:I. 1.9_8/4 

9F9 

~J1~3'lli,\f!l r · ·· I l 1 \ . 

... ../ 

J 

~a~t M()iave ~ati()nal 

~cenic Ar-ea 

.BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT 

Fiscal Year 1989 

SUMMARY 
As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned 

public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and 

wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for the 

enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure 

that their development is in the best interest of all our people. The Department also has a major resonsibility for American Indian 

reservation communities for people who live in Island Territories under U.S. administration. 

BLM-CA-EA-90-13-1792 
1111 1111111111~11111 11111 1111 11 1600045359 

United States Department of the Interior 

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT 

NEEDLES RESOURCE AREA 

P.O. BOX 888 

NEEDLES. CALIFORNIA 92363-0888 IN REPLY REFER TO: 

January 1990 

Dear Friend of the East Mojave National Scenic Area: 

Enclosed you will find our first annual status repon on the management of the East Mojave 

National Scenic Area, as required in the area's 1988 management plan. We are proud of 

the accomplishments we have achieved during the past two years - you should be 

pleased as well! Although we have paid special attention to the East Mojave for many 

years, with the completion of its management plan and the extra funding and staffing 

provided to implement that plan, we are now making substantial progress toward achieving 

our goals for accommodating increases in visitor use while conserving the region's natural 

and human resources. 

But we cannot claim all of the credit for these achievements. Through the effons of the 

Honorable Jerry Lewis, whose Congressional District encompasses the East Mojave, 

Congress appropriated much of the funding for the extra staffing and construction needed 

to implement the Scenic Area management plan. Interest ·groups, including Quail 

Unlimited, the Friends of the Mojave Road, the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive 

Clubs, the Sierra Club, and the Kelso Depot Fund, have contributed thousands of hours 

of volunteer time to benefit the East Mojave. And local residents and recreationists have 

played a key role in maintaining the character and beaut}' of this unique area. 

We hope this repon will be useful to you. If you have any questions about the East Mojave 

or its management, please feel free to contact us in our Needles Resource Area office at 

101 West Spike's Road (Post Office Box 888), Needles, CA 92363, or call us at (619) 326-

3896. Thank you for your interest in this intriguing corner of the California Desen. We 

hope you will visit often! 

• 

-. 

Sincerely, 

.4&~-/r.?f:~ Richard E. Fagan 

Needles Area Manager 
East Mojave National Scenic Area 

Fiscal Year 1989 Accomplishments 

With the completion of the East Mojave National Scenic Area 

Management Plan in May 1988, BLM moved from planning into 

implementation of its decisions. Because the plan is the basis for 

our activities, the following Fiscal Year 1989 accomplishments are 

keyed back, wherever possible, by letter and number corresponding 

to actions identified in the final plan. 

A. Land Classification and Ownership 

A-1: To meet resource protection objectives and more effectively 

manage impacts from mining and recreation use, approximately 120,000 acres of the East Mojave's public lands were 

reclassified from moderate use (Class M) to limited use (Class 

L) through a 1988 California Desert Conservation Area Plan 

amendment. Under the Class L designation, vehicle use is 

limited to approved routes of travel, and all mining activities 

require approval of a Plan of Operation including reclamation 

actions. 

A-2: BLM has acquired five State sections (3,200 acres) within the 

recommended suitable Kelso Dunes and Granite Mountains 

Wilderness Study Areas as part of an exchange with the State 

Lands Commission. Although title has not passed yet, 

approximately 1,920 acres of private lands are being acquired 

in the South Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area 

with monies from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 

A-4: A Memorandum of Agreement between BLM and San 

Bernardino County regarding coordination of a range of land 

management issues, including management of the Scenic 

Area, has been completed. 

A-5 through A-7: Steps have been taken to continue application of 

Classification and Multiple Use Act mineral segregations in the 

East Mojave until Federal Land Policy and Management Act 

withdrawals are prepared. 

A-9: Seven cases of unauthorized use were closed out during 

Fiscal Year 1988 and four in Fiscal Year 1989. 

