April 27, 2015, is the deadline for public comments on the Draft Resource Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft RMP/EIS) for the Nevada Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Carson City District, Sierra Front and Stillwater Field Offices.
Once finalized, the Nevada Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Carson City District, Sierra Front and Stillwater Field Offices’ RMP will provide management direction for almost 5 million acres of public land in northern Nevada.
Currently, the DEIS might be interpreted to preclude designation of "dry washes" as an OHV route. The elimination of dry or sand washes from interim management prescriptions or subsequent project level travel management plans could functionally close most of the desert because motorized travel would be "limited to designated roads and trails."
As OHVers know, washes are often the historic backbone of any desert-based route network. Washes either function as a trail or trails traverse them.
BRC is concerned the DRMP/EIS does not clearly codify future "area" designations in the document. BRC believes it is important for the agency to describe a strategy for the designation of staging/camping areas.
Area designations may also include future "play" areas or other open areas where said use is an important recreational experience. The agency should grant itself broad authority to designate varying acreages (using historical and anticipated use patterns) from 1 to 20 acres or more for said uses.
BRC believes the agency should develop a process to expedite the approval of competitive and other permitted events that are well-known, historic, and reoccurring. This can be accomplished through known "pre-approved" routes from which an event organizer can choose. Events that could benefit from a streamlined permitting process include the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno and the Virginia City Grand Prix.
JOIN BRC TODAY
YOUR MEMBERSHIP GIVES US A STRONGER VOICE
