The Newsletter of the Desert Protective Council Summer 2009 Number 205

A few changes at El Paisano Conservation

by Chris Clarke Corner
By Terry Weiner
T his issue of El Paisano brings with it a few changes in Desert Protective Council’s
venerable newsletter.
Most notably, El Paisano’s former editor
Lawrence Hogue has moved on to other
tasks, though not from his ardent and
Taking Larry’s place at the helm of El
Paisano, DesertBlog, and sundry other
DPC communications channels is yours
A s the summer of 2009 bakes our
southwest deserts, I give thanks for
the temporary respite granted the plants,
eloquent defense of the desert. He’s also truly. I come to DPC after twenty years animals and soils of our arid lands from
handed over the reins of the DPC’s weblog, of environmental journalism working the punishing tires, air pollution, dust
DesertBlog, which he has cultivated since for groups such as San Francisco’s Earth and noise of off-road vehicle (ORV)
March 2008. In his work as Communica- Island Institute. My weblog at ­faultline.org activity. Away from the desert’s military
tions Consultant at DPC Larry set high has won praise for its success in bringing bases, quiet dominates and creatures rest.
editorial and literary standards, and leaves desert conservation issues to new audi- Although, use by ORV enthusiasts report-
an intimidating metaphorical pair of des- ences, though of course there’s plenty still edly decreased in 2008/2009 in a number
ert hiking boots to fill. DPC is sorry to see left undone in that regard. A long-time of desert areas, the impact of their activity
Larry go, and we look forward to bumping Mojave Desert rat, I’m currently finishing has not decreased. This year in California
into him out in the ocotillos. up the research for a forthcoming book on — especially in San Bernardino and Kern
Incidentally, if you haven’t yet got- Joshua trees. counties — illegal ORV riding on private
ten yourself a copy of Larry’s masterful I urge Desert Protective Council mem- roads, harassment, and retaliatory threats
2000 book All the Wild and Lonely Places: bers and other El Paisano readers to con- to residents who complain to local sheriffs
Journeys In A Desert Landscape, there’s no sider contributing writing, photographs and other officials have increased.
time like the present to do so. Larry’s is a or other appropriate content. I’m always I am heartsick at the frequent reports
keen and insightful look at the San Diego interested in hearing about what’s going landing in my email inbox from desert and
backcountry, its denizens human and on in your corner of the desert. If there’s backcountry residents, land managers, and
otherwise, and a compelling meditation on something you’d like to have mentioned other conservation organizations describ-
the nature of wilderness besides. It’s still in in El Paisano, or if you have comments on ing the siege of ORV abuse of private
print, thankfully, and well worth the read. anything in the newsletter, please feel free lands, in rural communities from the des-
to give me a call at (213) 254-5382. ert to the mountain forests all across the
With the change in staff come a few country. As a member of the Sierra Club
Inside this issue design modifications, which we hope will National Recreation Issues Committee, I
make El Paisano even more of a pleasure hear details of ORV abuse from the Ever-
Imperial County News 3 to read. The re-engineering of El Paisano’s glades to the forests of Washington State.
masthead is the most prominent such A few examples:
Interior Fast-tracks Solar 4 change. Our new header image was do-  On June 24, 2009, Stanislaus National
nated to DPC by noted wildlife artist Carl Forest Service researchers conducting a
Desert News 5 Buell, whose work has been seen in venues five-year ecological study arrived at a high-
as diverse as the peer-reviewed scientific elevation mountain meadow in time to see
Member Notes 6 journal Nature and the walls of park visi- a pickup truck being loaded with motor-
tor centers theroughout the US. You can cycles and beating a hasty retreat. Entering
Soda Mountains 6 see more of Carl’s work on his website at the meadow on foot, the researchers found
olduvaigeorge.com. the meadow badly scarred, with deep
Annual Membership Meeting 7 continued on page 