B. Access 

B-1: The number of Rangers patrolling in BLM's Needles Resource 

Area increased from three to seven, resulting in increased 

resource protection and public awareness and education in 

the Scenic Area and beyond. 

B-4: Approximately 75 percent of the vehicle routes recommended 

for closure have been signed or blocked. 

1 
The Nation's first Back Country Byway was designated in the 

Scenic Area by Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan on Wildhorse 

Canyon Road. Nominations for a network of other Back 

Country Byways have been submitted for designation. 

B-5: Project plans and environmental assessments for a 

hiking/equestrian trail on Cima Dome and a trail between the 

two BLM campgrounds have been completed. Construction 

of the Cima Dome hiking trail was completed. A volunteer 

group has been formed by Needles residents to designate a 

series of roads, washes, and existing horse trails as part of 

an equestrian trail system, beginning with the campground 

areas. 

B-9: BLM has begun acqUinng exclusive easements along the 

Mojave Road's privately owned segments to assure continued 

public access to this historic route. Monies from a State OffHighway Vehicle Fund grant made these acquisitions 

possible. 

C. Recreation Management 

C-1 : Two East Mojave entry areas along Interstate 40 were paved 

with donated materials during Fiscal Year 1988; paving and 

redesign of other entrance areas and installation of new 

interpretive information signs are scheduled during Fiscal Year 

1990. 

C-2: Interpretive displays were installed in early 1989 at the Soda 

Springs Visitor Orientation Center, primarily about the unique 

history of the site. 

C-4: Desert Information Outposts have been installed at Amboy, 

Goffs, Mitchell Caverns, Nipton, and Havasu Landing. A new 

outpost will be established at the Interstate 15/Cima Road 

store by the end of Fiscal Year 1990. 

C-5: BLM continues to work with the Kelso Depot Fund, Inc., a 

private, nonprofit organization, toward the restoration of the 

historic Kelso Depot. The Bureau is continuing discussions 

with the building's owner, Union Pacific Railroad, regarding 

acquisition and future use of the building. 

C-6: Ranger programs ("Coffee with a Ranger") were held at Holein-the-Wall campground during the spring, along with other 

programs presented to organized groups. Development of 

guidelines for all interpretive facilities in the East Mojave, 

goals and objectives, and specific recreation developments, 

such as interpretive trails, needed to manage visitor use in 

sensitive areas began. 

C-8: Several information bulletins have been prepared for locations 

of activities occurring in the Scenic Area as part of the 

Districtwide Recreation Opportunity Guide series. 

2 
C-9: A new East Mojave guide including information about points 

of interest, recreational opportunities, and natural features 

was developed during Fiscal Year 1989 and will be printed 

and distributed during Fiscal Year 1990. 

C-1 0: Publication of the third segment of the East Mojave Heritage 

Trail Guide by the Friends of the Mojave Road and the "East 

Mojave Desert: A Visitor's Guide" and map published by 

Olympus Press increased sale items available to the public. 

C-11: BLM participated in the annual Mojave Road Rendezvous in 

Nipton and presented several members of the Friends of the 

Mojave Road with BLM National Volunteer Awards in 

recognition of their significant volunteer efforts. 

C-15: A BLM crew comprised of a lead maintenance man, 

engineering technician, and two maintenance assistants has 

been established in the Resource Area. Through additional 

funding, Mid Hills campground was renovated by the crew. 

C-16: A Hole-in-the-Wall recreation site plan has been drafted. 

Construction on a campground access road and new 

campground will begin during Fiscal Year 1990. 

C-19: Eight abandoned and hazardous mine shafts on Cima Dome 

and in Lanfair Valley were fenced and signed during Fiscal 

Year 1988. 

C-20: New regulations on firearm use became effective on 

January 13, 1989. Signs were erected in the campgrounds, 

Fort Piute, and Granite Mountains areas to educate hunters 

about new closures prior to Fall 1989. 

C-21 : A segment of the Barstow-to-Vegas race course that crossed 

the East Mojave in the Soda Lake region was successfully 

reclaimed by American Motorcyclists Association volunteers 

during Fiscal Year 1988. 

