Desert Messenger

May 4, 2016 www.DesertMessenger.com 3 BLM approves final TMP DATES DEADLINE Wed. May 18 May 11 SPECIAL SUMMER EDITIONS: Wed. June 15 June 8 Wed. July 13 July 6 Wed. Aug. 10 Aug. 3 Desert Messenger Summer Publishing Schedule Call 928-916-4235 E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com Note date changes! Quartzsite General Store, LLC Beer & Wine Fresh Retail & Wholesale Meats Homemade Sausages Arizona Lottery & Pick Fish & Game Licenses A.P.S. Pay Station Accept EBT, Debit & Credit Cards SUMMER HOURS Mon-Sat 9am to 6pm Sunday 9am-4pm Quality Meats at VERY Affordable Prices! For all your GROCERY NEEDS & MOORE! Fresh Produce Daily! Hamburger Ground Fresh Daily! GREAT LOW PRICES! We're open all summer for our great locals! 410 E. Main Street, Quartzsite • 928-927-6310 "If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees." ~Khalil Gibran BLM's La Posa Travel Management Plan (TMP) Final on March 8, 2016 - What it means for ATVers By J.C. Sanders The La Posa Travel Management Plan for the Quartzsite area has finally been approved by the BLM. The plan addresses every unpaved trail, road and primitive road in an area south of the Plomosa Mountains to the Yuma Proving Grounds and Martinez Lake. The plan covers 538 square miles in La Paz County and 90 square miles in Yuma County. The total mileage of trails and roads area reflected in the Decision Re- cord below. DECISION RECORD ForThe Proposed La Posa Travel Management Plan Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-AZ-C020-2013-0003-EA At first glance it appears that approximately 45 percent of the trails are being closed but most do not understand that the total mileage includes almost every mark on the desert. It includes every tank track left by General Patton's troops, old trails that have not been traveled in many years, and tracks made by a one-time traveler. Two OHV clubs, the Bouse Ghost Riders and Quartzsite Arizona Sun- Riders, held public meetings for the general public to review the pro- posed TMP and submitted positive comments to the BLM identifying the trails we wanted to keep open and why we enjoyed riding those trails. Upon completion of the TMP on March 8, 2016, club members reviewed the final map and found very few trails "closed" that we ride and asked BLM to be left open. The few that were not shown "open", such as Dripping Springs, have been closed for many years. Most of the trails within the inventory that are not shown "open" are those that have not been ridden for several years, are duplicate trails to the same place that do not constitute a loop ride, dead-end trails, cross trails that serve no purpose and the old tank tracks that are not ridden. So, from the prospective of those who actually ride trails in our BLM lands, we are extremely happy that the trails we actually want to ride are included in the "open" category. This did not take place because we sat back and complained about the process. Many individuals got involved and learned the process and what was necessary to keep the trails we ride open. If there are some individual trails closed that some- one wanted open, it is most likely because they never asked BLM to keep that specific trail open and did not give a specific reason for wanting it open. For more information visit www.blm.gov & search La Posa Travel Management Plan.

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