Stonyford OHV Program Manager - Sarah Ridenour-Chamberlin (R) Explains
Soil Erosion Structures to Forest Supervisor - Ann Carlson (L),
and Forest Recreation Officer - Katy Rich (C)
QWR is committed to the collaborative process as a
strategy to bring land agency staff and the trail-based recreation community
together with a common goal of both protecting resources and providing a
high-quality outdoor experience.
Much of the collaborative or stakeholder process is
centered on attending meetings where information is shared, values are
appreciated, and relationships are formed.
QWR believes that “out-of-the office” field trips where
private sector partners invite agency staff to review the development and management
history of an OHV area is also an important element of the stakeholder process.
Mendocino Forest Supervisor - Ann Carlson, Reviews
St. John's Mountain Restoration Project (Funded by a CA OHV Grant)
with Agency Staff
Recently, leadership from the Mendocino National Forest
toured the multiple-use recreation program on the Grindstone Ranger
District. With one of the largest
destination OHV programs in the country, the District is a good case study on how
OHV management prescriptions have evolved over the last 36-40 years.
Mendocino NF OHV Manager Reviews Work Order
with Trails Unlimited Crew
On the Mendocino and several other National Forests/BLM
units, managed recreation didn’t start with the 2005 Travel Management Rule. Rather, it has been a multi-decade process
where the 1960s-era mining, firebreak, or logging road-based route network was
gradually converted to a sustainable trail system that consists of engineered
contour trails, soil loss structures, and road-to-trail conversions.
Functioning Sediment Catch Basin on System Trail
Managed federal OHV trail-based recreation programs are
hard to sustain on current (and future) recreation budgets appropriated by
Congress. In some regions of the country, the Forest
Service and BLM receive grants from state funding sources such as the CA OHV
Division Grant Program or OR’s ATV Grant Program.
In the 21st Century, successful OHV trail
programs must also rely on partnerships with the private sector such as OHV
clubs, conservation groups, and other local stakeholders. Those entities can be the source for the
agency’s professional volunteer workforce where users are given chainsaw
certification classes or other trail maintenance training.
Getting Ready for a Day of Trail Clearing
QWR commends those user groups and agency units where an
all-hands-approach has been adopted and implemented. QWR understands that it can take a lot of
agency staff time to manage a substantive volunteer program. However, a robust volunteer corps can also play
a supportive role in helping the agency obtain non-federal resources/monies (i.e.
grants to help manage their trail program, fund projects such as an OHV bridge,
or donations for construction labor/materials).
Post 2012 Mill Fire Volunteer Work Party
Successful Day of Trail Clearing
QWR believes the quality of our trail future is directly
proportional to the quality of the collaborative process/stakeholder
involvement on your Forest or BLM unit.
