Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

September 18, 1973 Page 41 M.O.8.E. from the Capitol By Russ Sanford Ride While You Can or Write Now and Ride Longer RIVERSIDE, CAL., SEPT. 8 In what came as a surprise blow to off-roaders, the BLM just dumped its latest bomb. In an advance meeting with a select group of representatives from M.O.R.E. and CORVA the BLM presen ted its heretofore unannounced plans for the California desert. After many months of working with and ga thering usage information from off-roaders, the, BLM introduced a proposal which prohibits motorcycle competition on approximately 93% of the California Desert. Off-roaders, who had worked seriously and diligently to make their needs known to the BLM, were shocked to learn that ,the BLM had paid little heed to the information supplied at the public hearings, and had proceeded with a plan that was obviously preconceived ~ being in the best interests of the Sierra Club, the Desert Protective League, and other "preservationist groups. " Using Executive Order 11644 as their authority, the BLM established twenty-two separate areas where any off-road vehicle use is totally prohibited. ,Even though off-roaders realize and recognize that some land closures are in the best in terests of the total' public, there appears to be little rhyme or reason to those. BLM land classifications which limit most vehicular use to prescribed and designated roads and trails in areas where ecological damage could' -not possibly occur, especially ,those areas which are not "used" by anyone other than off-roaders. '. ,I . • • .I To gain a full compreshension of what your government is doing (rnymes with "screwing") to you, write today to: The California Desert Plan Program, PO Box 723, Riverside, CA. 92502. Request a copy of their proposal for'the California Desert. I After receipt, study the BLM proposal, and make your own decisions on how you are affected. If you can live with the BLM plan, rme. If you feel you 'ye been had, write letters or post cards to the following persons and let them know how you feel. Mr. Neil Pfulb Calif. Desert Plan Program P.O. Box 723 Riverside, CA. 92502 Director J .R. Penny Calif. State Office, BLM 2800 Cottage Way Sacramento, CA. 85925 Mr. Curtis Berklund Director, Bureau of Land Mgt., USDI Washington, D.C. Senator Alan Cranston Senate Office Building Washington, D.C., 20510 Senator John Tunney Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Rogers C. B. Morton, Secretary Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. President Richard Nixon White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. Your Congressman U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 (If you don't know the name of your Congressman, refer to page three of the annual M.O.R.E. Progress Report.) With respect to competition, the B LM has approved the following number of organized competition sites. There will be no other areas for competition in the 12Y.z million acres of desert administered by the BLM: Event Cross Country Races Hare & Hound Hare Scrambles European Scrambles 'Enduro 4X4Loop Total at 10 locations Courses 4 5 27 9 4 4 53 Total Miles 400 475 1,100 75 400 50 2,500 The following areas of the California Desert are closed to all vehicular use: 1) North Saline Valley (300,000 acres) 2 Darwin Falls (500 acres) 3 Tortoise Reserve (15,000 acres) 4 Armagosa Canyon (9,000 acres) 5 Clark Mountains (6,000 acres) 6 Kelso Dunes (38,000 acres) 7 Amboy Crater (3,000 acres) 8 Bigello Cholla (80 acres) 9 Turtle Mountain Interior (70,000 acres) 10) Whipple Mountains (64,000 acres) , ' Desert Lily (2,000 acres) , 12 Mecca Hills Interior (6,000 acres) 13 Orocopia Mountains, Interior (20,000 acres) 14 Salt Creek (1,000 acres) 15 San Felipe Creek (640 acres) 16 Painted Gorge (1,000 acres) 17 Coyote Mountains (480 acres) 18 Fossil Canyon (180 acres) 19 Yuma Basin (75,000 acres) 20 Crucifixion Thorn (360 acres) 21 Imperial Sand Hills (72,000 acres) 22) Plank Road (160 acres) In the following areas, vehicular access will be limited to designated roads and trails: Eureka Valley (100,000 acres) 2 Saline-Panamint (130,000 acres) 3 Walker Pass-EI Paso (560,000 acres) 4) Randsburg-Johannesburg (6,000 acres) 5) Tron Pinnacles (20,000 acres) 6) Coyote-Calico (365,000 acres) 7) Kingston MO\lntains '(56,000 acres) 8) Eastern Mojave (1.6 million acres) 9) Grapevin e-Bighorn (343,000 acres) 10) Old Woman Mountains (136,000 acres) _ 11) Santa Rosa Mountains (140,000 acres) 12) Orocopia Foothills (52,000 acres) III II 13) Bi'g Chuckwalla Mountains (262,000 acres) 14) Picacho (155,000 acres) The BLM has designated the following areas under the classification of "Special Design" areas, meaning that off-road vehicle use will be prohibited until further study is conducted: 1 Eureka Dunes (8,000 acres) 2 Jawbone Canyon (17,000 acres) Dumont Dunes (44,000 acres) 4 lvanpah Valley ~58,OOO acres) 5 EI Mirage Lake (1,200 acres) 6 Needles (58,000 acres) Turtle Mountains Perimeter 7 (196,000 acres) 8) McCoy Valley (54,000 acres) 9) Pinto Basin (127,000 acres) 10) Mecca Hills Perimeter (41,000 acres) . 