For Immediate Release: January 18, 2001                    CA-610-01-11
Contact:  Doran Sanchez (909) 697-5220 or Jan Bedrosian (916) 978-4616

BLM To Implement Additional Interim Measures to Protect Endangered Species

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be implementing additional interim measures to further protect threatened and endangered plant and animal species throughout the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) as part of a negotiated settlement to a recent lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

The five stipulation settlement agreements filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District, California, in San Francisco address:

- The schedule that BLM will initiate Endangered Species Act consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) on the 1980 California Desert Conservation Area Plan; document (PDF file, 207 kilobytes)

- Restrictions on vehicle use in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, which have been in place since November 2000; document

-  Restrictions on sheep and cattle grazing in critical and non-critical desert tortoise habitat; document (updated: signed by judge 1-29-01)

-  Restrictions on use of hiking trails within the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains and mining activities to protect Peninsular bighorn sheep and its habitat; document

-  Interim restrictions on a wide range of activities affecting approximately 20 other threatened and endangered species within the CDCA. document

"Many of the interim measures outlined in the settlement are safeguards that BLM has and/or is incorporating into current management actions," said Tim Salt, BLM California Desert District Manager.  "Once implemented, these measures will help protect threatened and endangered species and their habitat throughout southern California."

In accordance with the first stipulation, BLM agreed to enter into formal consultation with the FWS under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act on the CDCA Plan, as it would be amended by the Northern and Eastern Colorado Desert and Northern and Eastern Mojave Desert Management Plans, which are scheduled for public review by Spring 2001.

BLM implemented the second stipulation with the interim closures at the 134,300-acre Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area last October.  The four closure areas encompass approximately 49,300 acres and protect essential habitat of the Peirson's milk-vetch while allowing off-highway vehicle recreation to continue in the more heavily used areas of the Dunes.  The Peirson's milk-vetch was listed as a threatened species by the FWS in 1998.

The third stipulation addressed livestock grazing in desert tortoise habitat.  Legal challenges to the grazing stipulation will be heard by the court on January 25, 2001.  If the stipulation is approved by the court, cattle grazing will not be authorized on approximately 224,509 acres of critical desert tortoise habitat and 73,023 acres of additional desert tortoise habitat.  BLM also will restrict cattle grazing on 285,381 acres of critical tortoise habitat from March 1 through June 15 and from September 7 through November 7.  Restrictions on sheep grazing, which have been in place since 1991 will continue.  Sheep grazing will not be authorized on 811,048 acres in desert tortoise habitat and 5,658 acres in non-critical tortoise habitat.

The fourth stipulation of the settlement addresses restrictions on motorized access and the use of hiking trails within the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains to protect Peninsular Ranges bighorn sheep and its habitat.  Current and additional BLM staff will be utilized to ensure voluntary public compliance to the interim restrictions.  BLM will not approve any new  lands or minerals authorizations or modify existing authorizations within Peninsular Ranges bighorn sheep habitat pending the completion of consultation on the CDCA Plan.

The final stipulation includes more than 45 separate measures and addresses a wide range of interim actions BLM will initiate/implement during the following months to further protect threatened and endangered species throughout the CDCA, including additional vehicle restrictions to protect desert tortoise habitat, limits on expansion of mining activities in critical habitat, and protection of riparian areas in the habitat of listed bird species.  These interim actions will be in effect until BLM consults with the FWS on the CDCA Plan.

The fourth and fifth stipulations were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Wednesday, January 17, 2001.  They have not been approved and entered as orders of the court.  The parties have requested a February 9, 2001 hearing date for any objections that may be filed to these stipulations and expect the court to make a decision to enter the stipulations as orders sometime after that date.

"We recognize that implementing the terms of the settlement agreement will pose a hardship for many Desert users, but feel these measure are appropriate in the interim to protect federally listed species until long term species recovery needs can be addressed in ongoing planning efforts," added Salt.  "BLM also will be working with and educating our publics throughout southern California about the terms and conditions of the agreement, and how we can work together to ensure that our public lands will continue to meet the growing needs of present and future generations of Americans."

-BLM-

California Desert District Office - 6221 Box Springs Blvd,
Riverside, California - (909) 697-5220