Crowdog
07-01-2004, 08:29 AM
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040701/News/107010003
Fallon tribe seeks protection of cultural sites
Cory McConnell
July 1, 2004
The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe is suggesting the U.S. Bureau of Land Management can better protect cultural resources around Churchill County, in part, by curtailing off-highway vehicle use in a few key areas.
The tribe submitted three proposals to designate Areas of Critical Environmental Concern to the BLM in April, focusing on Sand Mountain Recreation Area, Grimes Point Archeological Area and the Stillwater Mountains.
An ACEC designation doesn't bring automatic restrictions to an area, but it does mean the BLM would have to create a separate management plan for each designated area, which could contain conservation-aimed restrictions.
The tribe's proposals list several restrictions for each site but they aren't binding, said BLM planning coordinator Teresa Knutson, even if an the ACECs are designated.
"Those are just management recommendations that may or may not be in (the final management plan)," she said.
The tribe's proposal for Sand Mountain includes closing the area completely one month a year in spring for tribal spiritual practices and closing it to motorized vehicles the following month. The two-month absence of off-roaders, the tribe's proposal states, will give the degraded habitat much needed time to heal.
Off-roaders and environmentalists have been battling over BLM conservation plans at Sand Mountain for more than a year. The popular off-roading site is also the only known home of the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly, for which environmentalists are seeking protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The butterfly's habitat has suffered a dramatic die-off over the past two decades. Conservationists and BLM biologists say the degradation is the result of Sand Mountain's growing popularity with off-roading enthusiasts.
To tribal traditionalists, the massive dune is a giant serpent that buried itself in the sand, mourning for its lost mate. The site is a powerful place that must be respected, they say, and riding the site's plants and butterflies into extinction is not respectful.
"I hope this turns out to be something all parties can work out," said one tribal member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's a very unique place and I think it should be preserved for everybody, not just off-roaders."
Between 40,000 and 50,000 off-roaders visit Sand Mountain annually, about 85 percent of them from California, according to the BLM. Spring and fall are the peak times when the throngs of four-wheelers and sand rails visit, according to Jon Crowley, a member of the off-roader advocacy group Friends of Sand Mountain.
"I'd be surprised if the whole (tribal) membership knows what their leadership is proposing," Crowley said.
Tribal Council Chairman Alvin Moyle, the only council member authorized to speak publicly, could not be reached for comment Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The tribe's Sand Mountain proposal also suggests identifying which areas near the 3-mile-long dune should have off-roading restrictions, reducing existing trails through the recreation area and developing a maximum capacity number of visitors for the area.
The BLM has its own proposal to create an ACEC at Sand Mountain and Knutson said portions of the tribe's Sand Mountain suggestions will likely be folded into plan. Knutson did not know which portions would go into the bureau proposal.
Off-roaders and environmentalists have both accused the BLM of catering to the other in the past year of debate and protest. Knutson said the tribe has been more open to change than either of the issue's other two major players.
"We'll work with whoever will work with us," she said. "The tribe has been the only (group) I've seen who will compromise."
The LVN was unable to acquire the tribe's ACEC proposals for the Grimes Point area or the Stillwater Mountains from the BLM.
Knutson said, among other things, both proposals include concerns about off-highway vehicle traffic around what the tribe considers places of great cultural worth.
Cory McConnell can be contacted at cmcconnell@lahontanvalleynews.com
Fallon tribe seeks protection of cultural sites
Cory McConnell
July 1, 2004
The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe is suggesting the U.S. Bureau of Land Management can better protect cultural resources around Churchill County, in part, by curtailing off-highway vehicle use in a few key areas.
The tribe submitted three proposals to designate Areas of Critical Environmental Concern to the BLM in April, focusing on Sand Mountain Recreation Area, Grimes Point Archeological Area and the Stillwater Mountains.
An ACEC designation doesn't bring automatic restrictions to an area, but it does mean the BLM would have to create a separate management plan for each designated area, which could contain conservation-aimed restrictions.
The tribe's proposals list several restrictions for each site but they aren't binding, said BLM planning coordinator Teresa Knutson, even if an the ACECs are designated.
"Those are just management recommendations that may or may not be in (the final management plan)," she said.
The tribe's proposal for Sand Mountain includes closing the area completely one month a year in spring for tribal spiritual practices and closing it to motorized vehicles the following month. The two-month absence of off-roaders, the tribe's proposal states, will give the degraded habitat much needed time to heal.
Off-roaders and environmentalists have been battling over BLM conservation plans at Sand Mountain for more than a year. The popular off-roading site is also the only known home of the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly, for which environmentalists are seeking protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The butterfly's habitat has suffered a dramatic die-off over the past two decades. Conservationists and BLM biologists say the degradation is the result of Sand Mountain's growing popularity with off-roading enthusiasts.
To tribal traditionalists, the massive dune is a giant serpent that buried itself in the sand, mourning for its lost mate. The site is a powerful place that must be respected, they say, and riding the site's plants and butterflies into extinction is not respectful.
"I hope this turns out to be something all parties can work out," said one tribal member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's a very unique place and I think it should be preserved for everybody, not just off-roaders."
Between 40,000 and 50,000 off-roaders visit Sand Mountain annually, about 85 percent of them from California, according to the BLM. Spring and fall are the peak times when the throngs of four-wheelers and sand rails visit, according to Jon Crowley, a member of the off-roader advocacy group Friends of Sand Mountain.
"I'd be surprised if the whole (tribal) membership knows what their leadership is proposing," Crowley said.
Tribal Council Chairman Alvin Moyle, the only council member authorized to speak publicly, could not be reached for comment Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The tribe's Sand Mountain proposal also suggests identifying which areas near the 3-mile-long dune should have off-roading restrictions, reducing existing trails through the recreation area and developing a maximum capacity number of visitors for the area.
The BLM has its own proposal to create an ACEC at Sand Mountain and Knutson said portions of the tribe's Sand Mountain suggestions will likely be folded into plan. Knutson did not know which portions would go into the bureau proposal.
Off-roaders and environmentalists have both accused the BLM of catering to the other in the past year of debate and protest. Knutson said the tribe has been more open to change than either of the issue's other two major players.
"We'll work with whoever will work with us," she said. "The tribe has been the only (group) I've seen who will compromise."
The LVN was unable to acquire the tribe's ACEC proposals for the Grimes Point area or the Stillwater Mountains from the BLM.
Knutson said, among other things, both proposals include concerns about off-highway vehicle traffic around what the tribe considers places of great cultural worth.
Cory McConnell can be contacted at cmcconnell@lahontanvalleynews.com