(CA) West Mojave Route Designation Process Established

West Mojave Route Designation Process Established

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will soon be proposing
route designations for the nine-million acre West Mojave planning
area and will include opportunities for public review and comment
before final decisions are made.

BLM is concurrently preparing an environmental assessment (EA)
to designate routes of travel within the West Mojave planning area,
and a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the West Mojave
Plan Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The route designation portion
of the West Mojave planning area must precede the West Mojave HCP to
satisfy legal timeframes.

The BLM is facing a court-approved deadline to complete the
route designation portion of the West Mojave Plan Amendment by June
30, 2003, as part of a settlement agreement resulting from a lawsuit
filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and
the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Consequently,
BLM will release the EA for a 30-day public review in mid March. The
decision record will be signed by June 2003 and will amend the 1980
California Desert Conservation AreaPlan.

The Draft West Mojave Plan HCP is scheduled for release in
mid-May for a 90-day public comment period. The vehicle route
designations will be incorporated into the Plan. BLM anticipates a
Record of Decision for the West Mojave Plan by February 2004. It
will also amend the California Desert Conservation Area Plan. The
public will be provided an opportunity to comment on all aspects of
the Plan.

This route designation process, which will update a network
designated in 1987, has been underway in the Mojave Desert since
1997. In 2001, local agencies, off-highway vehicle groups, and other
interested constituencies began working with BLM to better identify
and "ground-truth" all the existing routes as well as recommend
critical access needs in this large area. The interagency planning
team has used all this data in preparing the new draft route network
that the public will be invited to comment on.

For more information contact Bill Haigh, BLM West Mojave Plan
Lead, at (760) 252-6000.

Comments will be accepted until April 21, 2003.

Comments will be accepted until April 21, 2003.

This route designation plan allows for: "Motorized vehicle access
would be provided for recreational and commercial pursuits, and to
enable private property owners to visit their lands."



March 21, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 55)]
[Notices]
[Page 13949-13950]

West Mojave Planning Area; California Desert Conservation Area
Plan and Enviromental Assessment Off-Road Vehicle Designations

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft amendment to the California
Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan and Environmental Assessment (EA)
for off-road vehicle designations in West Mojave Planning Area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Off-road vehicle designations are being considered by the
California Desert District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for
the West Mojave Desert Planning Area in accordance with the criteria
and procedures of 43 Code of Federal Regulations subpart 8342. These
designations, when approved by BLM, will amend the existing
designations established under the CDCA plan in the West Mojave Area.
This planning area encompasses approximately 3.3 million acres of
public land managed by the BLM's California Desert District, located in
Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties in southern
California.

DATES: This notice initiates the public review process on the Draft
Off-Road Vehicle Designation Plan Amendment and EA. The public is
invited to review and comment on the document. The comment period will
end 30 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
Comments on the Draft Plan Amendment should be received on or before
the end of the comment period at the address listed below.
Written comments should be sent to the Bureau of Land Management,
California Desert District Office, Attn. West Mojave Plan Staff, 22835
Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553. For comments to
be most helpful they should relate to specific concerns or conflicts
that are within the legal responsibilities of the BLM and are feasible
to be resolved in this planning process.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the BLM
California Desert District Office, the BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, 300
South Richmond Road, Ridgecrest, California 93555, and the BLM Barstow
Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, California 92311during
regular business hours from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If
you wish to withhold your name or street address from public review or
from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state
this prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such
requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions
from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The West Mojave Off-Road Vehicle
Designations would establish a network of motorized vehicle routes that
would provide access to more than 3.3 million acres of public lands
administered by the BLM within Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles and San
Bernardino Counties, all of which are within the State of California.
The BLM's Ridgecrest and Barstow field offices administer most of these
public lands. A small amount of acreage administered by the BLM's
Needles and Palm Springs field offices is also affected. All public
lands are within the California Desert Conservation Area, and all lie
within the jurisdiction of the BLM's California Desert District.
Motorized vehicle access would be provided for recreational and
commercial pursuits, and to enable private property owners to visit
their lands. The network was developed with the assistance of the
public, and was based upon the results of a comprehensive field
inventory that identified the location of routes, type of routes, and
destination points. The network is designed to be compatible with the
conservation of the desert's natural and cultural resources, including
sensitive plants and animals.
The West Mojave Off-Road Vehicle Designations would complement the
bioregional conservation strategy that is currently being developed for
these same public lands through the West Mojave planning process. A
``West Mojave Plan'' plan is being prepared by the BLM in collaboration
with state agencies and local jurisdictions. When completed, it will
present strategies for conserving the threatened desert tortoise, the
Mohave ground squirrel and nearly 100 other sensitive species,
while providing a streamlined program for compliance with the
California and federal endangered species acts. The West Mojave Off-
Road Vehicle Designations have been closely coordinated with the
preparation of the West Mojave Plan, to ensure that they are mutually
compatible. An Environmental Impact Statement for the West Mojave Plan
will be available for a 90-day public review during the spring of 2003.
The West Mojave Plan EIS will review the impacts of the West Mojave
Off-Road Vehicle Designations to ensure that any additional cumulative
impacts resulting from the West Mojave Plan are addressed. A final
decision regarding the West Mojave Off-Road Vehicle Designations will
be made by the end of June 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact William Haigh, Project
Manager, at (760) 252-6080 (Phone), e-mail at
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected].

