Center for Biological Diversity

Protecting endangered species and wild places of western North America
and the Pacific through science, policy, education, and environmental law.


NEWS RELEASE - Friday June 22, 2001

BLM FINALLY MOVES ON DESERT LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT
PROVISIONS TO LIMIT OFF-ROAD VEHICLES IN RIVERSIDE,
IMPERIAL AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES.

NOTICE COMES 3.5 MONTHS LATE AND
STILL STALLS ON-THE-GROUND ACTION.

Contact Daniel Patterson, Desert Ecologist, The Center for Biological Diversity 520.623.5252 x 306
Doug Parham, President, Western San Bernardino County Landowner's Association 760.382.8625
Donna Charpied, Citizens for Chuckwalla Valley 760.392.4722

CALIFORNIA DESERT -- The U.S. Bureau of Land Management recently published a notice in the federal register (included below) announcing their intention to implement parts of the Center for Biological Diversity, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Sierra Club desert lawsuit settlement to protect nearly 480,000 acres of wildlife habitat in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts from off-road vehicles.

"We're elated that BLM has decided to do something to protect our area." said Doug Parham, President of the Western San Bernardino County Landowner's Association, which represents over 30 families in the Edwards Bowls area north of Adelanto CA. "All we've seen so far is a notice in the Federal Register, what we need is on-the-ground action now to stop destructive off-roading, shooting and lawlessness at Edwards Bowls."

"Closing washes to off-roading is a good conservation step, but BLM must do more desert-wide to protect and recover native wildlife." said Donna Charpied, an eastern Riverside County organic farmer and activist with Citizens for Chuckwalla Valley.

While conservationists applaud the notice, it comes 3.5 months late due to stalling by Interior Secretary Gale Norton, and BLM is unacceptably stalling on-the-ground action until at least July 16.

"Finally BLM has moved toward upholding the court order to protect wildlife from off-roading on critical habitat at Edwards Bowls and in Sonoran desert washes," said Daniel Patterson, The Center's Desert Ecologist. "Unfortunately these public lands should have been protected starting March 1, and will continue to be at risk due to BLM's delay in implementing this closure on-the-ground. These protective actions are very overdue and should go in to effect immediately." The ecologist adds, "Anti-environmental political delays of the Bush administration are blocking these court ordered protections of our desert public lands."

visit CBD's California Desert Conservation Area page.

Federal Register Notice from BLM's California website


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