PSA - Support Post Fire Winter Seasoning of OHV Trail Repairs

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Post Fire Temporary Closure Sign on OHV Trail

Mendocino National Forest

As federal OHV recreation areas continue their post Mendocino Complex Fire phased reopening of designated roads and trails that provide looped opportunities or connectivity, it is important to respect signs on routes that remain temporarily closed so their post-fire reconstruction treatments can season or stabilize over the winter.

Post Fire Rebuilding of Soil Erosion Structures on OHV Trail

Mendocino National Forest

Many of those closed routes received extensive damage as a result of dozer lines blading out soil erosion control structures on the trail.  Other trails had OHV bridges destroyed by the fire or had huge gullies carved out by heavy post-fire rain events.

Damaged Timber Barriers and Natural Vegetation Barriers

Mendocino National Forest

Another “sign” to look for as you enjoy those routes reopened over the last few months are those trail or area delineators that were either completely or partially destroyed by the fire.

QWR urges the greater OHV community to respect those roads, trails, and areas that remain temporarily closed or burned over sections of the forest where delineators - or vegetation that functioned as natural delineators - were damaged or obliterated.

Be assured, the Forest Service, OHV clubs, and non-profit partners are working hard on various post-wildfire recovery projects so that an increased number of popular motorized routes can be reopened in a timely manner for casual trail riding and permitted events in 2020.

UPDATE - Efficacy of Lincoln Log No-Dig Trail Delineators

May 2019 Review of Lincoln Log Barriers Installed

in October 2018 - Post Carr Fire Recovery Update

BLM Chappie-Shasta OHV Area

Efficacy is the ability of achieving a goal or objective to produce the intended result.  In the case of post-wildfire recovery of recreation facilities those efforts often include travel management-related projects to reestablish delineation of designated routes, highlight a trail entrance, or protect natural or cultural resources.

Over the last 18 years, QWR has witnessed the increased frequency of reoccurring intense wildfires impacting popular federal recreation areas in the California and the West.

Lincoln Log Barriers Installed in Oct. 2018

Many land management agencies have historically relied on a post wildfire model to “buy and replace” milled timber barriers to meet desired travel management objectives. Often purchasing, constructing, and transporting a milled timber barrier with footings and rebar stakes to its destination at a remote trailhead or cultural site can exceed $100 to $150 dollars each.

While milled timber barriers or trail delineators may still be valid and necessary depending on desired management objectives, QWR believes our new and more frequent wildfire reality requires us to reevaluate the automatic response to purchase miles of costly milled timber barriers vs. increased use of “free” on-site dead or dying trees to construct “lincoln log” trail delineators.

Milled Timber Barriers Installed in Oct. 2018

BLM Chappie Shasta OHV Area

To review the effectiveness of lincoln log delineators to restrict OHV travel on routes impacted by dozer lines, QWR reviewed post-Carr Fire recovery efforts at the Chappie-Shasta OHV Area near Redding, California.

In October of 2018, OHV volunteers and BLM recreation staff installed both milled timber and non-dig lincoln log barriers/trail delineators on several dozer lines created during fire suppression efforts.

The “No Dig” Strike Team was directed to a dozer line that needed barriers installed. The team cut various lengths of dead trees on-site which were then laid into the v-notches of natural footings also cut on-site from fire damaged trees. 

This created a stable natural-looking no-dig barrier/delineator that highlighted the designated path of vehicle travel and/or the area that was protected. 

A recent field review in May 2019 showed those no-dig lincoln log barriers were meeting their management objective and were just as effective to date as the milled timber barriers.

May 2019 Review of Milled Timber Barriers that were

Installed in Oct. 2018 - BLM Chappie Shasta OHV Area

QWR believes that some credit to the effectiveness of both the no-dig and milled timber barriers can be attributed to ongoing travel management efforts by the Forest Service, BLM, and the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division to encourage OHV travel on designated roads, trails, and areas.

Freshly Installed Lincoln Log Trail Delineators Installed

May 2019 at Post River Fire Recovery Project

BLM Cow Mountain OHV Area

While the 2005 Forest Service Travel Management Rule that directed all National Forests to designate roads, trails and areas for motorized use was at the time controversial, it appears that post-2005 travel management planning efforts and subsequent implementation strategies may be contributing to the user community’s willingness to stay on designated routes at popular OHV areas in the West that are at risk from intense wildfires.

  

Lincoln log barriers/delineators are just one of many post wildfire recovery travel management tools that may not be as effective in high use areas such as campgrounds and staging areas where milled timber or rock barriers are more appropriate.

