URGENT: Skyline is about to go under Indian control???

[cynthia23]

Forgive me if others have already posted about this earlier. I haven't been reading the board on a daily basis and it's possible you already have 'hashed this all out." However, perhaps you haven't, and this issue seems quite urgent to me. Here it is: Yesterday there was an editorial in the Desert Sun, by Gary Lueders of the Desert Trails Coalition. He stated that the BLM is about to swap a number of parcels with Agua Caliente tribe. Included in these swaps are both trailheads to Skyline (i.e. the Desert Museum and Ramon trails), as well as the Araby, Barns, Garstin, Henderson, Shannon, Thielman and Wild Horse trails, in the Santa Rosas. According to this editorial, the BLM released the news in August, but extended the public comment period until October 15 after it was pointed out that the Desert Sun had not printed anything about this. Certainly, this is absolutely the first I have heard about it.

I ran into Emin today and discussed this with him. He told me he had obtained and skimmed through the majority of the fifty page report. He said the map makes it very clear that both the Desert Museum and Ramon trails have been included, and it appears deliberate. He told me the report states that the tribe "may' impose fees if it chooses. Emin also told me (not sure if this was in the report or word of mouth) that there will be a complete ban on mountain biking on the Santa Rosa trails.

I have no idea if having the tribe control access to Skyline and the Santa Rosa trails is a good or bad thing. The tribe does a good job of managing their lands in the Indian Canyons, and for all I know, Skyline would be a safer, cleaner trail if the tribe controlled access. It may be the tribe will simply hold the land and basically ignore the users/hikers; maybe they simply want to consolidate their holdings. Or it may be that the BLM wants to get rid of these trails, and responsibility for them, and that the tribe sees an area to impose fees, and local governments see a way to decrease the anarchy and rescues. Common sense would suggest that he deliberate addition of the trail access parcels to this land swap is for the purposes of increased regulation and perhaps fees.

I'm just guessing. However, one thing I'm sure of: there has not been enough notice. The hiking community has NINE DAYS to 'give input"? That's ridiculous. Also, the city of Palm Springs needs to be involved in some way. They are giving over access to the trails that bring the tourists to another group of people, who, while generally well-intentioned, are, let us not forget, A SOVEREIGN NATION. Once the land is in tribal hands, our ability to influence or control its regulation will be completely GONE. If the tribe decides that Skyline is just too troublesome (and the ever increasing number of fatalities and rescues, and the damage to the vegetation that is occuring because of the endless new 'shortcuts', might certainly incline them that way) there is, as far as I know, absolutely nothing to stop them from forever closing access to the trailheads. We have seen with the DWA fracas at Snow Creek that if an organization wants to forbid access to a certain area of the mountain, they have the legal and practical ability to do that. The DWA is a government agency of a democratic nation and thus at least nominally under the control of we, the people; the tribe, again, is a sovereign nation and not subject to any input from us (though, again, I believe they generally try to do the right thing, and for practical reasons, they do need to respond to the concerns of the non-Indian locals.) At the very least, this is a significant issue to us in the hiking community, and should be discussed for longer than NINE DAYS.

Do others on this board know anything more about this issue? I know some here talk to tribal rangers and might know much more than me about why this swap is happening. Perhaps it's nothing to be concerned about, or even a good thing. I just want more info, and am putting out a call for it ...also, does anyone know HOW we 'comment' to the BLM?

[Florian]

Hal posted about this a couple weeks ago. The thread is here .. http://www.mtsanjacinto.info/viewtopic.php?t=2524

Besides the trails issues my primary concern is tribe acquiring section 36 adjacent to the Araby and Andreas Hills neighborhoods. The only reason i can think of for the tribe wanting this land is to build a casino or hotel.

I've already written a letter to the BLM director. The address for comments is contained in the report available here .. http://goo.gl/zvAb

I hope many of us will write a letter addressing our concerns.

-Florian

[cynthia23]

Thanks Florian, I'll check it out ASAP ...