Mojave Trails National Monument Subgroup of the Desert Advisory Council

Mission

The California Desert District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages roughly 12 million acres of public  land in Southern California. These lands include sandy washes, remote canyons, riparian areas, rocky peaks and historic and archaeological sites.

• The MTNM Subgroup will explore, understand, and advise the DAC on the progress of the development of the monument management plan for the MTNM. The MTNM Subgroup will bring the public perspective to the planning effort and be central to the public outreach efforts on the plan.
• This Subgroup will provide recommendations to the BLM through the DAC.
• The BLM and the DAC will seek applicants for this subgroup.

Goals

• MTNM Subgroup members will become fully aware of the various MTNM plan issues and considerations.
• MTNM Subgroup members will share their understanding of the planning issues with their representative constituents to gain public perceptions and possible resolutions.
• MTNM Subgroup members will provide transparency to the public interested in the planning process.
• MTNM Subgroup members will provide recommendations to the DAC regarding the MTNM Management Plan process and the DAC can share those recommendations with the BLM.

Expertise Needed from Members

Members of the Subgroup will be nominated by the DAC chair, selected by the DAC and concurred with by the BLM. The applicants will have demonstrated interest and should have expertise in MTNM combined with one or more of the following areas:

• Recreation Management (including hiking, OHV, hunting, rockhounding, photography, and back country exploration)
• Resource Management
• Environmental Education
• Local Government
• Geology/Natural Sciences
• Gem and Mineral Collection
• Cultural/Historic Preservation
• Livestock Grazing

The group will consist of 7-9 members, with at least one member from the DAC.

Term

The subgroup would serve for the duration of the planning effort which is anticipated to be approximately two years.  Once the plan is complete the subgroup will be disbanded.

Selection of Members and Election of Officers

Interested persons may submit applications to BLM per the application form. BLM submits applications to DAC chair for nomination, and approval is by the DAC. The DAC chair selects the Subgroup chair, and the Subgroup may vote annually to choose vice chair.

Meeting Schedule

The subgroup meeting schedule will be determined by the subgroup and BLM dependent upon the planning process.  Meeting will primarily be virtual unless field visits are necessary to understand specific issues to be addressed.  Subgroup members will be encouraged to attend public scoping and outreach meetings.

Process for Reporting to DAC

Subgroup prepares summary of meetings, subgroup chair submits report to DAC chair, and DAC chair distributes to DAC members (and BLM posts on DAC website for public) with 14-day comment period before forwarding report with any comments to BLM. (Note: the comment period does not preclude BLM field staff from taking interim action where information from the DAC subgroup or other sources indicates more immediate action is needed.)