P.O. Box 3635, San Diego, CA 92163-1635 (619) 342-5524 www.dpcinc.org www.desertblog.net
Conservation Corner…
from page 
wheel ruts from spins and zigzags across it.
Protective fencing had been cut.
 In May 2009, roughly 500 off-roaders
rallied in Utah’s Grand Staircase-­Escalante
National Monument to protest the 2000
BLM closure of the Paria River to motor-
ized vehicles. Hundreds deliberately drove
their machines up the muddy river in mass
violation of Federal Law.
 In the California Department of Parks
and Recreation-managed Desert Cahuilla
Prehistoric Area in Imperial County, riders
in jeeps and on dirt bikes blaze new trails
up fragile, colorful sandstone hills, damage
10,000-year-old desert pavement, crush
petrified wood, and jeopardize ancient Na-
tive American sacred sites.
 During the 2008-9 off-roading season
at the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Rec-
reation Area in San Diego and Imperial
Counties, dozens of injured children and
adults were airlifted to distant hospitals.
On holiday weekends, the entire desert ba-
sin around this 80,000-acre Ocotillo Wells
“Open Area” is filled with a purple haze of
air pollution which, when winds blow east,
affects air quality in the adjacent Anza-
Borrego Desert State Park and the town of
Borrego Springs.
 In Kern County, a ranch owner who
has tried to work with the county to craft
an ORV ordinance, suffers at all hours
from noise, fumes and dust from off-
roaders tearing up the road she pays to
maintain. Kern County Community ORV
Watch (COW), a citizen/property owner
organization, recently learned from the
D.A.’s office that they would not under any
circumstances prosecute misdemeanors
by, or issue citations to, illegal off-roaders.
The Kern County sheriff has refused to
enforce the laws on private-public access
dirt roads, and will not respond to trespass
if one is calling on behalf of a neighbor,
despite the fact that the local folks sup-
ported the sheriff ’s 08/09 California State
OHV grant application for law enforce-
ment funding.
 In Imperial County, a group of part-
time, off-roading residents of the Walters
Camp community on the banks of the
Colorado River are blackmailing Senator
Feinstein to remove thousands of acres
from wilderness consideration so that
 El Paisano, the newsletter of the Desert Protective Council
This ORV damage to the Desert Cahuilla Prehistoric Area may take centuries to heal, if it
ever does. Satellite image courtesy Google Earth
they may continue using their illegal ORV
routes on public land. This small group of
50 homeowners in this tiny community
has flatly stated that they will not support
any new wilderness if they do not get their
way. The county’s Board of Supervisors
and Senator Feinstein will not approve any
wilderness additions in that area without
the support of the Walters Camp residents.
Residents who support wilderness are
outnumbered, and are thus excluded from
the negotiations. Some areas that will be
left out of wilderness protection due to
the demands of the off-roaders include
Quechan sacred cultural sites, including
portions of the ancient footpath — the
Quechan Trail of Dreams, which starts at
Pilot Knob and goes to Spirit Mountain in
Nevada. Also excluded will be fragile desert
hills, ancient microphyll woodlands and
desert washes honeycombed with desert
tortoise burrows.
Meanwhile, the CA OHV Division of
State Parks has released for public com-
ment their “OHV Strategic Plan” to guide
the future of OHV recreation in California.
The plan seems to have been crafted in a
vacuum. The main goal of the plan is to
protect and promote “sustainable” (appar-
ently meaning, in this case, “sustained”)
OHV “opportunity,” including the ex-
pansion of the extremely controversial
“state-wide motorized trail.” Protection of
California’s natural resources and consid-
eration of other types of recreation are
treated as obstacles to be overcome in the
OHV Division’s mission of sustaining a
land base for this high-impact recreation.
California’s climate change plan and air
quality management are given short shrift.
One of the plan’s answers to air quality
issues is merely to point out that a new
generation of electric dirt bikes is entering
the market.
You can check out this draft strategic
plan by downloading the PDF file at
http://tinyurl.com/CAORVplan.
Our growing frustration and anger is
directed not only toward abusive drivers
of off-road vehicles but also toward the
leaders of ORV organizations who will not
speak out against this abusive behavior,
and who indeed vilify or ban members
of their organizations who speak out on
behalf of environmental responsibility, or
who show any signs of sympathy toward
conservationists.
A recent example of this is seen in the
reaction of the leaders of the District 36
American Motorcycle Association (AMA)
who were contacted by one of their
long-time members and asked for help
in pursuing the motorized culprits who
vandalized the Sierra Mountain meadow
mentioned earlier. The member posted the
article about the meadow destruction on
the local AMA forum with a call to action,
citing this as an opportunity for the group
to build some trust and credibility with
land managers and the conservation com-
munity. Shortly thereafter the moderators
of the AMA forum and the district leader-
ship deleted his post and banned him from
the forums. He received neither formal
explanation nor response from the District
36 President. Our friend also contacted
the Blue Ribbon Coalition, of which he is
continued on page 
Imperial County
News
by Terry Weiner
Hope for The New River
The New River flows north from Mexico
into Calexico, draining eventually into the
Salton Sea. Until recently, the New River
held the dubious distinction of being the
most polluted river in the US. Documen-
