According to a California off-road watchdog group, the
federal Bureau of Land Management recently lost about $100,000, in a
bungled scheme to charge parking fees in the dunes.
To recap, the BLM contracted with a private party to make money by charging
parking fees on the sand. In association with the Fee Demonstration Program,
-- a use-fee program authorized by Congress -- everyone who parked a car
at Glamis or Buttercup would pay $10 to $30. The money collected was to be
split evenly between Universal Parking Inc. (who provides the ATM-type
collection stations), and the BLM.
However, according to the guarantee in the contract, if the revenues fail
to meet projections, the private contractor still gets his money. In that
situation, the BLM cuts a check for the shortfall -- not so dumb
from the contractor's viewpoint, but for the rest of us, an extremely bad
deal -- just like the infamous Chargers stadium pact with the city
of San Diego.
Seduced by visions of unlimited funding from the duners, the BLM was instead
forced to pay about $100,000 after the scheme backfired (CORVA, Vol. 12 issue
5, October 1999). This $100,000 would have ordinarily been available for
necessities in the Dunes. To pay the bill, BLM apparently drew from
Green Sticker Fund monies.
Payoff drawn from Green Sticker
Funds
After 20 years, the Green Sticker money is a still a sore point for
California off-roaders. It is cash paid by off-roaders to the state
of California. This is cash the BLM claimed it didn't have, when it justified
the parking scheme in the first place. Withheld for 20 years, the off-road
community had to finally sue California to get it spent on off-roading purposes.
The money was then given to the BLM in the full faith that it will be
used for the responsible upkeep of off-roading areas. That the BLM is wasting
this money in a sickening and suspicious payoff demonstrates their total
disregard for the off-road community. In any event, such hideous mismanagement
of these monies is certain to discourage further funding of the dunes by
California.
Table 1. Winner and Losers, Fee Demonstration Program, Glamis
Implementation.
| The Winner |
The Losers |
| Universal
Parking Inc. |
Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Land
Management |
|
Users of the Imperial Valley Sand
Dune Recreation Area |
|
The Taxpayers of the United States
of America |
|
All Registered Owners of California
Off-Road Vehicles |
|
Final losses could exceed $1
million
The $100,000 loss may be only the beginning. The contract stipulates that
upon early termination, the BLM must pay $1 million. In any event, the BLM
must soon cut more checks unless revenue rises suddenly and dramatically.
In light of all this, it is plain the recent
increase in citation-writing activity
may have been an attempt to recover some of the BLM's losses by shaking down
the duners. However, the tougher the BLM cracks down, the less law-abiding
citizens will feel inclined to go, thus reducing the numbers of duners the
Rangers can reliably extort.
The new laws the BLM is enforcing have been enacted "for our own safety,"
but as the atmosphere in the Dunes changes from fun to fear, many duners
also begin to fear for the safety of their wallets and reputations.
