[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 194 (Thursday, October 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54634-54635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24822]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CA-680-99-2822-00-D889]
Closure and Restriction Orders
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.
ACTION: Emergency closure of certain public lands to human entry in the
Juniper Flats area, San Bernardino County, California.
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SUMMARY: Public lands in the Juniper Flats area are closed to human
entry for 30 days, from September 18, 1999, to October 17, 1999. Closed
are approximately 16,000 acres burned in the Willow fire. You are not
to enter the closed area by any means of access, including but not
limited to: motor vehicles, OHVs, equestrian, bike or foot traffic. The
closure protects soil, cultural resources, vegetation, wildlife, and
wildlife habitat. It also allows on-going fire assessment and repair
activities to occur without interruption.
DATES: This closure order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday,
September 18, 1999, and shall remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on
Sunday, October 17, 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Read, Barstow Field Office
Manager, Bureau of Land Management, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA
92311; or call (760) 252-6000.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On Saturday, August 28th, the Willow Fire
started on U.S. Forest Service lands adjacent to BLM lands in the
Juniper Flats area. The fire burned 63,486 acres, including
approximately 16,000 acres of BLM land. Natural resources comprising
the local ecosystems were extensively damaged by the fire. The
vegetative cover was burned away leaving bare soils exposed and
vulnerable to erosion. The loss of vegetation has also stressed
wildlife populations by reducing available cover and forage.
As a result of the fire damage, cultural resources, soils,
vegetation, wildlife, and wildlife habitat are extremely sensitive to
further impacts from human activity. The closure is required to prevent
disturbances to these sensitive resources. By preventing disturbances
we will avoid excessive soil erosion and loss, vegetative damage,
wildlife mortality, riparian area degradation, destruction of range
management fences, and water quality impacts. Temporarily closing the
area provides a protected environment for natural systems to begin
recovering. A successful recovery is needed to sustain the long-term
health of the land.
In general, all public lands are closed up to the forest boundary
east of Deep Creek Road, south of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe rail
lines and west of Highway 18. The authority for this closure is 43 CFR
8364.1. This closure only applies to those portions of the following
sections burned during the Willow Fire: San Bernardino Base and
Meridian, T.3N. R.1W. sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; T.3N. R.2W. sections 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8; T.3N. R.3W. sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10, 11 and 12; T.4N. R.1W. sections 31 and 32; T.4N. R.2W. sections 26,
27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35; T.4N. R.3W. sections 21, 22, 23, 24,
25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35. If you fail to comply with
this
[[Page 54635]]
closure order you may be fined up to $100,000.00 or be imprisoned for
up to 12 months, or both.
You are exempt from this closure if you are engaged in one these
activities: law enforcement, emergency services, agency personnel on
official business, permitted uses, or work to maintain utilities and
infrastructure. You and your guests are exempt if you own property or
live within the closed area. This closure affects only public lands.
County roads and segments of roads through private lands are
unaffected. You are exempt to use the portion of Bowen Ranch Road that
is a County road. The exempt portion crosses public lands in section 31
of T.4N. R.2W., and sections 1, 11 and 12 of T.3N. R.3W., ending at the
boundary of the Bowen Ranch.
A previous 3-day emergency closure provided immediate protection
for the burned area during Labor Day weekend. This 30-day closure is
intended to provide interim protection while a long term rehabilitation
strategy is developed. The strategy will be based on a report being
prepared by a fire rehabilitation team. The team is currently assessing
damage and planning corrective actions. This closure order may be re-
issued for a longer time period based on the rehabilitation strategy.
Brad Blomquist,
BLM, Acting Barstow Field Office Manager.
[FR Doc. 99-24822 Filed 10-6-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-M