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Jacked Up, Oldsmobile Doubles, Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000

Glamis 2000: Thanksgiving Weekend

For once, the weather was almost perfect, and duners bathed in golden desert sunshine.

However, many were also bathed in the blue and red lights of BLM law enforcement vehicles as they were stopped on the sand and cited for just about every imaginable violation. Some wonder at the BLM's micromanagement of safety and traffic issues, while failing to intervene when a fight with racial overtones broke out on Competition Hill Saturday night.

This was the first major weekend after the recent decision by the BLM to close down a major part of the dunes, and many were waiting to see what the outcome would be.

Since the discovery of an endangered species known as the Peirson's milkvetch in the dunes, environmentalists led by the Sierra Club have led efforts to close the Glamis recreational area down.

Time-honored compromise shattered

The environmentalists' recent success has led this year to the first breach of the time-honored compromise between environmentalists and off-roaders. The Glamis recreational area has always been divided in the middle, along Highway 78, with the area north of the highway set aside as a wilderness preserve, and the area south allocated for motorized vehicle recreation.

This arrangement has survived in the face of numerous attempts to change it, including the infamous Cranston S-7 and S-11 bills during the Reagan and Bush years. What they failed to accomplished in Congress has at last been accomplished in the courts, and the BLM has more or less been forced to close about half of the dune area "temporarily."

What will happen in this matter remains to be seen. The BLM is consulting with the US Fish and Wildlife Service about the best course of action. The text of their flyer and a map of the closure are located here. Possible outcomes include total closure of the recreational area to motorized vehicles. With the total power of the Endangered Species Act behind them, they have almost unilateral power following the out-of-court settlement.

One thing to watch: The decision may occur before January 20, 2001, because the outgoing administration would be more likely to approve of a complete closure than the incoming Bush administration.

Thanksgiving 2000: Photos

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 01-18 *ADDED 26 NOV 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 19-36 *ADDED 26 NOV 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 37-54 *ADDED 26 NOV 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 55-72 *ADDED 26 NOV 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 73-90 *ADDED 26 NOV 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 91-108 *ADDED 02 DEC 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 109-126 *ADDED 06 DEC 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 127-144 *ADDED 07 DEC 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 145-162 *ADDED 08 DEC 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 163-180 *ADDED 13 DEC 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 181-198 *ADDED 15 DEC 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 199-216 *ADDED 16 DEC 2000*

Glamis, Thanksgiving 2000: Pictures 217-234 *ADDED 18 DEC 2000*

18 DEC 2000

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