Some of you might be familiar with the Best in the Desert "Vegas to Reno" race that is held every year. This year our old friends at the Center for Biological Diversity have started an e-mail campaign in an attempt get the BLM to deny the Special Recreation Permit required for this race. (see the link below)

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...aign_KEY=26783

The BLM is solicting comments on the scope of the Environmental Assessment (EA) they are preparing for this race. COMMENTS ARE DUE BY MARCH 6, 2009.

I have prepared a template support letter for this event. While this letter does not point out specific areas that need to be studied for the event it will show the BLM that our community supports this race and it goes on to say that an EA is a sufficient amount of environmental review.

As a result of the CBD's e-mail campaign you can bet the BLM has already heard from hundreds, maybe even thousand of opponents to this event.

All of us can make a difference by taking the template letter I have posted below, cut and pasting the whole thing or only portions and add your own words. Snail mail it to the address in the letter. I have been told before that hard copies of letters hold more weight than e-mails.



Date





Eric Williams
BLM – Tonopah Field Office
P.O. Box 911
1553 S. Main Street
Tonopah, NV 89049


RE: Letter in Support of Best in the Desert Racing Association Vegas to Reno Off-Highway Vehicle Race

Dear Mr. Williams:

I am writing to you today in support of the 2009 “Vegas to Reno” race being held by the Best in the Desert Racing Association (BITD). The State of Nevada has a tourist-based economy and relies on events like this for revenue. Given the current state of our economy, cities and rural communities in Nevada would be further strained if this event were not allowed to take place as it has for the past 14 years.

Through careful planning, and through compliance with analytical requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), BLM and BITD should be able to identify and mitigate any potential race-related impacts on the environment. The public and stakeholders should also be able to assist in this process, as many of them know where sensitive resources are located and how best to align the racecourse to avoid disturbing those resources.

BITD has a history of hosting world class off-road events. Further, BITD has shown a commitment to preserving and remediating the roads and trails used during those events. There is no reason to expect that BITD will treat the Vegas to Reno race any differently. As you are well aware, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act imposes a multiple use mandate on the BLM. OHV recreation and racing qualify as valid uses of public lands under that mandate. For this reason and the reasons given above, I hope that you will issue a Special Recreation Permit for the Vegas to Reno race.


Sincerely,

Signature
address

Remember, for your letter to be most effective take a look at the EA first. The BLM and USFS will ONLY consider letters addressing specific concerns in the EA. Letters that just say I support the race blah blah and don't address the actual concerns will NOT be a part of the consideration/decision making process.

I was hoping someone WOULD go thru the document and give us some bullet points we could write about.
I don't have time but want to help and be SUBSTANTIVE with my comments, as you are right -- comments must pertain to the document or they'll ignore them.
Del

If you would like to add some substantive comments to your letter there are a few posted below.

• Purpose and Need - The EA must discuss the purpose and need for this event. This should include the fact that the popularity of this sport has greatly increased in recent years. Additionally it should consider that Nevada, with its vast amounts of public lands, is uniquely suited to hosting an event of this size. It is doubtful that an event of this type could be held elsewhere in the contiguous United States. Another need that should be analyzed is the economic one. We are in midst of a recession and the additional income this event brings to the state is more important now than ever.

• Land Use Plan Conformance – In the past the route chosen by this promoter has always been consistent with the existing land use plan and their subsequent amendments. The routes included in this EA should also be consistent with the existing land use plans.

• Reclamation Plan – The EA must ensure that all areas used or disturbed by the race are returned to pre-race conditions.

• Fire Impacts – The EA must look at all available avenues to reduce the risks of wildfires.

• Cultural Resources – The EA must reduce any impacts to cultural resources in the area. In the past that has been done by keeping the race route on well established road and trails.

• Sensitive, Threatened, or Endangered Animal Species - The EA must evaluate the race's potential to affect sensitive, threatened, or endangered animal species and their habitats. Such animals include the Amorgosa toad and the Mojave desert tortoise. To the extent the race may disturb such species or their habitats, those impacts must be minimized to the greatest extent feasible. Any vehicular use in habitat for sensitive, threatened, or endangered animals should be limited to existing trails or roads.

