BLM meeting on Friday January 23, 2015 in Quartzsite

Folks, I hate to close this thread because this topic is important, but I will if this thread continues to be overtly political with name calling and the like.

http://desertmessenger.blogspot.com/2015/01/blm-hosts-quartzsite-open-house-on.html





La Posa Travel Management Plan
Preliminary Environmental Assessment Available

Yuma, Ariz. - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Yuma Field Office has announced that the La Posa Travel Management Plan preliminary Environmental Assessment (EA) will be available for review starting Wednesday, January 21, 2015. There will be a 30-day public comment period and all comments must be received by close of business on February 19, 2015. Beginning on January 21, 2015, the preliminary EA may be reviewed on the BLM internet website at http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/travel_mgmt/la_posa.html.

To coincide with the comment period and to update the public on the preliminary EA,
the BLM will hold an open house on Wednesday, January 21, 2015.

The open house will be held at the Quartzsite Community Center
located at 295 Chandler Street; Quartzsite, Arizona; from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.


Local BLM specialists and managers will be available so that residents and interested parties can ask questions and voice concerns. Maps will be on display for review, as well as general EA and travel management information.

Written comments about the preliminary EA for the La Posa TMP will be accepted through
February 19, 2015. Comments postmarked by this date will be considered in making the final decision. The comments should be specific to be most effective. Comments should be mailed to BLM Yuma Field Office, Attention: Ray Castro; 2555 E. Gila Ridge Road; Yuma, Arizona 85365; or through email to blm_az_ym_trails@blm.gov.

The La Posa Travel Management Area surrounds Quartzsite, Arizona, and encompasses over 380,000 acres of public land in La Paz and Yuma Counties. For more information about the open house, please contact Ray Castro at 928-317-3251.


The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.

I agree that all who can attend, should. This business of closing our land is getting ridiculous and will never end until we have nowhere to go. Virtually every one of our riding places has been subject to BLM or whomever studies and every time there is one, we lose something. Our most favorite dirt biking area has just come under the gun....again.

The environmentalists are to blame in many of the cases that have directly impacted us. Not only do they have direct involvement in some of the specific 'cases' but they are the ones making all the noise that have resulted in all the stuff the BLM and forest service have to do. I'm talking Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, the Colorado Mountain Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and others. Patagonia is in there too along with other companies. It doesn't help that every president seems to think they need to designate some new national monuments before their term ends. Every time they do, we lose something.

I'll stop there before getting on a major rant. About all we can do is participate with the hope of slowing things down. And yes, they (BLM) will do what they want, but if we show no resistance, the process will be faster and we'll lose more access.

Good luck and post up the results.

These information meetings let the local BLM folks get a feel for how the public feels, but in fact, meetings have been canceled in southern Nevada due to local public outrage over more proposed land closures. What I've learned in southern Nevada is that the BLM will only consider written SPECIFIC AREA comments. In our area, that means to make an effective comment about the 23 proposed closure areas, I must research all the areas BLM proposes to close I disagree with, and make a specific rebuttal to their proposal in writing, or my comments will be considered irrelevant.

It will be important for those of you attending the Quartzsite area meetings to get exact location information at the meeting so you can write an effective comment on the proposed travel management plan. Your government has spent a lot of time and your tax dollars developing these plans that seem designed to limit access to your public lands... Fight back using their rules or be prepared to lose more public access.

how'd the open house go?


dying of curiosity!

SuzzeeeQ2012 wrote:
how'd the open house go?


dying of curiosity!

That makes two of us........

SuzzeeeQ2012 wrote:
I'd like to know why the BLM has to patrol it anyway!


Most of the time, us adults take care of the land just find without all their patrols.

Because rangers and agents have to get their federal paycheck, you know.

Seriously, this is what happens when people aren't engaged with what their gov't is doing. We have far too much power and authority being exercised (especially lately) over public land. The Federal gov't is absolutely out of control with regard to control, regulation and land grabbing.

We have seen many, many awful instances while 4-wheeling of adults NOT taking care of the land. We volunteer and pick up what those have left behind and repair areas damaged by those plowing through vegetation going wherever they want.....just another side of the story.

SuzzeeeQ2012 wrote:
I'd like to know why the BLM has to patrol it anyway!


Most of the time, us adults take care of the land just find without all their patrols.

My experience tells me that is not the case. Lots of bad things people are doing out there when there is little oversight.
And a quick review of several threads in this forum will reveal that many people actively look for ways to do what they want, regardless of the rules or the effect they have on the land.

dewey02 wrote:

SuzzeeeQ2012 wrote:
I'd like to know why the BLM has to patrol it anyway!


Most of the time, us adults take care of the land just find without all their patrols.

My experience tells me that is not the case. Lots of bad things people are doing out there when there is little oversight.
And a quick review of several threads in this forum will reveal that many people actively look for ways to do what they want, regardless of the rules or the effect they have on the land.

Could you please post a link to the threads you're referencing ... I'd like to read them.

Thanks,