D. VIsual Resource Management 

New visual resource management guidelines established by 

the Scenic Area plan have been adopted for all discretionary 

actions within the area. All actions must comply with Class 

II standards, under which management activities may be seen 

but should blend into the existing landscape as much as 

possible. 

E. Wilderness 

Reclamation of two abandoned mining sites in Scenic Area 

Wilderness Study Areas began during Fiscal Year 1989. 

3 
The Fiscal Year 1988 increase in Ranger positions, fully 

implemented in 1989, resulted in a corresponding increase in 

monitoring of all Wilderness Study Areas, including four 

overflights. 

A preplan analysis for the Providence Mountains Wilderness 

was completed. Although the area has not been designated 

by Congress as part of the National Wilderness Preservation 

System, BLM is developing procedures and formats for writing 

wilderness management plans. (This is part of a Districtwide 

initiative preparing for eventual Wilderness designation by 

Congress.) 

A new staff wilderness position was added in the Needles 

Resource Area, and the new employee reported for duty in 

early March 1989. The wilderness lead position also was 

filled, and the employee reported in October 1989. 

F. Cultural Resources and G. Native American Concerns 

An additional staff archaeologist was hired and participated 

in inventorying more than 1 ,000 acres for cultural resource 

values. 

Thirty-three sites were investigated under specific guidelines 

developed for monitoring cultural resources. 

A sign encouraging protection of cultural resources was 

developed around the theme "They Passed This Way•, and 

several were installed throughout the East Mojave. 

Extensive erosion at a site eligible for the National Register of 

Historic Places was stabilized. 

The Environmental Research Center at the University of 

Nevada has submitted a synthesis of data recovery 

investigations for BLM review. These studies, done in 

conjunction with the permit process for the Colosseum Gold 

Mine, indicate a 1 0,000-year period of human occupation, 

with signs of Anasazi influence or presence. Publication of 

cultural investigations at the Castle Mountain Mine site will be 

considered upon completion of that University project. 

H. Air, Solis, and Water 

H-2: Costs for an air quality monitoring station have been 

determined, and they are significantly higher than estimates 

made in the Scenic Area plan. One station will be installed 

at the Castle Mountain Mine site during Fiscal Year 1990 by 

the proponents of the project. 

4 
I. Vegetation 

!:1: Survey and design work is nearly complete for a fence 

around Piute Creek to exclude livestock. Several dozen 

cottonwood trees were planted in Colosseum Gorge. Plans 

are underway to fence the drainage and plant additional 

native vegetation. 

1-2: Firewood sales in the Scenic Area have been terminated. 

The East Mojave's 13 Unusual Plant Assemblages (UPA's) 

were monitored in accordance with their site-specific plans. 

All plant communities were found to be stable. The UPA's 

include two populations of white fir, Lanfair Valley's 

grasslands, Cima Dome's joshua tree woodland, and riparian 

areas. 

A plant survey of the Clark Mountain area was conducted 

during spring 1989 by a volunteer group under the direction 

of BLM botanists. 

J. Wildlife 

J-1: Volunteers from a local chapter of Quail Unlimited have 

entered into a cooperative agreement with BLM to repair, 

maintain, fence, and haul water to wildlife drinkers. These 

•guzzlers• are particularly important to small mammals, quail, 

chukkar, other birds, and bighorn sheep, and provide their 

only source of water during times of drought in the Desert. 

J-4: One spring has been improved for wildlife use and fenced to 

exclude cattle. Planning has commenced for the fencing of 

several additional springs. Approximately a dozen bird ramps 

have been installed on livestock troughs. 

J-6: BLM has begun gathering data in order to assess the extent 

of raven predation on the desert tortoise throughout the 

Needles Resource Area. Data from inventories of ravens and 

raptors within 1 ,600 miles of transects surveyed between 

March and May 1989 will be used in association with a raven 

control program. 

