News Release
For Release: Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Contact: BLM: Doran Sanchez (909) 697-5220 or Jan Bedrosian (916) 978-4616
CA-CDD-03-56
West Mojave Draft Plan Amendment/Habitat Conservation Plan Released for Public Comment
Based on years of local collaborative efforts, the West Mojave Plan, the largest habitat conservation plan (HCP) ever developed in the U.S., covering 9.3 million acres in San Bernardino, Kern, Los Angeles and Inyo counties, is now available for public comment. If local county and city governments ultimately adopt the plan, it will affect nearly 3 million acres of private land.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the county of San Bernardino, and the city of Barstow are jointly releasing the draft plan/HCP. Other agencies are also cooperating in the planning effort. In addition to being a joint agency HCP, it is also an amendment to the California Desert Plan and includes a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)/environmental impact report (EIR).
The focus of the planning effort is a comprehensive strategy to conserve and protect more than 100 listed or sensitive wildlife species and their habitats, including the desert tortoise and Mohave ground squirrel. The draft plan/HCP also provides a streamlined program for public agencies and private parties to comply with requirements of the state and federal Endangered Species Acts. A wide range of land use proposals is presented, including designation of routes of travel throughout the region. An earlier BLM route of travel designation proposal, still in the decision-making process, is also included (with some changes) in the draft plan/HCP, providing the public additional opportunities to comment on this important planning aspect.
BLM Desert District Manager Linda Hansen encouraged the public to comment and participate. "Even though hundreds of community and interest group leaders have been working with us on this plan for years, now is the time for all affected or interested members of the public to attend a meeting or comment on this important plan."
County of San Bernardino Land Use Services Director Michael Hays and Barstow Community Development Director and Deputy City Manager Scott Priester both view the plan as an unprecedented comprehensive approach to protecting environmental resources while accommodating development of private land over the next 30 years and as superior to the current "piece-meal" process. Since the plan has and continues to involve local, state and federal agencies as well as hundreds of private stakeholders, it is important that everyone's input be heard and considered. This environmental process will allow that to occur.
A 90-day public comment period will begin with the document?s listing of availability in the Federal Register scheduled for June 13, 2003. The comment period will end September 12, 2003, and written and email comments will be accepted at the addresses below. A series of public
meetings to accept oral comments will be scheduled throughout the plan area and will be announced shortly.
An executive summary of the draft plan/HCP and draft EIS/EIR is currently online at http://www.ca.blm.gov/pdfs/cdd_pdfs/wemo_pdfs/ExSum.fnForWeb.4.26.pdf (this is a PDF document, about 133 kilobytes) and the full document will be available online at the same web address in the near future. Printed copies are being mailed to interested parties and will also be made available to all participating jurisdictions for public review. These copies are typically made available at public libraries, as well as city, county, and BLM offices. The following are the confirmed locations of plans as of its release, with an updated list available on the BLM website:
BLM Office, 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA;
San Bernardino County Planning Department, 385 N. Arrowhead, First Floor, San Bernardino, CA;
San Bernardino County Planning Department, 15505 Civic Drive, Victorville, CA;
San Bernardino County Building and Safety, 57407 Twentynine Palms Outer Highway S, Yucca Valley, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 104 W. Fourth Street, San Bernardino, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 15011 Circle Drive, Victorville, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 304 East Buena Vista, Barstow, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 11744 Barlett, Adelanto, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 57098 29Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA;
City of Barstow Community Development, 220 E. Mountain View Street, Suite A, Barstow, CA;
Kern County Planning Department, 2700 "M" Street, Suite 100, Bakersfield, CA;
Tehachapi Library, 450 West "F" Street, Tehachapi, CA;
Mojave Library, 16916 1/2 Highway 14 Space D2, Mojave, CA;
City of Ridgecrest, 100 West California Avenue, Ridgecrest, CA;
City of California City, 21000 Hacienda Boulevard, California City, CA;
Inyo County Planning Department, 168 N. Edwards Street, Independence, CA.
Comments should be sent by mail to "West Mojave Plan," 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, Calif., 92553 or by email to [email protected].
For further information, contact BLM Project Lead Bill Haigh at (760) 252-6080, San Bernardino County representative Randy Scott or Matthew Whinery at (909) 387-4147, or City of Barstow representative Scott Priester at (760) 256-3531.
