 |
|
|
|
|
U.S.
Department of the
Interior Bureau of Land
Management
News Release
For Immediate Release:
September 15,
2007
CA-CDD-07-48
Contact: Stephen Razo
951-697-5217; email:
srazo@ca.blm.gov
BLM Issues Decision to
Provide Water to Bighorn
The Bureau
of Land Management (BLM)
has issued a decision
authorizing the
California Department of
Fish and Game (CDFG) to
place a wildlife guzzler
(an artificial water
source) in the Sheephole
Valley Wilderness in
southeastern San
Bernardino County, about
20 miles east of
Twentynine Palms, to
provide needed water to
desert bighorn sheep.
Sterling
White, BLM’s Needles
Field Manager, said the
decision carefully
balances the needs of
maintaining healthy
bighorn sheep
populations with
minimizing impacts to
designated wilderness.
“When water is
recognized as a limiting
factor for the health of
a desert bighorn sheep
population, and in the
absence of documented
adverse impacts of water
developments, proponents
of bighorn sheep believe
water developments
should be a component of
effective bighorn sheep
management. To do
otherwise will continue
to place bighorn sheep
populations at risk for
extirpation,” he stated.
The decision
cites authority for this
action as Section 4 of
the 1964 Wilderness Act
and Section 103 of the
1994 California Desert
Protection Act. Copies
of the decision have
been mailed to all those
who commented on the
draft issued in February
2007. The environmental
assessment, finding of
no significant impact,
and decision record can
be found at
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/needles.html
BLM issued a
similar decision in
2003, which was appealed
to the Interior Board of
Land Appeals. Based on
concerns about
cumulative impacts of
other potential projects
in the California
Desert, BLM requested
the case be remanded
back to review its
longer-term management
perspective for the
area. Since then, BLM
has been working with
CDFG, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and
interest groups to
better clarify the need
and impacts of guzzlers
throughout the Desert.
For more
information regarding
the decision, contact
Stephen Razo, BLM
California Desert
District Public Affairs
at (951) 697-5217.
California Desert
DistrictOffice – 22835
Calle San Juan de Los
Lagos, Moreno Valley, Ca
-(909) 697-5200
-BLM-
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