taries have been made on the horrors of
this sad river, into which raw sewage and
chemical wastes have poured for years. The
river reputedly has a nauseating stench.
Clots of green froth clutter the river
surface from time to time, and people who
have the misfortune to fall into the river
often sicken, and sometimes die. One of
the solutions to assist the cleanup of the
New River has been the creation of several
wetlands along the length of the river in
Imperial County. The wetlands filter the
river, removing some of the contaminants.
On July 15 the Calexico City Council laid
the contractual groundwork for launching
the “New River Improvement Project.” The
funding of the New River Improvement
Project is contingent upon the passage of
State Assembly Member Manuel Perez’s
Conservation Corner…
from page 
a member in good standing, with a similar
request for them to post the article about
the meadow damage. To date he has heard
nothing from the leaders of that group as
well. He still believes that this kind of reac-
tion does not represent the broad OHV
community and that there are many who
hold the environment dear. We will believe
that when the representatives of the off-
roaders begin to speak out against ruthless
irresponsible behavior on off-road ve-
hicles. A few years back I attended a forum
moderated by the leaders of several OHV
organizations. The topic of the forum was
“improving the image of our sport.” The
most effective way for them to improve
their image is to improve their behavior! It
is clear that large numbers of riders have
not yet made this leap.
www.dpcinc.org | www.desertblog.net
bill, AB 1079, which would create the New
River Improvement Project Account, al-
lowing funds to be allocated to clean up the
river. The bill has solid support in Imperial
County. We’ll keep you posted on its prog-
ress in California’s legislature.
Salton Basin Field Trips
We had a successful first season of the
Imperial County Salton Basin Living Labo-
ratory Field Trip Program.
Over the past 15 months, naturalist/
educator/writer Pat Flanagan, in consul-
tation with San Diego Natural History
Museum educator, Judy Ramirez and artist
Callie Mack, composed and illustrated a
two-book field trip curriculum focused
entirely on the geologic, human, and
natural history of the Salton Basin, extend-
ing from the Coachella Valley to the gulf
of California. In January, they conducted
an all-day workshop and field trip for the
eight fourth through sixth grade “charter”
teachers. These outstanding teachers then
integrated their newly acquired curricu-
lum materials with their existing science
curriculum, and conducted student field
trips. The teachers’ reports and their
­student reflections portray their deep plea-
sure in discovering new tools with which
to ­appreciate their desert homes.
Although many off-roaders do respect
the law, enough of them do not to cause
tragic amounts of damage to our natural
resources, public lands, and to the qual-
ity of life in rural communities. People in
the off-road community and their leaders
must speak out against abusive behavior,
and sanction members who behave crimi-
nally. Until the major ORV groups actively
assist us in promoting protective measures,
and help bring rogue riders to justice, their
image will continue to deteriorate.
Please work with us to move the public
and our legislators to support stronger
national ORV legislation: legislation with
teeth, which will include meaningful
fines, drivers licenses for off-road vehicle
drivers, tracking of violations with points
against drivers street legal vehicle licenses
and confiscation of off-road vehicles for
multiple offenses.
Desert Cahuilla Update
In 2007, the Anza-Borrego Foundation
and Institute (ABFI) and the DPC hired
a geological consultant to conduct aerial
photography of the 15,000-acre Desert
Cahuilla Prehistoric Area, adjacent to
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. We
obtained these high-resolution photos as
baseline documentation of the effects of 30
years of unauthorized ORV use of the area,
4,000 acres of which had been purchased
by the California Department of Parks and
Recreation (DPR) in December 2006.
In March 2009 our consultant shot a
second round of aerial photographs, this
time of only the northern section of this
vast area. The rest was so heavily damaged
by ORV travel by 2007 that it would be
impossible to be able to discern new dam-
age. Our contractor is comparing the two
sets of photographs to gauge any increase
in damage since 2007.
DPC and ABFI conducted monitoring
field trips to the Desert Cahuilla area this
spring, documenting the creation of new
ORV tracks and trails up soft pastel cliffs.
We photographed plants and petrified
wood crushed by tires. The Desert Cahuilla
area is habitat for the peninsular bighorn
sheep, harbors Native cultural sites such as
foot trails and ancient fish traps, and hosts
several rare plant species. There are large
mesas covered with 10,000-year-old desert
pavement.
Our goal is to gather enough evidence
of ongoing ORV damage to persuade the
DPR that an interim closure, or restric-
tion of ORVs to washes only, is needed to
protect these precious natural and cultural
resources during the public management
planning process. The DPC and the Center
for Biological Diversity signed a stipulated
settlement agreement with the DPR in
2007 that stated DPR would take specific
measures to protect the Desert Cahuilla
Area prior to the EIR process. The DPR
has failed to abide by the terms of the
settlement, though it still has time to act to
prevent further ORV damage.
Air Quality
Imperial County has some of the highest
rates of childhood asthma in California,
with nearly a third of county school chil-
dren suffering from the disease. Imperial
continued on page 

