Halloween Attendance Down at Imperial Sand Dunes

Source: http://www.yumasun.com/news/dunes-53948-weekend-certainly.html

November 03, 2009 8:05 PM

BY CHRIS McDANIEL, SUN STAFF WRITER
There was about a 45 percent drop in the number of people who played in the Imperial Sand Dunes during this past weekend as compared to other years, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) believes it may be another sign of an ailing economy.

"Visitation was certainly much lower than usual, and we don’t really have a definitive answer, but certainly one could think the economy is part of it, due to the distance people drive to get out there and the cost of gas, etc.," said Stephen Razo, the external affairs director for the California Desert District of the BLM.

"Halloween has kind of become a pre-Thanksgiv- ing, and in better economic times when Halloween fell on a Saturday, we would see over 100,000 people. Of course, this holiday was on a Saturday, but we only had 64,000 people."

Razo said Thanksgiving weekend, which has traditionally seen scores of off-roaders careening in their vehicles, may also have fewer people in attendance.

"I think the Thanksgiving weekend will validate our suspicions by the numbers to see exactly how much is being affected by what is happening in the economy, which may prevent families from coming to the dunes."

Photo Gallery: http://utvguide.net/trip_report_glamis_halloween_2009.htm

BLM Accepting Applications for Vendors at Sand Mountain Recreation Area

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Carson City District-Stillwater Field Office announces the availability of 2009-2010 Special Recreation Permit (SRP) applications for businesses wishing to conduct vending operations at the Sand Mountain Recreation Area in Churchill County.
Vendor Permits are a type of Commercial SRP and are required in order to sell any products or services on public land administered by BLM. Three percent of all gross sales collected from vending operations at Sand Mountain stay in the Stillwater Field Office. These collected fees are used to sustain existing amenities, general site maintenance, law enforcement, and emergency services during heavy holiday periods.Sand Mountain Recreation Area applications will be accepted for the 2009-2010 vending season from Aug. 5 through Sept. 25 and Dec. 1 through Feb. 1, 2010. Any permit application submissions received outside these dates or not completed will be returned. After submitting an application, the BLM-Stillwater Field Office Manager has the discretion to approve, disapprove or modify a permit. Vendors are responsible for ensuring their permits are received in hand before vending at Sand Mountain.

For information, contact (775) 885-6000 and ask for the Sand Mountain coordinator. Or you can visit the BLM Carson City website at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/carson_city_field.html

California - BLM invites public review of OHV grant applications

"BLM invites public review of OHV grant applications" (BLM-California news release, 3/2/09)

The public is invited to comment on the 2009 applications the Bureau of Land Management has submitted to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. The public review and comment period will run through Wednesday, April 1. The OHV grant applications are an annual process that is a key part of the partnership between BLM and the state of California, which issues grants to a variety of entities to improve or mitigate off-highway vehicle recreation. Under this process, BLM applies for grants from the state each year to help fund and coordinate its OHV program.

More info:
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/march/SO0906_2009_OHVgrants.html

www.DuneGuide.com

Dunes enforcement: Conscientious or overzealous?

