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  • The West Mojave Desert Plan

    VICTORVILLE — County officials hate it. Plant preservationists hate it. Off-road recreational enthusiasts don't like it. Tortoise advocates despise it. And environmentalists can't stand it.

    The Off-Road Vehicle Designations proposed for the West Mojave Plan, a sweeping conservation strategy for 3.2 million acres of public land, seems to be a road map leading to a morass of litigation and protests for the Bureau of Land Management.

    According to Department of Interior spokeswoman Jan Bedrosian, at least 26 protests have been filed against the Off-Road Vehicle Designation Project. The department is reviewing the complaints, and Bedrosian said she hopes to have a formal decision by the end of the month.

    "We know there are critical habitats at stake," Bedrosian said. "We also need to provide for public access as well. We're trying to strike a balance."

    "I've heard from both sides. Nobody likes it," said Rebecca Jones, an environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Game. "There's a lot of information to try and get through, and the review time was too short."

    Anthony Adams, district director for First District Supervisor Bill Postmus, agreed, though for different reasons. He said the county wasn't given enough time to respond to the route designations, and that the proposals aren't based on established management principles.

    "What the BLM is proposing essentially put into place off-highway vehicle routes," Adams said. "What they've got was determined by two plans, which aren't complete."

    Adams said he objected to using the West Mojave Plan and the Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan as the basis for restricting recreational vehicle access to wilderness. Doing so, he said, "puts the cart before the horse."

    Damen Jefferies is an avid off-road enthusiast, with a racing enterprise in Hesperia. He said he is seeing increasing interest in the activity outside of California, a trend he attributes to excessive regulation in the state.

    "It's getting so difficult in California. Everywhere we go there's somebody trying to fight us," Jefferies said. "Off-roading brings easily millions of dollars in tax revenue to California, if not more."

    "It's frustrating. It really is," Jefferies continued. "For a lot of people in Southern California, it's not just a hobby, it's their livelihood."

    Desert ecologist Daniel Patterson heads the Center for Biological Diversity. That group joined forces with the Sierra Club and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility in filing a formal legal protest against the Department of the Interior.

    "The route designation plan was supposed to be done in the '80s. It's 20 years overdue," Patterson said. "San Bernardino County has been one of the main forces in delaying this. They don't want to see route designations done."

    Copyright © 2003 Daily Press
    Kirk
    1997 Jeep Wrangler

  • #2
    Environmentalists filed a legal protest to the Bush administration's proposed management plan for Southern California's West Mojave Desert, arguing it would put at risk 3.2 million acres of endangered habitat by opening them to off-road vehicles.

    The protest, filed Friday with the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, is one of 26 lodged against the section of the plan covering the use of off-road vehicles. It is a preliminary step to filing suit in federal court.

    "Mojave Desert wildlife and habitat are in decline and off-road vehicles are a major reason," said Daniel Patterson, an ecologist for the Idylwild based-Center for Biological Diversity, one of the sponsors of the protest.

    "We see the administration going not for a conservation plan but a plan that maximizes off-road use. That doesn't go with the national interest of protecting the area," he said.

    Off-road enthusiasts contend disease and predators, not recreational vehicles, are responsible for the drop in endangered species such as the desert tortoise.

    The federal government has until June 30 to respond.

    "The Interior Department will respond directly to the protests," said John Dearing, a California spokesman for the department's Bureau of Land Management. "They will all get individual responses."

    Friday's protest against the plan's "Off-Road Vehicle Designation Project" was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

    The government's proposed West Mojave Plan covers 9.3 million acres of desert in Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. It promises to safeguard the habitats of endangered species such as the desert tortoise and Mojave ground squirrel.

    © 2003 The Associated Press
    Kirk
    1997 Jeep Wrangler

    Comment


    • #3
      what does all of this mean?
      :gun:'99 TJ Sport:gun:

      Comment


      • #4
        The Sierra Club is trying to shut down 9.3 million acers of the Mojave Desert- This is where we go.
        The biological guys have joined forces with them.

        The government's proposed West Mojave Plan covers 9.3 million acres of desert in Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. It promises to safeguard the habitats of endangered species such as the desert tortoise and Mojave ground squirrel.
        Kirk
        1997 Jeep Wrangler

        Comment


        • #5
          It basically means that you won't be able to Jeep there, and may not even be able to hike there.

