OUTSIDE MAGAZINE / OUTSIDEMAG.COM - April 2, 2002

http://www.outsidemag.com/news/headlines/2...20020402_1.html


BLM Proposes Reopening California Dunes to Off-Roaders


By Ryan Brandt


The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has proposed reopening almost 50,000

acres of southern California's Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area to

off-road-vehicles, igniting the wrath of environmental groups.


Located about 150 miles east of San Diego, the 208,000-acre park is the

largest patch of sand dunes in the western U.S. The dunes rise more than

300 feet and offer a unique habitat to hundreds of rare plants and animals

as well as an inviting playground for off-road-vehicle users.


The proposal, released last Friday, offered four recommendations for

recreational use of the dunes, including the BLM's preferred alternative to

reopen 49,000 acres of dunes to off-road use that were closed under a

November, 2000, court settlement between the BLM and a consortium of

environmental groups. The settlement—seen as temporary until a permanent

plan was devised—was reached after the Center for Biological Diversity, the

Sierra Club, and Public Employees for Environmental Diversity sued the BLM,

claiming the department had failed to consult with U.S. Fish and Wildlife

on the California Desert Conservation Plan, a violation of the Endangered

Species Act. Prior to the settlement, off-road-vehicles were given free

reign on the park except for a 27,000-acre swath of protected wilderness

established in 1994.


The BLM currently grants off-road-vehicles unlimited access to 36 percent

of its lands and limited access to another 45 percent.

Motor-sports-enthusiasts have in recent years waged political battles to

get off-road-vehicle-specific parks and trails (see "Nasty, Brutish, and

Loud," Outside Magazine, April 2002


According to BLM officials, the new permanent plan for the Imperial Sand

Dunes aims to balance recreational use and conservation efforts, and

off-road recreation is a key ingredient in this mix. "There can be

recreational use of off-road-vehicles that does not negatively affect the

natural environment," said Lynnette Elser, National Environmental

Protection Act coordinator for the BLM.


Conservation groups disagree, insisting the misuse of the land by

off-road-vehicle enthusiasts threatens species such as the endangered

desert tortoise and proposed endangered Peirson's Milkvetch, while leaving

other non-motorized recreationists in the off-roaders' dust.


"The BLM's preferred proposal is totally unacceptable and clearly outside

of the public's interest," said Daniel Patterson, a desert ecologist for

the Center for Biological Diversity. "BLM's position is to serve just one

constituency, and that's the off-roaders. They're ignoring anyone else who

would want to use the dunes." Patterson says the sand dunes are prime

ground for backpacking, bird watching, and photography.


Clark Collins, the Executive Director of the BlueRibbon Coalition, an

organization devoted to promoting and fighting for the rights of

off-road-vehicle users, said the proposal is a step in the right direction.

"We're excited that the BLM is considering reopening the dunes. There are

lots of other areas for those people who don't want to share their pastimes

with off-highway-recreation. The proposal points out that

off-highway-recreation is a legitimate use of our public lands."


Jay Tutchton, the lawyer for Earthjustice who reached the 2000 settlement,

is frustrated by the BLM's proposal because it doesn't include the current

system as one of its options. "You had this proposal that had a lot of

agreement from all sides and the BLM just threw it away, which is just a

travesty. To just not look at the system that has been working for two

years seems so shortsighted."


A major source of concern has been the unruly and unlawful behavior

exhibited in the past by the off-roaders that descend on Imperial Sand

Dunes en masse on weekends and holidays. Over the 2001 Thanksgiving holiday

weekend, some 190,000 off-roaders motored over the dunes; 220 people were

injured, 70 were arrested, and three died


"It's like Mad Max on meth," said Tutchton. "There's a serious public

safety problem and that's getting worse."


Elser insists that a few bad apples have created the negative publicity for

the rest of the off-road-vehicle community. "The vast majority of the

people go there for a recreational option. It's just a small group that is

causing these problems." She also pointed out that the BLM proposal

includes increased law enforcement suggestions aimed at curbing the

unlawful behavior.


The BLM is holding meetings and receiving comments on their proposal until

June 28, with a final decision tentatively set for October.


Patterson hopes that opposition to the BLM proposal will lead to an

alternative. "Every conservation group in the nation will be fighting this.

We're hoping that through opposition and contacting the BLM, they will

rethink this position."


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May the Dune Gods Smile Upon You
ShiftingDunes.com

GAUD- I WISH THAT PATTERSON FOOL WOULD GO...UH....MMM...WELL YA KNOW..

is anyone on this board in the insurance business? i would like to know, out of about 200,000 people in any one place, how many will die in a given period of time.

"BLM's position is to serve just one constituency, and that's the off-roaders. They're ignoring anyone else who would want to use the dunes." Patterson says the sand dunes are prime ground for backpacking, bird watching, and photography.

i have NEVER seen anyone just walking around in the dunes, have you?