However in more remote areas where OHV recreationists are simply passing through on a designated road or trail, the no dig delineator might prove to be a more cost-effective option.

  

OHV Recreation Key Partner in National Monument Dedication

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on

4x4 Tour

Article by Don Amador

March 20, 2016

Word count: 529

Note to editor: Permission is hereby granted to reproduce this article

OHV Key Partner in National Monument Dedication

COWBOY CAMP, CA (March 19) - A popular BLM equestrian campground was the site for the official dedication ceremony for the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.  Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell was joined by Members of Congress, local elected officials, state dignitaries, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, BLM National Director Neil Kornze, other FS/BLM officials, and diverse user groups including OHV recreationists.

Mendocino NF's Ann Carlson and BLM Ukiah Field Office's Rich Burns

Welcome Folks to Dedication

California Secretary of Natural Resources John Laird 

What made this event unique is that OHV recreation was featured as a key partner in development of the plan to bring additional resources to enhance both conservation efforts and existing/ future non-motorized and motorized recreational opportunities within the Monument boundary.  

Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell

Congressmen Mike Thompson and John Garamendi Hand Out

Certificates of Appreciation

All of the speakers noted that OHV recreation has been, and will continue to be, an important part of the recreation program in the Monument.

OHMVR Commission Chairman, Ted Cabral, Visits

with Jay Watson, Director of the Student Conservation Association

In addition to the official dedication ceremony, the event had two other official activities.  Those were a morning hike on non-motorized trails and an afternoon 4x4 tour of the BLM’s Walker Ridge where the agency is getting ready to start the route designation process.

Rigs Lined Up for Start of 4x4 OHV Tour

Secretary Sally Jewell, former CEO of REI, was very engaged with the 4x4 tour’s participants which included the Mendocino 4x4 Club, Matson Breakey/MetalCloak, CA OHV Program staff, BRC, Tuleyome, and FS/BLM officials.

Official 4x4 Tour Map

The group got to visit with Secretary Jewell on a broad range of subjects including the CA OHV program, trail volunteerism, partnerships, modern trail management prescriptions, potential new trail designations within the Monument, special recreation permit reform, and other OHV recreation topics.

Secretary Sally Jewell Talks with 4x4 Tour Group 

 A lot of credit for this collaborative effort goes to Tuleyome, the regional conservation group that has been working with OHV and other stakeholder groups for the past 6-7 years to help ensure a bright future for multiple-use recreation on lands managed by the Forest Service and BLM.

This part of California is host to numerous destination OHV areas including BLM’s Cow Mountain Recreation Area and the Knoxville OHV Area.  The Mendocino National Forest manages both the Upper Lake and Stonyford OHV Areas.  This area is also home to many OHV permitted events including enduros and dual sport/adventure rides.

OHMVRD Booth at Dedication

The California State Park Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVRD) was at this event to highlight the important long-term relationship between the FS/BLM and OHMVRD’s grant program that helps support trail maintenance, restoration projects, and law enforcement on the federal units.

Site of Monument Dedication

OHV recreation will continue to play an important role in helping shape its future by participating in development of the Monument Management Plan.  This will be a multi-year process where local input will be critical. 

California Conservation Corps is an Important Trail Partner

OHV clubs and individuals will also continue to be an important volunteer workforce to help maintain current and new trail opportunities. 

Mendocino NF Staff 

These types of bipartisan partnerships between OHV, land agencies, and conservation groups will continue to evolve as a key element to managed recreation in the 21^st Century.

 # # # 

Don Amador is a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition and serves as their western representative.  Don is also president of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting.  He writes from his office in Oakley, CA.  Don may be reached by email at: damador@cwo.com

"Seat Time" Important Part of Trail Education

Region 5's Regional Forester, Randy Moore, (Far Right)

on Tour of Stonyford OHV Program

QWR believes that spending quality time out in the field and on the trail with local club representatives, agency staff, and OHV business leaders is a critical factor in land-use education efforts.

Attending meetings and hearings related to trail use are important and will remain so for decades to come.  In addition, OHV professionals and advocates should also include on-site field/trail reviews with local experts and key decision-makers as part of their advocacy/education program.

Eric Anderson,Vroom Network, Tours "Wash"

Designation  and Grouse Issues in Northern Nevada

Today, many public land agencies have embraced the collaborative process where key interest groups are invited to participate in ongoing meetings where unit management ideas are discussed.  Eventually, those concepts addressing forest health, impacts of intense wildfire, and OHV recreation might be used to help shape future agency planning efforts.

