Sam Rybakov

(CN) — An environmental group is suing the California Department of Parks and Recreation for enacting a new rule allowing people to bring off-road vehicles into Red Rock Canyon State Park in the Mojave Desert.

“Should all of the western Mojave Desert be for off-road vehicles? Director Eileen Anderson said.

of lawsuitIt was filed in Sacramento County Superior Court on Friday.It violates state vehicle rules regarding off-road vehicles and violates a state law that requires the state government to protect California’s natural resources for the benefit of the public.

Anderson said the Bureau of Land Management owns the land surrounding the park and allows off-road enthusiasts to ride motorcycles, ATVs, and side-by-side to their heart’s content, but Red Rock Canyon State Park has been designated a special park by the state. is secured to Allowing the government to drive off-road vehicles on one of the park’s campgrounds and on two roads within the park would compromise visitors’ ability to enjoy the park.

“They have areas where they can go and ride wherever they want,” Anderson said of off-road vehicles.

Plaintiffs allege in their complaint that off-road vehicles, known as off-road legal vehicles and off-highway vehicles, also harm the park’s native flora and fauna, and the agency will investigate their impact more thoroughly. I had a need. flora and fauna.

In addition to unique and endangered plants with vivid names such as the Solitary Blazing Star, Red Rock Canyon Monkey Flower, and Death Valley Sandmat, the park is also home to desert turtles and mojave ground squirrels.

Desert tortoises, California’s official reptile, are also endangered under the California Endangered Species Act and are under review to determine whether they should be listed as endangered. It is also listed as an endangered species under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Plaintiffs allege that there is evidence that off-road vehicle routes have reduced turtle populations. indirectly through the influence of

The Mojave Ground Squirrel is listed under the state’s Endangered Species Act. Anderson added that there are quite a few squirrels living in and around the park. The lawsuit states that off-road vehicles “can lead to personal deaths, collapse of burrows, removal of shrubs used for cover, reduction of annual species used as fodder, and changes in soil structure.” says.

“It makes no sense to invite more off-road vehicles into this sensitive area without a commitment to monitor and limit these environmental harms,” ​​Anderson wrote in a statement. The conservation of this irreplaceable landscape should be a priority, not planned for destruction.”

Plaintiffs also allege that the department did not plan for the cumulative impact of climate change on the park.

“Climate change will only increase the impact of habitat loss and other impacts experienced today,” the lawsuit said.

The California Department of Parks and Recreation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.