LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Nov 11, 2011 21:11:04 GMT -5
Say goodbye to Cady Mtns, Lavic, Hector and many more great rock hounding sites. Your government just took more land away from us. Soon the only place in CA that you can go rock hounding is off the shoulders on the highways. Warning, the CHP will give you a ticket for pulling off the side of the road.
Edited version of local newspaper article:
"The Obama administration Thursday called on Congress to pass sweeping public lands legislation that incorporates pending bills that would protect more than a million acres in Southern California.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s bill to create a vast national monument across San Bernardino County’s high desert, legislation would bar development on more than a million acres in the Mojave Desert and northwest of Palm Springs. The largest component is the 941,000-acre Mojave Trails National Monument, encompassing dry lakes, mountain ranges and other terrain on both sides of Interstate 40, south of the Mojave National Preserve.
“It has one of the longest stretches of Route 66 going through an iconic Mojave Desert landscape,” Myers said. “It looks like what the West used to be like. It has volcanic cones, lava flows and the Amboy Crater.”
The White House’s push for protection of public land came a week after Salazar proposed 285,417 acres in the West — more than half in Riverside County — to become solar energy development zones.
San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, who represents the Mojave Trails area, said he is skeptical of the protection plan.
He said he hasn’t taken a position on Feinstein’s bill, but added that a monument would curtail mining and energy development and prohibit motor vehicle travel in a vast area.
“The federal government already owns more lands than it can afford to properly manage,” said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
Since 1964, Congress has designated 8.7 million acres of BLM land as wilderness areas, which are off limits to development and vehicles."
What irks me is people keep re-electing these bozos into office!!!!!
LarryS
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,490
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Post by Sabre52 on Nov 11, 2011 21:58:42 GMT -5
Yeah, this has been a Feinstein project for quite awhile. BlM has already been pretty aggressive about the Mojave and has been cutting off access for years for various reasons. I rock hounded the Cadys for forty years and more and more roads and campsites have been placed off limits ad lets face it, you can't hike that far from your car in the desert so if you can't drive in you can't get in period. Just another example of big government intervention. Can't say it's all the fault of the government though. Folks have been trashing the area, running mobile meth labs, doing illegal off roading and cutting illegal new roads, killing wildlife and illegally engaging in commercial collecting. All these things just give the government an excuse to close new areas all the time. Another case of the few spoiling it for the many. The point that the government owns more than they can manage is well taken as it's so true. In forty years I never saw a ranger in the area. Maybe instead of closing land the government owns, they should sell some to balance the budget and create more private land stewardship. It sucks when our own politicians, to make themselves a name, take public land that is supposed to be for public use and close it to the public....Mel
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Post by paulshiroma on Nov 11, 2011 23:42:18 GMT -5
That was really depressing news, Larry. However, I'm in complete agreement with you. Our state is full of Eco-Nazi's and we end up with "winners" like Feinstein and Boxer who believe it is their duty to "protect" you and take care of you. REMEMBER, according to people like Feinstein and Boxer, the general electorate is too stupid to take care of themselves.
I'm moving to Arizona.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Nov 12, 2011 0:53:45 GMT -5
Mel, I've been an active 4 wheeler & desert rat my whole life. I've seen the countryside go down hill over the years and it's primarily around the paved roads where it's easy access to all the weekend warriors. Land closure started with Senator Alan Cranston back in the 80's. Boxer & Feinstein picked up where he left off. Morons never been out in the wilderness and will do anything to please the liberal tree huggers. One thing I've always mentioned to friends & family on this issue, what about the elderly & handicapped? They can't drive down the desert dirt roads to visit these areas anymore. Should sue the government for discrimination. The rail roads laid new track in recent years and tore out all the crossings. I'm sure the BLM had something to do with it because that is one way they can close huge sections of land. The new crossings have locked gates with no trespassing signs. Yeah, they're protecting OUR land! I use to enjoy living in CA, born & raised here for 58 years. I want to move so bad. A lot of friends and co-workers have moved to Texas to get away from all the crap in CA. You have a lot of rocks there?!?! This picture was taken in 1972 at the Kelso dump. My high school buddies and I use to play in the East Mojave before I-40 was built. All the secondary roads were dirt. Nobody abused the desert and 4 wheel drive was required to drive on all the old mine roads. We're living proof that man can survive on Budweiser alone with little food. Survivor Man & Bear Grills are a bunch of wimps! What ruined the deserts is the invention of the ATV. Someday we can tell our grandkids "I remember when we use to drive out in the desert, go camping and collect rocks."  P.S. Governor Moon Beam is back! LarryS |
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Post by jakesrocks on Nov 12, 2011 13:19:31 GMT -5
Hey Larry, you can always move to South Dakota or one of the other northern plains states. That's what I did to get away from Pelosi, Feinstein, Boxer and the likes of them. Still lots of wide open hounding land up this way, if you don't mind the winter snow and an occasional hurricane. Beats that shaky ground out there, and the California legal Illegals taking over everything.
