BLM seeks public input on new Cahuilla Ranger Station
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EL CENTRO, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) El Centro Field Office is seeking public input on the proposed replacement of the Cahuilla Ranger Station located at 4500 Gecko Road, Brawley in Imperial County. The new facility would better serve the needs of the public as well as BLM emergency medical staff, law enforcement, and park rangers. The current 2,200 square-foot facility, which also serves as a visitor center for the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA) was built in the 1980’s. Visitation to the ISDRA has steadily increased since the visitor center was built creating a need for more space for safety personnel and staff.
"The Cahuilla Ranger Station plays an important role in ensuring the safety and well-being of the public who visit the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area,” said El Centro Field Office Manager Ryan Chatterton. “We look forward to the public participating in a new facility that will better meet the needs of our visitors and our employees."
The proposed action includes the removal of all current structures and debris, and replacement with a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant facility better suited for current and future needs, in addition to improved parking for both visitors and BLM staff. The 30-day public scoping period will close on Friday, July 31.
Construction of the new facility is expected to begin in the summer of 2021 on the existing site of roughly 120,000 square feet of land and include the building, parking, and storage. The current proposal consists of a new 12,500 square-foot ranger station designed to accommodate a visitor services reception area, restrooms, first aid area, maintenance workshop, an administration staff area, break rooms, showers and lockers, and an employee sleeping area, among other facilities. The new station would also provide enough open space to brief up to 150 people in a climate-controlled environment while providing space to adequately serve the public.
Public scoping is an important part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and will help the BLM determine relevant issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis. Substantive public comments received will be considered during the preparation of an Environmental Assessment, which will analyze the site-specific impacts of the proposed action on various resources which may be affected. Questions and substantive public scoping comments may be submitted by email to: aswilliams@blm.gov; or by fax to 760-337-4490, Attn: Alexia Williams; or by mail to: Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Alexia Williams, 1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243, no later than July 31, 2020. More details about the project can be found here: https://go.usa.gov/xwuZH.
Before including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses or other personal identifying information in a comment, commenters should be aware that the entire comment, including personal identifying information, could be made publicly available at any time. While the public may ask the BLM to withhold personal identifying information from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee it will be able to do so.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.