Contact: Roy Denner
ORBA President, 619/449-0778


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


OFF-ROAD BUSINESS GROUP LODGES
FORMAL COMPLAINT AGAINST NEVADA BLM EMPLOYEES

Complaint Seeks Investigation Into Potential Misconduct Of Carson City
Field Office Employees on Sand Mountain Issues

SANTEE, CA (July 21, 2003) - The Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), comprised of off-highway vehicle businesses throughout the U.S., recently filed a formal complaint and request for investigation with the Department of Interior’s Western Region Inspector General’s Office in Sacramento, Calif. to determine whether employees at the Carson City, Nevada BLM office engaged in misconduct arising out of their recommendation that 1,000 acres of the Sand Mountain Recreation Area be closed to protect the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly.
According to Roy Denner, president and CEO of ORBA based in Santee, Calif., the four employees allegedly joined teams of anti-access groups, participated in private meetings, and excluded off-highway vehicle and business groups during recent workshops, field surveys and planning meetings in an attempt to close 1,000 acres of the 4,795-acre Sand Mountain Recreation Area, located 25 miles east of Fallon, Nev.
“This complaint and request for investigation arises out of the proposed emergency closure of nearly one-fourth of the popular Sand Mountain area purportedly in order to protect the habitat of the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly,” Denner said. “What’s interesting here is that this species is not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, but simply listed as sensitive by the Bureau.”
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ORBA Files Complaint Against BLM Employees
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Denner said his organization obtained official BLM documents through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act revealing multiple communications between BLM staff and anti-access groups discussing potential management strategies for closure, revisions to the area management plan, and field studies involving the anti-access groups and BLM staff.
“It is totally unfair to off-highway vehicle families to even consider temporarily closing this area without properly educating visitors as to why they are doing it,” said Jon Crowley, who leads a group called Friends of Sand Mountain. “The bureau has known about this butterfly since 1994, but has done little or nothing to educate users about how to protect it.”
Crowley said the Friends of Sand Mountain made multiple requests to the Carson City BLM employees requesting that his organization be included on Sand Mountain field trips; however, those requests were ignored and bureau employees continued to meet with the anti-access groups and the Native American tribe on the sensitive species issue.
Denner said that his organization consulted with other off-road groups and local businesses near Sand Mountain and learned that none of these groups were invited to participate in the bureau’s workshops and discussions regarding Sand Mountain.
“We know for a fact that the Code of Federal Regulations requires all bureau employees to act impartially on land use issues and not give preferential treatment to any individual or group,” Denner said, “and we are asking the Department of the Inspector General to investigate whether Bureau employees gave preferential treatment to anti-access groups while excluding OHV and business groups from the process in violation of these federal regulations.”
The complaint also seeks an investigation into the BLM’s assistance in drafting The Nature Conservancy’s own conservation assessment and working with the group to develop a press release for the local media aimed at reducing potential backlash from recreationists concerning a revised management plan for Sand Mountain that was apparently being discussed.
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ORBA Files Complaint Against BLM Employees
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“The regulations prohibit Bureau officials from brazenly taking sides in this dispute and we are hopeful that the Department of Interior’s Inspector General will take appropriate action,” Denner said. “The BLM should make sure that it is relying on good science instead of making a ‘feel good’ type of decision

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ORBA is a Santee, California-based trade association comprised of off-road related businesses united to promote common goals that support the prosperity and growth of the off-road industry. ORBA’s goal is to become strong enough to stand up to the anti-access organizations and oppose their extreme positions on land use issues and to prevent their continuing attempts to curtail off-road recreation opportunities.

 

this is a start. the tree huggers and crusaders for the eco system are a whole hypocrytical movement in itself that i do not have enough time to go into that tonight. But I am glad to see something - however great or small- moving in the direction of standing up to these dumasses (pronounced DOOM OSSES).
Because its not only where you live, stuff like this threatens us all and all these cases build on each other and have a snowball effect on the entire nation. we need pay attention and act to stop this crap!

as far as the butterfly goes - let's think about this. why in the hell would a butterfly sit on the ground and let you run over it with a ATV or OHV? you ever tried to catch a butterfly? hard as hell. they fly like they are on crack, but are hard to catch! They have like compound eyes which lets them see crap in all directions. I think God made them to be able to take care of themselves ok. Much less, why would they build nests in the tiny spec of open land of where people ride? i dont think they do. They are little bugs, but they have more sense than that. which is more than some people...If that is the case of little creatures getting killed , then lets make a case for bugs that hit car windsheilds...Youre talking trillions of bugs per year getting slammed like this, as opposed to any speculative blue butterly endangerment in the desert.

Hey while we are at it - getting rid of things that kill bugs- lets put a ban on all types of pesticide and bug spray. we dont need that stuff. no, we'll just starve to death because there will be no crops to eat because the bugs ate it all. but we saved the bugs.

idiots just trying to cause trouble and screw with people for no reason.

 

Hey Twentycharacters, AMEN

 

Yeah. thanks. But what's sad is that there are alot of ATVers that are NUMB and dont really seem to give a crap that the CPSC is CURRENTLY on the WARPATH concerning ATVs. Go to their website and look for ATV stuff. They are pissed.

THE CPSC is holding hearings all across the country in response to their "alarming" statistics involving a rise in ATV related injurys since 1997. They have some pretty big numbers and are using the same rhetoric like "if anything should be done." The last time they had numbers like these and rhetoric like this was back in 1985 concerning 3wheelers. You know what happened next? 3wheelers were banned. The concent decree did expire, but i really dont think the big boys, especially honda will jump back into 3wheelers anytime soon.
If ATVers dont stand up to crap like this this time, if they dont ban quads, then you bet that there will be crappy sport atvs until the end of time if the CPSC gets their way with wanting limit and ban stuff.

Personally, I think ATVs might should be regulated by the DOT instead of the CPSC. Cars, trucks, MOTORCYCLES, boats are regulated by the DOT. ATVs, LAWNMOWERS and dirtbikes are under the CPSC. WTH??? IMO, the CPSC apparently doesnt understand motor vehicle issues and they need to turn it over to someone that does and can maybe do a better job of regulating tough issues.
See, the DOT didnt ban cars when accidents happen did they? They didnt ban boats, or even motorcycles. Some strong cases could be made for all. But, ultimately we all know it not the products' fault is most scenerios (if it is like parts falling off then yes the CPSC could get involved)
- its the oprator making poor, perhaps uninformed choices.

OK lets use some of their numbers: they had over 700,000 new ATVs sold in 2002 alone. But from 1997-2001 there were 112,000 injuries reported from ATVs. Ok so say about 2 million atvs were sold during this total 1997-2001 period and 112, 000 injuries were reported - your talking 5% injury rate for FIVE YEARS, or 1% PER YEAR. OK, where is the epidemic they are saying? But be careful this a powerful federal angency and if we dont say anything to stand up to them, they will roll right over us. again. We cant let it happen again, people.

CALLING ALL ATVERS!!!! WAKE UP!!! STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS!!!! Go the the CPSC web site get their number and start telling them INTELIGENTLY but IDIGNANTLY how it is. Go to their hearings/meetings and tell them INTELLIGENTLY but IDIGNANTLY how it is.
REMEMBER - The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

 

Sic em boy!!!!
Yahhhh!!!
Go get 'em Hubbard