For Release: Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Contact: BLM: Doran Sanchez (909) 697-5220 or Jan Bedrosian (916) 978-4616
CA-CDD-03-56
West Mojave Draft Plan Amendment/Habitat Conservation Plan Released for Public Comment
Based on years of local collaborative efforts, the West Mojave Plan, the largest habitat conservation plan (HCP) ever developed in the U.S., covering 9.3 million acres in San Bernardino, Kern, Los Angeles and Inyo counties, is now available for public comment. If local county and city governments ultimately adopt the plan, it will affect nearly 3 million acres of private land.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the county of San Bernardino, and the city of Barstow are jointly releasing the draft plan/HCP. Other agencies are also cooperating in the planning effort. In addition to being a joint agency HCP, it is also an amendment to the California Desert Plan and includes a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)/environmental impact report (EIR).
The focus of the planning effort is a comprehensive strategy to conserve and protect more than 100 listed or sensitive wildlife species and their habitats, including the desert tortoise and Mohave ground squirrel. The draft plan/HCP also provides a streamlined program for public agencies and private parties to comply with requirements of the state and federal Endangered Species Acts. A wide range of land use proposals is presented, including designation of routes of travel throughout the region. An earlier BLM route of travel designation proposal, still in the decision-making process, is also included (with some changes) in the draft plan/HCP, providing the public additional opportunities to comment on this important planning aspect.
BLM Desert District Manager Linda Hansen encouraged the public to comment and participate. "Even though hundreds of community and interest group leaders have been working with us on this plan for years, now is the time for all affected or interested members of the public to attend a meeting or comment on this important plan."
County of San Bernardino Land Use Services Director Michael Hays and Barstow Community Development Director and Deputy City Manager Scott Priester both view the plan as an unprecedented comprehensive approach to protecting environmental resources while accommodating development of private land over the next 30 years and as superior to the current "piece-meal" process. Since the plan has and continues to involve local, state and federal agencies as well as hundreds of private stakeholders, it is important that everyone's input be heard and considered. This environmental process will allow that to occur.
A 90-day public comment period will begin with the document?s listing of availability in the Federal Register scheduled for June 13, 2003. The comment period will end September 12, 2003, and written and email comments will be accepted at the addresses below. A series of public
meetings to accept oral comments will be scheduled throughout the plan area and will be announced shortly.
An executive summary of the draft plan/HCP and draft EIS/EIR is currently online at http://www.ca.blm.gov/pdfs/cdd_pdfs/wemo_pdfs/ExSum.fnForWeb.4.26.pdf (this is a PDF document, about 133 kilobytes) and the full document will be available online at the same web address in the near future. Printed copies are being mailed to interested parties and will also be made available to all participating jurisdictions for public review. These copies are typically made available at public libraries, as well as city, county, and BLM offices. The following are the confirmed locations of plans as of its release, with an updated list available on the BLM website:
BLM Office, 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA;
San Bernardino County Planning Department, 385 N. Arrowhead, First Floor, San Bernardino, CA;
San Bernardino County Planning Department, 15505 Civic Drive, Victorville, CA;
San Bernardino County Building and Safety, 57407 Twentynine Palms Outer Highway S, Yucca Valley, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 104 W. Fourth Street, San Bernardino, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 15011 Circle Drive, Victorville, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 304 East Buena Vista, Barstow, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 11744 Barlett, Adelanto, CA;
San Bernardino County Library, 57098 29Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA;
City of Barstow Community Development, 220 E. Mountain View Street, Suite A, Barstow, CA;
Kern County Planning Department, 2700 "M" Street, Suite 100, Bakersfield, CA;
Tehachapi Library, 450 West "F" Street, Tehachapi, CA;
Mojave Library, 16916 1/2 Highway 14 Space D2, Mojave, CA;
City of Ridgecrest, 100 West California Avenue, Ridgecrest, CA;
City of California City, 21000 Hacienda Boulevard, California City, CA;
Inyo County Planning Department, 168 N. Edwards Street, Independence, CA.
Comments should be sent by mail to "West Mojave Plan," 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, Calif., 92553 or by email to [email protected].
For further information, contact BLM Project Lead Bill Haigh at (760) 252-6080, San Bernardino County representative Randy Scott or Matthew Whinery at (909) 387-4147, or City of Barstow representative Scott Priester at (760) 256-3531.