PHOTOS: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar touts plan at Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area
Off-road enthusiasts race sand rails at Imperial Dunes Recreation Area in Imperial County. U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar toured the popular dunes to reassure off-roaders that motorized recreation fits in the Obama administration’s vision of “America’s Great Outdoors,” a conservation and health initiative that is heavy on land preservation.
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U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who grew up riding a dirt bike on the family farm, finds his sand rail stuck on a hill in Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. The Presidents Day weekend is one of the busiest times at the dunes, one of the more dangerous off-roading spots in the nation.
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U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar inside his buggy at the Imperial Sand Dunes. “When we talk about the great outdoors, this is the kind of recreation we are talking about,” Salazar told a group of off-road enthusiasts.
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After touring the scenic dunes, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, right, speaks with members of the American Sand Assn. and other local officials. Salazar was accompanied by Bob Abbey, director of the Bureau of Land Management.
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U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gives Glamis sand dunes ATV instructor Chuck Myers, left, and his students a thumbs up.
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A sand rail driver raises his vehicle onto two wheels, much to the crowd’s delight. The 200 square miles of sculpted bowls and sandy flats draws 1.3 million visitors a year, a significant economic engine in struggling Imperial County.
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Large crowds visit vendors’ row in Glamis as the popular off-road destination gets up to speed on the Presidents Day weekend.
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Paramedics load a young man into a helicopter with a severely broken leg after his dirt bike collided with a sand rail at Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. He was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Off-roaders watch as a young man is taken by helicopter to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs with a severely broken leg after his dirt bike collided with a sand rail. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
