VOL. 53 ISSUE 6 FEBRUARY 17, 2016 P15
public land decisions must be
local input.
"The president should have
given the legislative process
an opportunity to work," Cook
added. "Instead, we're given a
cheap solution that won't ac-
complish its goals as intended.
"Despite this setback, I'm go-
ing to continue working to pro-
vide real protection for our public
lands. Today's action cannot be
the final word on our desert."
Don Amador of the Blue
Ribbon Coalition—a long time
advocate for OHV rights—shares
Cook's disappointment.
"I think the off-road commu-
nity got left at the altar," Amador
said. "The original concept was
for a joint bill to go forward that
was a win-win for both the envi-
ronmental and off-road commu-
nities, but the monument desig-
nation bypassed congress. The
only chance to salvage all that
hard work is to maybe get some
legislation enacted as Paul Cook
and Senator Feinstein have indi-
cated they want to pursue."
The general feeling of the
off-road community is one of
betrayal, especially by Feinstein
who abandoned her own legisla-
tion to push for the presidential
national monument designa-
tion. (Feinstein purportedly felt
her legislation wasn't going to
move forward in congress, and
decided to work around it.) She
originally promised to protect
OHV recreation in the area, but
any such language was left out
of the monument designation—
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
What is a national monument?
A national monument is intended to preserve the land for
public use. According to the CaliforniaDesert.org website, it is
designed to "protect the unique value of an area while allowing
other compatible uses, such as outdoor recreation and ranch-
ing, to continue."
What is banned for good?
Commercial development, housing, new mining operations
and major industrial renewable energy projects (read: wind-
mills).
What is still allowed?
Outdoor recreation, hiking, hunting, grazing and ranching
among other activities.
Are OHVs banned in national monument areas?
No. Unlike a national park, a national monument does not
automatically ban of off-road usage. Each national monument is
unique, and will develop its own management plan to determine
what is permitted in the area.
Who will determine the new management plan?
National monuments are regulated by the existing manage-
ment bodies, which, in the case of the California desert, is the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM). According to the defined
process, community members will be invited to participate in a
formal public input process to help develop the plan.
What can we do?
Stay engaged in order to ensure OHV representation will be
included in the planning process.
she maintains it could not be in-
cluded in the president's action.
But Feinstein is now promising
to introduce new legislation that
will provide permanent protec-
tion for five off-highway recre-
ation areas.
"I think there could be a
legislative solution from Paul
Cook and Senator Feinstein,
but given the political climate in
Washington DC right now, it's
probably a 50/50 shot at this
point, said Amador."
Despite the setback, Amador
admits he is "cautiously optimis-
tic" going forward.
"I don't want to call it a win
or a loss at this point," Amador
concluded. "It's just a big disap-
pointment when politics get in
the way of land-use decision-
making."
Jean Turner