Patterson plays on the public's ignorance. He knows that someone who does not know better, when faced with two choices, Rip snortin, loud, fast, crazy off-roading or nice, quiet, peaceloving hippies, the public will choose the hippies every time.
What Patterson doesn't understand is that orginazations like the ASA and Corva and BlueRibbon and GlamisDunes have come a long way in educating the public. Already we've started seeing more "off-road" friendly articles in the papers and on TV.

Daniel Patterson practices what I like to call, Clintonizing. That's the theory that says "if you say something enough times people will start to believe it, no matter how outrageous it is."

He knows the facts. He knows his side is loosing. He will loose because we will accept nothing less. It's almost personal now.

He's gonna keep on spouting his crap until he looses all of his support. He will get no recognition or respect, even from his own side. He's already considered an extremist by many newspaper writers.

I can sense panic in his words and that gives me encouragment.

Vor

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May the Dune Gods Smile Upon You
ShiftingDunes.com

And he's hoping if he keeps on repeating the garbage about backpacking and hiking WITHOUT mentioning the Wilderness Area available for those activities right across 78 that people will fall for that too!
Julie

Anybody up for a nice backpacking trip through the dunes? This guy must be on crack!

Backpacking??? I'm in pretty good shape and I climbed a very small dune to take a pic of bikes jumpin, had to take a nap after!!

yea no kiddin, i can get exhausted sometimes just RIDING MY BIKE. lol good luck walkin

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DJ~DesertViper
Blue is the only way to go~YZ250

Danny and a group actually did hike over the dunes. It took them 2 days to do it. I'm not giving them any credit here, just that they did it.
Next, they hiked in the southern closure. So what was so wrong with the 35000 acres north of the highway that is designated wilderness and has been open for non-motorized access for the last 30 years?
Then, he specifically routed the hike so as to intentionally miss as much of the PMV as possible. What a pile of bird feces!
They were brought to the dunes by a shuttle bus so they could escape paying their $10 fee.
It was a major publicity stunt for the CBD and it hasn't really gotten them jack.
They're getting pretty transparent.
And VOR is right; tell a lie often enough and pretty soon you won't remember the truth!

OK her is the scenario, five o'clock news.
Michael Tuck: And on tonights top story 190,000 hikers converge in the imperial sand dunes over memorial weekend.There are six dead and twelve others injured, during two seperate incidents.The first tragedy took place when a large group was racing up china wall when one slipped and began to roll down the hill taking out three other hikers.They all tumbled to their deaths. In the other incident a large group was making a long trek from Gordons well to glamis; When one hiker began to suffer from heat exaustion.

Michael Tuck:The man went on a rampage tearing milk vechts out of the sand and beating people with them.Two died and twelve were injured.
In our next story the BLM is hireing Off roaders to rescue other hikers stranded out in the dunes.
END
What a joke these people will say and do anything to make us look bad.

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blue is better

AHAHAHAHAH So now you can start blaming those eco-dorks for killing PMV and other people with it!
ahaha thats funny

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DJ~DesertViper
Blue is the only way to go~YZ250

Hey, I love bird watching and whatever else just like the rest of you. Of course, to get to the proper places to enjoy this nature, YOU NEED A SANDRAIL!!!!!

" Bird watching " ....In the dunes?

LOL!!!!

Call me a lazy ba$tard, but one hike up a single dune is enough for me.

If God had meant for us to walk up sand dunes, he wouldn't have invented the internal combustion engine.

Stonehedge, be sure to call the writer and ask what day the article comes out.

Funny this weekend Huel Houser had a special with a gentleman in Palm Springs who delt with the issue of desert expansion. It was really devastating to see the old desert shots against the new. did he blame off roaders, NO. He blamed architects, citys and counselmen who permitted land to be over built without space for things like the dunes in Palm Springs to be preserved. His main concern was the desert bloom in the low dunes. Theses low dunes permitted things like Verbenia and such to take hold where the larger dunes would not. It just makes no sense that these people we are fighting are trying to close something that is self sufficient and sucessful in its use and community. Versus areas lost already to urbanites. Why arent they *****ing about that. Guess Daniel Patterson just loves to go swimming in the mornings cause you gotta have a home?

PS Tahquitz Canyon, Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort
under these dunes of grass lies the old Dunes of Palm Springs. Why dont we try to close this down so people (like Daniel Patterson) can watch the birds and let the sand return???? BUT Hey on the flip side they didnt need to import any sand for the traps RIGHT. Or am I just talkin out my A $ $. So is the power of money.

Hey Stonehenge, make sure that reporter has my email address. I'd like to talk to him too. It's in my profile.

Greg
ASA National Media Relations Director