(CA) Fwd: BLM Releases EA for Routes of Travel Designations in West Mojave Planning

Please note the April 8 (Victorville) and April 15 (Ridgecrest)
public comment meetings.
***********************

<http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/03/nr/CDD34_West_Mojave_EA_Plan_Amend/Conv.htm>http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2003/03/nr/CDD34_West_Mojave_EA_Plan_Amend/Conv.htm


For Immediate Release: March 24, 2003

Contact: Doran Sanchez (909) 697-5220

BLM Releases Environmental Assessment and Proposed Plan Amendment for
Routes of Travel Designations in West Mojave Planning Area

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is releasing an environmental
assessment (EA) and draft plan amendment of the California Desert
Conservation Area Plan to complete the routes of travel designation
portion of the West Mojave Plan Amendment by June 30, 2003, to meet
an agency deadline.

The EA analyzes the proposed routes of travel network that was
developed through an extensive public collaborative process as part
of the West Mojave Plan, a joint State/Federal Habitat Conservation
Plan (HCP). The 30-day public comment period for the proposed
designations begins with publication of the EA.

The EA is available for review on line at
<http://www.ca.blm.gov/cdd/wemo_ohvdesigproj.html>http://www.ca.blm.gov/cdd/wemo_ohvdesigproj.html
and also is available in hard copy at BLM's California Desert
District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley,
Calif. (909) 697-5200), Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road,
Barstow, Calif. (760) 252-6000, and Ridgecrest Field Office, 300
South Richmond Road, Ridgecrest, Calif. (760) 384-5400.

Written comments should be sent to the Bureau of Land Management,
California Desert District Office, Attn: West Mojave Route
Designation Project, 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno
Valley, Calif. Barstow Field Office. Comments must be received by
Wednesday, April 23, 2003.

Two public meetings have been scheduled to receive comments on the EA
and proposed plan amendment from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the
following dates and locations.

Tuesday, April 8

Best Western Green Tree Inn

14173 Green Tree Boulevard

Victorville, CA 92392

Tuesday, April 15

Kerr McGee Center

100 West California

Ridgecrest, CA 93555

San Bernardino County, representing the State under the
California Environmental Quality Act, will serve as the co-lead to
prepare the environmental impact report (EIR) for the West Mojave
Plan HCP. BLM is preparing the EA to designate routes of travel and
the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the West Mojave
Plan HCP concurrently, but must expedite route designation to satisfy
legal timeframes.

The Draft West Mojave Plan EIR/EIS is scheduled for release in early
May for a 90-day public comment period, and will include the same
vehicle route designations and provide the public further opportunity
to comment. BLM anticipates a Record of Decision for the West Mojave
Plan by February 2004.

The West Mojave Plan is the largest HCP in the United States
encompassing 9.3 million acres, including more than three million
acres of BLM-managed public lands. The HCP will provide a
comprehensive strategy to conserve and protect more than 100 species
and their habitats, including the desert tortoise and Mohave ground
squirrel. The plan will also provide a streamlined program for
complying with requirements of the State and Federal Endangered
Species Acts.

