SHAPE THE FUTURE OF OHV IN CA - ATTEND COMMISSION MEETING ON DEC. 3

 

SHAPE YOUR FUTURE - ATTEND OHV COMMISSION MEETING

 

The Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday December 3, 2020.  It is important for OHV club leaders, advocates, consultants, volunteers, and other stakeholders who support the CA OHV Program to attend this meeting to voice concerns and/or offer solutions to many of the items on the agenda.  Your input on critical topics such as the Park Transformation process (Path Forward 2026), access to lands at SVRAs that are currently closed to OHV use at Carnegie, Oceano, etc., management of SVRAs including event permitting, Park communications, outreach, collaboration, planning efforts such as the PWP, and other issues will help shape the future of the CA OHV Program.

 

The links below provide information on how to sign up for the meeting and various agenda items.

 

SIGN UP/REGISTER FOR MEETING

 http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1140/files/01-Notice_OHMVR-Commission-120320.pdf

MEETING AGENDA

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1140/files/02-Agenda-OHMVR-Commission-120320.pdf

 

PATH FORWARD 2026 (Transformation Process)

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1140/files/07-Staff%20Report-Path%20Forward%20120320.pdf

 

COVID restrictions, wildfires, and political unrest continues to make this a very challenging year for both OHV recreationists and land agency staff that access or manage sustainable OHV recreation on local, state, and federal lands.

 

However difficult things have been, life goes on and so does the need for the public and OHV commission to hold government officials responsible for their actions or inactions.  See just a few of the questions that need answers at this commission meeting.

 

Question 1 - Will there be an update from Parks or the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District to the August 2020 letter from the OHV Commission about the District forcing the OHV Trust Fund to spend over $16M dollars on dust mitigation measures and removing 48 acres from the riding and camping area at Oceano Dunes SVRA using a process that is out of step with tenets outlined in the May 18, 2018 Stipulated Order of Abatement?

 

LINK TO LETTER FROM OHV COMMISSION TO THE APCD

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1140/files/Commission%20Letter%20APCD%20August%206,%202020.pdf

 

Question 2 - Will the PWP be able to show it how it benefits OHV recreation?  So far the PWP has not included plans to address much needed dune access, camping,  and staging for OHVs on the sound end of the project area?

 

Question 3 – Will Parks have a response to the 2019 Petition filed by the Oceano Dunes Access Alliance requesting that it withdraws from the Stipulated Order of Abatement?  So far, there has not even been an acknowledgement by Parks they received that petition?

 

Question 4 – What has Parks and Transformation done to streamline and improve the event permitting process at SVRAs?

 

Question 5 – What is Parks doing to address the SVRA’s need for on-site Park Superintendents to make management decisions in real-time instead of being supervised by off-site Park leaders who may not have the expertise or time to devote to SVRA specific needs since they are now tasked with managing “Districts” which may include 23 park units?

 

Thanks for taking time to review this alert and I hope to see you at the OHV commission meeting on December 3.

Collaborative Effort Promotes Responsible OHV Recreation and Minimizes Resource Impacts

2011 Post Subpart B Trail Recon with FS

and Local OHV Club

QWR has long believed that partnerships and collaborative efforts are key elements in any 21^st Century OHV recreation program.  In many rural areas where federal land-based timber or other resource industry activities have ceased to exist, recreation tourism can help bring economic benefit to the region.

A good example of where OHV tourism may fill that role is in Trinity County, California.  Several decades ago, this NW region of the Golden State had a robust timber economy.  However, due to growing environmental regulations and other factors, the federal timber program ground to a halt and so did the local economy.  The lumber mills were closed and people lost their jobs.

QWR is proud of the recent collaborative effort between The Watershed Center, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and the California State Park Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division’s Grant Program to promote sustainable OHV recreation on public lands in Trinity County.

Remember to Share the Road

Shasta-Trinity NF

According to the Center, the Trinity OHV Project is part of an ongoing effort to promote OHV recreation in Trinity County while facilitating sustainable OHV trail use through community engagement, the promotion of legal riding, and long-term planning that minimizes the damage to the environment.

Historic FS Fire Camp Cabin

Shasta-Trinity NF

The Center also states, by providing user-friendly information that showcases legal routes and offers information about environmentally sensitive areas, we are working to serve the dual goals of minimizing environmental damage while promoting OHV recreation in Trinity County.

QWR credits the Shasta-Trinity National Forest of laying much of the groundwork for this effort by fulfilling its commitment to the OHV community to engage in post subpart B project-level trail/area planning.  About 5 years ago, the Forest hired an OHV program manager to review the agency’s OHV route network with a goal to enhance legal motorized recreational opportunities.

Plummer Peak LO

Shasta-Trinity NF

The Trinity OHV Project joins a growing list of high quality OHV-based recreation programs throughout the country that strive to bring economic benefits to the local economy while minimizing environmental impacts to the resource.

LINK TO THE TRINITY OHV PROJECT

http://www.trinityohvtrails.com/

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2013 CA Helmet Law for SXS Operators

As owners of Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROVs) get ready to hit many popular OHV riding areas in California, it is important to remember that helmets are required to be worn by the operators and passengers when traveling on public roads, trails, and areas designated for such use.

Effective January 1, 2013, the California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 38601 requires all passengers and the operator to wear a safety helmet while operating an ROV which are also known as Side by Sides, Recreational Utility Vehicle, or Utility Terrain Vehicle.

 

CA OHV Division Info on Side x Side Helmet Law

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27288

 

Quiet Warrior Racing (QWR) believes it is important for ROV owners to share this information with other ROV operators particularly in rural areas where regulations passed in Sacramento don’t often get shared effectively with users not associated with clubs or organizations.

 

QWR wants to commend federal and state law enforcement personnel and resource protection officers for working hard to help educate ROV owners about this new regulation.  Signing and public outreach are important elements of effective law enforcement.  Those tools will most certainly play a critical role to inform the user community as this new safety regulation gets implemented on public lands in California.