DEATH VALLEY, CA - Death Valley National Park is applying for grant funding to address damage done by off-road driving and to prevent off-road driving in the park. National Park Service staff seek the public’s ideas and comments at an open house on Feb. 18, 2020 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Furnace Creek Visitor Center.
Death Valley National Park encompasses over 3.4 million acres of exposed desert with roughly 93% of this land designated as wilderness. This designation protects the pristine nature of the landscape in part by prohibiting the use of vehicles within it. Unfortunately, over 130 miles of vehicle tracks have been recorded off roads within the park boundaries, much of them in wilderness.
The park is requesting funding from the State of California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division to restore landscapes damaged by prohibited off-highway vehicle incursions on park lands. The OHMVR Division distributes a portion of off-highway vehicle registration fees collected to federal and state agencies for use in off-highway vehicle related actions including protection and restoration.
National park staff are hosting a public meeting to gain ideas and comments from the public that could be incorporated into the grant application. Interested parties are invited to attend anytime from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. The main exhibits will be closed at that time; please enter the multipurpose room through an exterior door near the restrooms.
The park will submit its preliminary grant application to the OHMVR Division. The public will then be able to comment on all agencies’ preliminary applications from March 3 to May 4, 2020. For more information about the state grant process and requirements, visit the OHMVR Division website at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov.
For more information about Death Valley National Park’s proposal, to submit ideas, or if you have special needs for accommodation to participate in this open house, please contact Ali Ainsworth at (760) 786-3232 or email at alison_ainsworth@nps.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
