Closing Oregon
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a draft plan to close more than 90,000 acres to off-road-vehicle users in central Oregon, including a section called the Badlands that is subject to wilderness designation. The closure would prohibit all motorized vehicles on the last 10 miles of routes currently still open within the 32,000-acre Badlands. Another 40 miles of roads and trails are already closed. The off-highway-vehicle ban is part of the Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan, which will guide the long-term management of 400,000 acres of public land in central Oregon.
Government Agencies Join Forces in Colorado
In an unprecedented move, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service will work together to revise land management plans for the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. Management decisions for these 2.5 million acres of public land (1.8 million acres of national forest surrounded by 600,000 acres of BLM lands) will be in effect for the next 10 to 15 years. The agencies will address several major issues including off-road vehicle use, mineral rights, grazing, and timber harvesting. SEMA supports dialog between the government agencies but endorses strong local involvement in the decision-making process. Since some of the trails used by OHV enthusiasts are not officially inventoried, the government agencies should carefully consider the views of the local OHV community as they revise the travel management plans. The agencies want to issue a draft plan later this year and a final plan in 2006.
* Hummer has extended the warranty on all '06-and-newer models to 4 years/50,000 miles.
* Mitsubishi will begin offering SIRIUS Satellite Radio on the '06 Mitsubishi Raider.
* Nissan is now in an elite club of only six automakers to sell over a million vehicles in a year.
* According to The Car Connection, Land Rover is looking into adding an Aston Martin-based V-12 to power a range-topping Range Rover.