Crowdog
10-20-2001, 10:36 PM
The Bureau of Land Management is responding to a lawsuit by environmentalists.
10/20/2001
By JENNIFER BOWLES
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Responding to a lawsuit by environmentalists, the federal government on Friday closed all washes in eastern San Bernardino and Riverside counties to vehicles.
Unmarked dirt roads in other areas of the California desert also were closed.
The actions, effective immediately, were initiated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to protect the desert tortoise, a threatened species, officials said in a news release.
The public has until Nov. 26 to appeal through the Interior Board of Land Appeals.
Environmentalists who sued the BLM said the closures are aimed mostly at illegal off-roading. Specific routes eventually will be designated in the various areas, the BLM said.
"It sets forth a reasonable route network so they can have access, but at the same time it reduces the threat to the tortoise," said Daniel Patterson of the Center for Biological Diversity. The Arizona-based group sued last year, alleging the BLM failed to protect two dozen threatened and endangered plant and animal species. In negotiations, the BLM agreed to limit mining, off-roading and cattle grazing across 11 million acres of public land.
Friday's closures also include a 25,600-acre camping area east of the Imperial Sand Dunes in Imperial County. Last year, the BLM closed more than a third of the dunes to off-roading to protect an endangered plant.
"It's a big deal; any land closure is a big deal," said Vicki Warren of Corona, a member of the American Sand Association, which sued the BLM seeking to reopen the dunes.
Additional road closures are in the Newberry-Rodman area east of Barstow; Superior Valley north of Barstow; Helendale area south of Barstow; lower Chemehuevi Valley in eastern San Bernardino County; and 3,200 acres in the Edwards Bowl area north of Adelanto.
Jennifer Bowles can be reached by e-mail at jbowles@pe.com or by phone at (909) 782-7720.
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Once again, the Center for Biological Diversity is closing us down. These guys are evil!
Crowdog
10/20/2001
By JENNIFER BOWLES
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Responding to a lawsuit by environmentalists, the federal government on Friday closed all washes in eastern San Bernardino and Riverside counties to vehicles.
Unmarked dirt roads in other areas of the California desert also were closed.
The actions, effective immediately, were initiated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to protect the desert tortoise, a threatened species, officials said in a news release.
The public has until Nov. 26 to appeal through the Interior Board of Land Appeals.
Environmentalists who sued the BLM said the closures are aimed mostly at illegal off-roading. Specific routes eventually will be designated in the various areas, the BLM said.
"It sets forth a reasonable route network so they can have access, but at the same time it reduces the threat to the tortoise," said Daniel Patterson of the Center for Biological Diversity. The Arizona-based group sued last year, alleging the BLM failed to protect two dozen threatened and endangered plant and animal species. In negotiations, the BLM agreed to limit mining, off-roading and cattle grazing across 11 million acres of public land.
Friday's closures also include a 25,600-acre camping area east of the Imperial Sand Dunes in Imperial County. Last year, the BLM closed more than a third of the dunes to off-roading to protect an endangered plant.
"It's a big deal; any land closure is a big deal," said Vicki Warren of Corona, a member of the American Sand Association, which sued the BLM seeking to reopen the dunes.
Additional road closures are in the Newberry-Rodman area east of Barstow; Superior Valley north of Barstow; Helendale area south of Barstow; lower Chemehuevi Valley in eastern San Bernardino County; and 3,200 acres in the Edwards Bowl area north of Adelanto.
Jennifer Bowles can be reached by e-mail at jbowles@pe.com or by phone at (909) 782-7720.
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Once again, the Center for Biological Diversity is closing us down. These guys are evil!
Crowdog