K. Wild Horses and Burros 

During 1988, 133 excess wild burros were gathered, primarily 

from the Cinder Cones area. An additional 40 burros were 

removed from the East Mojave in 1989. Memorandums of 

Understanding were developed with ranchers to allow them 

to assist in the removal of excess burros. All animals 

gathered are placed in private homes through BLM's AdoptA-Horse or Burro Program. 

5 
L. Livestock Grazing 

A new staff range conservationist position has been added in 

the Needles Resource Area to aid in monitoring use and 

range trends. 

L-1: Numerous range improvements have been reconstructed as 

required by allotment management plans (AMP's). AMP 

review was initiated to ensure their consistency with the East 

Mojave management plan. Five livestock water developments 

have been camouflaged to decrease visibility. ' 

L-2: Studies to monitor the effect of cattle use on the vegetation 

in the Scenic Area already have been increased. Frequency 

data on the occurrence of perennial plant species is being 

'collected for the first time. More than 20 temporary utilization 

exclosures have been constructed and are being used to 

evaluate range use. 

L-3: Abandoned range improvement materials (pipe, tanks, etc.) 

have been removed from several locations. Ranchers were 

contacted to clean up old range projects. 

M. Minerals 

Public review of the Draft Castle Mountain Mine environmental 

impact statement/environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) ended 

on May 15, 1989. A supplemental EIS/EIR was issued in 

January 1990 for a 60-day public comment period ending on 

March 14. The final EIS/EIR is expected in June 1990. 

Viceroy Gold has purchased the YKL Ranch with plans to 

reroute access traffic from lvanpah Road (desert tortoise 

habitat) to Jessen impacts on this endangered species. 

Viceroy also has given The Nature Conservancy an option to 

purchase part of the ranch at Jess than fair market value for 

use as a natural preserve. 

Significant recontouring and reclamation have been completed 

at the Rattlesnake and Moonstar Mines with equipment 

removal and site clean up. A new BLM Ecologist was hired 

in March 1989 to assure reclamation compliance on all 

mineral and other permitted actions in the Scenic Area. 

BLM completed environmental assessments on six exploration 

projects proposed by mining companies. After completion of 

the exploration, required reclamation was successfully 

performed for all projects. 

N. Energy Production and Utility Corridors 

N-1 : The District adopted a 1988 Desert Conservation Area Plan 

amendment that relocates a utility corridor on the eastern 

edge of the Scenic Area and eliminates a •contingent• corridor 

through the center of the area, pursuant to the Scenic Area 

management plan. 

6 
l 

0. Fire ~anagement 

Fires in the Scenic Area burned a total of 48 acres with no 

ground impacts by suppression activities. 

P. Monitoring 

P-1: This summary serves as the first annual status report for the 

East Mojave National Scenic Area. It will be distributed during 

Fiscal Year 1990. 

P-2: Computers, plotters, and printers are now operational at 

Needles for a Geographic Information System. Data is being 

entered for eventual use in assessing environmental impacts 

and long range trends in use and resource conditions. 

7 
East Mojave National Scenic Area 

Fiscal Year 1990 Implementation Plan 

The East Mojave National Scenic Area management plan gives 

direction for preserving the unique quality of this area while 

providing for multiple use activities to continue. During Fiscal Year 

1990, BLM's Needles Resource Area staff will focus on visitor 

services, including recreation site plans, interpretive programs, and 

Ranger patrols, as well as many accomplishments in resources, 

ranging from reclamation compliance to habitat improvement and 

monitoring of endangered species. 

Fiscal Year 1990 plan implementation will include the following 

actions: 

8 

- Accelerate land acquisition and exchange on a priority 

basis and continue to acquire access easements along the 

Mojave Road. 

- Initiate resolution of unauthorized use, including 

identification of new cases and closure of several longterm occupancy cases. 

- Expand visitor services to increase public knowledge about 

BLM and the East Mojave National Scenic Area through a 

new guide, brochures, interpretive programs, and 

increased Ranger patrol and management presence. 

- Complete recreation project plans for one trail, Fort Piute, 

expansion of Mid Hills campground, and the Hole-in-theWall recreation site. 

- Begin construction on the new campground and access 

road at Hole-in-the-Wall, using a BLM work crew. 

