BLM seeks voluntary off-road rules for Sand Mountain
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07-23-2003, 06:50 PM
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BLM seeks voluntary off-road rules for Sand Mountain
BLM seeks voluntary off-road rules for Sand Mountain
By SANDRA CHEREB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RENO, Nev. (AP) - Rather than close parts of Sand Mountain to protect a rare blue butterfly, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will ask off-road vehicles to comply with voluntary restrictions.
"This puts the onus on the users out there to follow the guidelines, to follow the rules," Elayn Briggs, associate manager for the BLM field office in Carson City, said Tuesday.
The decision brought swift criticism from conservationists who pressed to ban vehicles on a portion of the dunes along U.S. 50 east of Fallon.
"BLM must follow the law to conserve public land resources with balanced management, not just meekly ask off-roaders to please not trash the area," said Daniel R. Patterson, an ecologist with the Center for Biological Diversity.
This spring, a BLM biologist recommended closing 1,000 acres, or one-quarter, of the popular recreation area to off-roaders to protect the habitat of the Sand Mountain blue butterfly.
Environmentalists argue that off-roaders damage vegetation on the dunes, including Kearney buckwheat - food for the insect that is listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a sensitive species.
"The habitat is getting pretty beat up," said Randi Thompson, a spokeswoman for the wildlife service in Reno.
Thompson said the blue butterfly population at Sand Mountain "is the only population that we know of."
"That doesn't mean there's not more out there," she said. "We just don't know."
Thompson said seeking voluntary restrictions is a good start.
"A lot of people that use the outdoors do appreciate the outdoors," she said. "They don't want to ruin a place they find enjoyable."
Thompson said she wants to believe "people are going to do the right thing."
The earlier recommendation to close part of the dunes was followed by protests from off-roaders and Fallon-area businesses, who feared lost revenues from the tens of thousands of off-roaders who visit the dunes each year. Over Memorial Day weekend, the BLM said about 5,000 people visited Sand Mountain.
A committee of various interest groups asked by the BLM to make recommendations on Sand Mountain failed to reach a consensus, but did advocate educating off-roaders on the need to "tread lightly."
"What we're going to do is ... mark routes in the vegetated areas through the dunes where we'd like people to ride," Briggs said. "Then we'll mark with red posts areas that we're trying to rehabilitate and discourage people from going into those areas.
"We're not changing the rules to forbid them from going in there," she said.
"This is a short-term recommendation - something that can be implemented by Labor Day; something to see if it works," Briggs added.
Karen Schambach of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility was not convinced.
"When asked, BLM could not identify anywhere where voluntary off-road vehicle restrictions have worked to conserve or restore habitat," she said.
The BLM also discounted criticism from one off-road group that claims it was left out of the process.
Off-Road Business Association, based in Santee, Calif., filed a complaint against BLM's Carson City office with the Interior Department, saying the proper process wasn't followed.
"That BLM office should have its hand slapped heartily by the Interior Department," association president Roy Denner said.
Briggs said the complaint was baseless, and the committee of interest groups was "very inclusive."
"OHV groups were represented and all meetings were open to any member of the public that wished to attend," she said.
In the months ahead, Briggs said the agency will revise its management plan for Sand Mountain to reflect increased use and incorporate the "spiritual values" the area holds for the Fallon-Paiute Shoshone Tribe.
Off-highway vehicles likely will be discussed again, Briggs said.
Reno Gazette-Journal:
http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html...ews&sp3=Local+
By SANDRA CHEREB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RENO, Nev. (AP) - Rather than close parts of Sand Mountain to protect a rare blue butterfly, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will ask off-road vehicles to comply with voluntary restrictions.
"This puts the onus on the users out there to follow the guidelines, to follow the rules," Elayn Briggs, associate manager for the BLM field office in Carson City, said Tuesday.
The decision brought swift criticism from conservationists who pressed to ban vehicles on a portion of the dunes along U.S. 50 east of Fallon.
"BLM must follow the law to conserve public land resources with balanced management, not just meekly ask off-roaders to please not trash the area," said Daniel R. Patterson, an ecologist with the Center for Biological Diversity.
This spring, a BLM biologist recommended closing 1,000 acres, or one-quarter, of the popular recreation area to off-roaders to protect the habitat of the Sand Mountain blue butterfly.
Environmentalists argue that off-roaders damage vegetation on the dunes, including Kearney buckwheat - food for the insect that is listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a sensitive species.
"The habitat is getting pretty beat up," said Randi Thompson, a spokeswoman for the wildlife service in Reno.
Thompson said the blue butterfly population at Sand Mountain "is the only population that we know of."
"That doesn't mean there's not more out there," she said. "We just don't know."
