Cross Bar Permit Requirement
(July 1, 2004) - The
Bureau
of Land
Management's
Amarillo
Field Office is issuing a supplementary recreational permit rule.
This rule is being issued to protect the unique natural resources
present on BLM lands known as the Cross Bar from damage through over
use by the public. On those public lands administered by the BLM in
Potter County, Texas, it is prohibited for members of the public to
enter without permit authorization.
Totally
surrounded by private lands, the Cross Bar BLM lands overlie an active
gas field and helium storage dome. The Cross Bar property was
completely closed to all public use from its 1931 acquisition until
1997 when the U.S. Bureau of Mining (BOM) Office in Amarillo, Texas,
became part of the BLM. In spite of there being no legal physical
access to the property, approximately 10,000 visitor-days use occur
there each year. The Cross Bar is the only BLM-managed land in the
State of Texas. Amarillo and its metropolitan area has a population of
over 200,000 individuals and is only a 20-minute drive from the
property. Unlimited public access to the Cross Bar property could cause
unacceptable impacts by the public in a short period of time. The Cross
Bar is adjacent to a highly utilized off-highway vehicle (OHV) area on
the Canadian River owned by the State of Texas. The public utilizing
the Canadian Riverbed for OHV purposes frequently cuts fences and drive
their OHV's onto the Cross Bar lands. Large numbers of people walk onto
the property from the river during a variety of hunting seasons. In
order to control numbers and prevent over use of this unique area, BLM
proposes to allow public access only under a closely controlled and
monitored permit system.
On those
public lands administered by the BLM in Potter County, Texas, it is
prohibited for members of the public to enter without permit
authorization. Permits will be available at the BLM, Amarillo Field
Office, 801 S. Fillmore St., Suite 500, Amarillo, Texas, from Monday
through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The permits will be for day use
only, but use can be for any day of the week. Until such time as legal
physical access is acquired to the Cross Bar BLM lands, the permits
will only cover use by the recreating public willing to walk into the
property from the Canadian River.
Under
section 303(a) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
(43 U.S.C. 1733(a)) and 43 CFR 8360.0-7, if you violate this
supplementary rule on public lands within the boundaries established in
the rule, you may be tried before a United States Magistrate and fined
no more than $1,000 or imprisoned for no more than 12 months, or both.
Such violations may also be subject to the enhanced fines provided for
by 18 U.S.C. 3571.
For
additional information, please contact Paul Tanner, Natural Resource
Specialist, BLM, Amarillo Field Office, 801 S. Fillmore Street, Suite
500, Amarillo, Texas 79101-3545, (806) 356-1008.
