Re: The crooked trail

During public meetings held in Apple Valley in regard to the WEMO process, the BLM distributed copies of their decision tree process for the FOJF to review while telling us that "we have heard you, J1299 will be closed".

At the next meeting, we recieved an updated decision tree on J1299 where BLM OHV program director and former OHV lobbiest Mike Ahrens altered the recomendation of project biologist Casey Burns by stating there was no significant impact to riparian or cultural values at Cottonwood Spring. He went on to recomend that J1299 be open in defiance to the project biologist's recomendation. The revision date was after the project biologist left employment of the BLM, leaving Mike Ahrens running the show with Casey Burns name on the document.

This prompted a very vocal response from local WEMO commentators. Since comments were restricted to previous participants in the WEMO comment period, the comment process was very restrictive. Nevertheless, the FOJF protested loudly and local residents feel betrayed after being told this trail was being removed.

The final WEMO route designation will be presented very soon. This controvercy has put Juniper Flats on the map of officials in Washington D.C. There is no doubt that the creation of this illegal OHV trail has caused a degradation to the cultural and riparian resources at Cottonwood Springs. The BLM is directly responsible for the OHV war that was declared upon local residents and continue to be a party by the refusal of Chief Ranger Nelson to direct enforcement efforts within the cultural area. His agents, the former OHV volunteers created this crooked trail.

To answer the question, we have copies of this documentation. More importantly, there are laws in regard to the protection of cultural sites on public lands. It will not be hard to find a court to uphold them if the BLM choses not to follow them. As for Ranger Nelson, the oldtimers have a saying, "we've seen em come, and we've seen em go!"