“With Friends Like That...” : BLM Threatens Mojave Riparian Recovery
For a few precious years, two of the nation’s finest specimens of desert riparian area have been protected from off-road abuse. In hard fought battles that began nearly a decade ago, the Center for Biological Diversity (“the Center”), Friends of the Inyo, the Sierra Club of California, and their allies won protections for the Mojave Desert’s Furnace Creek and Surprise Canyon. Now, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Inyo National Forest, and a small but vocal community of off-road enthusiasts are threatening the recovery of both these unique areas.
Furnace Creek drains the eastern side of the magnificent White Mountains in Mono County, while Surprise Canyon cascades down from the Panamint Range of Death Valley National Park into the BLM California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) in Inyo County. At the behest of off-roaders, BLM and the Inyo National Forest are considering allowing off-road vehicles to ‘mud bog’ in Furnace Creek and to once again open Surprise Canyon to off-road vehicle use. This would rewrite two success stories of desert riparian restoration, and lead to the quick degradation of water quality and wildlife habitat. The issue has recently attracted the attention of California’s OHV Commission, as well as California’s Senators Feinstein and Boxer.
Furnace Creek Background
Furnace Creek is a beautiful perennial stream draining the arid east side of the White Mountains, on the boundary between the Mojave and Great Basin deserts, containing some of California’s northernmost Joshua Trees. This slow moving creek creates rare desert wetlands and nurtures a mature forest of gigantic cottonwoods and water birch thickets. It is home to the Mono Basin sage grouse, which the Center has petitioned for Endangered Species Act protection, and is a rich part of the desert web-of-life. The area provides important habitat for neo-tropical migratory birds, such as yellow and MacGillivray’s warblers, yellow-breasted chats and lazuli buntings, and supports marshes of cattails and sedges. The health of this riparian area is also vital to local deer populations, raptors, mountain lions, bobcats, and quail.
Furnace Creek’s lower section is within the BLM California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) and managed by the BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, while its upper length lies within the Inyo National Forest. An old “road” up Furnace Creek washed out sometime in the early 80’s, but natural reclamation by willows, cottonwoods, water birch, cattails and sedges was not enough to keep off-road vehicles, jeeps & motorcycles out. Vehicles punched through the creek, shrubs, bogs and all, leaving a muddy mess in their wake. Off-roaders wanted the road rebuilt, while conservationists argued the area should be closed to off-road vehicles to facilitate the canyon’s natural recovery. In 2003, both the Inyo National Forest and BLM found that the off-road vehicle damage was legally unacceptable and issued an interim closure for the area.
Surprise Canyon Background
Like Furnace Creek, Surprise Canyon is managed by the Ridgecrest BLM office as part of the CDCA. It the most productive spring-fed stream in the entire Mojave Desert: it is fed by Brewery Spring within Death Valley National Park, and Limekiln Spring. Surprise Canyon is home to the endangered Inyo California towhee and endemic Panamint alligator lizard, and it is potential habitat for endangered riparian obligate birds such as the Southwestern willow flycatcher and Least Bell’s vireo.
For years, BLM had allowed unregulated extreme off-road vehicle use of Surprise Canyon. Off-road vehicles regularly winched-up waterfalls, cut native vegetation and spilled oil & gas into the water. The damage was so bad that at one point BLM stated: “The canyon riparian zone currently does not meet the BLM’s minimum standards for a properly functioning riparian system due to soil erosion and streambed alterations caused by off-highway vehicle use.”
In 2000, the Center for Biological Diversity, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against BLM in the Northern District of California, seeking to close the canyon to off-road vehicles. Then in 2001, as part of a settlement agreement, BLM published a protective closure notice in the federal register, which banned motor vehicle use in the canyon at least until BLM completed its CDCA Plan amendment. The vehicle closures were to be a top option considered by BLM in the CDCA Plan.
Re-opening Old Wounds
Recently, a handful of extreme off-roaders started a move to again open Surprise canyon to off-road traffic. They hope to ride through and winch up the waterfalls, despite the great damage this would cause to natural and recreational values. Many good-sized riparian trees – cottonwoods and willows – would have to be removed. The Park Service and BLM are preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address options for the area, which will be presented in the form of an amendment to the CDCA Plan. While the Park Service appears to oppose re-opening the area to off-roaders, BLM seems intent on allowing the off-road destruction.
In Furnace Creek, a similar initiative by off-roaders would re-open the area to allow “mud bogging,” where off-road vehicles drive through fragile wetlands. This would impair water quality and sensitive wildlife habitat and turn back the clock on the natural restoration that has been occurring since the closure. The Inyo NF and Ridgecrest BLM office are now considering options for Furnace Creek. They released an Environmental Assessment (EA) early in 2006 and analyzed six alternatives to either permanently close — or realign and improve the road.
