BY KERRY POHLMAN
Sept. 26, 2002

Off-roaders will have to cover the same ground when the recreation season kicks off next month in the sand dunes.


Two all-terrain vehicle riders head into the Imperial Sand Dunes in this file photo. Photo by Charles Whitehouse
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced Wednesday that 49,300 acres in the Imperial Sand Dunes will remain closed to off-road vehicles for at least the beginning of the season, which typically starts Halloween weekend.

The closures were instituted two years ago to settle a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity. The suit alleged the bureau wasn't doing enough to protect endangered and threatened species, including the Pierson's milk vetch.

BLM officials anticipated having a finalized management plan for the dunes ready by now, said Roxie Trost, resource chief with the BLM.

Now, "We're hoping to be able to have the plan out for the New Year's holiday," she said.

It's uncertain whether most of the acres currently closed will be re-opened to off-roaders, she said.
"It's going to be a plan the BLM supports and is defendable," she said.

The delay is partly a result of the more than 10,000 public comments they received on the issue and ongoing negotiations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she said.

Marty LaBelle, sales manager for Wild West Motor Sports, doesn't foresee any major economic impact in Yuma because of the continued closures.

"As long as the dunes are there people are going to come," he said.

LaBelle thinks more people will start camping in the dunes during the weekdays to avoid the crowds on the weekends. If people just follow the rules, "everything will be fine," he said.

Most of the closed area lies between Sand Highway and Wash Road, north of Patton Valley and a few miles south of Glamis. A smaller restricted area lies just south of Mammoth Wash.

The public will have 30 days to protest the final plan and the Environmental Impact Statement once they are complete.

In a news release, BLM officials asked for the public's continued cooperation.

"People have been very good about adhering to the temporary closures," Trost said.

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Kerry Pohlman can be reached at kpohlman@yumasun.com or 539-6872.

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quote:

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BLM officials anticipated having a finalized management plan for the dunes ready by now, said Roxie Trost, resource chief with the BLM.

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Imagine that, the government not having the job done on time! If these azzwholes worked in the private sector they would all be fired!

LIVE FREE OR DIE!