Activists fight McCullough Peaks road plan
Associated Press
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Environmentalists are blasting a plan to manage motorized vehicles in the McCullough Peaks area east of Cody, calling it an unbalanced proposal that could ruin the fragile desert landscape.
The Bureau of Land Management already allows cars, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and other vehicles on designated roads in the 120,000-acre travel management area.
Under the plan, BLM officials hope to better tailor motorized vehicle use to individual roads and trails and determine which routes should be closed to such use.
"Basically, what this plan will allow us to do is get a handle on what's out there and make sure new routes aren't being created by (off-road use)," said Stephanie Sironen, a BLM outdoor recreation specialist.
Three environmental groups, however, contend the plan will turn the dusty badlands into an "ATV playground" and promote its deterioration.
They also accused the BLM of ignoring the plan's potential impacts on area plants, wildlife and abundant archaeological sites.
"The real shame is that the northwest corner has been badly scarred by irresponsible ATV users, and instead of stopping the damage, the BLM is formalizing motorized travel throughout lands that deserve wilderness protection," said Erik Molvar of the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance.
According to Sironen, the plan simply formalizes provisions spelled out in the area's long-term resource management plan from 1990, and does not greatly change current policy.
"(The plan) specified that (motorized vehicle use) in the McCullough Peaks area is limited to designated roads and trails," she said. "That's the process we are going through right now is deciding which trails and roads should be designated for motorized vehicles."
Kirk Koespel of the Sierra Club, however, said the proposal contradicts the earlier plan's recommendations to manage for both off-road vehicles and primitive recreation.
"There is absolutely no balance in this plan," he said. "This plan opens virtually every possible route for motorized vehicles, and the noise and disturbance from this activity will penetrate into every corner of the proposed wilderness."
Sironen countered that all routes will be open to motorized vehicles, and added some will even be closed because they duplicate others or are revegetating and in decline.
The plan, she said, will help the BLM get a better handle on the area's motorized vehicle use and educate users on trail ethics and designated routes.
The BLM is seeking public comment on the travel management plan through May 31. The plan could be ready for implementation this summer.
What a poorly written article. I can't understand the point of either side. What sense does this statement make:
Sironen countered that all routes will be open to motorized vehicles, and added some will even be closed because they duplicate others or are revegetating and in decline.