State Commission and U.S. Senators Weigh In
The State of California addressed the issue in late 2005 by adopting a new policy to protect critically endangered desert streams. Recognizing that desert riparian areas have declined by over 90 percent in California, the California Off-Highway Vehicle Commission (OHV Commission) passed a policy declaring:
“Desert riparian lands should be conserved and restored, and protected in their natural state. Off-road vehicle recreation should not be expanded, encouraged, or maintained in fragile desert riparian landscapes. It is the policy of the Commission that absent extraordinary and demonstrable need, it will not fund or support any grants or cooperative agreements which will directly or indirectly encourage, increase, or maintain off-road vehicle use in or through the bed, bank, or channel of any existing desert riparian botanical area. The Commission shall maintain a list of priority Desert Riparian lands and shall evaluate the list at least every five years to maintain the integrity of these protected areas. The Division shall not solicit or approve any grant or cooperative agreement which will develop or reestablish off-road vehicle use in a desert riparian area unless exempted from this policy by noticed vote of the Commission.”
While the state OHV Commission does not have management authority over either Furnace Creek or Surprise Canyon, their strongly worded statement lends support to the effort to protect these areas. Shortly after the OHV Commission acted, BLM’s California Director wrote a letter opposing the policy.
Next to join the debate were California Senators Feinstein (D) and Boxer (D). In a letter in December 2005, they requested that the BLM and the Park Service support the permanent closure of Surprise Canyon above Chris Wicht Camp, the terminus of an access road. Their letter cited the area’s “rare and remarkable” resources, the presence of endangered species, and the availability of alternative destinations for off-road vehicle riding. They also pointed out that while the 1994 California Desert Protection Act omitted a narrow “cherry stem” of the canyon from Wilderness designation, it did so to allow potential access to mining claims, not to authorize recreational off-road vehicle use.
Help Protect These Desert Riparian Treasures
While awaiting the release of decision documents for the Furnace Creek Road Environmental Assessment (EA) and the Surprise Canyon EIS, the Center for Biological Diversity is organizing allies and preparing for possible legal action should it be needed. The Center submitted joint comments on the Furnace Creek EA along with the California Wilderness Coalition, Friends of the Inyo, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Meanwhile, over near Surprise Canyon, the Center is working closely with local residents who realize that they cannot take clean water and natural quiet for granted. They vow to take direct action if necessary to keep off-road vehicles out of the canyon. Please lend your support to the campaign to protect these unique areas by contacting the Center for Biological Diversity.
For More Information
Read the California OHV Commission Policy on Desert Riparian Areas: http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=24182
For more information on Furnace Creek: http://www.friendsoftheinyo.org/web-content/pages/furnace/Furnacepage.htm
Join the campaign by contacting the Center for Biological Diversity at 520.623.5252 or dpatterson@biologicaldiversity.org
— Daniel R. Patterson is a Desert Ecologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. Dan Funsch is editor of The Road RIPorter.
Furnace Creek drains the eastern side of the magnificent White Mountains in Mono County, while Surprise Canyon cascades down from the Panamint Range of Death Valley National Park into the BLM California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) in Inyo County. At the behest of off-roaders, BLM and the Inyo National Forest are considering allowing off-road vehicles to ‘mud bog’ in Furnace Creek and to once again open Surprise Canyon to off-road vehicle use. This would rewrite two success stories of desert riparian restoration, and lead to the quick degradation of water quality and wildlife habitat. The issue has recently attracted the attention of California’s OHV Commission, as well as California’s Senators Feinstein and Boxer.
Furnace Creek Background
Furnace Creek is a beautiful perennial stream draining the arid east side of the White Mountains, on the boundary between the Mojave and Great Basin deserts, containing some of California’s northernmost Joshua Trees. This slow moving creek creates rare desert wetlands and nurtures a mature forest of gigantic cottonwoods and water birch thickets. It is home to the Mono Basin sage grouse, which the Center has petitioned for Endangered Species Act protection, and is a rich part of the desert web-of-life. The area provides important habitat for neo-tropical migratory birds, such as yellow and MacGillivray’s warblers, yellow-breasted chats and lazuli buntings, and supports marshes of cattails and sedges. The health of this riparian area is also vital to local deer populations, raptors, mountain lions, bobcats, and quail.
Furnace Creek’s lower section is within the BLM California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) and managed by the BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, while its upper length lies within the Inyo National Forest. An old “road” up Furnace Creek washed out sometime in the early 80’s, but natural reclamation by willows, cottonwoods, water birch, cattails and sedges was not enough to keep off-road vehicles, jeeps & motorcycles out. Vehicles punched through the creek, shrubs, bogs and all, leaving a muddy mess in their wake. Off-roaders wanted the road rebuilt, while conservationists argued the area should be closed to off-road vehicles to facilitate the canyon’s natural recovery. In 2003, both the Inyo National Forest and BLM found that the off-road vehicle damage was legally unacceptable and issued an interim closure for the area.
