Off-Roaders’ Suit Over Desert Dunes Is Rejected

A federal judge has sided with environmentalists in their fight with off-road enthusiasts over whether sections of the Algodones Dunes in Imperial County should be closed to off-road vehicles.

U.S. District Judge Rudi Brewster has rejected a lawsuit brought by the American Sand Assn. and other off-roaders that asserted that the Department of the Interior acted improperly when it closed sections of the dunes. The department’s Bureau of Land Management made the decision under pressure from environmentalists who believe the government has not done enough to protect the Peirson’s milk vetch, the desert tortoise and other endangered species.