The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Western Mojave (WEMO) Travel Management Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is Open for Comment
COMMENT DEADLINE: June 4th, 2015
COMMENT NOW on the BLM’s Recommendation to DOUBLE the Amount of ORV Routes in the Western Mojave Desert
Desert resident and conservation groups sued the BLM in 2010 over its designation of over 5,000 miles of ORV routes because the routes encourage trespass on both private property and public land. The routes have been devastating to natural and cultural resources including Native American sacred sites, Desert Wildlife Management Areas (DWMA)s, critical habitat for endangered species including the Desert Tortoise, wilderness study areas, wildlife corridors, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC)s, designated wilderness areas and public lands off-limits to motorized recreation, as well as private property.
Community ORV Watch believes that the new WEMO plan does not fulfill the court’s order in the 2010 suit to minimize the WEMO route network. Rather, the BLM has proposed a plan to significantly increase desert lands available to off-road vehicles. We plan to vigorously respond to this plan, and will encourage others to respond to this terrible plan by providing the community with information and tools so that they will send informed comments to the BLM. We want to assure this ill-advised proposal does not go forward and if it does, the BLM will be once again vulnerable in court.
COW has provided copies of the maps of areas covered by the WEMO DEIS on our WEMO 2015 page. Go to the map of your area and identify those recommended routes that you want eliminated. Use the “Minimization Criteria” to critique the routes.
The WEMO DEIS web site is hard to access, navigate and the maps are difficult to view, are incomplete and inaccurate. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE and you may use these issues as part of your comments to the BLM.
COMMENT NOW:
- Send the BLM an email, postcard or letter before June 4th asking that they extend the comment period for another 120 days since their web site is hard to access and user-unfriendly and the maps and difficult to download and are hard to read.
- Tell the BLM that none of their four alternatives are acceptable and that they must offer other alternatives that dramatically reduce the number of routes.
COMMENT NOW to force the BLM to extend the comment period and provide them with a list of specific routes that you want eliminated. Click on the WEMO tab for a sample letter, suggested comments, instructions on how to access maps of your area and the federal laws that mandate that the BLM minimize impacts on natural and cultural resources and conflicts with residents.
Access the BLM’s WEMO web site here.
FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO COMMENT ON THE WEMO DEIS and more information please visit our WEMO site by clicking on the “WEMO” tab at the top of this web site.