Red Cross First Aid Training for OHVers - Get Certified Now (Also a requirement for taking the FS chainsaw class)

As QWR gets ready to celebrate our 7th year anniversary in 2017, we thought it was important to send out a reminder to all of you who have taken a Forest Service chainsaw class (which requires current Adult First Aid/CPR/AED and Bloodborne Pathogens Training certification) to check the expiration date on your first aid card.  Now is a good time to get recertified and/or get your training if you plan on taking the FS chainsaw class in the near future.

QWR wants to encourage heads of households, club officers, trail bosses, vehicle safety course instructors, and others in leadership roles to get First Aid, CPR, and AED training from the American Red Cross.  This training will help you stabilize an injured rider in the field until the emergency responders arrive on scene.

Since my first aid certification expires in early January, I just scheduled my recertification class for late next week. It will give you the confidence to better stabilize critical injuries until professional emergency medical personnel arrive on the scene.

It will also give you the knowledge to better utilize the first-aid supplies that one should always carry during trail rides, safety training, or work parties.  Learning these basic skills can save a life and should be considered an important element of your off-road experience.

To learn more about the American Red Cross training programs, please visit:

http://www.redcross.org/

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POLARIS Dealer Helps Launch 2017 OSV Trail Stewardship Module

QWR’s Don Amador (L) and Cal Custom Trailers/Powersports’ Trevor Messersmith (R) 

Power-Up for OSV Recreation in 2017

As the snow season kicks off in California and the West, QWR wants to thank POLARIS, Klim, and California Custom Trailers and Powersports, a Northern California POLARIS dealer,  for their generous support in helping us launch our official OSV trail stewardship module for the 2017 winter riding season with use of a 2017 Polaris PRO-RMK 800.  

Winter 2016 Travel Management Tour

Stanislaus NF

OSV-based recreation brings an important economic benefit to many rural areas and supports local dealerships and the jobs they create.   According to the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, OSVs contribute $26 billion annually in the United States.   Over 100,000 full time jobs are generated by the snowmobile industry in North America. Those jobs are involved in manufacturing, dealerships and tourism related businesses.

2016 Travel Management Review 

Sonora Pass - Stanislaus NF

Trevor Messersmith, Sales Manager for Cal Custom Trailers/Powersports, states, “Our dealership is proud to once again sponsor Don’s work to champion responsible OSV recreation on Forest Service trails and open areas.  Access to public lands is important for our customers and for the shop’s staff who love to enjoy snowmobile recreation with their family and friends.”

QWR supports the efforts of the Forest Service and other land agencies to update and enhance their OSV management programs.   Tenets of managed snowmobile recreation should include designated trails and open areas, adequate staging/parking, quality signing, partnerships, maps, education, and enforcement.

QWR’s OSV module will continue to represent our partners and clients in various federal and state OSV planning or legislative efforts.  Such initiatives include the Forest Service Subpart C OSV Travel Planning Process, reauthorization of the CA OHMVR Program, and promotion of the SAE J2567 OSV sound standard for field level enforcement.

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Tahoe National Forest Adopts New Wet Weather Trail Management Tool

Tahoe NF Uses New Wet Weather Management Tool

(Trail 25 will be open when conditions allow)

QWR is proud to announce - that because of pro-active work by agency scientists, researchers, recreation specialists, volunteers, and partners - the Tahoe National Forest recently issued a DECISION NOTICE and FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT for the 2017 Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) that removes fixed seasonal closures on a number of access roads and motorized trails in the Burlington area.

LINK TO DECISION NOTICE http://a123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/11558/www/nepa/103192_FSPLT3_3893096.pdf

Over the last several years, QWR has posted updates in regards to ongoing Forest Service field studies to help develop an evidence-based method for opening trails based on direct soil moisture measurements and trail condition.  Four pilot studies were conducted on the Los Padres, Mendocino, and Tahoe National Forests.

Don Amador Helping with Wet Weather Field Study

Mendocino NF

The field studies involved measuring soil strength and soil moisture, and correlating those measurements with observed levels of trail damage. This prediction of risk is now being used to develop threshold values to determine when to open or close trails as highlighted in the aforementioned announcement.

QWR commends the agency research team and partners for helping develop this important new tool for managing trails – in a flexible manner -  for public enjoyment when soil  conditions allow.