Martinez Canyon Closure

goodtimes

Expedition Poseur
Post stolen from mud.

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This is an " E " mail from Sandy McCullen ASA4WDC Association stating the closure of Martinez Canyon..We need to help to mantain this great trail open at any cost..Here is the letter...


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Fellow OHV recreationist........
Below is a sample letter to the Tucson BLM Field Office regarding their intended closure of Martinez Canyon. It's IMPORTANT we deliver HUNDREDS of letters on their desks in the next couple of days. Francisco's agenda has been to close this canyon for several years so this has finally given him the ability to do so.

An EMERGENCY CLOSURE does not require public scoping.

PLEASE use this letter or write your own and delete parts that don't apply to you, but if we want to keep Martinez Canyon open to our use we need to take the bull by the horns and send your letter NOW. Don't let "the other guy do it". YOUR letter will count! BE PRECISE BUT PLEASE BE POLITE.

Please do not just "forward"............ Send as an independent letter. Cut and paste into another email but don't show "where you received the sample" or "who forwarded the information to you" etc.

We CAN make a difference. Please forward this to everyone you know…….

Sandee

Francisco_Mendoza@blm.gov Tucson Planner
Patrick_Madigan@blm.gov Tucson Field Manager
Bill_Gibson@blm.gov State OHV Coordinator
Julie_Decker@blm.gov State Resources Coordinator
Mike_Taylor@blm.gov State Resources Deputy Director
Bill_Civish@blm.gov Tucson District Manager
Anna_Atkinson@blm.gov D.C. OHV Coordinator



August _____, 2006



Bureau of Land Management
Tucson Field Office
12661 E. Broadway
Tucson, AZ 85748-7208

ATTENTION: Mr. Patrick Madigan, Field Manager

Dear Mr. Madigan,

I am a member of __________________________ (AZOHVC; club; group etc) representing _______________ (number of members.. AZOHVC is now over 11,000.)

I have been recreating, hunting, camping and enjoying our backcountry for ______ years and the Martinez Canyon area is important to me and my family in both recreation opportunities and history of our state.

I am writing this in response to a recent notice involving Martinez Canyon. I was dismayed to hear of the damage done to the Cabins but was equally dismayed to hear BLM is strongly considering an “emergency closure” as a result.

“Emergency Closures” tend to become permanent. I am requesting some mitigation steps be considered before closure.

The BLM Volunteer “Red Shirts” have offered numerous solutions in the past and I would hope these steps be considered again. 5-6 Years ago BLM was offered the services, at no cost to BLM, of a structural engineer to evaluate the stabilization of the cabin and the OHV community offered to supply the workers and materials to do what was needed. It was also felt that interpretative signs telling the history of the canyon would bring “responsibility and ownership” from the users. None of this was ever accepted by BLM. We are now in a situation that OHV are paying the penalty for damage by other than OHV. Because of the intimation of the OHV being to blame for the destruction certainly doesn’t lend itself to partnerships between BLM and the OHV community. This area has been a local party spot (RAVE parties and drugs) for several years. The defacing of the historical cabin was not done by OHV. The bold writing on every wall in the cabin was done by an environmental “BLM Volunteer”. Your office staff know of this incident………… has he been banned?

The “BLM Red Shirt Volunteers” are those that do clean-ups; install kiosks and signs; obtain and offer these materials to BLM at no cost; we offer to Adopt trails and help with monitoring and maintenance; many of our OHV folks are now Site Stewards……… we do this and still are the only recreationists denied access to a beautiful canyon because of our choice of transportation or recreation?

I believe gating and permits for access to this canyon was recommended some time ago. I’m assuming if this canyon is closed to motorized use it will be gated at the entrance. Why could this not be a gate allowing for permitted access only. This would give BLM knowledge of who and when there is access to the canyon; it would turn the party crowd away and allow time to join together and evaluate the cabins and hopefully do stabilization work and put together a “history story” of the area. Closing access to OHV is certainly not a way to build collaborative partnerships nor trust between BLM and the OHV Community.

It is respectfully requested BLM meet with the OHV Community leaders to discuss reaching an acceptable approach to this problem before decision of closure is made.