• Sensitive, Threatened, or Endangered Plant Species – The EA must evaluate the race's potential to affect sensitive, threatened, or endangered plant species and the soils in which they are rooted. Such plants include the Tecopa birdbeak, the squalid milk-vetch, and the Churchill narrows buckwheat. To the extent the race may disturb such species or the soils on which they depend, those impacts must be minimized to the greatest extent feasible. Any vehicular use in areas which support sensitive, threatened, or endangered plants should be limited to existing trails or roads.

• Human Health and Safety -The EA must identify where potential hazards occur on the race route and ensure that those hazards are adequately marked.

This is Scoping. They are looking for issues to address in the EA. The EA has not been done yet.

They are looking for specific concerns like T&E species, cultural resources, etc. Then will address those issues in the EA. Then the EA goes out for public comment. After the comment period, BLM will issue a decision. If they decide to permit the race, which they probably will, the CBD will appeal and request a stay. Unless there is something seriously wrong with the EA the stay will be denied and we get our race.

This is not a popularity contest. Numbers don't really count. Issues count. If they get a thousand comments raising the same issue (like the CBD will do) it doesn't hold any more weight than the one letter that raises another issue.

Make your voice heard with your concerns, but if it is just another form letter it will just be lumped in with the others.

That's it all they do is throw a bunch of stuff against the wall and hope something sticks, why is the burden of prove always on us to disprove a hate groups rhetoric, will there ever come a time it's just ignored...TJ:smokin:

Agreed!!!! Have you seen their (CBD) websie? They have a staff of 60! Fifteen of them are lawyers! They sue over anything and we taxpayers get to pay for it when the agencies have to defend themselves.

I wonder how long we have untill it's just a financial decison by the feds not to spend the money defending these lawsuits and we're all screwed....

Update guys and gals. I just got off the phone with Casey and the BLM is NOT reading e-mailed letters. He tells me they're just getting printed and thrown into a box in the corner of the office. They must be HAND WRITTEN letters if they're going to be considered!!. Break out the pen and paper!!
__________________

Courtesy jbarker@banks on the race-dezert.com BBS, perhaps the BLM actually agrees to, I sure hope so...TJ:smokin:

If indeed BLM is receiving any communication regarding the scope of an environmental document they must give it due consideration under the National Environmental Policy Act.

I don't quite understand what is being said from Casey.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=762469

The above is a link from a thread started with the BRC action alert.

I spoke with Casey Folks personally and asked him what he thought was important.

Here are the points he asked for, and I formulated a simple letter that can be reworded and mailed.

Please write, and send this letter in support of Best in the Deserts Vegas to Reno Race:

Bureau of Land Management
***** Attn: Eric M. Williams
***** Tonopah Field Office
***** 1553 South Main St.
***** PO Box 911
***** Tonopah, NV 89049



Dear Mr. Williams,

Please accept this letter as my comment on the Scoping Process for the Environmental Assessment to be performed for the Special Use Permit issuance to Best in the Desert Inc.'s Vegas to Reno event.

I am in favor of this event. It is understood that Casey Folks, BITD Inc. has been cooperative and environmentally sensitive to any and all environmental impacts this event could cause, and has always been proactive in preventing such impacts.

The event also produces a substantial amount of revenue that communities from Vegas to Reno have come to rely upon. In estimation 15 - 20 million dollars in revenue benefits the local economies. In the current economic situation, the absence of these dollars would greatly impact the local businesses.

I also have learned the Mr. Folks helps communities repair roads along the race course, and last year spent $60,000.00 making repairs to roads in these communities.

In addition, the Bureau of Land Management is reimbursed for all costs and fees relating to this event, it is called a proffer account. Best In The Desert must post a proffer account to pay for all of the BLM event related fees.

Approving the Special Use Permit for this event would be a win-win combination for all involved.

Thank you for you time.

Sincerely,