11) San Felipe Hills (50,000 acres) 12) Superstition Hills (126,000 acres) 13) Pinto Wash (13,000 acres) 14) Davies Valley (23,000 acres) The following have been classified "Special Design Competition ", meaning that they will be made available for 'competition events upon routes which have already been approved by the BLM: 1) Shadow Mountains (30,000 acres) 2) Kramer Hills-Iron Mountain (60,000 acres) 3) Johnson Valley (70,000 acres) 4) Navy Lease (25,000 acres) The following areas have been designated as "open", allowing cross country travel: 11 Olancha (50,000 acres) 2 Dove Springs (5,000 acres) 3 Rand-Rademacher (50;000 acres) Dumont Dunes N.W. (13,000 4 acres) 5 Stoddard Valley (13,000 acres) 6 Melville Lal!.e (94,000 acres) 7 Cadiz Valley (6,000 acres) 8 Danby Lake (30,000 acres) 9 Palen-Ford Dry Lake (200,000 acres) 10) Shavers Valley (44,000 acres) 11) Little 'Chucwalla Mountains (115,000 acres) 12) Plaster City (35,000 acres) 13) Imperial Sand Dunes, South (244,000 acres) 14) Buttercup Valley (9,000 acres) There you have it! You have two choices at this point: a) ride like hell while ypu can, or b) write those letters and ride forever. Address all inquiries to M.O.R.E., 1129 11 th St., Sacramento, CA. 95814. Desert 0 RV Plan The U.'S. Bur.eau of Land Management has launched an "off-road road show" - four mobile exhibit units - beginning Sunday (September 9) to introduce its draft plan for management of ,off-road vehicles on the California desert. Four trailers containing maps and exhibits and manned by BLM personnel will display the draft plan at 15 locations throughout Southern California, beginning in Bishop September 9, in a unique example of taking government to the people. A summary of the plan, including map, will be available for free distrubution to interested persons. The traveling displays are part of the BLM's effort, to obtain public review and comment on the draft plan. The Bureau's timetable calls for public review September 8 - October 16, to be followed by revision of the draft plan and preparation of the final plan py November 1. Cities to be visited by the mobile displays are: Bishop, Canoga Park, Escondido, Yucca Valley, Ridgecrest, San Diego, Barstow, Victorville, Lancaster, La Mirada, San Bernardino, EI Cen tro, Orange, Bakersfield and Indio. "Public participation has been the cornerstone of the Bureau's work with off-road vehciles from the beginning, "said J.R. Penny, BLM California State Director. "This is a continuation of the effort started in 1969 when I appointed the Off-Road Vehicle Advisory Council (ORVAC) to assist us in developing managemen t guidelines." "We urge all those who use the California Desert or who are concerned for the future of this great region to obtain a copy of the plan, study it and send us their comments," he said. The Bureau of Land Management is the agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior responsible for management of the national resource lands, formerly called public domain, of the United States. BLM administers approximately 15 Y, million acres of California, inel uding 12 million on the California Desert. BLM extimates that 70 per cent of the 11 million recreation visitor use days that occured on the desert in 1972 involved an off-road vehicle in some way. In 1972, there were approximately 500,000 four-wheel drive vehicles and 1.2 million motorcycles in Southern California. BLM's district offices issued permits for 121 organized ORV events on the de"ert last year involving 52,300 participan ts and 145,000 spec,tators, up 35 per cent from the year before. F or dates and places; see the Calendar section. • For map. see next page. Be .tailored good: like a champion should This Week Pat Manning, the road racing tailor, replenished his stock with the latest clothing materials from London in preparation for wardrobing the new AMA Grand National Champion. Either Kenny Roberts or Gary Scott is going to be one of the best dressed men in America after Pat does his thing. The new Grand Champ will be measured, cloth and patterns selected, and several suits, sportcoats and trousers will be fashioned by hand, in the English manner. Pat Manning tailoring makes you look like a star in Hollywood 'or London. , The spiffy $750 wardrobe is given each year to the top AMA racer with a Cycle News sticky on his racebikes during the season. Co-sponsor Pat expects to meet a few new customers as a result of these little mentions in the newspaper. So call him and help beautify America, starting with your clothes. Pat Manning, Tailor specializes in making motorcycle slobs look great, as in this example. Grand National Champion Mark Brelsford wears Manning-custom- tailored clothes and so can you, even if you aren't Kenny Roberts. Contact Pat at 3407 W. Olive, Burbank, Ca. 213/842-7433. •

• Cover