blm schedules meetings on orv policy

[Weaver, Mark]

i'm sure these folks weren't intending their mailing list to be used in such a helpful manner, but if you live near moab or salt lake, and you'll be around in early august, you might want to participate in the decision making process about the land we all own. mark weaver

> -----Original Message----- > From: AlertList@... [mailto:AlertList@...] > Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2000 6:54 AM > To: AlertList@... > Subject: BLM SCHEDULES MEETINGS ON ORV POLICY > > > 1) COMMENTS ON BLM ORV POLICY NEEDED > 2) SCHEDULE OF UTAH MEETINGS > 3) WHITE RIVER WILDERNESS IN PERIL, COMMENTS NEEDED BY JULY 25TH > > 1) COMMENTS ON BLM ORV POLICY NEEDED > The BLM is finally at the first stage of public meetings in > their attempt > to create an ORV policy. The public comment hearings the > Bureau of Land > Management has scheduled is out. To find a complete list of meetings > please visit: http://www.blm.gov/ohv/ohv_listening.pdf > > These meetings are extremely important because this is the > first national > process undertaken by any federal agency regarding ORVs. The BLM is > working on crafting a national strategy to get a handle on > the problem of > dirt bikes an other ORVs abusing wilderness lands. We need > some reasonable > balance reached in the effort to stop illegal ORV > destruction. Currently > 96% of BLM in Utah is open to ORVs. > > Please check the entire listing of ORV meetings and attend to > make your > voice heard. If you are unable to attend a meeting in your > town or if the > BLM does not have one scheduled in your area comments will be accepted > until August 31st. > > Send comments to: > OHV Comment Manager > Bureau of Land Management > 1849 C St NW LSB 406-C > Washington, DC 20240 > > Comments the BLM needs to hear from the public. > - Ask the BLM to adopt a "CLOSED" unless posted "OPEN" > policy. This would > allow ORV use only on roads and routes designated and posted as open. > Currently the system is reversed and ORV recreationists do > not get clear > direction on routes they can legally ride on. The BLM should > list routes > as open after they have assessed any environmental degradation ORV use > would cause to sensitive public lands. > - Ask the BLM to limit ORV travel to designated routes and close all > unauthorized or "existing" routes. In most cases, existing - or > unauthorized - routes are created by ORVs illegally tearing > in to areas and > creating new routes and user created loop trails. These > illegal routes > then encourage other ORV enthusiasts to follow those trails > and further > degrade wilderness lands. The damage these vehicles inflict > on the land, > streams, and creeks is staggering, and it's getting worse every day. > > - Ask the BLM to enforce existing regulations. There are > laws regulating > ORV use and abuse. The problem is that they are not > enforced. The BLM > needs to stop building new ORV routes, start maintaining > designated routes, > and start restoring environmentally damaging routes to > non-motorized use. > > - Ask the BLM to prohibit ORV use in roadless areas and > wilderness study > areas (*WSAs). There are many places we know should be closed. The > degradation that illegal ORV use is creating in proposed > wilderness lands > is immense. Riparian areas are being destroyed, wildlife is being > displaced, soil degradation is rising, noise pollution is spreading in > Utah's wilderness lands. These backcountry areas provide unique > opportunities of quiet and beauty that are getting harder and > harder to > find. In some places, off-road-vehicles have made it > impossible for Utah > residents to enjoy to the splendor of these amazing places. > > > 2) SCHEDULE OF UTAH MEETINGS > > August 2nd > Moab Civic Center > 450 E 100 N > 6:00-9:00pm > > August 9th > Salt Lake BLM Field Office > 2370 S 2300 W > 7:00-9:00pm > > If you live near either of these areas we NEED you to attend. > ORVs are a > growing threat on all wilderness lands in the West, but > nowhere is this > felt more right now than Utah. Utah wilderness issues are leading the > battle against ORVs and the BLM needs to see a strong showing > of citizens > who want our wilderness lands protected from further illegal > ORV abuse. > Please call the Salt Lake office of SUWA 801-486-3161 if you need more > information. > 3) WHITE RIVER WILDERNESS IN PERIL, COMMENTS NEEDED