Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

The Bureau of land Management refutes claims that off-road rid ing in the desert is environmentally destructive. What Is ),our problem? Tell It to the editor write him a letter. m METRO ATLANTA ,., ~ • f ~, $. ' $0 Down Financing SUZUKI 48 Mons. R IJ,.. Ull . :"'o UZllk l 'hl l. ",T, Hwy U.S. 41, Kennesaw. SA (404) 429-1800 15%Off ,'87 Indiana . Demo (800) 727-1800 . UPS DA ilY $ m m ,., [ 'Oll•• , Demo k&RSeries Reduced Price -WI "; ~ 2400 No Cobb Pkwy. Kennesaw, GA . (800) 127-1800 (404) 429· 1800 • CLOSE OUT , • 20%Off 'OR:.!' 2400 No Cobb P . Kenneyw, GA . kwy (800) 727-1800 (404 ) 429-1800 KXPARTS IN STOCK. IN A HURRY. . . . . . . 1800 CAU TUF ~.4~l#."~ .-C BOYESEN REEDS OSC Distributing 4232 Dixie Hwy. Drayton Plains, Mich . 48020 (3131673-1370 '.. U.P .S . Da ily , 5 20 New 7o-75/T-6 Aluminum .110)' SPROCKETS Std. or Custo m - Dealers Welcome S&S Sp rockets ...,.. 803/ 8 9 5-289 5 80 Old Hwy 414 · Trove_ Rost. SC29690 BLM sets the 5.7 record straight Photos by Tom Van Beveren An S7 briefing book, published by environmentalists ' and distributed during U.S. Senate Hearings last July, is filled with m isin form a tion, accordin g to the Bureau of LandManagemen t, "The Sierra Club, Wilderness Society 'a nd Nationa l . ' Parks & Conserva tion Assocition published a 70-page briefing book on the California Desert Protection Act (57) in Ju ly 1987," the BL M said. "Unfortunately, it conrains a great dea l of misinformation that cou ld mislead the public and the congress." To correct misconceptions on how the desert would be affected by 57, which was written by the Sierra Club and introduced by U.S. Senator Alan Cranston (D-California), the BLM recen tly released a 47-page response to the briefing book. Those portions of the BLM response which dea l with off-road vehicles have been reprinted below. Excerpts have been edited for brevity. Allegation: Activities in the desert have been abusive. OHV (offhighway vehicle) use has stripped more than a million acres in the desert. BL M Response: This allegation lacks any scientific data, whatsoever. In fact, a respected study done by Dr. Peter Rowlands and Dr. John Adams in 1980 for the (California) Desert Plan documented only 60,000 acres heavily impacted by OHV use. Dr. Rowlands, a botanist now with the Death Valley Nationa l Park and Dr. Adams, a soil scientist, studied aerial photos and estimated that at most, one-half percent of the 12 million acres in the CDCA (California Desert Conservatio n Area) have been impacted by O H Vs. They added that this is a "worst case" analysis and that the figure was probably even lower. The total designated "open" area acreage is slightly more than 500,000 of the 12.1 million acres of public lands in the desert. A rela , lIvely small perce~tage of many of . the open <;,reas are actually used. Allega tion: The 1970 Barstow-toVegas motorcycle race produced more than 660 to n s of airborne particulate pollution (dus t). ' BLM Response: Studies show that where intensive OHV activ ity occurs (which is a very small portion of the ' desert as a whole) total suspended particulate (TSP) values return to nor mal within 48 hours. T h e impacts of the Barstow-to-Las Vegas race have been thoroughly analyzed in an environmental Impact statement and the permits that have been issued have been sustained in the federa l courts despite a suit brought by the Sierra Club. Allegation: Under 57, more than 800,000 acres would remain dedicated to OHV activity. BL M Response: The total open acreage in the CDCA is about 500,000 acres . Of that area, only a relatively small percentage is acti vely used because of natural site limitations, such as steep or rocky terrain. Allegation: There is OHV use at the edges of the proposed additions (to the Joshua Tree National Monument, which would be increased in size and become a National Park under 57), as well as illegal OHV use into the canyons of the exis ting monument. BLM Resp onse: There is limited OHV access to the monument three routes which are within the monument and are critical for management of the unit. There is some trespass from private lands (area is not blocked) onto public as well as monument lands. The Bu reau is studying closing some limited routes which are not critical for monument access to reduce the potential for trespass. Allegation: Myth: O ff-road motorcycle and dunebuggy enth usiasts won 't have any place to play. Fact: An area larger than Rhode Island and twice the size of Sequoia National Park would remain open for exclusive use of OHVs; 92 percent of current open areas would remain open; two sensitive dunes would be closed with in Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) that BL M inappropriately opened; and more than a million acres adjacent to existin g roads could still be used by OHVs. BLM Response: S7 would .close about 68,000 of the 538,000 acres of OHV open areas. That amounts to only 87 percent, not 92 percent, of the original acreage remaining availab le fo r this use. The two sensitive dunes mentioned are probably South Algodones and Ri ce ValIey. Beca use of low use levels and the fact that their wi lderness values are not being impaired, both areas are currently o pen to OHV use. BLM monitors these areas to ensure full compliance wi th the no n irn p airrnent cri teria of .the Federal La nd P ol i cy and Man a gem en t Act (FLPMA). O f the 12. 1 millio n acr es in the CDCA, S7 wo ul d close 8.8 million (acres) wi thin proposed wilderness areas to all OH V use . Allegation: A total of 836,608 acres . is designated as open for O H Vs in (the Ca lifornia Deser t) Plan. Two dunes (South Algodones and Rice Valley) are WSAs and inappropriately opened. Algodones is also in Class L (limi ted use). BLM Response: The figure is incorrect. T he Bureau has about 500,000 acres designated as open for OHV use. T he percentage of use in these areas is act ually small. Because of low use levels and the fact that their wilderness values are not being impaired, both of the dunes cited are currently open to OHV use. BLM monitors these areas to ensure full compliance with the nonim pairmeri t cri teria of the FLPMA. . Allegatio n: ,S7 would close off 64,230 acres of open areas to OHVs. But 772,378 acres (92 percent) would remain unaffected. BLM Response: T he figures cited , are inaccurate. S7 wou ld close 68,000 acres of areas designated as open. T his wou ld leave only 470,000 acres open. Allegation: Areas within limited class have been opened for unrestricted OHV use. BLM Response: The example of

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