From the BLM Carson City Calendar

4/29-30: Sierra Front-Northwestern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council Meeting, Fallon Convention Center, Oasis Room, 100 Campus Way (one block north of U.S. Highway 50), Fallon, Nevada. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Meeting will include a field trip to Sand Mountain Recreation Area on April 30, 2003.

Agenda will be available on-line no later than April 15, 2003. Contact Mark Struble, BLM Public Affairs Officer, BLM-Carson City Field Office, (775) 885-6107 for more information.
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Once the final agenda is published, I will post it on the Friends of Sand Mountain website.

We know that day #2 (4/30) will focus on issues at Sand Mountain. It will begin in Fallon, and then move to Sand Mountain for a "tour".

Hot topics will include:
- Fees (Friends of Sand Mountain will push for some type of oversite committee)
- New Rules & Regulations
- Sensitive Species issues (Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly, etc.) This discussion will most likely include BLM recommended closures due to habitat damage caused by OHVs.

If you have not done so already, please take a moment to review the Help protect your right to ride document that describes Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly issues.

Click here for most up to date info on the FoSM website.

Friends of Sand Mountain is an all volunteer organization that depends on donations to continue the fight. More information on how you can sponsor us at: Donations. T-shirts should also be available over Spring Break.

We are hosting a cleanup just a few days before (April 26) the RAC tour. It is obviously a good idea for us to show the RAC that users don't leave trash everywhere. If you can help with the cleanup, please shout.

Jon
Friends of Sand Mountain

 

Here is their "final" agenda. Please note that the Nature Conservancy and the Indian Tribe (believes a serpant lives under the mountian) will be at the meeting.

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Wednesday, April 30, 2003

8:00 a.m. Sand Mountain Recreation Area CCFO Staff
Presentation on Field Studies of Sensitive Species,
Fee Demonstration Project, Future RMP

9:45 a.m. Depart for Field Tour of Sand Mountain Recreation Area

10:25 a.m. Arrive Sand Mountain Recreation Area. BLM staff presentation
on Recreation Fee Demonstration Project

11:00 a.m. Presentations by Friends of Sand Mountain, The Nature Conservancy &
Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe

12:30 p.m. Lunch (boxed lunches for RAC members provided by BLM)

1:30 p.m. Return to Fallon

2:30 p.m. Review of Sand Mountain Issues & Future Planning

4:00 p.m. Adjourn

 

BLM is tasked with implementing protective measures for sensitive species at Sand Mountain. We have learned that they will most likely be moving forward with "temporary closures" in a few areas where they believe habitat for the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly is threatened by OHV use. This discussion will most certainly take place at the RAC meeting when BLM does their Presentation on Field Studies of Sensitive Species.

In general, Friends of Sand Mountain will push to explore & exhaust other means of protecting habitat before closures take place. As a user of Sand Mountain, you can do your part in protecting habitat by learning to "Tread Lightly". It is very important to avoid plants when riding and also to stay out of areas that are closed to OHV use.

www.SandMountain-NV.org

 

We will be out there on the weekend of the 26th. Should be able to devote some time to clean-up. Stop by if you aren't camped near us.

I think that serpent has got me a couple times.

 

DuneMe:

Thanks for your help. The meeting is on a Wednesday. Not sure if I will be able to be there for the cleanup and the meeting. Tom Frisbie is organizing the cleanup.

It will really help if the place isn't trashed when the RAC shows up....

Jon