Urgent!Palm Springs trails / Skyline threatened by land swap

[guest]

Thanks for that informative post Wildhorse, this spells out the situation in a clear manner, so that almost anyone can see this is an unfair agreement for We the People.
It also reiterates the fact that BLM has not done what is is supposed to for our benefit.

It's great to know what options our democracy has is putting our foot down and yielding the power we have in this country to keep open spaces OPEN and accessible. I haven't read the link you provided yet, but this is more useful information that we can use for this process.

I appreciate your research & dissecting this issue so we know where we stand, and the paths we can take if needed. Plus, if this goes to a legal contest, we can show that the rules & laws we not followed as they should have been for the public's benefit.

[Perry]

Thanks Wildhorse, and welcome to the board. That was very informative. Do you know what the time window is for appeals and litigation? It looks like they were betting that litigation and appeals would not be filed within the required time window due to lack of publicity of this whole thing. I think they underestimated the legal knowledge and political networking ability of outdoorsy people.

[Ellen]

Howdy All

The BLM San Jacinto Land Snatch reminds of the following scene in "Blazing Saddles" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YBInZrRx5c

No, it's not the cowboys eating beans around the campfire scene

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[Perry]

That is funny!

[Wildhorse]

After the BLM approves the Environmental Assessment, it obtains an official appraisal of the land. Then the BLM can make the official final decision to approve the exchange. It must notify the public of this decision. We would then have 45 days to initiate an appeal. Individuals or groups who want to protest the decision must be ready to act on short notice.

That decision could come in just a few months. In less than a year, without a successful challenge, the exchange can be completed.

For more information on protests see Chapter 9 of the BLM Handbook for land exchanges. That handbook is intended to help the BLM comply with the law.

http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/ ... 2200-1.pdf

While we have an appeal option, it would be better to protect the public through political action than through the courts if we can. Even if we won an appeal, the BLM could try again, and again. It seems better for Washington to exercise its power over the BLM and to settle this permanently, and let us get back to hiking without further worry over this.

[Ellen]

Howdy Wildhorse

I would like to shake your hand if our paths cross -- thanks so much for the information. Look for the extremely blonde hiker with bloody legs

I take this threat to Skyline and other desert trails very seriously. My post on the San J Land Snatch was intended to provide some badly needed comic relief.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[EMan]

I, too, wish to welcome you to the board, Wildhorse, and thank you for your invaluable contribution(s) to our knowledge base.

The CRS report clearly exposes the abuse potential inherent in these land swap transactions. IMO, ‟scandalous‟ is too mild a term for the back room nature of both the valuation and transfer process.
It appears to me that the BLM handbook is merely a smokescreen behind which uneven deals — that are clearly not in the public interest — can be ramrodded through without adequate scrutiny or accountability.

Call me cynical if you wish, but the little faith I once had in the workings of our government and the entire political process has disappeared completely. There are just too many opportunities for self serving individuals to find ways to work around the system. What ever happened to the ethos of serving the public interest with integrity?

BTW, I found this paragraph of interest:
Sec. 5 Expiration Date. This Order is effective immediately. It will remain in effect until its provisions are converted to the Departmental Manual or until it is amended, superseded, or revoked, whichever occurs first. In the absence of any of the foregoing actions, the provisions of this Order will terminate and be considered obsolete on July 30, 2006.

Thanks also to Ellen for adding a wonderfully comedic but totally relevant video clip to this thread!

[neverwashasbeen]

Article on the front page of today's Desert Sun

http://www.mydesert.com/article/2010102 ... mit-access

[bluerail]

nice pull Ellen

[Ellen]

Howdy Speedy Steve

Thanks A little humor from Mel Brooks is needed for comic relief as we strive to protect our trails.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen