Category: WEMO

Now that June 4 comment deadline is past let us reflect on how our community pulled together in an unprecedented way to submit comments. Thanks to everyone who has sent comments and to all who worked so hard to research issues and gather information. We will have to wait to see if the BLM provides an extension on the route designations.

Even though the comment period has ended there is action you can take.

Contact your local representatives from the county to the federal level about your concerns about the WEMO plan: Supervisor Ramos, Senators Feinstein and Boxer, Interior Secretary Jewell.

Write letters to the editor about you concerns.

On May 11 the Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Committee passed a resolution opposing the BLM’s preferred alternative in the WEMO DEIS.

You can read the resolution here.

To increase the effectiveness of the comments we are making re the WEMO DEIS we urge you to also send a copy to Supervisor James Ramos.

Board of Supervisors – 3rd District
Supervisor James C. Ramos, Chairman
385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, 5th Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0110 Telephone: (909) 387-4855
Fax: (909) 387-3018
SupervisorRamos@sbcounty.gov

Updated presentation.

This is an excellent and detailed presentation of the issues posed by the BLM’s West Mojave Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Pat Flanagan presented this information to the Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council (MB MAC) on April 13, 2015.

The presentation exposes many issues in the flawed DEIS and the BLM’s “recommended alternative” and should be reviewed as you prepare your comments to the BLM.

Remember the current deadline for comments on the DEIS is June 4, 2015.

It is important that we have a big showing for the BLM’s public meeting about the WEMO DEIS plan to DOUBLE the mileage of ORV routes from over 5,000 to 10,000 miles.

• TELL THE BLM THAT NONE OF THEIR PROPOSED ALTERNATIVES ARE ACCEPTABLE
• TELL THE BLM TO ELIMINATE ALL ROUTES IN YOUR AREA

DATE AND LOCATION OF MEETING:
Wed., April 15, 2015, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.: Yucca Valley Community Center Complex, Yucca Room, 57090 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca, Calif.

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.