- Initiate a Kelso Depot preplan analysis, the first step in a 

long-term project to determine its potential for use as a 

visitor center and to restore this historic structure. 

- Publish a final East Mojave Interpretive Plan. 

- Increase management and public awareness of Scenic 

Area accomplishments through its annual report and 

monthly updates. 

- Initiate removal of abandoned and visibly obtrusive range 

improvements, trash, and dumpsites, using a BLM crew 

and equipment. 

- Increase visitor use statistics available for planning efforts 

from the Public Area Recreation Visitor Survey. 
- Increase the monitoring and inventory program for cultural 

sites, riparian areas, springs, Wilderness Study Areas, and 

sensitive species, working to protect them and reduce 

impacts on them. 

- Begin developing a Geographic Information System 

database. 

- Continue strict reclamation compliance on mine sites within 

Wilderness Study Areas and on all other actions within 

the Scenic Area 

- Initiate a "Friends of the East Mojave National Scenic Area• 

volunteer group. 

9 
J, . "" 
-trU.S. GOVERNMENT PAINTING OFFICE: 1eeo-111-1.1211101 

Looking to the Future 

During its first full year of implementation, BLM has made a 

significant advance in fulfilling the actions proposed in the East 

Mojave National Scenic Area management plan. Although much 

remains to be done, the Bureau is encouraged by the support 

shown by Congress, organizations, and the general public for the 

management direction included in the plan. 

The Scenic Area plan recommended a doubling of the Needles 

Resource Area staff to ensure full plan implementation and increase 

visitor services. Thirteen new positions have been added to the 

staff, increasing it from 20 to 33 positions. Three of these are 

directly tied to the additional funding provided in the Interior 

Department's Fiscal Year 1989 appropriations bill through 

Congressman Jerry Lewis' efforts. BLM's Needles staff continues to 

experience some difficulties in attracting applicants for its positions 

due both to its isolated location and its somewhat unusual climate. 

The August 4, 1989, emergency listing of the desert tortoise as an 

endangered species introduced many new management 

requirements to the East Mojave as well as the remainder of the 

California Desert. BLM has always given attention to tortoise habitat 

and required mitigation to reduce impacts. But the Bureau must 

now formally consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about 

proposed actions that may impact the tortoise or its habitat, and 

receive its concurrence before the action may commence. This may 

result in delays in some projects, additional required mitigation 

measures for others, and even denial of some activities. An 

additional wildlife biologist will be added to the Needles staff during 

Fiscal Year 1990 to assist in tortoise-related projects. The desert 

tortoise will be an important aspect in many future management 

decisions. 

Visitor use in the East Mojave is rising rapidly, in part due to 

increased publicity in magazines and newspapers. With BLM's 

dispersed recreation program, accurate statistics needed to plan for 

increased visitor use (including future needs for recreation sites and 

facilities) are difficult to obtain. During Fiscal Year 1990, BLM will be 

working with the U.S. Forest Service to conduct a demographic 

study called a Public Area Recreation Visitor Survey to gather 

information on visitor profiles. In the meantime, the East Mojave 

plan did anticipate increased visitor use, and our facility 

developments are designed to try to keep pace with this growth. 

The East Mojave was designated as a National Scenic Area to 

ensure continuation of the uses and occupations that give the 

region its character, and yet give special emphasis to retaining its 

natural scenic qualities. As the plan states, "Its vastness, the open 

vistas, the loneliness is exudes, its beauty in a raw, untouched 

sense, and the past traces of man's touch, remain with each person 

in a different way.• BLM takes great pride in offering to the 

American public the opportunity to enjoy such a unique area in so 

many and varied ways. Please help us take care of it. 

11 
' 

~- ,:. ~· 

United States Department of the Interior 

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT 

NEEDLES RESOURCE AREA P.O. BOX 888 

NEEDLES. CALIFORNIA 92363-0888 

OFFICIAL BUSINESS 

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE. $300 

(I) 

POSTAGE AND FEES PAID U.S. DEPARTMENT 

OF THE INTERIOR 

INT415