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Speak Up For Glamis!
March 30, 2010 by J-Rod
If your one of many OHV enthusiast who calls Southern California’s Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (Glamis) your favorite riding location, then you need to listen up, read up and be active. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently announced the availability of the draft Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area management plan (RAMP) and environmental impact statement (EIS). Now that this announcement was made, a 90-day public comment period (which is slated to end June 24, 2010) has began. You can download the document here.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) news release reported that Acting BLM’s El Centro Field manager Daniel Steward said “the RAMP/EIS outlines future management of public lands administered by BLM in the 160,000-acre Dunes located in eastern Imperial County. The public assisted BLM in identifying key land use issues in this area through a formal scoping process conducted in 2008.”
The release says a draft RAMP/EIS examines environmental impacts of how the land is managed/used. This can include recreation, renewable energy and any species on the Endangered Species Act. It reported that “A range of alternatives are analyzed in the RAMP/EIS, including closure of areas designated as critical habitat by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to off-highway vehicle use.”
Before you jump the gun and send a emotionally charged letter, take a deep breath and understand that organizations exist to help you explain your thoughts in an appropriate manner and with credible, sensible evidence to protect your legal right to ride and have access to this public land.
Photo by ACP
Before you do anything, you need to visit the American Sand Assocation’s (ASA) web site and learn what it’s doing to speak up for Glamis. On the ASA site, it said, “The ASA will be reviewing the 803-page document in order to compose valid comments. The results should be available to our membership in a few weeks. It will be appreciated if members taking the initiative to review and prepare valid comments would copy The ASA Board of Directors. Remember, valid comments are those that present BLM with new data or point out flaws in their reasoning or other processes. Venting on an emotional basis will be disregarded by BLM.”
Follow this National Off-highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) list to discover more organizations that can aid in your defense of protection OHV access on public lands.
BLM Public Meeting Schedule*:
Tuesday, April 13th – San Diego, CA
Handlery Hotel
950 Hotel Circle North
San Diego, CA 92108
Wednesday, April 14th – El Centro, CA
Imperial Irrigation District William R. Condit Meeting Room
1285 Broadway
El Centro, CA 92243
Thursday, April 15th – Phoenix, AZ
Mountain Preserve Reception and Conference Center
1431 E. Dunlap Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85020
* All meetings will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Last 5 posts by J-Rod
- Vogtman Departs KTM North America - September 2nd, 2010
- Pro Armor's RZR Doors Commercial - September 1st, 2010
- Work Hard This Labor Day - August 31st, 2010
- ATV Racing In Reverse - Crazy Concept That Will Never Happen - August 30th, 2010
- Suzuki's Factory ATV Racing Team: 2011? - August 27th, 2010
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Be aware of this not just glamis but all over the west
It’s really sad to see things like this happen. In my area (SW MO) they recently tried to close a 13,000 acre off-road area to any motorized vehicles. Riders need to be aware of potential closures in their area and see what they can do to stop it. If we want future generations to enjoy the same riding experiences we have had then we need to do something. The future of ATVing is in our hands.
ATV Trail,
Thanks for responding. I too saw that many areas in the Western U.S. are under evaluation and need OHV enthusiasts to speak up to preserve their legal right to ride off-road on public lands.
Thanks for your feedback.
[...] Read the rest of the post and share your opinions here. Related Posts:BLM proposes fee increase for Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation AreaPublic Invited to Comment on Draft Plan for Imperial Sand DunesDraft Environmental Impact StatementBlueRibbon Coalition wary of Obama BLM pickEldorado National Forest Land Access News Tags: Glamis, Imperial Sand Dunes, OHV [...]
Just read this blog, reposted part of it and linked back over here from my site:
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/entry.php?8-BLM-gearing-up-for-more-regulation-of-Glamis-and-the-Imperial-Sand-Dunes.