| On November 4, 1997 at the Mateel Community Center
in Garberville, The BLM held a public meeting to accept public comments
regarding their Environmental Assessment proposing to close Black Sands
Beach. The BLM held the meeting at the Mateel Community Center in
Garberville, the center of the Northwestern United States environmental
movement. Report by Patric Lassiter, Natural Resources
Representative - Lost Coast 4x4's Club. "To my abject amazement there
were only about 6 to 10 people there who
seemed to be environmentalists. The meeting was filled to the walls
with OHV enthusiasts and other supporters- probably about 60 people.
Thirty five people got up to speak in opposition to the closure and only
five spoke in support. To my further outright numbed amazement a couple
of self proclaimed card carrying environmentalists spoke that they
thought they would never see the day when they agreed with the OHV crowd
but they opposed the closure of the beach. Even the environmental
representative to the Northwestern California Resource Advisory Council
chastised BLM for creating such a rift in our community by their lack of
leadership! For the final amazing event which
nearly dropped me to the floor (and
made me wonder if someone had slipped some southern humboldt mushrooms
in my dinner) Daryl Churney (sp?) made an appearance and and chastised
BLM for not solving the problem more amicably and for holding the
meeting on a voting day. Daryl said he wished more people would get out
of their cars and seek solitude in this beautiful area but did not say
outright he supported BLM's plans to close the beach! BLM Area Manager
Linda Roush by this time looked positively green. I did not envy her
sitting up their alone and facing an angry (but to the last person -
polite) crowd. I don't see how BLM can, in the
face of this meeting claim they are
closing this beach based on a perceived conflict when only 5 people
showed up to support them. The result?
BLM announced on November 20,1997 that it is extending the comment
period
on Black Sands Beach. Written comments on the environmental assessment
and plan amendment for the King Range Manament Program will now be
accepted until March 12, 1998 at the BLM's Arcata Field Office. The BLM
will be asking the members of the BLM's Northwest California Advisory
Council to fully study this issue. Whats happening here is obvious.
The BLM DID NOT get the support (the answer) they were looking for and have chosen to
extend the comment period in an effort to rally the
"environmentalist" community into action. What
We Need To Do Redouble
your efforts! If you have sent mail or a fax to the BLM, please do so
again. We cannot let them get away with this closure, and we must act
decicively to prevent it. If you did not send the BLM mail or a fax on
"the first go around", heres your chance to do so. Remember,
the riding areas you save are in fact, your own. Lynda
Roush-Area Manager Arcata Resource Area BLM
1695 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA 95521
Fax # (707) 825-2301 | Ed Hastey,
Director
Bureau of Land Management
2800 Cottage Way
Sacremento CA 95825
(916) 978-4657 |
Act now!
Take 5 minuets and "Just say NO" to the closure of Black Sands
Beach. Use the Black
Sands Beach Letter generator http://www.humboldt1.com/~jwboyett/blaksand.htm
Governmental
Representatives Frank Riggs
- U.S. Congressman
repriggs@hr.house.gov
(R-CA-1st)
Room: 1714 Longworth House Office Building
Phone: (202) 225-3311
Fax #: (202) 225-3403
District Phone: (707) 254-7308 | Mike
Thompson - California State Senator
Senator.Thompson@sen.ca.gov
Capitol State Capitol Room 3056
Office Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-3375
Suite 6 Eureka 95501. Ph: (707) 445-6508 |
Humbolt
County Board of Supervisors
Stan Dixon
825 5th st.
Eureka 95501
707-445-7691 |
| Senator
Barbera Boxer Senator@Boxer.Senate.Gov
1700 Montgomery Street
Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone 415 403 0100
Public Fax 415 956 6701 | Senator
Dianne Feinstein senator@feinstein.senate.gov
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202/224-3841
Fax: 202/228-3954 |
Local Media Southern
Humbolt Life & Times
Editor Bill Roddy
707-923-2824 |
Links to Relavent
Sites The Lost Coast 4X4
Black Sands Beach Page http://www.humboldt1.com/jwboyett/blaksand.htm The Sierra Club http://sierraclub.org/ The Bureau of Land
Management http://www.blm.gov The Landuse Network http://www.off-road.com/landuse/landuse.htm High Desert Multiple
Use Coalition http://www1.ridgecrest.ca.us/~coop/homepage.htm The Blue Ribbon
Coalition http://www.sharetrails.org The Southern Utah
Wilderness Alliance http://www.suwa.org | 