Forest Supervisor Tours OR Dunes With Users to Review

OHV Management Program

Staff turnover is not just affecting the Forest Service and BLM.  Clubs often select new presidents or task members with being their point-of-contact for trail issues.   On many units, agency leadership and recreation staff are rotating out at an alarming rate do to retirement, move-to-promote, or other factors.

Local Club Officials and Volunteers Engage with

FS Recreation Staff in Trail Monitoring

OHV industry representatives are also important to include in the trail education process since they often have both a professional and personal stake in sustainable motorized recreation.

OHV Representatives Tour Hull Creek OHV Program

with FS Recreation Staff Lead

Modern 21^st Century trail management has many tenets that are best experienced out in the field.  Those prescriptions/concepts include trail signing, connectivity, erosion control structures, route armoring, public information programs, quality of the user experience, law enforcement, resource restoration efforts, potential trail projects, and safety programs.

FS Recreation Lead Tours Trail Program

There are also potential impacts from ongoing or future agency planning efforts that might impact the current OHV program.  Over the next 5-20 years, land managers will be making trail decisions based on everything from major landscape level plan revisions to OHV route and event restrictions driven by environmental regulations or court ordered mandates.

Riders and Agency Recreation Staff Tour/Discuss FS Restoration 

Grant Project

 QWR wants to encourage the OHV education community to continue efforts to spend some quality “seat time” out on the trail with our key partners.  There is no substitute for stopping on the tour and discussing just how a planning process or proposed regulation might impact OHV use.  That stop might also be the best time to see if a solution is possible.  

See you on the trail.

  

Post-Fire Travel Management Tools and Purchasing a Dual-Sport Top 2013 List

As QWR prepares for another busy year in advocacy for responsible OHV recreation, it wanted to look back at the two issues in 2013 that generated the most hits/interest by our readership.

It should come as no surprise that our Post Fire Travel Management Tools (Sept. 25) and Tips for Purchasing a Dual-Sport Motorcycle (July 9) articles were at the top of the list.

Post-fire rehabilitation of destination OHV areas on Forest Service lands requires a lot dedication, determination, and dollars/labor.  Both the 2012 Mill Fire and the 2013 Rim Fire highlighted just how catastrophic wildfires can impact recreational access to public lands.  The fires also illustrated the need for an invigorated forest management program that includes prescribed burning and timber thinning projects.

In the late 1990s, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) determined that it was illegal to register off-highway motorcycles for street use unless they were CARB or EPA certified for highway use.  Today, the dual-sport enthusiast has only two legal options in the State of California.  One, they can purchase a street-legal dual-sport that came from the factory as such.  Or, they can purchase a used “Green-Sticker” off-highway motorcycle that was purchased new by December 31, 2003 and where the owner had initiated its dual-sport conversion with the DMV no later than January 31, 2004.

Travel management and other land-use restrictions has increased the demand for street-legal dual-sport motorcycles so that riders can connect various trail networks that are separated by paved roads where non-street legal motorcycles are prohibited.

QWR believes that 2014 holds significant opportunities to champion responsible OHV use on public lands, but it will require a joint effort by recreation professionals, industry, grassroots leaders, elected officials, and agency staff to find solutions to the regulatory challenges that face our sport.

Post Fire Travel Management Tools

http://quietwarriorracing.blogspot.com/2013/09/post-fire-travel-management-tools-trail.html

Tips for Purchasing a Dual-Sport Motorcycle

http://quietwarriorracing.blogspot.com/2013/07/qwr-trail-tip-for-ca-purchasing-dual.html

# # #

Post Fire Travel Management Tools - Trail Delineators

Mill Fire's Landscape Alteration

 

Post-fire rehabilitation of destination OHV areas on Forest Service lands requires a lot dedication, determination, and dollars/labor.  Sometimes, the landscape is altered for several generations.

Key trail entrance landmarks such as trees and boulders are often destroyed by the wildfire or impacted by heavy equipment used to blaze dozer lines around the fire.

Dozer Lines Can Also Remove Trail Entrance Features

 

On a recent work detail, QWR’s Sound Trails Initiative had the opportunity to help restore trail entrance features and vehicle-type control devices on the Mendocino National Forest.

Trail Delineators Ready for Installation on MC/ATV Trail

 

As many of you know, the 2012 Mill Fire destroyed about 82,000 acres within the boundaries of the Stonyford OHV Area on the Grindstone Ranger District in Northern California.  Much of the landscape is now unrecognizable and important trail entrance features are no longer there.

