BLM seeks public comment for off-highway vehicle events

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments for a programmatic environmental assessment that will cover a range of special recreation permits for off-highway vehicle events in Nevada.

The development of this EA will aid BLM staff in responding to private party applications for off-highway vehicle events on BLM-administered land. The BLM is seeking public input about route locations and possible stipulations for issuing off-highway vehicle special recreation in portions of Washoe, Storey, Lyon, Douglas, Mineral, Churchill, Esmeralda, Nye and Lincoln counties.

“BLM invites input from the public to help inform our development of a programmatic environmental assessment to address special recreation permitting of off-highway vehicle events in various locations across Nevada,” said Tammy Owens, BLM Project Lead.

Public scoping will be open until May 19.

The planning area for the program is 28,712,700 acres. The programmatic EA will streamline the current SRP process for off-highway vehicle events and lower the cost burden for applicants who bring valuable economic income to the region, in addition to alleviating processing time for BLM staff.

Analysis in the programmatic EA will be limited to existing routes currently or previously used for off-highway vehicle events in the region, as well as new appropriate event OHV event routes suggested by the public. The programmatic EA will establish a set of standard stipulations and mitigation measures that will be applied to all events on the given routes.

Maps and a link to the Navigator page displaying the preliminary set of routes the BLM is currently considering for inclusion in the programmatic EA are available on the project planning page at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2024119/510 . The public is invited to review these maps to inform the requested input on routes and stipulations. General comments on this OHV SRP project are also welcome.

Please note that this is project will only make decisions about issuing OHV SRPs, and will not change travel management designations (i.e., establishing areas as open, closed, or limited to OHV use) or open/close any roads or trails in the project planning area to general public use and access.

Written input may be emailed to BLM_NV_SRP_EA@blm.gov, submitted online at the BLM’s Project ePlanning Site, or mailed to the BLM Nevada State Office, Attn: OHV Special Recreation Permit Project, 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno, NV 89502.

The BLM stated entire comments — including personal identifying information — may be made publicly available at any time. While commenters can request that personal identifying information be withheld from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.