Thompson said seeking voluntary restrictions is a good start.
"A lot of people that use the outdoors do appreciate the outdoors," she said. "They don't want to ruin a place they find enjoyable."
Thompson said she wants to believe "people are going to do the right thing."
The earlier recommendation to close part of the dunes was followed by protests from off-roaders and Fallon-area businesses, who feared lost revenues from the tens of thousands of off-roaders who visit the dunes each year. Over Memorial Day weekend, the BLM said about 5,000 people visited Sand Mountain.
A committee of various interest groups asked by the BLM to make recommendations on Sand Mountain failed to reach a consensus, but did advocate educating off-roaders on the need to "tread lightly."
"What we're going to do is ... mark routes in the vegetated areas through the dunes where we'd like people to ride," Briggs said. "Then we'll mark with red posts areas that we're trying to rehabilitate and discourage people from going into those areas.
"We're not changing the rules to forbid them from going in there," she said.
"This is a short-term recommendation - something that can be implemented by Labor Day; something to see if it works," Briggs added.
Karen Schambach of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility was not convinced.
"When asked, BLM could not identify anywhere where voluntary off-road vehicle restrictions have worked to conserve or restore habitat," she said.
The BLM also discounted criticism from one off-road group that claims it was left out of the process.
Off-Road Business Association, based in Santee, Calif., filed a complaint against BLM's Carson City office with the Interior Department, saying the proper process wasn't followed.
"That BLM office should have its hand slapped heartily by the Interior Department," association president Roy Denner said.
Briggs said the complaint was baseless, and the committee of interest groups was "very inclusive."
"OHV groups were represented and all meetings were open to any member of the public that wished to attend," she said.
In the months ahead, Briggs said the agency will revise its management plan for Sand Mountain to reflect increased use and incorporate the "spiritual values" the area holds for the Fallon-Paiute Shoshone Tribe.
Off-highway vehicles likely will be discussed again, Briggs said.
Reno Gazette-Journal:
http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html...ews&sp3=Local+
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07-23-2003, 11:30 PM
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BLM seeks voluntary off-road rules for Sand Mountain
7.22.03
By CORY MCCONNELL
Staff Writer
Lahontan Valley News
The entirety of northern Nevada's premiere off-roading resource will remain
open to vehicles, land managers announced Monday.
After more than two months of debate between conservationists and
off-roaders, the Bureau of Land Management decided over the weekend that
off-roaders should have the opportunity to police themselves at Sand
Mountain Recreation Area, for the time being at least.
The plan to stop the die-off of Sand Mountain's wildlife habitat will
consist of signage "discouraging" activity on particular trails and areas, a
strategy some environmentalists say is the path of least resistance and a
path that will come back to haunt the BLM and Sand Mountain recreators.
"The BLM is asleep at the switch," said Peter Galvin, a Center for
Biological Diversity spokesperson, "they've basically decided this issue
will have to be dealt with on someone else's watch."
In April, a BLM ecologist studying the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly and its
host plant, Kearney Buckwheat, recommended closing 1,000 acres of
still-vegetated land beside the massive dune. The BLM discoverd the
butterfly, which is currently only known to exist at Sand Mountain, in 1994
but had done nothing to protect it's diminishing habitat until this Spring.
Fearing the insect could be listed as an endangered or threatened species,
and the whole area taken over and closed to the public by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the BLM and off-roaders alike pushed to have some kind of
protective measure in place by Labor Day weekend.
But voluntary measures just don't work, Galvin said, and by the time the BLM
realizes it, the public may lose its right to utilize Sand Mountain.
"It's a lot harder to bring a species back than it is to protect it," Galvin
said.
Off-roader advocacy groups argued that recreators can be responsible enough
not to destroy anymore of the area's habitat, if they just knew about the
issue.
Facing pressure from off-roader groups, Fallon-area businesses and
Congressman Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., the BLM agreed. John Singlaub, a BLM field
manager, said a long-term strategy had not yet been worked out and the
bureau needed a short-term plan in place before the four-wheeling masses
flock to Sand Mountain on Labor Day.
"I think we made a good decision and that doesn't mean we won't have a
partial closure in the future," Singlaub said, "if this doesn't work, we
have a number of other options."
There were three main concerns that went into the decision, Singlaub said.
The BLM wanted to have a recreation system, where the public could take
advantage of the 3,000-acre dune. There needed to be some main routes
through the vegetation, so riders could skirt around it rather than over it,
and the bureau recognized the resource's economic importance to Churchill
County.
Some members of the eight-person advisory panel charged with creating Sand
Mountain solutions worried about the negative impacts a forced closure may
have in an area high in recreators and low in supervisors.