 The eastern end of the East Riverside
Interior fast-tracks solar on public lands tract includes a portion of the ironwood
bosques near the Palen and McCoy ranges.

T he Department of the Interior announced in late June that 676,048 acres of public
lands — 24 tracts in five Western States — are being fast-tracked for development by
the solar electrical generation industry.
(Ironwood, Olneya tesota, is of sufficient
ecological significance that President Bill
Clinton established the Ironwood Forest
The tracts, called Solar Energy Study There are four tracts in the California National Monument to protect an impor-
areas, will be scrutinized to see whether it desert: the Pisgah between Newberry tant part of the plant’s range near Tucson.)
is feasible to build large-scale power plants Springs and Ludlow, the massive East Riv- The Amargosa Valley tract in Nevada, if
of three square miles or more in area on erside tract running from Blythe to Desert developed with concentrating solar, would
the lands. Center, the Iron Mountain tract near Rice endure draw-down of an already over-
In a press release issued by the DoI, and surrounding Danby Lake, and Impe- drafted aquifer. This would threaten the
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said: rial, which runs from I-8 to the Mexican endangered Devil’s Hole pupfish.
“President Obama’s comprehensive border south of Holtville. The west end of Arizona’s Bullard Wash tract sits atop
energy strategy calls for rapid development the East Riverside tract abuts the boundar- the one place in the world where Joshua
of renewable energy, especially on America’s ies of Joshua Tree National Park. The Eagle trees and saguaros grow intermingled. It
public lands. This environmentally sensitive Mountain area, long beset by destructive is an area of immense conservation value,
plan will identify appropriate Interior-man- projects ranging from hydroelectric power likely the last best source of heat-tolerant
aged lands that have excellent solar energy generation to a proposed landfill for Los gene stock of both Joshua trees and their
potential and limited conflicts with wildlife, Angeles’ trash, is some of the “non-sen- symbiotic yucca moths (in a time when ex-
other natural resources or land users.” sitive” land there being eyed for solar tinction of the tree due to climate change
The press release also claims that development. is much-discussed) and a world-class
Only lands with excellent solar resources, The Iron Mountain tract overlies the desert landscape without parallel.
suitable slope, proximity to roads and southern part of the Cadiz aquifer, which Public comment on the sites is being
transmission lines or designated corridors, is critically important to wildlife in the accepted until mid-September. It remains
and containing at least 2,000 acres of BLM- ranges just north of Joshua Tree, including to be seen whether Interior will pay heed
administered public lands were considered desert bighorn sheep. The tract is a crucial to the abundant opposition to industrial
for solar energy study areas. Sensitive lands, link in the wildlife corridor between JTNP energy development of many of the sites.
wilderness and other high-conservation- and the Mojave Preserve, and it lies within The DPC will be keeping you updated on
value lands as well as lands with conflicting the southern end of Ward Valley, sacred the process as it moves forward.
uses were excluded. land to the Mojave people and excellent
habitat for the desert tortoise.