Don
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Nov 12, 2011 13:52:19 GMT -5
Ed,
Oh yeah, I've been visiting Desert USA since it started. Great info there.
Don,
I can get a job tomorrow both in North & South Dakota tomorrow. Have lots of x-working companions who moved there and are trying to get me to move. I was laid off in August because my company was smart and moved to Iowa. I would leave in a second but I'm carrying for my 85 year old parents now. They know as soon as they pass away, consider me gone. I'll remember to take the American flag with me!
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Post by jakesrocks on Nov 12, 2011 14:01:58 GMT -5
I hear ya Larry. My mother was all that kept my wife and me in So. Cal. Not long after she passed, we moved up here to be near the wifes parents. Ya won't see any Mexican flags up this way. We tear them down.
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Post by catmandewe on Nov 13, 2011 23:21:29 GMT -5
They are trying to cut down on the Claude Dallas types for when they try to instigate marshal law.
If they close off large areas of land then there is less areas for the loners to hide out in.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Nov 14, 2011 10:09:05 GMT -5
I guess you can consider me a loner. Reason for owning Jeeps my whole life. Not to climb the mountain but to drive around it and get to the other side, far, far away from all the idiots. Getting too old to walk now. Guess I'll have to buy a helicopter?!?!
The other night on the Military Channel they mentioned little unknown trivia about George S. Patton. While his motorcade was crossing the Rhine, he ordered them to hault midway across the bridge. He got out of the Jeep and peed into the river. He yelled at the reporters "I always wanted to do that." Anybody have Feinstein’s home address?
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Post by jakesrocks on Nov 14, 2011 10:50:04 GMT -5
I have visions of a burning brown paper sack on Feinstein's front porch.
Hey Larry, for the last few years I've been kicking around an idea for an off road Hoveround for us old folks. Powered by a Harley Sportster engine instead of batteries.
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Post by stoner on Nov 16, 2011 0:30:25 GMT -5
All I have to say is, Laws are made to be broken!
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Nov 16, 2011 11:48:15 GMT -5
Here is a BLM map of what use to be YOUR desert, dated November 2011. It does not list the proposed monument. Not much left. www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/pa/energy/application_maps.Par.30605.File.dat/cdd_application_map.pdfDepressing. I just e-mailed the BLM office in Barstow asking the outcome of Lavic & other rock hounding sites in the area. We'll see if they reply. Funny thing happened about a year ago while at Lavic. We were buzzed by a security helicopter from the Marine base. We were doing everything legal, had current maps & GPS. We were a couple hundred yards from the base border and couldn't figure it out. They circled over head for about 15 minutes. It was obvious we were rock hounds because we were carrying bucks and picking up rocks. Maybe it's off limits now and the BLM are doing their usual and not telling anybody. LarryS |
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Post by jakesrocks on Nov 16, 2011 12:00:23 GMT -5
Welcome to Southern California. Owned and operated by the federal government.
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grayfingers
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575 
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Post by grayfingers on Nov 16, 2011 12:34:30 GMT -5
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Nov 16, 2011 13:16:31 GMT -5
This is depressing. Southern utah is going the same way. There are proposals to lock up another 9 million more acres here on top of all of the national parks and other wilderness/protected lands currently established.
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