Delineators Installed on Designated MC/ATV Trail

 

To help identify trail entrances and vehicle-type restrictions, the Forest has been installing new trail delineators on important route entrances.  Over the last year, hundreds of trail delineators have been installed with the help of agency staff and volunteers to help prepare the unit for the fall riding season.

Trail Delineators Installed on Trail for Full-Size Vehicles

 

This summer’s fire season has devastated a lot of federal timber lands in the West including portions of the Stanislaus National Forest burned by Rim Fire.  Installing managed OHV recreation trail control structures will be important to reopen those routes in an expeditious manner.

QWR believes that volunteers will continue to play an important role in those trail projects.   It is a team effort to repair post-fire damage and will require continued partnerships with users, agency staff, grant funds where available, and other stakeholders.

Agency/Volunteer Work Party

 

Lastly, QWR wants to thank our partners and sponsors for the support over the last year which has enabled us to help with the ongoing post-fire trail rehabilitation efforts on the Mendocino National Forest.

Tools of the Trade

 

 

Trail Tip - Be a Force Multiplier

As many OHV enthusiasts head out to their favorite riding areas during the late spring and early summer, QWR wants to encourage them to become an extra pair of eyes for the land management agencies.

During the winter, trees often fall down across OHV trails forcing the casual rider to either turn around or try and bypass the obstacle using an impromptu reroute.  While OHV recreational staff works hard to keep up with the trail maintenance needs of their unit, they can’t be everywhere at once.  This is where a trail rider can help by making a mental note of where the downed tree is and report it to the agency.

Be sure and include the trail or route number of where the downed vegetation is located.  This type of user involvement is greatly appreciated by the agency.  Once notified by you, they can send the appropriate staff or trail volunteer to remove the obstacle.

With ever shrinking trail budgets, this type of public service can be a force multiplier and will help keep riding areas open. 

# # #

Wildfire Impacts on Trail Delineators and OHV Management

Mill Fire Destroyed Natural and Man-Made Trail Delineators

 

When catastrophic wildfires hit our national forests, it’s not just the wildlife and timber that are impacted.  Those fires often destroy many of the OHV management tools used to direct motorized recreationists to stay on designated roads and trails.

Trail delineators or barriers are commonly used to help encourage OHV users to stay on the trail and discourage cross-country travel where such use is prohibited.   When the 2012 Mill Fire burned over 80% of the designated trails at the Stonyford OHV Area on the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California, it destroyed thousands of man-made trail delineators and natural barriers such as manzanita, knobcone pine, and other forms of vegetation.

Forest Service and Volunteers Install New Trail Delineators on Mendocino NF

 

As part of a massive effort by the Forest Service, volunteers, and other partners to get the unit ready for public use by June 1, the agency and volunteer work crews are installing hundreds of new trail delineators along major transportation corridors and near campgrounds/staging areas that were impacted by the Mill Fire.
 

If you would like to help support these efforts please contact Don Amador at damador@quietwarriorracing.com or Paige Makowski at paigemakowshi@fs.fed.us

 

The New CA State Park Director - "Service Before Self"

Since millions of people from across this country use and enjoy the California State Park system every year, I wanted to share my thoughts on the recent appointment of retired Marine General Anthony Jackson as the new State Park Director.

Yesterday, I had the privilege to meet General Jackson in Sacramento and listen to his vision for restoring public trust and confidence to state parks.  I was impressed with his motto of “service before self” and that he was bringing his ethos to the program.  I believe a number of other OHV representatives who also got to meet General Jackson came away with that same impression.

As a former federal land manager at military bases, he successfully balanced the use-of-land to train Marines with many of the same environmental challenges that face the OHV community.   Although relatively new to his current assignment, General Jackson shows a deep understanding of what it takes in 2013 and beyond to manage both motorized and non-motorized forms of recreation.

To get a better understanding of the new CA State Park Director, I would encourage all of you to listen to his January 15, 2013 radio interview on KQED.  The 50 minute interview will give you a great insight into the man and his views on the future of state parks.  If you cannot listen to the entire broadcast, I would encourage you to listen to the “OHV-related” segment from 36:00 to 40:00.

KQED Radio Interview

http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201301150900

 

In closing, I believe he will use his vast experience to bring accountability to the office and work hard to improve communications between diverse stakeholder groups, federal and local partners, and others that have an interest in access to a viable park system.