Better Together: BLM and California State Parks continue strong partnership on law enforcement

Ranger at Imperial Sand Dunes (Jesse Pluim, BLM)

By Aaron Titus, BLM State Chief Ranger, Southern California

In the California Desert District, the collaboration between Bureau of Land Management (BLM) law enforcement professionals and California State Park Peace Officers (Rangers/Lifeguards) spans decades. BLM and California State Parks public lands are often intermixed—sharing boundary lines and holding common recreational opportunities. Diverse terrain and unmatched off-highway vehicle riding opportunities in southern California provide a unique riding experience and deliver exceptional recreational opportunities to locals and visitors alike. BLM and State Parks rangers possess unique skillsets that support each agency’s operations and complement each other in the completion of their law enforcement missions. This longstanding, strong law enforcement partnership between the BLM and State Parks rangers ensures continued visitor safety, enhances the protection of incredible natural and cultural resources, and helps sustain these distinct landscapes for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

Vehicles at Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (BLM Photo).

The strong partnership between the law enforcement teams of the BLM and State Parks enhances the protection of the natural resources, public, and staff across the desert landscape. For more than a decade, the BLM has assisted State Parks with the annual Tierra Del Sol event in Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area (OWSVRA). This partnership is key to providing a safe experience for visitors. In addition to Tierra Del Sol , BLM Rangers routinely assist State Parks in more remote locations, such as the Salton Sea State Recreation Area and State Park lands near Indio Hills in the Coachella Valley. BLM Rangers check property boundaries for incursions and other illegal activity, respond to assist State Park rangers that are typically without additional law enforcement support, and act as a general force multiplier.

California State Parks supports the BLM as an integral asset to several BLM events and teams throughout the year in southern California. State Parks provided support to the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting efforts to combat the illegal cultivation and trafficking of marijuana on public lands, both federal and state. State Parks also provides about 10 to 17 highly skilled law enforcement rangers to the annual King of the Hammers, a special recreation permitted off-road race event in the Barstow Field Office, which has increased in size and complexity over the years. State Park rangers can also be counted on to assist the BLM with a variety of calls for service throughout the riding season in the west desert of the BLM’s El Centro Field Office and are quick to respond to calls for back up, medical emergencies, and other law enforcement incidents.

BLM patrol motorcycle and Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area sign (BLM photo).

BLM Law Enforcement Rangers have the challenge of protecting a vast amount of BLM-managed land across the California desert and could not successfully do the job without partners like California State Parks. The BLM and State Parks are better together, complementing and enhancing each other’s law enforcement teams and working to protect public safety and conserve the irreplaceable landscapes we manage.

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