We here seem to have reached a sort of local peace regarding ORVs. People seem to be riding respectfully and other people don't seem to be reporting them. If this is your experience, this is a good thing. The BLM WEMO preferred plan would end that.
I have a feeling that even the most die hard ORV riders still like it quiet out here, still like the clean air, and enjoy our well-maintained roads, and untrammeled wilderness. All of this will be threatened if we don't speak up to protect it.
Instructions for writing a letter to the BLM before the June 14 deadline are below.
Thank you.
WEMO (the BLM's West Mojave Plan) is back, and YOU need to weigh in!
Comment Deadline June 14, 2018
In March 2018 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a NEW draft West Mojave (WEMO) plan for allowing off-road vehicles to operate on the roads in our communities. And the plan has both GOOD news and BAD news for our rural residential neighborhoods:
The BAD news: The BLM’s “Preferred Alternative” (#4) designates most of the roads bordering their lands in our neighborhoods as “Motorized”, meaning off-road vehicles could legally use them as well as street vehicles.
The GOOD news: In response to the many comments we all sent in in 2016, the BLM is now offering an additional Alternative (#2), which instead designates most of those roads as “Street-Legal Only”. This means use of the routes would be open to street-legal vehicles only as defined by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (excluding most ORVs!).
OUR TASK: Convince the BLM to use Alternative 2 (“Street-Legal Only”) rather than their current preference, Alternative 4 (“Motorized”)! What will that take? LOTS of comments, including from YOU!
HOW TO COMMENT:
Use our Sample Comment letter: Word Document format – PDF Format. Feel free to customize it, and be sure to include the date and your name and address! Deadline is June 14, 2018. You can copy-and-paste the letter into an email addressed to blm_ca_wemo_project@blm.gov, or print it out and mail to:
Bureau of Land ManagementCalifornia Desert DistrictYou can make your comment stronger by personalizing it and adding specific, substantive information on items of particular interest to you. See what works best here.
Attn: WMRNP Plan Amendment
22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos
Moreno Valley, CA 92553.
IF YOU KNOW OF A ROUTE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE DESIGNATED AS SOMETHING OTHER THAN “STREET-LEGAL ONLY” — e.g., “Motorized” (open to all vehicles), “Non-Motorized” (such as bicycles), “Non-Mechanized” (such as hiking or equestrian trails) or Closed —you should submit a route-specific comment specifically to that effect. Learn how here.
IF YOU SUBMITTED COMMENTS IN 2015-16 you need to resubmit them to make sure they count in the final plan. Learn the best way to resubmit here.
NOTE: We do not advise you to use or comment via the BLM’s ARCGIS (“Interactive On-Line”) map as it is not accurate and does not display the “Street-Legal-Only” designation. Instead, use the Georeferenced PDF maps we link to and the comment methods we’ve recommended to be sure your comments are accurate and counted.
You can access links to all WEMO maps and all of documents associated with the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) in the sidebar of our WEMO page.
NOTICE: The BLM includes the following notice on their comment site:
“Before including your address, telephone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All submissions from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.”