Thank you for your consideration.

*Name
*Address
Phone
Email

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I don't have any information on the closure, this was posted on www.nissan4wheelers.com and I assume is making it's way through the 4 wheeling community as it was posted there by a Jeep owner (Alacran, or Dennis, if you know him- good guy).

-Spike

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This is all I have heard about it, but to be honest, I have been rather "disconnected" from the off road world for most of the past year (due to life happening). Has anyone heard anything about it?
 

Scott Brady

Founder
I am not surprised by the closure.

There has been MASSIVE DESTRUCTION to that canyon over the last 10 years, including looting of artifacts, spray painting, damage to historic buildings, driving off-trail through the riparian area, etc. And these are off highway recreationists that are doing it. No one is hiking back in that canyon to loot and destroy.

It is not the responsible 4wd owner or club member that caused the trail closure, it is the tens of thousands of wildcat 4wheelers and ATV riders that have destroyed that area.

We will continue to have more closures and destruction to the areas we love until our public land within easy access (a few hours) of the major cities are locked down to only stickered, insured and street legal vehicles.

Rant off
 

Ursidae69

Traveller
According to TTORA they will not be closing it.

http://www.tacomaterritory.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43995

In my opinion, the BLM should gate it off and require groups to have a permit to go to the cabins and do the loop. That would cut down on the problem. The people I've ran that trail with are not the problem, it's the folks who don't even own a computer, or a dental plan, that have 4x4s that are the problem.
 

seth_js

Explorer
Well, it's not an official OHV area, just a big chunk of state, NFS (Tonto), and BLM land that is VERY popular with quads, bikes, and 4x4's. It's close proximity to Phoenix is one of the reasons its so popular. It's got tons of trails, everything from 2wd to 5+ rock crawling. The particular trail mentioned goes through a canyon that was heavily mined in the early 1900's, with some historical buildings still standing.

On another note, there is a cool article in January '97 Arizona Highways interviewing the last guy to live in the cabins. First his family lived in the adobe house (which is about to fall over, prompting the closure). Then they built the red cabin in 1947 (pretty sure that's right). Anyways, I've got the mag if any one wants to check it out.
 

Scott Brady

Founder
When I first went back there (over 10 years ago), everything was perfect, even the overhead belts were in place at the mill. Rail tracks and everything. Going into the mine would reveal candle holders and the tracks, etc.

That is all gone and destroyed. I don't even go back there because of the rate of destruction and looting. Breaks my heart...
 

calamaridog

Expedition Leader
expeditionswest said:
When I first went back there (over 10 years ago), everything was perfect, even the overhead belts were in place at the mill. Rail tracks and everything. Going into the mine would reveal candle holders and the tracks, etc.

That is all gone and destroyed. I don't even go back there because of the rate of destruction and looting. Breaks my heart...

It sounds like it sucks however the term "emergency closure" is just government speak for "we failed". We failed to manage the area, people have "ruined" it, and now we are going to shut it down completely.

Sorry, but this is the trend everywhere. If you provide some OHV "parks", most of these wildcat riders will flock to them like mosquitos to the blue light. The subsequent reduction in problems in adjacent areas should result.

Throw in a healthy dose of law enforcement and I believe it will work. Right now there are 200 BLM Law Enforcment officers to patrol 260+ million acres of BLM land.

This is my theory anyways. Now where is the funding for these vital government agencies???
 

flyingwil

Supporting Sponsor - Sierra Expeditions
seth_js said:
.... The particular trail mentioned goes through a canyon that was heavily mined in the early 1900's, with some historical buildings still standing....

Ummm 1 less now.... it is a shame. If they close it we are out a lot, but it is a two sided coin, and has it's pros too.
 

Ursidae69

Traveller
calamaridog said:
Now where is the funding for these vital government agencies???

Iraq.

I work at a DOE facility and since 2003 our funding has been cut dramatically, it's not just BLM, every egency except DoD has been cut. I'm sure the Department of Agriculture (USFS) and Department of Interior (USGS, NPS, BLM, USFWS) will get funding after eveyone else.
 
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