[Matt Pascoe]

This is freaking BS that the BLM can privately negotiate closures to ward off lawsuits by preservationist groups. This is soo fawked up.

6/13/2006
Sacramento, CA -- In a move that shocked off-highway vehicle (OHV)
users and raised the ire of local government officials, the federal
Bureau of Land Management said it would ban OHVs from 11,305 acres of
southern California desert by end of summer, the American
Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and BLM reports.
The ban affects part of the Johnson Valley OHV area that includes
parts of Anderson Dry Lake and Cougar Buttes. The closure is an out-
of-court settlement of part of a lawsuit filed by preservationist
groups in March that alleges the BLM violated the federal Endangered
Species Act.

The suit alleges the BLM failed to consult with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service on the effects of the BLM-administered California
Desert Conservation Area Plan on a number of threatened and
endangered species.

In announcing the Johnson Valley closure, the BLM warned that
settlement negotiations continue and further restrictions may be
imposed on public uses in other areas of the California desert.

"This land closure is outrageous," said Royce Wood, AMA legislative
affairs specialist. "It's another example of preservationists using
the threat of lawsuits to shut down OHV riding areas instead of
trying to accomplish their goals through any process that allows for
public debate.
"We've seen this same tactic used in Kentucky and Utah in an effort
to bully government officials," Wood continued. "These groups hope
that federal agencies charged with administering lands for all
Americans will cave in to their special-interest demands and reach an
out-of-court settlement rather than face drawn-out and expensive
court battles.

"What's particularly egregious about this latest action," he
added, "is that it further restricts OHV use in an already limited
riding area-- the Johnson valley OHV recreation area. Over the years,
federal officials have cut OHV access further and further in the
California desert, and it's time for that to stop."

The BLM agreed to close more than 49,000 acres in the 150,000-acre
Algodones Dunes area in recent settlement negotiations with
preservationists. The preservationists alleged the ban was needed to
protect the endangered Peirson's milk-vetch plant, a member of the
bean and pea family.

The settlement earned court approval June 3rd, said Roxie Trost, BLM
outdoor recreation planner. The BLM puts the land closure at 11,305
acres. The BLM plans to post closure signs by June 22, just in time
for the busy summer recreational season.

A coalition of recreational groups including the High Desert Multiple
Use Coalition, Desert Vipers, San Diego Off-Road Coalition,
California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs and the BlueRibbon
Coalition intervened in the action and were involved in last-minute
settlement negotiations to try to protect OHV riding areas but did
not accomplish anything because all they did was argue.

The 11,305-acre closure at Johnson Valley is "the first interim
measure'' agreed to by the BLM and those who filed the lawsuit, and
more could follow, the BLM said.
In May, in response to the lawsuit, the BLM agreed to consult with
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the effect of the California
Desert Conservation Area Plan on threatened and endangered species.
The interim closure will be in place at least until those talks
conclude.
The BLM hopes to complete those talks late next year. The discussions
could lead to further, and permanent, restrictions on public use of
the desert covered by the California Desert Conservation Area Plan.

The BLM manages more than 9 million acres of the 25 million total
acres in the California desert.

"The California Desert Protection Act dealt a massive blow to
motorized recreation," Wood said. "It closed off access to vast areas
of the desert and confined open OHV recreation to less than 2 percent
of the land. But even that wasn't good enough for preservationist
groups. They have clearly targeted the remaining acres open to
motorized recreation with the intent of shutting down the entire
desert."

Also protesting the closure were County supervisors, who noted that
the shutdown could deliver a major blow to the area's economy. County
officials estimate that recreational use of the area pumps about $25
million into the local economy each year.

In addition, county officials said this closure could pose safety
risks, since it has the potential to crowd more OHV enthusiasts into
a smaller area.

"The AMA encourages all OHV enthusiasts to contact BLM California
State Director Mike Pool and tell him that we deserve compensation
for the lost land," Wood said. "We want the BLM to find us, at
minimum, an equal-sized riding area for every area we lose. We just
can't afford to lose another acre."
Letters should go to: State Director Mike Pool, Bureau of Land
Management, California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way, RM W-1834,
Sacramento, CA 95825