POCATELLO,
ID (May 13) -- Local, state, and national trail access groups filed a
60 day Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue for violations of the Endangered
Species Act at the 50,000 acre
Clear
Creek Management Area (CCMA). They
charge the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with failure to actively and
adequately manage off-highway vehicle use at this popular site located
about 3 hours south of San Jose, California.
Groups filing the charge include;
Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle
Club,
American
Motorcyclist Association District 36,
California Association of 4 Wheel
Drive Clubs,
California
Off-Road Vehicle Association, and the
BlueRibbon Coalition.
Bill Dart, executive director for the BlueRibbon Coalition, said, "The
notifying organizations support responsible recreational use of public
lands, and believe that ongoing vehicle access and sensitive species
protection need not be mutually exclusive management goals at the CCMA."
"Unfortunately, BLM has failed to actively or adequately implement its
own management goals at the Area, unlawfully subjecting vehicle-based
recreationists to further and unwarranted restrictions," Dart concludes.
Paul Turcke, counsel for the BlueRibbon Legal Defense Fund, states, "I
believe these groups have historically demonstrated they want to work
with the BLM to better manage the site. This NOI hopefully will inspire
the agency to immediate management activity that will fully implement
the governing plans already in place."
