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BLM PUBLIC MEETINGS Recreation Area Management
Plan (RAMP) The RAMP is a complex thing. To fully explain the RAMP would take too much time and space but a basic understanding of the process will make your input at public meetings more pertinent and meaningful. The Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) periodically develops plans for managing
the land and resources under their control. The last such plan for
the Dunes was published in July 1987 and it also included an Environmental
Assessment. To give you an idea of what the RAMP is all about here
are some quotes from that 1987 RAMP:
“The RAMP represents an overall strategy for utilizing
limited funding to meet the challenges of management in the Imperial
Sand Dunes through the year 2000, within the framework of the California
Desert Plan. The RAMP presents a coordinated implementation strategy
organized around five funding levels…”
“Through this coordinated and systematic approach,
the RAMP will establish a framework within the which the Bureau
can provide for a wide range of recreation opportunities while protecting
the sensitive resources of the Imperial Sand Dunes.” So, when it’s all boiled down, it’s just a plan, a management strategy. In 1987 the BLM planned for the next 13 years. Some of the things they planned for happened, some did not. Some things were unforeseen and not planned for, but then it’s just a plan not a crystal ball. Here’s another quote from the 1987 RAMP: “The developments proposed at any funding level will not occur unless the corresponding operations and maintenance, and resource protection measures for that level are also funded.” In plain language that means… if you don’t have the money when you need it you aren’t going to get what you plan for. Now, money is an issue unto itself. There’s appropriated funds, OHV grants, fees, green and red sticker fees and so on. Funding is a major issue. How funding is obtained is complex and too involved to go into here. Let's just leave it at this: if you are going to plan to do something you had better plan to get the money. The RAMP is a multi-year planning strategy. The can be viewed by clicking here. Prepared
by GlamisOnLine December, 2002 Permission is granted for the reproduction of this page. |