods Smile Upon You
ShiftingDunes.com

Who did/does the store pay to occupy their area? Or is that not part of the dunes?

And I'll ask again. Why can't we start a township out of the area?

JonRyder

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Damage INC

Im all over that idea

Again, I am not totally sure but I would guess that the store is/was part of the original Glamis TOWN which was before the BLM got into the picture. According to the book that I have, Glamis was owned and run by the railroad. This land is probably left overs from that.

They either own outright or they have a 99 year lease. Not sure... Anyone know for sure?

Vor

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May the Dune Gods Smile Upon You
ShiftingDunes.com

This might be a stretch here so please try to stick with me. A while ago my brother asked me to bring a trailer to my house, from where he had it stored and try to sell it for him. I have not been able to find a new home for it, but last weekend I did use it to haul my car around. I've been bummed because he is asking too much for it and I can't afford it. He lives in Texas and hasn't seen it in years. I asked my mom to see if she could talk him down to a lower price. She said, "wait, you used it, you can use it any time you want, and you want to buy something you can use anytime for free?"

That got me thinking. Even though we have to pay for registraton on our toys, pay for camping and clean up after others every now and then, Does it matter who owns it?

What did I just say?

JonR

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Damage INC

The basic point I was trying to make was, wouldn't it be better to have someone manage this area that would stand up for off roaders. The Ocotillio Wells area is growing rather than shrinking. Wouldn't it be better if Glamis was Officially termed an off road area. Maybe it is already, I don't know. But if it was I don't think it would be getting areas closed. And I'd rather have someone managing the land who isn't going to roll over at the first mention of a lawsuit. The whole "Who Cares" attitude isn't going to do us much good.

KS

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Quench My Thirst With Gasoline!