Source: http://www.yumasun.com/news/_47364___article.html/_.html

BY JAMES GILBERT, SUN STAFF WRITER

January 24, 2009 - Canadians Mike and Erica Combs got involved in duning about three years ago, investing about $70,000 in a sand rail and other equipment, and have been hooked ever since.
Every year, the Combs make the 29-hour, 1,500-mile-plus trip from their home in British Columbia to the Imperial Sand Dunes to spend a few months playing in the sun and sand.
But with some duners complaining about what they are calling overaggressive enforcement by U.S. Bureau of Land Management rangers in the sand dunes, the Combs say they may not be making the trip anymore.
"We are considering not coming anymore based on everything we have heard and seen," Mike Combs said. "It makes us nervous since we aren't from this country."
Michael Sommer, media affairs chairman for the American Sand Association, says while the organization has received some complaints from duners about overaggressive enforcement, he says that isn't what is happening.
"The only people who are complaining about the overzealous law enforcement are the ones who are breaking the rules. There are rules, regulations and laws at the Imperial Sand Dunes and people haven't been following them," Sommer said.
"Until this year, if you didn't come into contact with a ranger, you weren't being fined for anything. This season they are out actively looking to do the enforcement that they have been lax in enforcing in the past."
Duner Rick Cottington, of Phoenix, said he doesn't think enforcement at the dunes has been overzealous either, but added it may be due to more to people not knowing they are breaking any rules.
"The enforcement is valid, just not well-explained," Cottington said. "There should be some kind warning given initially."
Sommer went on to say duners should be grateful they are being allowed on federal land, which is what the dunes are, and that it is their responsibility to educate themselves on what the rules and regulations are and follow them at all times.
"I think a lot of people would discover that they are breaking more rules than they realize," Sommer said. "The complaints aren't unwarranted, it's just that they haven't made the effort to educate themselves. There are reasons for the rules and regulations. They aren't just there to harass people."
BLM spokesman David Briery said the agency has never been lax in enforcing regulations at the dunes and that the level of law enforcement there has remained constant over the past several years.
"I wouldn't say we have been overzealous. I haven't heard anything about us being stricter," Briery said. "I would say we have been zealous in enforcing the laws in the interest of everyone's safety."
According to statistics provided by the BLM, from Dec. 27, 2007 to Jan. 1, 2008, there were 102,974 visitors to the sand dunes, with 15 arrests and 899 citations issued.
By comparison, from Dec. 20, 2008 to Jan. 5, 2009, there were 119,000 visitors to the sand dunes, with 23 arrests and 1,276 citations issued.
Briery also suggested duners take the time to better educate themselves about all the rules and suggested they go to the agency's Web site.
While Cottington said he thought the enforcement could be used as a revenue stream for the agency, Briery responded that the BLM doesn't get the money for the citations. Imperial County actually receives the money, according to Briery.
Briery went on to say the only time deputies from the Imperial County Sheriff's Office, as well as law enforcement from other agencies, are brought in is during the big holiday weekends.
He suggested that since there are fewer people going to the dunes, maybe those who do still go are encountering rangers more often now.
--
www.yumasun.com

Imperial Sand Dunes - Trash Dumpsters

"Supes oppose trash service removal in dunes"
Imperial Valley Press, 12/16/08

"The Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to formally oppose the removal of trash service in the dunes. A letter will be sent to the state director of the Bureau of Land Management requesting trash service in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area be maintained."
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/12/17/local_news/news04.txt

"Trash collection at Dunes to end Feb. 1"
Imperial Valley Living, 12/16/08

"In an action that could drastically change off-road activity at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA), the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced it will remove trash dumpsters, and not collect trash at the site after Feb. 1 ... That announcement has local civic leaders and elected officials very concerned."
http://imperialvalleyliving.com/valley-life/9-valley-life-articles/117-blm-may-stop-trash-collection-at-dunes

BLM to Phase Out Trash Collection at Imperial Sand Dunes
Asks Visitors to "Pack it Home"

A new slogan will greet visitors to the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA) this season, asking everyone to "Pack it Home," as trash collection service will be phased out as a necessary cost-cutting measure by the end of January.
BLM District Manager Steve Borchard said with costs rising and available funding declining, trash collection "simply became a luxury we could no longer afford for our visitors," he said. "We want to provide a safe, quality recreation experience," Borchard added, "so we're asking our visitors to take home their trash so our available funding can be used elsewhere in the Dunes."
To provide time for visitors "to get the word," Borchard said dumpsters will be available when the season opens October 15, but will be phased out no later than the end of January 2009.
"We need that transition time to educate visitors about the change and gain their cooperation. We're already gratified to see key user groups getting the information out, as the more education we can all do, the easier it will be to gain understanding and compliance," he said.
Beginning October 15, dumpsters will be located at Gecko Road, Glamis, Dunebuggy Flats, Buttercup, Midway Wells, and near the Plank Road. The service will be phased out and those dumpsters sites closed after the January deadline. On behalf of surrounding communities, Borchard reminded visitors that trash cannot be dumped in those towns either, but must be taken home.

The updated ISDRA website at www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro/recreation/ohvs/isdra.html contains more information, including fines for littering and a new "Trash Talk" information page listing the "Top Ten Good Reasons for Taking Your Trash Home," among them:
· Helps keep recreation fees down and visitor services up.
· Protects wildlife and natural resources.
· Encourages recycling, at the dunes and at home.

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2008/september/CDDNews0866_Dunes_Pack_it_Home.html
- BLM -