Trash collection at Dunes to end Feb. 1
An issue as simple as trash collection could mean significant changes at Imperial County off-road recreation sites.
Imagine the amount of trash produced by everyone living in Imperial County over a three day weekend. Now imagine all that trash at the 22,000 acre ISDRA with no dumpsters, and no one to haul it away.
In an action that could drastically change off-road activity at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA), the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced it will remove trash dumpsters, and not collect trash at the site after Feb. 1.
To view a map of the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, click HERE
That announcement has local civic leaders and elected officials very concerned. At Tuesday's Imperial County Board of Supervisors' meeting, the board adopted a resolution vowing to contact the State Director of the BLM and voice their opposition to the removal of the dumpsters, and to urge the BLM to look for funding to keep dumpsters and trash service at the dunes.
While it may not seem that the removal of trash dumpsters could pose a threat to the recreation use of the dunes, Imperial County Supervisor Wally Leimgruber said the sheer number of people who use the dunes requires a safe, sanitary waste removal program.
People who visit Glamis and Buttercup will have to haul their trash out after Feb. 1.
"The public needs to be aware that there are more visitors in the sand dune recreational area on our six major holiday weekends than the entire population of Imperial County," said Leimgruber.
To illustrate the problem another way, imagine the amount of trash produced by everyone living in Imperial County over a three day weekend. Now imagine all that trash at the 22,000 acre ISDRA with no dumpsters, and no one to haul it away.
The situation has the potential to be an environmental disaster, and local officials hope an intensive education campaign will motivate people who use the dunes to pack out their trash, and also not toss it in the first dumpster they see as they go through Brawley or Calipatria. Officials in those cities are concerned that's exactly what will happen.
As in many other instances where the declining economy dictates a decrease in service, the BLM now says the cost of trash disposal is something the agency can no longer afford.
"The collection of trash dumpsters is paid for out of money collected through recreation fees," said Public Affairs Specialist David Briery of the BLM. "The 2007-2008 season, because of rising fuel costs, brought about dwindling fee revenues. These factors combined to price the service out of range. As a result, beginning Feb. 1, 2009, trash service will no longer be available, so we are asking people to do the right thing and pack your trash home."
But some local officials are concerned some users won't do the right thing.
"I believe that there is a certain element of user that will not adhere to that philosophy," said Nicole Nicholas Gillis, president of United Desert Gateway (UDG), a non-profit group that promotes responsible recreational use of the dunes.
Briery noted that , after Feb. 1, leaving trash at the dunes will be a crime.
"We are always concerned when people break the law," Briery said. "Littering is against the law. So we'll have to make a reassessment on what additional measures we have to take if large numbers of people break the law."
County officials are concerned how the change will impact how the dunes are used. Off-road racing is a big business in Imperial County There is a user fee charged for the ISDRA, anywhere from $120 for the entire season to $25 for a weekend pass. The BLM gets the money and the distributes is to the vendors. The county also receives funding to offset the cost of law enforcement and emergency medical services. The BLM says paying for law enforcement and emergency personnel at the dunes is more important that providing dumpsters and hauling waste.
The popular off road site generates millions of dollars in sales tax revenues and user fees from people who flock to the area from throughout Southern California and Arizona to race up and down the dunes on motorcycles and in sand buggies. People who use the dunes also buy gas and food in Imperial County, adding to sales tax revenue. According to a study by the UDG, more than 1,450,000 people visit the ISDRA each year. The study also said visitors to the dunes generate between $180 million and $310 million , but it's unclear how much of that money stays here in Imperial County.
Leimgruber says the county will keep looking for sources of funding for trash disposal at the dunes.
"We are going to continue to seek funding to have these receptacles in place," Leimgruber said. "The current provider has stated that it is only about a $400,000 cost annually. Those monies can either be appropriated by the federal government, by congress, or the budget is found somewhere in the BLM to continue this service in our county."
But Leimgruber added the county did not have the funding to provide the dumpsters, which are all located on federal land.
And there is a larger concern for some local officials. If trash collection is stopped at the site, and the area experiences significant environmental degradation, Gillis says the possibility exists that entire area could be shut down.
"I'm afraid that trash on the ground is going to close the dunes, that's my personal opinion," Gillis said.
To view the United Desert Gateway Website, Click HERE
To View the BLM Imperial Dunes Website, Click HERE