          Comment


          • #6
            barstards

            thats right, barstards
            [COLOR=blue]Chris[/COLOR]
            SAVE JOHNSON VALLEY!!! - CLICK HERE
            Ya Savvy?

            Motech Performance

            Comment


            • #7
              wait a second! i live in that area!! doesn't anyone think that maybe the PEOPLE are changing the environment and not the offroaders? maybe the 8 new homes a day in apple valley are causing wildlife to flee from their homes and die ... not the everyday jeeper.
              :gun:'99 TJ Sport:gun:

              Comment


              • #8
                those damn greenies! they dont know why they do what they do... they just do it.
                it isnt the average jeeper that damages the desert, and other wheeling areas. it is those careless cheap basterds that fill their trucks, and dump the garbage out there.
                most jeepers i know will leave the desert with more trash than they got there with!
                >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
                ERIK


                95 yj, locked lifted, and ready to rock!

                Comment


                • #9
                  From OffRoadAccess.com

                  Public meetings scheduled for draft West Mojave plan

                  The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the county of San Bernardino, and the city of Barstow have scheduled seven public meetings to gather public comments on the draft West Mojave Plan, which was released for public review on June 10, 2003.

                  The meetings will be held from 6:00 p.m. and conclude no later than 9:00 p.m. Please see the following for dates and times:

                  http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/06/n...tings/Conv.htm
                  :gun:'99 TJ Sport:gun:

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Get involved people I'm going to try and make it, but without reliable transportation its kinda difficult to say for sure.
                    [COLOR=blue]Chris[/COLOR]
                    SAVE JOHNSON VALLEY!!! - CLICK HERE
                    Ya Savvy?

                    Motech Performance

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Why is your XJ still down ? Still need a radiator ?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by jim79cj7
                        Why is your XJ still down ? Still need a radiator ?
                        yeah
                        [COLOR=blue]Chris[/COLOR]
                        SAVE JOHNSON VALLEY!!! - CLICK HERE
                        Ya Savvy?

                        Motech Performance

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          allright guys, here's our chance to make a difference. i'm going to the first meeting, this tuesday in victorville.

                          if you have any comments, i'd be glad to take them with me and also give a report on how the meeting goes.
                          :gun:'99 TJ Sport:gun:

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            THE VICTORVILLE PUBLIC HEARING

                            well, i'm not sure i'm any more clear on what the west mojave desert plan actually does. it does alot of things, and it's very complicated.

                            most importantly, i didn't recognize any high desert or other local clubs at the meeting. i looked through the sign-in sheet and didn't see any either. don't get me wrong, they could have been there....but rick and i didn't notice anyone. if anyone knows of any clubs or other organizations that attended this meeting, please let us know.

                            we talked to Mike Ahrens, the BLM's OHV Program Coordinator for probably at least 15 minutes. he was very helpful in explaining what is going on with the ohv trails - and he just got a new rubi! woohoo! he might even log in and say hello!

                            what it seems to boil down to is that the blm wants to keep us (offroaders) in designated ohv areas. there is already a plan in effect that is regulating all trails and roads in the desert, the "wmdp" will just allow them to modify any closures or openings to fine tune them. there will also be a fee schedule (like up at big bear) to help pay for the blm/rangers to be present and offer services.

                            this sounds kinda cool and all, but with the open desert being regulated and more people in the "designated areas" ... well, those areas are going to be more crowded.

                            areas that will remain "untouched" are the major ohv areas including dumont, johnson valley, stoddard wells, and i believe el mirage.

                            rick will chime in here with anything i've missed. (which is alot) lol

                            GO TO THESE MEETINGS IF YOU CAN!
                            this confusing desert plan is important to all of us in socal. we need to figure it out and send in comments - they will be read and considered. i don't have any comments yet, but we will come up with some in this thread and write letters. we have 90 days to do this. please add your input here from things you have read or anywhere. we also have a copy of the "plan" and the cd-roms to go with it, if you would like to take a look.
                            :gun:'99 TJ Sport:gun:

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