Comment
Needed On Planned 1,000-Mile Vegas to Reno Off-Highway
ATV Race
Price, UT (2/21/2009) -
The Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), Tonopah Field Office, will
conduct an environmental review and hold two public
meetings to gather public comments on a proposed
off-highway race.
The race, planned
for August 20-22, 2009, is called the "Best in
the Desert Vegas to Reno Off-Highway Race" and
covers 1,000 miles of Nevada's high desert. It
begins north of Pahrump and runs through Beatty,
Tonopah and Hawthorne before finishing southeast
of Dayton.
The Best in
the Desert Racing Association, which is seeking
a special recreation permit from the BLM to conduct
the race, bills it as the "greatest long-distance,
off-road event in this decade on U.S. soil."
As many as 350
vehicles could be entered, including motorcycles,
ATVs, dune buggies, high clearance SUVs and 4x4
trucks. The race route uses a combination of existing
smooth and rough dirt roads on public lands in
Nye, Esmeralda, Mineral, Lyon, and Douglas counties.
The proposed
course includes routes that have been raced upon
in the past. It would include 24 pit areas, several
stop check locations and several highway and road
crossings along the route. Time trials for the
race will be conducted Aug. 18 on a five-mile
course on the Upper Knight Ranch Road near Las
Vegas.
The BLM will
prepare an environmental assessment that analyzes
the impacts of the proposed race and will accept
written public comments until March 6, 2009.
The agency also
plans to gather comment at two public scoping
meetings to be held in Beatty and Goldfield (see
schedule below). Both meetings are scheduled from
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- February
24, 2009, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Beatty
Town Hall, Beatty, NV
- February
25, 2009, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Goldfield
Community Center, Goldfield, NV
The meetings
will be in an open house format and may include
a brief presentation. At each meeting, there will
be comment forms for your use.
Representatives
from Best in the Desert and the BLM will be present
to answer questions you might have. If you would
like your name removed from this project's mailing
list, please contact Eric M. Williams, Planning
and Environmental Coordinator, at (775)482-7800.
The BLM prefers
that written comments be mailed. Written comments
on the scope of the EA must be post-marked or
delivered by 4:30 p.m. on March 6, 2009.
Before including
your address, phone number, e-mail address, or
other personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that your entire
comment-including your personal identifying information-may
be made publicly available at any time.
Written
Scoping Comments Should Be Mailed To:
Bureau of Land Management
Attn: Eric M. Williams
Tonopah Field Office
1553 South Main St.
PO Box 911
Tonopah, NV 89049
COMMENT DEADLINE IS MARCH 6, 2009
For additional
information regarding the Special Recreation Permit
application or the EA, call Eric Williams at the
Tonopah Field Office at (775) 482-7800.
JUST
REMEMBER, PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IS CRUCIAL TO KEEP
RECREATION AREAS OPEN, PLEASE GET INVOLVED!
Thanks
in advance for your support,
Ric Foster
Public Lands Department Manager
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 107
Brian Hawthorne
BlueRibbon Coalition
brbrian@sharetrails.org
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