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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONSERVATIONISTS WILL WATCH ALGODONES DUNES FOR OFF-ROAD RAGE DURING DANGEROUS THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY IMPERIAL COUNTY, CA, November 24, 2004 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- Moving to defend public lands and endangered wildlife from illegal off-roading, conservationists will monitor protected dunes habitat on the ground and from the air during this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Thanksgiving is when the dunes are most overrun by off-road vehicle riders, ususally with ‘Mad Max’ style mobs of nearly 250,000, bringing crime, injury, death, air pollution, and habitat destruction to this remote and scenic National Natural Landmark in the California Desert Conservation Area. BLM Rangers who are trained in natural resource protection have had to respond to fatal crashes, a deadly shootouts, stabbings and attempted murder of a Ranger. Imperial County Supervisors declared a state of emergency after past Thanksgivings because of increasing danger at the dunes. In December 2002, BLM Rangers filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration about unsafe working conditions at the dunes. In 2002, the New York Times called the dunes ‘the most illegal place in the world.’ Under a November 2000 agreement between BLM, five major off-road groups, the Center for Biological Diversity, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and Sierra Club, 49,000 dunes acres are supposed to be protected to conserve and recover the endangered Peirson’s milkvetch, desert tortoise, and other unique Sonoran desert species such as the Algodones Dunes sunflower, flat-tailed horned lizard, and Andrew’s dunes scarab beetle. The compromise agreement allows unlimited off-roading on 68,000 acres – over 106 square miles. In some protected dunes the recovery of the desert web of life is obvious and impressive, but the Algodones dunes ecosystem is still very threatened by off-road vehicles. Off-roaders’ disrespect for the six protected dunes habitat areas has been a problem. Endangered species are especially harmed on holiday weekends when the dunes are overrun with off-roaders, too many of whom illegally violate protected areas. “We’ll be watching protected habitat, and hopefully we’ll see the unique dunes’ web of life thriving, not being killed by off-roaders breaking the law,” said Daniel R. Patterson, an Ecologist with the Center for Biological Diversity who formerly worked with BLM in the California desert. “We hope off-roaders have safe fun riding in the huge areas open to vehicles, but if we see illegal off-roading on protected habitat we will take action to protect our public lands. The conservation community is committed to balanced management and real recovery of the dunes, not just paper protections that are not respected or enforced.” The Bush administration wants to end balanced dunes management with a plan that would eliminate all habitat protections and increase danger, but their extreme proposals have been ruled illegal by the courts. Keeping current balanced management in place would help diversify visitation to the dunes, pumping an extra $3.3 million annually into local economies from conservation related spending. Another big problem is during Thanksgiving and other holidays BLM managers force many Rangers to the dunes from distant areas and other states, compromising natural resource protection and public safety on millions of acres of parks and public lands across the country. More on the Algodones Dunes, including photos: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/goldenstate/cdca/algodones.html CONTAT: Daniel R. Patterson Ecologist & Desert Program Director Center for Biological Diversity 520.623.5252 x306 or 520.906.2159 dpatterson@biologicaldiversity.org www.biologicaldiversity.org The Center for Biological Diversity protects endangered species and wild places through science, policy, education, citizen activism and environmental law. Headquarters: Tucson, Arizona. Field Offices: Pinos Altos, New Mexico; San Diego, Idyllwild and San Francisco, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Portland, Oregon. Environmental Law Clinic: University of Denver, Colorado. |
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