For Immediate Release: May 14, 2008

                          Contact: Pamela A. Mathis (623) 580-5509 or (602) 402-7690        

 

 

(PHOENIX, AZ) – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces today a large scale restoration project in the Sonoran Desert National Monument southwest of Phoenix, temporarily closing access to 88 miles of roads. 

 

Increased popularity and abuse by some users has led to persistent damage of the vegetation, and the natural and cultural resources for which the monument was designated in 2001. By riding too fast and maneuvering outside designated roads, off-highway-vehicle (OHV) users create high berms and deep ruts, causing new paths and large ditches. In addition to the natural resource damage caused, this generates accessibility problems for other recreational users and other types of vehicles.

 

The restoration notice, published in today’s Federal Register, outlines the work to be done to repair damaged roads, create undeveloped camping and parking sites, reseed vegetation, install signs, maps, and visitor information stands. 

 

The closed area includes roads just north of State Route 238 where visitors access the Butterfield Pass, Mormon Battalion route and Anza National Historic Trail. A map of the temporarily closed area is available at: www.blm.gov/az/. The monument remains open for all hiking and equestrian use.

 

To restore and protect 55,000 acres of these resources and to ensure that various recreational opportunities, including OHV use, can occur in the future without further damage, a multi-year restoration project is slated to begin June 13, 2008. Work will begin to fence off and gate the roads for temporary closure which is timed to coincide with the hottest days of the year when the sensitive desert is most susceptible to damage. 

 

Restoration work will begin by September. As each area is restored, the temporary closures will be reopened in stages starting in two to three years. “Using rakes and hand-held tools our workers and volunteers will restore these lands to their natural state,” explains Karen Kelleher, the acting manger of the Lower Sonoran Field Office. “It’s tough manual labor -- most of it cannot be accomplished using heavy equipment so it takes time.”

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