[Notification of] Proposed actions on Public Lands designated part of the National Wilderness Preservation System
 
(Note: This is part of The Wildlands Project, whether it is admitted to or not. It is NOT about recreation or human access.)
 
December 24, 2003
 
Murl Shaver 
 
 
 
Please review the attached Notice of Proposed Action (NOPA) for wilderness vehicle way restoration in the Needles Field Office Area of Responsibility.

In Reply Refer To: NOPA-CA690-04-01 8560(P) CA-690.28

WILDERNESS AREAS: Bigelow Cholla Garden Wilderness
 
Bristol Mountains Wilderness
 
Cadiz Dunes Wilderness
 
Clipper Mountain Wilderness
 
Chemehuevi Mountains Wilderness
 
Dead Mountains Wilderness
 
Kelso Dunes Wilderness
 
Kingston Range Wilderness
 
Piute Mountains Wilderness
 
Trilobite Wilderness
 
Old Woman Mountains Wilderness
 
Whipple Mountains Wilderness

DESCRIPTION OF ACTION:

The Needles Field Office proposes to restore vehicle ways leading into twelve wilderness areas.
 
Restoration of vehicle ways would consist of camouflaging the way with the surrounding landscape, which would reduce its visibility and make it less accessible to vehicles.
 
Only that portion of the way visible from the wilderness boundary (up to one hundred meters) would be restored; in most cases, the whole vehicle way would not be restored.
 
The technique consists of 'pitting' or 'dimpling' the previously disturbed surface of the vehicle way and placing dead vegetation and other materials (vertical mulching) on the ground surface.
 
All restoration activities would be confined to the width of the existing vehicle way.
 
Motorized and/or mechanized equipment would not be used in restoration activities.
 
All restoration activities would be accomplished with hand tools.
 
BACKGROUND:
 
In 1994, eighteen areas in the Needles Field Office area were designated as wilderness by the California Desert Protection Act (CDPA).
 
Prior to the designation of these areas as wilderness by the CDPA, vehicle use legally occurred and the vehicle tracks that remain today are evidence of that use.
 
These vehicle ways now promote illegal vehicle use within wilderness and negatively affect the naturalness of the area.
 
Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act of 1964 prohibits (with few exceptions) permanent and temporary roads, motor vehicles, motorized equipment, and forms of mechanical transport.
 
By federal statute, BLM is required to prevent unauthorized use of motorized vehicles and motorized equipment within designated wilderness.
 
Under 43 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 8560.0-6, wilderness areas shall be managed to promote, perpetuate and, where necessary, restore the wilderness character of the land.
 
Signing existing vehicle ways in wilderness as closed to motorized access is a relatively inexpensive, immediate management technique and is effective in some cases.
 
However, often the signs are ignored or even destroyed.
 
In a number of signed areas, illegal vehicle use is still occurring.
 
Our preferred management option for the majority of vehicle tracks is restoration because it retains the primeval character of wilderness and is the most effective technique in preventing unauthorized vehicle use.
 
A limited number of ways would not be rehabilitated due to pre-existing rights and authorized use.
 
Some vehicle ways that are commonly used for compatible forms of recreation such as hiking and horseback riding may be restored into a single-track trail.
 
We welcome public participation in identifying vehicle ways in the proposed areas that are commonly used for wilderness compatible recreation.
 
Surveys to identify the vehicle ways leading into all twelve wilderness areas have been completed.
 
Maps of the vehicle way locations are available by request.
 
If you would like to receive further information or have any comments or concerns regarding this proposed action, please contact Christi Oliver, Wilderness Coordinator, at coliver@ca.blm.gov or 760-326-7021
 
Hard copy signed on December 19, 2003, by Larry Morgan, Acting Field Manager