Imperial News…
from page 
County has been in violation of state and
federal standards for small particulate
pollution and ozone for years. About five
years ago, California EPA ordered Impe-
rial County Air Pollution Control District
to come up with a plan to address their
impaired air quality. The County has been
working on their State Implementation
Plan (SIP) for a couple of years. In June, I
submitted comments on behalf of the DPC
on the County’s final draft of their SIP. The
county has crafted a number of regulations
to address their biggest source of particu-
late pollution, dust from dirt roads, of
which there are many in the huge agricul-
tural zone. There are only six air monitor-
ing stations in Imperial County, all near
population centers, so pollution caused by
ORVs on public lands is not measured.
Another weakness of the County’s im-
plementation plan is that the County has
no jurisdiction over air pollution sources
south of the border. Air quality in the very
populous border town of Calexico is some
of the worst in the county. The Calexico
air monitoring station has tracked the
pollution from Mexicali. Fortunately, a
cross-border governmental environmental
working group meets regularly to discuss
cross-border pollution. For updates on the
County’s SIP, visit the ICAPCD website at
www.imperialcounty.net under “Air Pollu-
tion Control.”
Wind Zero Update
It’s been a while since I’ve brought you an
update on the proposed Wind Zero Law
Enforcement Training Center/Coyote Wells
Race Resort. This project involves about
2,000 acres of private land on the east side
of Ocotillo at the base of the Jacumba
Mountains. The project is adjacent to resi-
dential development and surrounded by
public land, including the Coyote Mts and
Jacumba Mts. wilderness areas, and Anza-
Borrego Desert State Park. The scope of
the project boggles the mind. It is incom-
patible with the community plan for the
residential community of Ocotillo/Nomi-
rage. Some of the proposed amenities
include a 6.1-mile World Class Grand Prix
track billed as the largest road course in
North America, a private air strip and heli-
port, member garages and hangars, track
side condos and fuel services. The other
part of this project involves a “training
center” for law enforcement with indoor
and outdoor shooting ranges. The project
would be a gated community with guard
towers. This Draft Environmental Impact
Report for this project will be available to
the public for a 50-day comment period
starting by or before August 1, accord-
ing to Imperial County Planner David
Black. Please contact the Imperial County
Development Services Department and
continued on page 

 El Paisano, the newsletter of the Desert Protective Council

Desert News
Record Bighorn Count in Anza-
Borrego Desert State Park
A nza-Borrego Desert State Park’s 39th
annual bighorn sheep count broke all
records, according to longtime park ranger
Mark C. Jorgenson. Heading out into 18
remote locations in the park’s backcoun-
try on July 3, 4, and 5 — braving 108°
temperatures — volunteer census-takers
counted a total of 354 sheep, breaking the
previous record of 299.
Sheep counters recorded 188 ewes and
72 rams, 57 lambs and 37 yearlings.
The count, undertaken with the finan-
cial support of the Anza-Borrego Founda-
tion, provides an invaluable barometer of
the health of the park’s bighorn popula-
tion.
BLM Budget Issues
According to the Imperial Valley Press,
the BLM may have found a way to pay
for trash removal from the Imperial Sand
Dunes for the 2009-2010 season, assuming
that no changes are made to the bureau’s
pending budget by the Senate. A combi-
nation of state and federal funds will be
earmarked for the purpose.
Imperial News…
from page 
ask for a copy of the Draft EIR and request
to be placed on the mailing list for all
documents and notices of meetings related
to this project. http://www.co.imperial.
ca.us/planning/. To view a Wind Zero
promotional video and read about the
founders of the project, go to http://www.
cwraceresort.com/
Clean Air Initiative
I’ve been appointed to the steering
committee of the Imperial County Clean
Air Initiative (CAI), a non-profit organiza-
tion made up of representatives from local
government, health, media, education and
community organizations from Imperial
County and Mexicali. CAI is funded by
the California Endowment and coordi-
nated by the American Lung Association
of San Diego and Imperial Counties.
CAI’s purpose is to educate citizens and
www.dpcinc.org | www.desertblog.net
Bighorn ram in foothills near Palm Springs. Photo by Florian Boyd.
The BLM ended trash pickup at the
dunes in February, removing a number
of dumpsters it had placed at various
gathering locations throughout the dunes,
including Gecko Road, Glamis, Dunebug-
gy Flats, Buttercup, Midway Wells and near
the Plank Road. The agency said then that
it would be asking visitors to the dunes to
haul out whatever trash they hauled in.
Imperial County ended up contracting
with a private firm to haul trash awayfrom
the dunes. Environmentalists have pointed
out that OHV areas with available dump-
sters seem to generate more litter than
areas with no trash disposal options, and
policy makers about the health effects of
air pollution. CAI distributing informa-
tion about Imperial County air quality,
trains promatoras to engage citizens on air
quality and health concerns, advocates for
reduction of air pollution sources on both
sides of the border, and engaging in public
policy on issues ranging from agricultural
burning, diesel emissions, border power
plants, and pesticide use to cleaner alterna-
tive practices. CAI’s recent outreach efforts
have encouraged parents to turn off their
car engines while waiting outside schools
to pick up their children. I am honored
to participate in CAI’s important work.
Citizens who are healthy and feel good will
have more energy to participate in their
communities, including supporting the
work of the DPC in Imperial County.
New CWC organizer
Catherine Nicklen is very excited to be
back in the Imperial Valley working as
that funds spent on trash pickup could go
to fund other OHV area pursuits such as
law enforcement and habitat restoration.
In related news, the BLM California
Desert District will receive about $8.3
million in grants from California’s Off-
Highway Motor Vehicle (OHV) Recreation
Program.
The BLM says $3.2 million of the grants
will fund operation and maintenance of
designated routes. Another $1.3 million
is budgeted for use to ensure protection
of visitors at OHV recreation areas and to
enforce resource protection law.
continued on page 
an organizer for the California Wilder-
ness Coalition after recently receiving
her undergraduate degree from the UC
Berkeley in Latin American Studies. She
hopes to put her
experience manag-
ing service-learning
programs for the
past two years to
good use, and looks
forward to expand-
ing on the work
that has already
been done in the area. She’s passionate
about making environmental protection
inclusive and relevant to all, regardless of
age, race or socio-economic status, as she
believes that only then will our efforts be
truly successful!