Surprise Canyon Background
Like Furnace Creek, Surprise Canyon is managed by the Ridgecrest BLM office as part of the CDCA. It the most productive spring-fed stream in the entire Mojave Desert: it is fed by Brewery Spring within Death Valley National Park, and Limekiln Spring. Surprise Canyon is home to the endangered Inyo California towhee and endemic Panamint alligator lizard, and it is potential habitat for endangered riparian obligate birds such as the Southwestern willow flycatcher and Least Bell’s vireo.
For years, BLM had allowed unregulated extreme off-road vehicle use of Surprise Canyon. Off-road vehicles regularly winched-up waterfalls, cut native vegetation and spilled oil & gas into the water. The damage was so bad that at one point BLM stated: “The canyon riparian zone currently does not meet the BLM’s minimum standards for a properly functioning riparian system due to soil erosion and streambed alterations caused by off-highway vehicle use.”
In 2000, the Center for Biological Diversity, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against BLM in the Northern District of California, seeking to close the canyon to off-road vehicles. Then in 2001, as part of a settlement agreement, BLM published a protective closure notice in the federal register, which banned motor vehicle use in the canyon at least until BLM completed its CDCA Plan amendment. The vehicle closures were to be a top option considered by BLM in the CDCA Plan.
Re-opening Old Wounds
Recently, a handful of extreme off-roaders started a move to again open Surprise canyon to off-road traffic. They hope to ride through and winch up the waterfalls, despite the great damage this would cause to natural and recreational values. Many good-sized riparian trees – cottonwoods and willows – would have to be removed. The Park Service and BLM are preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address options for the area, which will be presented in the form of an amendment to the CDCA Plan. While the Park Service appears to oppose re-opening the area to off-roaders, BLM seems intent on allowing the off-road destruction.
In Furnace Creek, a similar initiative by off-roaders would re-open the area to allow “mud bogging,” where off-road vehicles drive through fragile wetlands. This would impair water quality and sensitive wildlife habitat and turn back the clock on the natural restoration that has been occurring since the closure. The Inyo NF and Ridgecrest BLM office are now considering options for Furnace Creek. They released an Environmental Assessment (EA) early in 2006 and analyzed six alternatives to either permanently close — or realign and improve the road.
State Commission and U.S. Senators Weigh In
The State of California addressed the issue in late 2005 by adopting a new policy to protect critically endangered desert streams. Recognizing that desert riparian areas have declined by over 90 percent in California, the California Off-Highway Vehicle Commission (OHV Commission) passed a policy declaring:
“Desert riparian lands should be conserved and restored, and protected in their natural state. Off-road vehicle recreation should not be expanded, encouraged, or maintained in fragile desert riparian landscapes. It is the policy of the Commission that absent extraordinary and demonstrable need, it will not fund or support any grants or cooperative agreements which will directly or indirectly encourage, increase, or maintain off-road vehicle use in or through the bed, bank, or channel of any existing desert riparian botanical area. The Commission shall maintain a list of priority Desert Riparian lands and shall evaluate the list at least every five years to maintain the integrity of these protected areas. The Division shall not solicit or approve any grant or cooperative agreement which will develop or reestablish off-road vehicle use in a desert riparian area unless exempted from this policy by noticed vote of the Commission.”
While the state OHV Commission does not have management authority over either Furnace Creek or Surprise Canyon, their strongly worded statement lends support to the effort to protect these areas. Shortly after the OHV Commission acted, BLM’s California Director wrote a letter opposing the policy.
Next to join the debate were California Senators Feinstein (D) and Boxer (D). In a letter in December 2005, they requested that the BLM and the Park Service support the permanent closure of Surprise Canyon above Chris Wicht Camp, the terminus of an access road. Their letter cited the area’s “rare and remarkable” resources, the presence of endangered species, and the availability of alternative destinations for off-road vehicle riding. They also pointed out that while the 1994 California Desert Protection Act omitted a narrow “cherry stem” of the canyon from Wilderness designation, it did so to allow potential access to mining claims, not to authorize recreational off-road vehicle use.
Help Protect These Desert Riparian Treasures
While awaiting the release of decision documents for the Furnace Creek Road Environmental Assessment (EA) and the Surprise Canyon EIS, the Center for Biological Diversity is organizing allies and preparing for possible legal action should it be needed. The Center submitted joint comments on the Furnace Creek EA along with the California Wilderness Coalition, Friends of the Inyo, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Meanwhile, over near Surprise Canyon, the Center is working closely with local residents who realize that they cannot take clean water and natural quiet for granted. They vow to take direct action if necessary to keep off-road vehicles out of the canyon. Please lend your support to the campaign to protect these unique areas by contacting the Center for Biological Diversity.
For More Information
Read the California OHV Commission Policy on Desert Riparian Areas: http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=24182
For more information on Furnace Creek: http://www.friendsoftheinyo.org/web-content/pages/furnace/Furnacepage.htm
Join the campaign by contacting the Center for Biological Diversity at 520.623.5252 or dpatterson@biologicaldiversity.org
— Daniel R. Patterson is a Desert Ecologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. Dan Funsch is editor of The Road RIPorter.
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