Dave@desertfab.com
12-22-2005, 11:54 PM
SEMA Action Network Driving Force - January 2006
>Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2005 05:39:56 +0000
>
>OFF ROAD NEWS
>
>National Park Service Releases Draft Plan on OHV Use
>
>The National Park Service (NPS) has released proposed changes to its
>management policies that regulate off-highway vehicle (OHV) use
>within the park system. The management policies serve as a virtual
>handbook for park superintendents and other park officials. The NPS
>considered revising their policies after receiving criticism from
>Congressional Republicans who stated that NPS had shifted to far in
>favor of conservation, at the expense of public access. The SAN has
>urged Federal agencies to not adopt “one-size-fits-all” land access
>policies and allow for increased involvement by state and local
>officials and the off-road community in the decision making process.
>
>In regards to OHV access, the proposed language closely mirrors
>existing policies in stating “routes and areas may be designated for
>off-road motor vehicle use by special regulation within national
>recreation areas, national seashores, national lakeshores, and
>national preserves, and then only when determined to be an
>appropriate use. Consistent with the executive orders and the
>Organic Act, park managers must immediately close a designated
>off-road vehicle route whenever the use is causing or will cause
>unacceptable impacts.” The SAN supports this proposal given its
>directive to allow individual park officials to use public input and
>available scientific date to resolve access issues.
>
>Copies of the proposed changes can be downloaded on the NPS website
>at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=13746.
>The public comment period on the proposed changes runs through
>January 19, 2006.
>
>Endangered Desert Plant May No Longer Threaten Off-Roaders
>
>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will consider removing the
>Peirson’s milk-vetch plant from the Endangered Species list. The
>plant, which is found only in portions of the Algodones Dunes in
>California’s Imperial Valley, has been at the center of legal
>battles for a number of years. The so-called Imperial Sand Dunes
>Recreation Area (ISDRA) is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land
>Management (BLM) and is a popular destination for off-highway
>vehicle (OHV) recreation. Access to large portions of the 160,000
>acres site has been restricted in order to protect the plant.
>
>The American Sand Association (ASA), the Off-Road Business
>Association (ORBA) and other OHV groups have repeatedly questioned
>the government’s contention that the plant is threatened by OHV
>activity, or is even an endangered species. The groups initially
>petitioned FWS to delist the Peirson’s milk-vetch in 2001; however
>the agency ruled that at the time the plant still warranted
>protection. In their most recent petition the groups assert that
>four years of additional data collection show that there are more
>milk-vetch plans than in 2001 and that the plant’s reproductive
>capacity is stable and strong enough to warrant delisting. The
>groups also cited a BLM report which stated that only an estimated
>0.3% of the plants showed evidence of OHV damage. The FWS will
>initiate a yearlong status review, after which the agency could
>propose that the plant be delisted.
>
>The controversy surrounding the status of the Peirson’s milk-vetch
>highlights the need to reform the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
>Enacted in 1973, the ESA has saved only 10 species out of 1,800
>listings. Meanwhile, millions of acres of land have been closed with
>more set-asides in the works. The SAN supports legislation before
>Congress that calls for increased local involvement and the use of
>best scientific data in determining the status of a species.
>
>The FWS regional office in Carlsbad, California is accepting public
>comments on the plant’s status until January 30, 2006.
>
>
>Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2005 05:39:56 +0000
>
>OFF ROAD NEWS
>
>National Park Service Releases Draft Plan on OHV Use
>
>The National Park Service (NPS) has released proposed changes to its
>management policies that regulate off-highway vehicle (OHV) use
>within the park system. The management policies serve as a virtual
>handbook for park superintendents and other park officials. The NPS
>considered revising their policies after receiving criticism from
>Congressional Republicans who stated that NPS had shifted to far in
>favor of conservation, at the expense of public access. The SAN has
>urged Federal agencies to not adopt “one-size-fits-all” land access
>policies and allow for increased involvement by state and local
>officials and the off-road community in the decision making process.
>
>In regards to OHV access, the proposed language closely mirrors
>existing policies in stating “routes and areas may be designated for
>off-road motor vehicle use by special regulation within national
>recreation areas, national seashores, national lakeshores, and
>national preserves, and then only when determined to be an
>appropriate use. Consistent with the executive orders and the
>Organic Act, park managers must immediately close a designated
>off-road vehicle route whenever the use is causing or will cause
>unacceptable impacts.” The SAN supports this proposal given its
>directive to allow individual park officials to use public input and
>available scientific date to resolve access issues.
>
>Copies of the proposed changes can be downloaded on the NPS website
>at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=13746.
>The public comment period on the proposed changes runs through
>January 19, 2006.
>
>Endangered Desert Plant May No Longer Threaten Off-Roaders
>
>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will consider removing the
>Peirson’s milk-vetch plant from the Endangered Species list. The
>plant, which is found only in portions of the Algodones Dunes in
>California’s Imperial Valley, has been at the center of legal
>battles for a number of years. The so-called Imperial Sand Dunes
>Recreation Area (ISDRA) is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land
>Management (BLM) and is a popular destination for off-highway
>vehicle (OHV) recreation. Access to large portions of the 160,000
>acres site has been restricted in order to protect the plant.
>
>The American Sand Association (ASA), the Off-Road Business
>Association (ORBA) and other OHV groups have repeatedly questioned
>the government’s contention that the plant is threatened by OHV
>activity, or is even an endangered species. The groups initially
>petitioned FWS to delist the Peirson’s milk-vetch in 2001; however
>the agency ruled that at the time the plant still warranted
>protection. In their most recent petition the groups assert that
>four years of additional data collection show that there are more
>milk-vetch plans than in 2001 and that the plant’s reproductive
>capacity is stable and strong enough to warrant delisting. The
>groups also cited a BLM report which stated that only an estimated
>0.3% of the plants showed evidence of OHV damage. The FWS will
>initiate a yearlong status review, after which the agency could
>propose that the plant be delisted.
>
>The controversy surrounding the status of the Peirson’s milk-vetch
>highlights the need to reform the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
>Enacted in 1973, the ESA has saved only 10 species out of 1,800
>listings. Meanwhile, millions of acres of land have been closed with
>more set-asides in the works. The SAN supports legislation before
>Congress that calls for increased local involvement and the use of
>best scientific data in determining the status of a species.
>
>The FWS regional office in Carlsbad, California is accepting public
>comments on the plant’s status until January 30, 2006.
>
>