Member Notes
by Terry Weiner
O ne of our very long-time DPC
members, Dan L. Fischer, recently
honored us with a copy of his book: Early
Southwest Ornithologists, 1528-1900. I
recommend this book! In addition to
describing the explorations of some of the
earliest explorers and naturalists who visit-
ed the area, this text reveals the wonderful
variety of avian species in the region and
their relationship with human history. The
book features a comprehensive bibliog-
raphy illustrations and maps that portray
the march of explorers westward. Dan
An Uncertain Future for the
Soda Mountains
Your Help Needed!
T he future of the Soda Mountains
Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is
uncertain. While many groups are advo-
cating that this scenic and ecologically
important area become wilderness, there
has been pressure from politicians to
“release” all or part of it from any kind
of protective status. Releasing even part
of this WSA would further fragment
The Soda Mountains, between Barstow and Baker. LCGS Russ photo
 El Paisano, the newsletter of the Desert Protective Council
has traveled Save the date
the southwest On Saturday October 24, DPC will be co-
for 50 years, sponsoring an Archaeology Symposium
photograph- and Barbecue at the Ocotillo California
ing birds and Desert Museum honoring Jay Von Werlhof
retracing the
journeys of
early natural-
and his nearly forty years of anthropologi-
cal contributions in California’s deserts.
Archaeologist Russell Kaldenberg of ASM
ists. His photo- Affiliates is in charge of the program
graphs have and recruitment of speakers. The Desert
been published Protective Council and the Imperial Valley
in numerous College Desert Museum Society will be
periodicals and working together on the menu and facility
books. This set-up and odds’n’ends.
past spring, Dan moved from his home in Please save the date!
the Chiricahua Mountains to Tucson and
invites DPC members who visit the area to
look him up and pay him a visit.
 Senator Dianne Feinstein
US Senate
 Rep. Buck McKeon
US House of Representatives
desert tortoise habitat and put the rich  Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt
archaeological and cultural resources of San Bernardino County
the Cronese Lakes Area of Critical Envi-
ronmental Concern (ACEC) at risk of
being degraded and destroyed from OHV
intrusions and development.
Sample message:
I am writing to urge you to support
legislation that designates new wilderness
areas in the California desert, including the
Act Now! entire Soda Mountains WSA. By designating
Please write to your representatives today the Soda Mountains as wilderness, it will
and urge full wilderness protection for protect both critical habitat for the federally
ALL of the Soda Mountains WSA. Address and state threatened desert tortoise and the
your letter to these key legislators: archaeological and cultural resources of the
Cronese Lakes ACEC.
I have visited/would like to visit the Soda
Mountains and am concerned that without
wilderness protection, there will be increased
OHV incursions and development degrading
this special wild place.
[Please personalize this message by add-
ing in your own comments here.]
Thank you,
Your Name
Your Address (Your address is very im-
portant to elected officials)
Please email your letter to us lwilliams@
calwild.org so that we can hand deliver it
and make sure your voice is heard.
For more information on the Soda
Mountains WSA, please visit the California
Wilderness Coalition’s web site at www.
calwild.org
Desert News…
from page 
The California Desert District includes
