‘Protection for the Desert’
Wilson may try to sell himself as an environmentalist to the voters of California, but his actions clearly call that into question with regard to Cranston’s bill. His stock response when questioned is that he is waiting to hear what the BLM says about it. Hasn’t he figured out yet that BLM officials don’t like it and they have already made their recommendations for which areas get wilderness status?
It is not surprising that BLM officials would oppose this legislation since it does delete 3.1 million acres from their jurisdiction and mandates more wilderness than they recommended. However, the California desert is clearly threatened, and the BLM plan is simply not adequate to provide real long-term protection for the desert. The desert plan has been considerably weakened since the Reagan Administration took office, and the BLM has allowed numerous abuses of public land to continue.
So to The Times, I say thank you and keep up your unwavering support of the California Desert Protection Act. To Wilson, it’s time to stand up for the future protection of our desert.
BOB McDOWELL
Chairman, Mojave Group
Sierra Club
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