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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Oldtime_racer" data-source="post: 1799357" data-attributes="member: 50802">A little History-It took years of working with the BLM to get the Travel Management Plan to include racing in the vulture mine area. I'm sure many of you have raced it. It's the best desert race in Az. AZOP stepped up and got a permit and has put on one race per year the last three years. It's a success story, or so we thought.The BLM charges a lot for cost recovery, maybe as a deterrent, but AZOP and the Arizona racers have pushed through that. We have a new adversary and this will be a tough fight. In a nut shell- The BLM is planning to lease some land to Maricopa County in the vulture area. These lands include the staging area (the old airstrip). The county plans to build a campground with a host and facilities.  It is said that they plan to charge more for camping during race weekend. The county's policy on motorized recreation is "not allowed", so we really need to stop this lease. We need you to take a few minutes to send a comment to help stop this lease from interfering with the race. We played by their rules, did everything they said, and now they are changing it up on us.Some info for your comments :The northern area that is planned for development would not interfere with the racing. That area is used by campers all the time, where the area we use for the racing is only used during race weekend. The access is blocked by private property and the owner allows access for the race each year, then it's locked again. This is an example of Maricopa County finding a spot in the desert that people like to primitive camp and develop it. This will push the people who want to camp primitively further out. I'm also going to write to the Secretary of the Interior and the White House, though I'm not sure it will help. What would help a lot is all of you taking a few minutes to send in a comment. You can use anything I mentioned above, but mostly that we (OHV and Racers) played by their rules and did our due diligence and we want the race to continue. Below is what I received from the BLM. If you follow the link you can see the maps. BLM seeks public comment on Vulture Mountains proposed land lease in Maricopa CountyPHOENIX – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Hassayampa Field Office invites the public’s comments on a proposed Recreation & Public Purposes Act (R&PP) lease of a 1,046-acre parcel in the Vulture Mountains area to the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department (MCPRD), for potential recreation development.“The BLM manages public lands for the benefit of current and future generations as we pursue our multiple-use mission. This potential R&PP lease is an example of how partners can come together along with the community to formulate ideas that may potentially enhance the landscape,” said BLM Phoenix District Manager Leon Thomas.A public open house-style meeting will be held July 13, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wickenburg Community Center located at 160 N. Valentine St., in Wickenburg.During this open house-style meeting, staff from the BLM, MCPRD, and MCDOT will be available, along with maps of the proposed facilities for review. The BLM will “kick-off” the open house with a presentation at 6:15 p.m.The 30-day public scoping period is from June 30 until July 29, 2017.Stakeholders are encouraged to submit their comments for the record through the BLM online land use planning tool, ePlanning, at the following Internet address: <a href="http://bit.ly/2qnhEPm">Arizona - Hassayampa FO - DOI-BLM-AZ-P010-2017-0016-EA</a>. Written comments may be mailed to Realty Specialist Tyler Lindsey at the Hassayampa Field Office, 21605 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 85027, faxed to <a href="https://www.race-dezert.com/forum/tel:(623)%20580-5580">(623) 580-5580</a>, or emailed to <a href="mailto:vulturemtns@blm.gov">vulturemtns@blm.gov</a>.In order for the BLM to process the lease request, the BLM will need to complete an environmental assessment (EA). The upcoming EA will consider public comments received during this scoping period in the analysis of the direct, indirect and cumulative effects from the lease of approximately 1,046 acres of public lands to MCPRD.Under the proposal, MCPRD would develop a variety of recreational facilities at the site, including a visitor’s center, picnic tables and shelters, archery range, equestrian facilities, nature playground, restrooms with showers, camp grounds and interpretive kiosks. The R&PP Act allows for State, local governments and nonprofit organizations to apply for the leasing of public lands for the construction and maintenance of facilities such as schools, fire stations, and for parks. The BLM will analyze this plan and its considerations in accordance with the agency’s approved land use plan, Wickenburg Travel Management Plan, and BLM’s multiple-use mission which supports conservation while managing working landscapes and connects the American people to their natural and cultural heritage through experiences on their public lands.If you have questions, please contact Tyler Lindsey at (623) 580-5500 or <a href="mailto:vulturemtns@blm.gov">vulturemtns@blm.gov</a>. End Paste-We really need a lot of people commenting on this one. We need to send the message that the county should not allowed to control what has been approved on federal lands. I raced this race in the 70's and would really like help keeping it going!ThanksDoug MartinP.S. Please copy and Paste this to any other websites you belong to. They are having one open house meeting in the area. It's impossible to get a lot of people to show up to the meeting. It's in Wickenburg and it's during the week. But since you are racers, you are all considered Stakeholders in this. Please take the time to send in a comment. Only those that comment now will be allowed to comment/protest on the final. I'll post more on this as I get it.</blockquote>

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