West Mojave Plan FEIR/S - Desert Managers Group

Areas designated as regionally significant are identified as “known to contain a deposit ofminerals, the extraction of which is judged to be of prime importance in meeting future needs forminerals in a particular region of the state within which the minerals are located and which, ifprematurely developed for alternative land uses, could result in the permanent loss of mineralsthat are of more than local significance.” Pub. Res. Code Section 2726.Varous lands throughout the planning area have been designated as a “RegionallySignificant Construction Aggregate Resource Area” pursuant to the provisions of SMARA. Thedesignation of these lands has been codified in the California Code of Regulations, at Title 14,Section 3550.9. The designation process included substantial environmental review, andincluded the participation of Federal, State and local agencies.3.4.4 RecreationLocated only 90 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, the West Mojave is therecreational backyard of the metropolitan area’s 17 million residents, of whom nearly 2 millionparticipate in OHV activities and even greater number camp, hike or drive for pleasure. TheMojave Desert provides an easily accessible, uncrowded recreation experience. The manyrecreation opportunities of the West Mojave arise from the variety of its mountains, bajadas, drylakes and badlands, the diversity and affluence of its visitors and the sheer volume of space thatits landscape provides.The types of recreation are highly varied. Due to its vastness, many visitors feel a greaterfreedom from regulations that encourages them to try new forms of recreation while not havingto worry about bothering others. Given the scale of the desert and this sense of freedom, it is notsurprising that many of the recreational activities center around vehicles, speed events oractivities that require a great deal of acreage and separation from other visitors. These includemotorcycle activities, four wheel drive exploring, sight seeing, target shooting, hunting,experimental vehicles/aircraft, model rocketry, and dry land wind sailing. Many otherrecreational pursuits that don’t revolve around the recreational aspect of vehicle use are bynecessity (due to the distances involved) dependent upon motorized vehicles. Examples of thisinclude endurance equestrian rides and support vehicles, hiking, mountain biking, bird watching,botany, rockhounding, camping, and picnicking, for which vehicles are a means to accessvarious destinations.3.4.4.1 Patterns of UseAlthough most recreational activities are widely dispersed, certaom activities have “hotspots” that have been established over time. How or why they were established varies from caseto case, but may be due to the features (topography, geology) of the area, proximity to urbanareas, the availability of access into the area, and publicity. Understanding recreation patternsand hot spots is critical to the design of an effective motorized vehicle access network.Chapter 3 3-239