For Release: October 2, 2003
Contact: Doran Sanchez (909) 697-5220 or Jan Bedrosian (916) 978-4616
CA-CDD-04-01

BLM Reinstates Interim Route Restrictions in West Mojave Per Court Order

In compliance with a Sept. 18, 2003 federal court order interpreting an earlier lawsuit consent decree, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has reinstated interim restrictions on routes of travel affecting about 685,000 acres of public lands in Kern and San Bernardino counties within the central West Mojave planning area.

The action means that earlier decisions issued between October and December 2001 establishing an emergency route network for nine West Mojave areas (Edwards Bowl, Fremont, Helendale/Silver Lakes, Juniper Flats, Kramer, Newberry/Rodman, Ord Mountain, Red Mountain, and Superior) that were rescinded by BLM on June 30, 2003 are now back in force.

These restrictions, as explained in the court order (online at www.ca.blm.gov/cdd/wemo_court_2003-09.html) must stay in effect until BLM signs a record of decision for the overall West Mojave plan, expected in the spring of 2004. The West Mojave plan was released in draft for public comment on June 13, 2003, and public comments were accepted through Sept. 12, 2003. BLM is currently evaluating the 275 public comments received.

BLM's actions are part of a settlement agreement reached in 2001 in response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility regarding the Endangered Species Act. To meet one of the deadlines set in that settlement, BLM issued a decision record on June 30, 2003 for the Western Mojave Desert off-highway vehicle project. That decision stated that interim restrictions affecting route designations in the West Mojave were terminated.

California Desert District Manager Linda Hansen emphasized that an extensive route network for public access into the West Mojave is still in force. "The public still has about 4,700 miles of open routes in the entire West Mojave region, including 1,450 miles in these nine areas, that provide access to recreation sites, private lands, mining claims, and other public activities," she said. The reinstated restrictions involve less than 400 miles of routes, she added.

The West Mojave plan is also a habitat conservation plan (HCP) being done in cooperation with the affected counties. As the largest HCP in the United States, covering nine million acres, it will provide a comprehensive strategy to conserve and protect more than 100 listed or sensitive wildlife species and their habitats, including the desert tortoise and Mohave ground squirrel. The plan will also provide a streamlined program for complying with requirements of the state and federal Endangered Species Acts.

-BLM-

California Desert District Office
22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos
Moreno Valley 92553