BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC. CONTACT: Paul Turcke 208-331-1807 - pat@msbtlaw.com Don Amador 925-625-6287 - brdon_a@sharetrails.org
According to the L.A. Times, BLM officials indicated a formal announcement of the new management proposal would be issued today or Friday, and that the plan would include options allowing at least limited vehicle access to areas now covered by an “interim” vehicle closure. The closure was instituted through settlement of a lawsuit filed in 2000 by the Center for Biological Diversity. Under the terms of the agreement, BLM agreed to conduct further planning and consultation regarding the effects of off-highway vehicle use on threatened or endangered species, and particularly the Peirson’s Milkvetch. BLM’s imminent announcement will signal the start of a 90-day review period, where members of the public may comment upon several alternative management proposals. “We have long looked forward to this public process, and are encouraged that preliminary signals suggest it has the potential to restore needed balance to Dunes management,” indicated Don Amador, Western Representative of the BlueRibbon Coalition. The Coalition, along with the Desert Vipers Motorcycle Club, San Diego Off-Road Coalition and California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs intervened in the earlier litigation and represented vehicle enthusiasts at the negotiating table when the prior settlement was forged. “During the darkest hours of the settlement process we told people a new process would occur, and we must now redouble our efforts to advocate vehicular access under reasonable regulations,” Amador cautioned. “This announcement hints at the results that can be achieved when the off-highway vehicle community works together toward a common goal,” said Paul Turcke, an attorney who represented the recreational intervenors during the lawsuit. “A lion’s share of the credit goes to the many Southern California organizations who mobilized to respond to this issue. While we were fighting to keep access rights alive in the settlement process groups like the American Sand Association and Off-Road Business Association stepped to up to the plate and applied a new level of pressure to all phases of the issue. This is a long way from being over, but dunes riders must now feel they have earned a fighting chance in the BLM process,” Turcke concluded. # # # The BlueRibbon Coalition is
a national recreation group that champions responsible use of
public lands. It represents over 1,100 organizations and businesses
with approximately 600,000 members.
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