Judge Shuts Mojave Desert Trails
A federal judge ordered the Bureau of Land Management to close several trails in the Mojave Desert to protect threatened desert tortoise populations. The ruling ends years of legal battles between environmental groups and the BLM, with recreation advocates arguing it will hurt adventure tourism while conservationists call it necessary for ecosystem protection.
- The ruling, issued by Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, specifically orders the closure of approximately 2,200 miles of off-highway vehicle (OHV) routes located within designated critical habitat for the desert tortoise. However, this still leaves about 3,800 miles of off-road routes and over 271,000 acres of "open areas" accessible to recreationists in the Western Mojave. - This decision is the culmination of a legal battle that has spanned nearly two decades. Environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, first sued the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over its West Mojave Plan in 2006, arguing it failed to protect local wildlife. - The desert tortoise was federally listed as a threatened species in 1990. Since the 1970s, some monitored tortoise populations in the West Mojave have declined by as much as 96%. Off-road vehicles are considered a major threat as they can collapse tortoise burrows, where the animals spend up to 95% of their lives. - In addition to vehicle-related threats, the tortoise population is also under pressure from increased predation by ravens, which are drawn to garbage left by humans, as well as habitat loss due to urban and industrial development. - The legal conflict escalated after the BLM's 2019 revision of its transportation plan, which added nearly 1,000 miles of new trails in the area. Judge Illston found that in creating this network, the BLM had violated environmental laws by failing to demonstrate how it minimized impacts to vulnerable species. - The Bureau of Land Management has until April 18, 2026, to appeal the decision. In the meantime, the agency is required to clearly mark the closed routes with signs and fencing and to implement a monitoring program to ensure public compliance. - Recreation advocates are concerned about the economic impact on small desert towns like Randsburg, whose economies are heavily reliant on OHV tourism. A 2003 study indicated that outdoor recreationists spent over $230 million in the Mojave region. - The judge has given the BLM until 2029 to develop a new and legally compliant network of OHV routes that adequately protects the desert tortoise population.