"Without anybody out there monitoring [Sand Mountain], my feeling was
voluntary compliance would be stronger than enforced compliance," said RAC
member Tina Nappe.
The Center for Biological Diversity could get more involved since the BLM
has chosen only to "discourage" use of certain trails, Galvin said. The
environmentalist organization could petition to have the butterfly listed
with the USFWS, or it could file a lawsuit against the BLM for not following
its legal mandate to protect the habitat of land under its management.
Off-roader groups are already filing complaints with government agencies
over the issue.
Before the RAC made its recommendation to the BLM on Friday, a group called
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility sent a letter voicing
their support for the BLM ecologist's recommendation of the temporary
1,000-acre closure.
Monday, the Off-Road Business Association filed a formal complaint against
BLM employees with the Department of Interior's Western Region Inspector
General's Office, charging that the public employees engaged in misconduct
regarding the Sand Mountain issue.
"We know for a fact that the Code of Federal Regulations requires all bureau
emploees to act impartially on land use issues and not give preferential
treatment to any individual or group," ORBA President Roy Denner said in a
statement released Monday.
By CORY MCCONNELL
Staff Writer
Lahontan Valley News
The entirety of northern Nevada's premiere off-roading resource will remain
open to vehicles, land managers announced Monday.
After more than two months of debate between conservationists and
off-roaders, the Bureau of Land Management decided over the weekend that
off-roaders should have the opportunity to police themselves at Sand
Mountain Recreation Area, for the time being at least.
The plan to stop the die-off of Sand Mountain's wildlife habitat will
consist of signage "discouraging" activity on particular trails and areas, a
strategy some environmentalists say is the path of least resistance and a
path that will come back to haunt the BLM and Sand Mountain recreators.
"The BLM is asleep at the switch," said Peter Galvin, a Center for
Biological Diversity spokesperson, "they've basically decided this issue
will have to be dealt with on someone else's watch."
In April, a BLM ecologist studying the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly and its
host plant, Kearney Buckwheat, recommended closing 1,000 acres of
still-vegetated land beside the massive dune. The BLM discoverd the
butterfly, which is currently only known to exist at Sand Mountain, in 1994
but had done nothing to protect it's diminishing habitat until this Spring.
Fearing the insect could be listed as an endangered or threatened species,
and the whole area taken over and closed to the public by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the BLM and off-roaders alike pushed to have some kind of
protective measure in place by Labor Day weekend.
But voluntary measures just don't work, Galvin said, and by the time the BLM
realizes it, the public may lose its right to utilize Sand Mountain.
"It's a lot harder to bring a species back than it is to protect it," Galvin
said.
Off-roader advocacy groups argued that recreators can be responsible enough
not to destroy anymore of the area's habitat, if they just knew about the
issue.
Facing pressure from off-roader groups, Fallon-area businesses and
Congressman Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., the BLM agreed. John Singlaub, a BLM field
manager, said a long-term strategy had not yet been worked out and the
bureau needed a short-term plan in place before the four-wheeling masses
flock to Sand Mountain on Labor Day.
"I think we made a good decision and that doesn't mean we won't have a
partial closure in the future," Singlaub said, "if this doesn't work, we
have a number of other options."
There were three main concerns that went into the decision, Singlaub said.
The BLM wanted to have a recreation system, where the public could take
advantage of the 3,000-acre dune. There needed to be some main routes
through the vegetation, so riders could skirt around it rather than over it,
and the bureau recognized the resource's economic importance to Churchill
County.
Some members of the eight-person advisory panel charged with creating Sand
Mountain solutions worried about the negative impacts a forced closure may
have in an area high in recreators and low in supervisors.
"Without anybody out there monitoring [Sand Mountain], my feeling was
voluntary compliance would be stronger than enforced compliance," said RAC
member Tina Nappe.
The Center for Biological Diversity could get more involved since the BLM
has chosen only to "discourage" use of certain trails, Galvin said. The
environmentalist organization could petition to have the butterfly listed
with the USFWS, or it could file a lawsuit against the BLM for not following
its legal mandate to protect the habitat of land under its management.
Off-roader groups are already filing complaints with government agencies
over the issue.
Before the RAC made its recommendation to the BLM on Friday, a group called
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility sent a letter voicing
their support for the BLM ecologist's recommendation of the temporary
1,000-acre closure.
Monday, the Off-Road Business Association filed a formal complaint against
BLM employees with the Department of Interior's Western Region Inspector
General's Office, charging that the public employees engaged in misconduct
regarding the Sand Mountain issue.
"We know for a fact that the Code of Federal Regulations requires all bureau
emploees to act impartially on land use issues and not give preferential
treatment to any individual or group," ORBA President Roy Denner said in a
statement released Monday.
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