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.... • • • = 11II 11II ..:I g c<"l r- O"l ..... c<"l ...... l-o II I IlJ ..0 6 IlJ > 0 Z I It's still not final • • • The Official Press Release The U,S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management today announced its interim critical management program for the burgeonIng recreational vehicle use of tht: national resource lands 0 f the California Desert. -. a 30 J.R. Penny, BLM California State Director, said management is urgently needed to protect human life and property, halt natural resource destruction and eliminate - conflicts among resources and users. "Resources are being lost or damaged daily because of the tremendous unmanaged recreation use of the desert," Penny said. Hit is imperative that we initiate controls set forth in the critical interim managemen t portions of our California Desert Study." Penny noted there were an estimated 140 deaths and 2,000 serious injuries to recreationists on the California Desert last year. These resulted from such man made hazards as ahandoned mine works and overcrowding in use areas, as well as the natural hazards of the desert. In additioll, the indiscriminate, unmanaged recreation use of the 12 mil)ion acres of public lands under BLM jurisdiction on the desert threatens natural, cultural, historic and scientific resources, he said. ") t must be emphasized that the national resource lands - the old public domain administered by BLM historically have been wide open to the existing indiscriminate use. Only since the issuance of recreation regulations by the Secretary of the In terior in ) 969 have there been national guidelines to achieve management of off-road vehicle and other uses on these lands." Recreation use of the desert has more than doubled - from 5 million visi tor use days to ) 1 million - since BLM made its initial California Desert Study in 1968. "Since 80 percent of this use involves recreationaJ vehicles, it is most urgent that we move now to achieve management of this use. fl:t the same time we are continuing our overall desert plan while we await needed increases in funds, manpower and definitive legislative authorities to bring full multiple-use management to the desert and its resources," Penny said. Penny said more than 45 changes nave been made in the managemen t guidelines as the result of public review and comment on a preliminary draft plan for managing off-road vehicles on the desert, which was released on September 8. Further cnanges will be made as management experience is gained and additional resource data developed, he said. The revised 'program calls for 16 non-use or closed zones, 14 open areas and the bulk of the desert in various management categories such as allowing vehicle travel on designated or existing roads and trails. Eighteen areas are scheduled for "special design" classification, meaning a detailed plan will be prepared to provide for a variety of uses and values, with travel allowed on existing roads and trails in the meantime. Travel would be confined to designated roads and trails in 20 areas and to existing roads and trails in two others in addition to "special design" areas. On one area, known as the Navy Lease in Imperial County, the only use allowed will be competi tive off-road vehicle events, which would be managed by BLM although the Navy has general control of the land. The interim management program will become effective November ), bu t full enforcemen t effort will be focused on no more than a dozen critical arc'as due to limited funding and manpower. Penny said additional areas will be placed under full management with necessary enforcement as BLM's capability develops for additional posting, signing of designated roads and trails, and providing patrol. Coopera tion of desert counties also will he sought in enforcement. .. Effective protection of desert resources will depend largely on the willingness of desert users to follow the plan and treat the environment re:sponsibily ," Penny said. "This is a first-generation planning and management effort that must remain flexible and dynamic," the BLM official said. He noted there had been widespread public participation in developmen t of the program, and emphasized that BLM will continue to work with user groups, conservation organizations and other interested peoples grou ps. A reas designated as closed to recreational vehicles are: North Saline Valley; Darwin Falls: Tortoise Preserve; Amargosa Canyon; Clark Mountain; Kelso Dunes: Bigelow Cholla Area: Whipple Mountains; Turtle Mountain interior; Desert Lily area; Mecca Hills interior; Orocopia Mountain interIor; Salt Creek; San Sebastian Marsh: Crucifixion Thorn area; Imperial Sand Dunes north of Highway 78. These areas will be open to access by means other than mo tor vehicles. Vehicle corridors will be permitted through three closed areas: North Saline, Mecca Hills, and North Imperial Dunes. "Open" designations, for areas wi th virtualJy no restrictions at this time, include: Olancha, Dove Springs, Rand Mountain-8pangler Hills; Dumont Dunes northwest portion; Upper Johnson Valley: Cadiz Valley·Danby Lake; Ford Dry Lake: McCoy Valley; Little Chuckwalla Mountain: Chiriaco