Off-Road Vehicle Use Will Be Restricted in Christmas Valley Sand Dunes in Lake County

LAKE COUNTY, Ore. — To preserve unique and special landscapes, cross-country off-highway vehicles will have limited access to about 70,000 acres within the Christmas Valley Sand Dunes in Lake County.

The new ruling also affects other areas where cross-country use is already occurring in the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Lakeview planning area. The area covers 3.2 million acres of public land in Lake and Harney counties.

Off-road vehicles will be allowed on existing or designated routes across the planning area.

Yesterday, the BLM announced the release of the Record of Decision and approved resource management plan for the Lakeview planning area. The amendment revises the 2003 plan, offering guidance for managing livestock grazing and off-highway vehicle use to safeguard significant landscapes while maintaining public access.

It also preserves natural landscapes and protects 415,000 acres of land with wilderness characteristics.

Input and feedback from tribal governments, local and state agencies, the Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory Council, and the public played a crucial role throughout the planning process.

The BLM considered about 1,300 comments while developing the amendments to meet the requirements of a 2010 settlement agreement on BLM management of lands with wilderness characteristics, off-highway vehicle use, and grazing management.

The amendment includes further direction on implementing Standards for Rangeland Health and handling voluntarily surrendered livestock grazing permits.

The resource management plan and the accompanying final environmental impact statement can be accessed through the BLM National NEPA Register.