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Hollister, CA March 28, 2007 -
The Bureau of Land Management is
closing public lands to off-highway
vehicle use in the Kettleman Hills area in southern Fresno County to
prevent damage to natural resources, including endangered species such
as the San Joaquin kit fox, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and San Joaquin
woolythreads.
The closure is effective March
26, 2007 for the Kettleman Hills portion
of the Panoche/Coalinga Area of Critical Environmental Concern.
"The closure is necessary to
prevent OHVs from causing considerable
adverse effects to soil, vegetation, wildlife, endangered species and
authorized uses on the public lands including livestock grazing," said
Rick Cooper, BLM Hollister Field Office manager.
BLM's 1984 Resource Management
Plan called for the public lands in the
area to be designated an area of critical environmental concern.
In March 1997, the Pancoche/Coalinga ACEC was designated for the area
due to the presence of the endangered animals. The ACEC plan
established guidelines for surface disturbances, primarily oil and gas
leasing and grazing. The plan called for vehicles to use existing
roads or trails to avoid sensitive areas and to keep the number of
roads to a minimum.
The new BLM management plan (to
be finalized upon completion of
consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will designate
all roads and trails in the area closed. The proposed management plan
was released last year following public meetings and other
opportunities for public involvement. It addresses land use planning
decisions, including motorized access and other allowable uses on
public lands administered by the Hollister Field Office.
The following persons are
exempt from the identified restrictions:
1) Federal, state, or local law
enforcement officers, while engaged in
the execution of their official duties.
2) BLM personnel or their representatives while engaged in the execution of their official duties. 3) Any member of an organized rescue, fire-fighting force, or emergency medical services organization while in the performance of their official duties. 4) Any member of a federal, state, or local public works department while in the performance of an official duty. 5) Any person in receipt of a written authorization of exemption obtained from the authorized officer from the Hollister Field Office. 6) Private landowners with in-holdings within the restricted area who have a responsibility or need to access their property, and persons with valid existing rights-of-way or lease operations, or their representatives. During the closure,
informational signs will be posted at main entry
points to all affected locations. Maps of the area and more information
may be viewed on the web at http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/hollister.html.
Maps of the area also
will be posted with a notice at key locations that provide access into
the closure areas, and may also be obtained, along with further
information, at the Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Court,
Hollister, Calif., 95023, call (831) 630-5000.
This closure order will be
implemented as provided in 43 Code of
Federal Regulations, subpart 8341.2 Penalties for
violations of this closure, pursuant to 43 CFR 8340.0-7, are punishable
by a fine not to exceed $1,000 and/or imprisonment not to exceed 12
months.
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