For further information contact BLM Project Lead Bill Haigh at (760) 252-6000.

BLM Extends Comment Period on Proposed West Mojave Route Designation Plan
Amendment and Reschedules Public Meetings

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has extended the 30-day public
comment period on the environmental assessment (EA) and draft plan
amendment of the California Desert Conservation Area Plan to designate
routes of travel within the West Mojave planning area to Friday, May 2,
2003.

Two public meetings also have been scheduled/rescheduled to receive
comments on the EA and proposed plan amendment from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
at the following dates and locations.
Tuesday, April 15 Wednesday, April 23
Kerr McGee Center Best Western Green Tree Inn
100 West California 14173 Green Tree Boulevard
Ridgecrest, CA 93555 Victorville, CA 92392

The EA is available for review on line at http://www.ca.blm.gov and
also is available in hard copy at BLM's California Desert District Office,
22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, Calif. (909) 697-5200),
Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, Calif. (760) 252-6000,
and Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 South Richmond Road, Ridgecrest, Calif.
(760) 384-5400.

Written comments should be sent to the Bureau of Land Management,
California Desert District Office, Attn: West Mojave Route Designation
Project, 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, Calif. Barstow
Field Office. Comments must be received by Friday, May 2, 2003.

BLM is preparing the EA to designate routes of travel and the draft
environmental impact statement (EIS) for the West Mojave Plan Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) concurrently, but must expedite route designation
to satisfy legal timeframes. San Bernardino County will serve as the lead
to prepare the environmental impact report (EIR) for the West Mojave Plan
HCP.

The Draft West Mojave Plan EIR/EIS is scheduled for release in early
May for a 90-day public comment period, and will include the same vehicle
route designations and provide the public further opportunity to comment.
BLM anticipates a Record of Decision for the West Mojave Plan by February
2004.

The West Mojave Plan is the largest HCP in the United States
encompassing 9.3 million acres, including more than three million acres of
BLM-managed public lands. The HCP will provide a comprehensive strategy to
conserve and protect more than 100 species and their habitats, including
the desert tortoise and Mohave ground squirrel. The plan will also provide
a streamlined program for complying with requirements of the State and
Federal Endangered Species Acts.

For further information contact BLM Project Lead Bill Haigh at (760)
252-6000.


--
John Stewart
Director, Environmental Affairs,
United Four Wheel Drive Associations, http://www.ufwda.org
Recreation Access and Conservation Editor, http://www.4x4wire.com
Moderator, MUIRNet - Multiple Use Information Resource Network

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE to MUIRNet, send email to [email protected].

Public to get opportunity to comment on off-road trail network in desert


Public to get opportunity to comment on off-road trail network in
desert
By CHUCK MUELLER, Staff Writer

VICTORVILLE -- The public will have a chance Wednesday to comment on a
proposed off-road trail network in the west Mojave Desert.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will outline an environmental
assessment and proposed amendment to the California Desert Plan that
includes the route network.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Best Western Green Tree Inn,
14173 Green Tree Blvd.

The bureau has extended the deadline for written comments on the
network to May 2, spokesman Doran Sanchez said. The comments should be
sent to bureau's California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San
Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley 92553.

Environmentalists and off-highway vehicle users are at odds over the
proposal.

"Off-road recreation is a right and we must protect it,' said Jim
Arbogast , the California Off-Road Vehicle Association's
vice-president for land use.

Peter Kiriakos , conservation chairman for the Sierra Club's San
Gorgonio Chapter, views the proposal differently.

"This plan is long overdue,' he said. "With our population growth,
wildlife habitat is threatened more and more, and must be protected.'

The environmental assessment looks at alternate route designations for
3.2 million acres of federal land in the region, presenting options to
either open roads for vehicles, close them to protect ecosystems, or
establish a compromise plan.

The West Mojave Plan is on the Internet, at
www.ca.blm.gov/cdd/wemo.html.

Written comments on the plan can be sent to the San Bernardino County
Land Use Services Department, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino
92415.

http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413...1341579,00.html