QWR NEWS RELEASE - Launch of New Post Wildfire Recovery Program

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Don Amador

Phone: 925.625.6287

Email: damador@quietwarriorracing.com

Date: September 4, 2018

*Contact Don Amador if you need additional photos

 NEW OHV WILDFIRE RECOVERY PROGRAM

OAKLEY, CA (Sept. 4) –  Quiet Warrior Racing (QWR), a national recreation consulting company, is launching its new program in response to current and future wildfire impacts at popular Forest Service, BLM, and state off-highway vehicle (OHV) areas.  The Post Wildfire Recovery Strike Team module will work to help address the effects that catastrophic wildfires can have on OHV route and trail facilities.

Don Amador at Wildfire Recovery Area

BLM's Fort Sage OHV Area

Intense wildfires can destroy important OHV management tools such as trail delineators, signs, kiosks, and campground facilities.  Costly soil erosion and water quality trail structures can often be obliterated by dozers creating access routes for firefighters or blading fire lines around the blaze.

The program will help facilitate numerous volunteer post-fire recovery projects at OHV recreation sites in collaboration with stakeholders such as OHV clubs, volunteers, OHV Industry and other grant programs, land agencies, and conservation groups in the delivery and implementation of post-fire mitigation efforts.

Chris Conlin, Former Deputy Director of the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division and Boating and Waterways Division, states, “I strongly endorse QWR’s efforts to create a trail stewardship program that is sharply focused on important post-wildfire recovery efforts on federal and state recreation units that are being devastated in the 2018 Wildfire Season.”

“Both Don Amador and I have been long-time advocates for creation of OHV-specific post-wildfire recovery and rehabilitation programs.  I believe this Strike Team will have a strategic role in current and future collaborative efforts to deliver crucial post-fire recovery assets at important public land recreation sites,” Conlin concludes. 

“Don Amador, President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting, states, “It’s clear to me that OHV recreation sites in California and the West will continue to face the likelihood of more intense wildfires over the next 10-20 years.  I believe creation of our wildfire recovery program it relevant and timely given the impacts that the Mendocino Complex, Carr, and Ferguson Fires had on popular destination OHV areas.”

“I look forward to working with our land agency, OHV club, and conservation partners to recover and reopen recreation areas devastated in the 2018 Wildfire Season,” Amador concludes.

For information about opportunities to partner, sponsor, or support the program please contact Don Amador at: damador@quietwarriorracing.com

LINK TO THE POST WILDFIRE RECOVERY STRIKE TEAM MODULE

http://www.quietwarriorracing.com/recovery.html

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Don Amador has 28 years of experience in the field of OHV recreation management, federal/state land-use policy, and post-wildfire recovery.  Don is president of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting, an OHV recreation consulting company. Don serves as Core-Team Lead for FireScape Mendocino, a forest-health collaborative that is part of the National Fire Learning Network.  Don also serves as Operations Chief for the Post-Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance.   Don is a contributor to ModernJeeper.com.

A Rising Tide Lifts All Trails - Highlight Those OHV Success Stories

Trail Armor and Restoration Projects - Rubicon Trail

Eldorado NF

QWR has long believed that partnerships and collaborative efforts are key elements in any 21st Century OHV recreation program.   Those joint efforts in support of sustainable OHV recreation continue to be the backbone of successful OHV programs in Region 5 and throughout the West.

While OHV management certainly has its challenges, QWR believes it is important for agencies and partners to highlight success stories where new trail opportunities are being created and/or trails are being reopened after mitigation measures are completed that address important resource concerns.

Sediment Catch Basin and Rolling Dip - Mace Mill

Eldorado NF

QWR commends the Eldorado National Forest’s outstanding communication efforts as highlighted in their recent:  42 Route Project Update #7

Link to 42 Route Project Update #7

http://files.constantcontact.com/1eeadf48401/d82fd5a9-b868-4463-8633-2b77e3c478ef.pdf

As this report illustrates, various non-federal OHV grant programs (e.g. state, industry, etc.)  can help support the efforts of federal land agencies manage high-quality and environmentally sound OHV recreational opportunities.

Half Culvert OHV Bridge - Mace Mill

Eldorado NF

The document also notes the California State Park’s OHMVR Division has a grant program that supports their management efforts on the Forest and also shows that OHV recreation on public lands has evolved into a highly complex and diverse, partnership-based “a rising tide lifts all trails” concept.

QWR closes by stating that maybe the single most important factor in modern OHV recreation is the use of diverse partnerships as a synergistic force multiplier when it comes to the management of motorized use on designated roads, trails, and riding areas.

Forest Service Collaborates to Improve OHV Program

Example of FS Road Serving as a Motorized Trail

Mendocino NF

QWR wants to commend the Black Hills National Forest for its continued efforts to provide sustainable high-quality OHV recreational opportunity.  Located in South Dakota, this Forest completed its initial travel management plan in 2010.

As the following Public Broadcast video shows, the Forest Service has worked in a collaborative manner with users and other stakeholders on subsequent post Subpart B trail projects to improve their OHV program.

LINK TO OHV MANAGEMENT VIDEO

http://watch.sdpb.org/video/2365878324/

QWR believes this unit has embraced a holistic approach to managed OHV recreation.   As the video shows, the agency has a “roads to trails” conversion process that utilizes existing system roads to provide varying degrees of challenge and touring opportunities for the riders.

They also install various soil erosion/water quality-related trail structures or construction techniques along with implementing a quality route information program that includes signs, updated motor vehicle use maps, and smart phone route applications.

The video also highlights the important role that OHV recreation has in supporting rural economies and related private sector businesses.

QWR thanks the Black Hills National Forest and other Forests that continue efforts to improve their managed OHV trail programs. 

PS- Thanks to our longtime friend of OHV, Mark Thome, for sending this great info!