9-1-04

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently reduced by nearly 60 percent the amount of land in California's Imperial Valley considered essential to a broomlike plant's survival. Last year, Fish and Wildlife Service biologists in California proposed designating 52,780 acres of the Algodones Dunes (aka Glamis) as critical habitat for the Peirson's milk-vetch. In a final rule published Wednesday, the critical habitat was reduced to 21,863 acres.

Decision Criticized by Environmental Group

The Center for Biological Diversity criticized the Fish and Wildlife Service decision. The Tucson, Ariz.-based group, which has sued to protect numerous species including the milk-vetch, noted that much of the plant's critical habitat had previously been protected as a wilderness area.

"This designation is far too small, and will jeopardize the conservation and recovery of the species," said Daniel Patterson of the center. "We may challenge it in court."

The rare, purple-flowering plant was listed in 1998 as a threatened species. In the United States, the Peirson's milk-vetch is found only in the Algodones Dunes, a desolate 160,000-acre area that is enormously popular with off-road enthusiasts. About 1.3 million people visited last year.

OHV Group Says it’s a Bittersweet Victory

Roy Denner, president and CEO of the Santee-based Off-Road Business Association, said it was a bittersweet victory. "Sure, giving up 23,000 acres is better than giving up 53,000 acres, but we could win our way out of existence with those kind of victories over the long term."

Denner said off-roading groups hired biologists and submitted scientific evidence rebutting arguments that the plant warrants special protection. "They shouldn't be designating a single ... acre," said Denner. "In our minds, the plant should never have been listed in the first place."

Economic Analyses Part of the Process

An economic analysis estimated that closing 52,780 acres to vehicles could cost the region as much as $124 million by 2013. Closing the smaller area, which is mainly wilderness, to traffic would cost about $2.8 million in the same period, according to the analysis by Industrial Economics Inc., an environmental consulting firm in Cambridge, Mass.

Economic analyses are part of the process of considering critical habitat. Congress allowed the U.S. Interior secretary to evaluate the economic benefit of excluding areas from critical habitat, unless it resulted in the extinction of the species.

While Peirson's milk-vetch are found in areas being excluded from critical habitat, the Fish and Wildlife Service says the plant won't go extinct. The excluded areas are under the control of the Bureau of Land Management, which would have to follow the Endangered Species Act and protect the plants, the Fish and Wildlife Service said.

Tucson's Patterson said the critical habitat had been "gutted" by Craig Manson, assistant interior secretary for fish and wildlife. Patterson called Manson "an anti-conservation political appointee."

A spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Service in Carlsbad disagreed with the center's statement and said the process for determining critical habitat had been followed.

 

Thats the best news Ive heard all day !!

 

My understanding, from reading about this on some Glamis specific web sites, is that this decision will open up exactly ZERO areas that are currently closed to riding, at least in the short term. There is an agreement currently being negotiated (called the "RAMP") that will govern how the currently closed areas will be managed when they are, in the future, re-opened. This may include banning night riding (in these areas), needing a special permit, user limits, etc. Until this agreement is finalized, and survives the numerous legal challenges that are likely from the CBD and Sierra Club, things will stay as is. I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but I believe this is the situation. I hope I am wrong.

 

And seriously...

I've never been affected by the closed areas.
There's plenty of dunes between Gecko and Boardmanville (my path). [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Now, if you're at Gordons... it's worse for them I think.
Several times I found myself in the wrong area (usually due to poorly marked closed areas) and had to get out asap. And it was more or less in spots that are 'in the path' of travel, compared to Glamis.

Either way...
Great news. I hope the Granola crunchers stay away.
Have you ever seen the fenced (chain-link) and barbed wire area for the Turtles off of the 78 just passed Glamis store... on your way to Ogilby Road?! Looks like a deserted area... and I've NEVER seen a damn turtle!! Maybe they need a 'spotting' asphalt pad with those 'drop a quarter' binoculars. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

I agree with you that the closures at Glamis, as they are right now, are not that big of a deal. I usually ride at Pismo, so the first (and so far only) time I went to Glamis, it was a slice of heaven to me, even with the closures in place (though I did find the small closure to the East of Gecko road to be a BIG nuisance). The problem is that the environmentalists aligned against us won't be happy with the closures as they are now. They will lie and use junk science to beat the off-road community over the head with more and more lawsuits that will get more and more area closed (with the full support of liberal judges and using the taxpayer's money-even yours and mine), until there is nothing left. It doesn't matter that it doesn't make any sense to us, their goal is to get the whole thing closed, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. It has been proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the supposed evidence behind the existing closures was a complete farce, that the closures violate the law and previous agreements, YET THEY REMAIN IN PLACE. Why? Because they have unlimited amounts of money and better lawyers. Our opponents are FORMIDABLE.

Even with the closures in place now, there seems to be plenty of room at Glamis. But the sport is growing by leaps and bounds, so where will all these people buying sand toys ride? With the advent of the 500hp long travel rails (which create huge ruts) over the past few years, Glamis, in all reality, got much smaller for people on less powerful machines, like quads. Those rails need lots of acreage to run anywhere near their potential, and I would still like to have some un-rutted dunes to ride on and not worry about getting run down by a sand rail. I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

The closures at Imperial Sand Dunes was a joke from the start, the American Sand Assoc. has proved this.
The problem with the enviro's they will never be satisfied until it is all closed, I personally will not be satisfied until it all back open as it should be. There is allready plenty of land closed down there and has been that way for many years, but again the enviro's want it all. I have been through this in north eastern Oregon with the logging industry, that is why Iam in Arizona now. If you like to ride, no matter where in the USA, you need to join clubs which fight these boneheads and donate to the clubs if possible.
There is only 3 types of people------ people that watch things happen---- people that make things happen
and people that wonder what the f@!@ happened!!!!

 

If it is a closer it is a big deal CBD wants it all closed to ORV's Jusrlax you say you ride Pismo you have lost over 90% of the riding area and they want it all too.