4x4Wire

Safford, Ariz.  Due, in part, to increasing use and the need to ensure visitor safety at the Hot Well Dunes (HWD) Recreation Area, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has some new rules for the 2000-acre recreation site southeast of Safford. 

The rules, called supplementary rules, relate to vehicle rider capacity, clinging to or being towed by a vehicle, safety flags, vehicle use, public nudity, firearms, pets, speed limit, camping, waste disposal and length of stay. Only the first three rules are new. The other eight incorporate existing BLM rules and regulations.  

The BLM Safford Field Office proposed the new rules in October 2008 and solicited comments during a 60-day public comment period that ended on December 15. After reviewing the comments received, the BLM concluded that the proposed rules should be adopted. The BLM anticipates that the new rules will be a positive step toward protecting the health and safety of visitors that enjoy the popular recreation area.

Final Supplementary Rules for the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, Public Lands Administered by the Bureau of Land Management Gila District and Safford Field Office, Graham County, AZ

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is issuing new supplementary rules for the Hot Well Dunes (HWD) Recreation Area, which is located in Graham County, Arizona, and is managed by the Gila District and Safford Field Office. The rules address vehicle rider capacity, clinging to or being towed by a vehicle, safety flags, vehicle use, public nudity, firearms, pets, speed limit, camping, waste disposal, and length of stay. All current supplementary rules for the HWD Recreation Area are rescinded and replaced by these revised rules.

DATES: These rules will become effective August 10, 2009.

Click here to read the complete Federal Register Notice

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) California Desert District will receive about $8.3 million in grants from California’s Off-Highway Motor Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Program, BLM’s California Desert District manager, Steve Borchard, announced today.  

“We’re grateful for the award of the OHV grants,” said Borchard.  “With these funds we can improve the recreational experience for off-highway enthusiasts, while ensuring we protect the diversity of species that inhabit the California Desert.  As managers of our public lands, we at BLM also have a special responsibility to preserve these areas for multiple uses, including such non-motorized activities as hiking, backpacking, hang gliding, hunting, rock hounding, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, photography, rock climbing, and mountain biking.  OHV grants will enhance access for these activities.”

About $3.2 million in OHV grants will go toward the operation and maintenance of designated routes that reduce impacts upon wildlife and their habitats.  In addition, the grants will provide support services for high-quality OHV programs in recreation areas such as Dumont Dunes, El Mirage, and Imperial Sand Dunes.  California’s OHV Recreation Program, a division of California State Parks, awarded BLM about $1.3 million to ensure protection of visitors at OHV recreation areas and to protect the natural resources of public lands through law enforcement.

Another $3.8 million was awarded BLM for restoration, education, and safety projects.  The California Desert District comprises 67 wilderness areas, all of which were closed to OHV use upon designation in 1994. However, 1,400 trails and ways crossed the 4,000 miles of wilderness boundary, encouraging illegal egress by desert OHV users. The BLM will employ boundary signing, preparation and distribution of current maps, education and outreach, ‘hard barrier’ [e.g., fences, barricades], a law enforcement presence, and ‘soft barrier’ [vertical mulch] construction as part of its restoration efforts.

BLM announces Colorado Federal land title information available on the web

General Land Office Adds Colorado, Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas

 BOISE – Most of the Master Title and Use Plats for the States of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota have just been made available on the Bureau of Land Management-Eastern States (BLM-ES) General Land Office (GLO) Records website. Title companies, historians, genealogists, schools and other interested people can now obtain free data and images capturing Land Title and Land Use information at www.glorecords.blm.gov.