NEW
GROUP FORMED TO KEEP OHV/ATV TRAILS OPEN
Quartzsite, Arizona - A new grass roots group has been formed
to oppose closing of OHV (Off Highway Vehicle - ATV) trails on BLM administered
public land in the Quartzsite, Arizona area.
The new group is SENIOR CITIZENS
AGAINST QUARTZSITE TRAIL CLOSURES (SCAQTC).
Their webpage address is: http://quartzsitetrails.com
Randie Farish, owner of the Scenic Road
RV Park in Quartzsite, is president of the new group. He encourages everyone with an interest in
Quartzsite, the desert and/or OHV’s to go to the SCAQTC webpage as soon as
possible to find out what they can do to help.
The BLM comment period is scheduled to expire on April 5, 2012.
“I’m really concerned about this new
BLM La Posa Travel Management Plan” states Farish. “We’ve recently learned that the BLM has
already closed a favorite destination in the desert, Dripping Springs. They have also removed another route over
Preacher Pass from their BLM maps.
Alternative D of the BLM La Posa Travel Management Plan would
essentially close the desert” states
Farish.
Farish estimates that from one/third to
one/half of his guests at Scenic Road RV Park use OHV’s to access the desert
for rock hounding, geocaching and gold prospecting, but mainly just to explore
the desert and enjoy it’s beauty.
“Almost all of our guests are senior citizens who could never get out
into the desert without their OHV’s” states Farish.
“To close the OHV trails is to close
the desert to almost all the seniors here for the winter. Many of them have told me they have no reason
to come back to Quartzsite if they can’t use their OHV’s. That would be devastating for my business”
states Farish.
SCAQTC encourages quick action. The group is requesting that as many
interested people as possible to download the BLM comment form and submit it
before April 5th telling the BLM that they want none of the OHV
trails in the Quartzsite area closed.
The form can be downloaded from the BLM webpage or from the webpage of
the Arizona SunRiders ATV Club. All this
information can be found on the SCAQTC webpage http://quartzsitetrails.com