BY JULY 25TH > > Gas Well and Road Construction Approved in White River Wilderness!!! > In its reinventory of the 15,800 acre White River unit, the BLM found > without exception that the entire unit has natural character, > and that the > areas scenic beauty, comprised of deep canyons and dominating > ridges, is > exceptional. Ironically, the BLM has just approved Texacoma companys > Rockhouse gas well and granted the company right-of-ways to > construct a > road and install a pipeline. Unfortunately, this is not the > only intrusion > that threatens the White River Wilderness unit. The agency > also recently > released an inadequate environmental assessment for Lone > Mountain companys > plans to penetrate the unit with a surface pipeline, and is > in the process > of completing an assessment of RDGs proposal to drill nearly > 500 wells and > construct about 500 miles of road on adjacent lands some that > would invade > the White River Wilderness. It is unconscionable that the BLM would > identify wilderness, and then allow its destruction. > > URGENT!! Now is your opportunity to help prevent destruction of BLM > identified wilderness lands. Please send a letter titled > Request for Stay > before July 25, 20000 (if you absolutely cannot send it by > that time, send > one after anyway) that covers the following points (in your > owns words): > > - Tell the State Director to halt construction of the Rockhouse well > immediately until the Vernal Office prepares an environmental impact > statement (EIS) to fully consider the impacts of these and > other drilling > proposals in the region. BLM should not set the precedent of allowing > development proposals to occur in inventoried wilderness > areas. Instead, > it should suspend the companys lease and consider > alternatives for land > exchanges not give-away areas the agency itself identified as > wilderness. > > - Explain that you have a strong interest in the White River > Wilderness > inventory unit and request a stay in order to prevent immediate and > irreparable harm to the unit until the Wilderness Review EIS > is complete, > and until an appropriate NEPA document is prepared. > > - Describe that (these four points must be covered in a > Request for Stay): > a) Your enjoyment of the White River Wilderness will > be immediately and > irreparably harmed if the action proceeds. > b) Although this harm to you and the unit is certain, > the company and the > agency will not be harmed by the delay. > c) Granting a stay would serve the interest of the > public and the BLM, > since it would prevent immediate and irreparable harm to a > BLM inventoried > wilderness unit. > d) The decision was based on an inadequate EA that > failed to address the > direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the proposal on the areas > wilderness values and other resources. Such an EA would not > stand challenge. > > > - Also not that the State Director should instruct the Vernal > Office to > withhold decision on the Lone Mountain right-of-ways and the > RDG proposal > pending completion of the Wilderness Review EIS. > > - If you want a copy of the decision, ask for one! > > Send to: > Sally Wisely > BLM, Utah State Director > PO Box 45155 > Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155 > fax 801-539-4013 > > P.S. Development interests have decided to use the White River unit in > their political stand against wilderness. For instance, last > summer Uintah > County illegally bulldozed 3-4 miles into the unit, and together with > People for the U.S.A., held an anti-wilderness rally. Near > the end of the > event, Congressman Cannon arrived by helicopter, addressed > the crowd, and > proceeded to drive a Uintah County vehicle past a BLM ranger > into an area > closed to vehicle travel. > WILDERNESS ADVOCATES MUST ALSO MAKE A STAND! > > +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- > +-+-+-+-+ > Unsubscribe@... -- send email here and the address from which > you sent the email will be automatically unsubscribed > SubscribeMe@... -- send email here and the address from which > you sent the email will be automatically subscribed > ListAdmin@... -- if the above two email addresses don't do the > job, or if you need to change your address, send email here > AlertList@... -- send general comments or questions here > +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- > +-+-+-+-+ > [171/249] >