Important Read for Elcovans.
A battle looms on off-road land use
4,000 acres to be sold to state, trust says
By Michael Gardner
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
July 8, 2006
SACRAMENTO ? Conflicting interests are preparing to duel over whether off-road riding should be allowed on 4,000 acres of wide-open terrain neighboring Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, now that the property seems assured of being transferred to state ownership.
The Trust for Public Land announced yesterday that it would hand the checkerboard parcels over to the state for more than $1.3 million, clearing the way for an environmental assessment of the properties rich in rare wildlife, unusual palm oases and American Indian artifacts. I
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The deal, pulled together over more than two years, must still be sealed this summer by an obscure state agency called the Public Works Board, but its approval is considered likely.
The environmental review will guide policy-makers as they determine whether off-road vehicle use should be allowed to continue as it has for the past 50 years. Riders say they have done little harm in the barren backcountry.
My perspective: Screw 'em. Even if they make a law not to wheel there, I'm gonna wheel anyway. So I pay a couple hundred bucks if I get caught. I consider it a cost of wheeling, just like buying new tie rods.
?We are hoping we can show that environmental resources can be protected,? said Roy Denner, president of the Off-Road Business Association. ?It's a relatively small area that has artifacts we need to think about.?
As today's closing date for the purchase drew near, supporters of the Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute ?put their hearts and souls? into a last-ditch campaign to raise the money itself but fell short, said foundation President Diana Lindsay.
?To say they are disappointed is an understatement,? Lindsay said.
The Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute is expected to call on the Public Works Board to close the property to riders until the environmental analysis is completed as a condition of approving the sale.
It's doubtful that state parks Director Ruth Coleman would agree to close off the property immediately, said Roy Stearns, her spokesman. ?We feel we can allow some continued use and put up protections for important archaeological sites, like fencing,? he said.
My Perspective: What the heck is a woman doing in a "director's" position? Shouldn't the offroading issues be left to the men to decide?
Under pressure as housing developments inch closer, some environmentalists and off-roaders had struck an uneasy truce in May to tap a $1 million account raised by taxes on riders to help buy the land. Federal money also will be used. The parties were worried that a developer would snap up the land, leaving it unprotected and closed to riders.
The parcels, owned by the Freeman family, are in a region near Anza-Borrego and the Ocotillo Wells off-road area. The parcels are scattered throughout a 14,700-acre area known as Truckhaven/Desert Cahuilla that offers riders 250 miles of roads and trails in pristine backcountry.
In addition to the diverse wildlife, more than 75 sites of archaeological or historic significance have been identified, including at least 10 that are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, according to the state.
My Perspective: Archaeological significance? That only thing significant about dinosaur bones is that they give excellent traction in the sand.