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Crowdog
04-24-2002, 11:18 PM
BLM catches heat over dunes plan

BY LUKE TURF
Apr 24, 2002
About 300 people packed into a stuffy room Tuesday night mostly to vent frustrations toward the Bureau of Land Management about its new proposals for running the Imperial Sand Dunes.

The temperature of the room — and tempers of the speakers — soared through the evening. After filling out a card, dozens of people had the opportunity to address bureau officials ranging from environmental experts to law enforcement officials.

Of the first 25 speakers, none approved of the bureau's preferred alternative for running the dunes which includes vehicle limits on the entire area and limited off-road vehicle access in certain areas. The bureau's new dunes management strategy lifts the 49,000 acres currently closed to off-road vehicles. The closures were a temporary measure instituted to protect the threatened Pierson's milk-vetch. But some of the re-opened areas will have restrictions including capacity limits and permit requirements.

Off-roaders and business owners dependent on the off-roading market dominated the crowd. Only two of the first 25 speakers were opposed to lifting the bans to off-road use.

"The dunes are not just a big sand box to play in, they are not barren," said Cary Meister, the conservation chairman for the Yuma Audubon Society.

Meister said species related to the milk-vetch are being used for medicinal purposes and some scientific secrets may lie undiscovered in the dunes.

"It may turn out someday that Pierson's milk-vetch will save someone's life in this room, we need to save it," Meister said.

Meister said the best thing to do is keep the temporary closures in place.

Another speaker who agreed with keeping the temporary closures in place was Frank Bonnet. But Bonnet had very different reasons for doing so. He said by leaving the temporary closures in place the bureau could give law enforcement officials an opportunity to clear all law-breakers out of the area making room for the family-oriented dunes visitor.

Several of the bureau's law enforcement policies for the dunes came under attack. Among those is a capacity on the dunes, curfews and speed limits.

Sarah Woodman was one speaker opposed to the curfews.

"I just don't think you should let a few bad seeds spoil the area for everybody," Woodman said suggesting curfews only be placed on children.

But overall people feared the bureau's management of the dunes would drive people away from the area and have a negative effect on Yuma's economy.

One speaker, Greg Ferguson, said he's afraid if people are shut out of the dunes they'll head to privately-owned areas near Yuma and the Foothills and ride their vehicles there.

"The dunes are public lands," Ferguson said echoing the overall discontent of the room with the bureau trying to impose so many regulations on land they believe they pay to access through taxes.

Several people mocked the environmental groups behind the lawsuits that closed the dunes in the first place. A hired mediator of the discussion expressed discontent with speaker Flash Farrar, who generated a booming applause with his harsh rhetoric.

Farrar said he's fed up with (a description not fit for print) “liberals” trying to put the world "in a glass jar." Farrar said he's never used the dunes and probably never will, but he's fed up with agencies like the bureau oppressing his rights.

Still others said they just don't want to lose the dunes because they are so important to their families.

Longtime Yuma resident Don McCain said the most endangered species of all is the family unit.

"Please don't deny any family unit the area," McCain said.

Another meeting is scheduled in San Diego Thursday and anyone who wants to give the bureau any feedback about the Recreation Area Management Plan, which focuses on the bureau's preferred management alternative, or the Environmental Impact Statement which looks at the range of alternatives can send an e-mail to caisd@ca.blm.gov.

After all comments are collected the bureau will revise its draft for management of the dunes and release the final document to the public for a thirty day protest period. By October the bureau hopes to have a signed record of decision and begin implementing it providing the process is not interrupted with litigation.