67 wilderness areas, all of them closed to
OHV use. However, 1,400 trails cross the
boundaries of those wildernesses, encour-
aging OHV trespass. The BLM will employ
signing; preparation and distribution of
updated maps; education and outreach;
fence, barricade and vertical mulch instal-
lation; and law enforcement presence as
part of its restoration efforts.
Save The Date!
55th Annual Membership Meeting
Sunday November 8, 2009 11AM–
4PM.
Meet DPC Board, staff, and your fellow
members at the beautiful Whitewater
Canyon Preserve, 2,851 acres surrounded
by the BLM’s San Gorgonio Wilderness, a
crucial transition-zone wildlife corridor
between the San Jacinto and San Bernardi-
no mountains. Lunch will be provided by
DPC. We’ll send all our members post-
cards with details and directions soon.
Desert Protective
Council
Nick Ervin, President
Geoffrey Smith, Vice
President/Secretary
Larry Klaasen, Treasurer
Mike McColm, Fifth Officer
Terry Weiner, Imperial Projects
& Conservation Coordinator
Shirley Harshenin,
Webmistress – www.
nutheadproductions.com
Chris Clarke, Communications
Consultant
www.dpcinc.org | www.desertblog.net
Support DPC by Joining, Renewing
or Making A Special Donation
M embership in the Desert Protective Council is the best way to support our desert
conservation and education goals. Just fill out the form below and mail it in with
your check, whether it’s for a new membership, a renewal, or a special donation. Your
support ensures that DPC will remain a strong voice for conservation in all of our
deserts.
Much of our current activity is based on projects in Imperial County, as required by
the settlement of the Mesquite lawsuit. But these funds cannot be used for many gen-
eral operating expenses or for our many projects and issues in other parts of the desert,
including the Big Solar onslaught that is now threatening so many desert habitats. That’s
why your support is so important!
!
Desert Protective Council
New and Renewal Membership Form
Enclosed is my remittance of $_______
New Membership Gift Membership Renewal
Name_________________________________________
Address_______________________________________
City, State, Zip________________________________
Phone_________________________________________
Email_________________________________________
Please make checks payable to: DPC
Mail to P.O. Box 3635, San Diego, CA 92163-1635
Dues and all donations are tax-deductible.
MEMBERSHIP LEVELS (please check)
Life $300.00 one time
Sustaining Membership $50.00 annually
Regular Membership $25.00 annually
Joint Membership $35.00 annually
Senior/Student/Retired $15.00 annually
Additional Gift of $_________
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Help us save paper! If you would like to receive this newsletter
electronically, rather than in the mail, please send an e-mail message
stating “subscribe electronically” to: terryweiner@sbcglobal.net.

 El Paisano #205 Summer 2009

Inside:

1 Changes
at El Paisano,
Conservation
Corner

Desert Protective 3 Imperial

County News
Council
Since 1954
www.dpcinc.org 4 Interior
Fast-tracks
P.O. Box 3635 Solar
San Diego, CA
92163-1635 5 Desert
News

6 Member
Notes,
Soda Mountains

7 Annual
Membership
Meeting

This is the time of year when summer monsoons appear, often loosing brief but violent rainstorms
across the desert. Ocotillos such as this one put out new leaves in response to rainfall. A few days
after a monsoon you can often trace its path across the desert by following the line of newly-green
ocotillos. Photo by Florian Boyd.

The newsletter of the Desert Protective Council