45 Mile Group Trail Ride to "Top of the World"
Vista for Lunch Stop
QWR believes a new term “Dynamic Management of
Recreational Opportunities” might be the best way to describe an emerging post-event
theme from this year’s Ranger Ride and OHV Workshop held on October 3-5, 2017 at
the BLM’s Chappie-Shasta OHV Area near Redding, California.
Approximately 45 agency leads, recreation staff, and
non-profit partners attended this annual interagency trail management and
education workshop that was graciously hosted by the BLM’s Redding Field
Office.
Small Group Discussions - Important Networking Opportunity
The focus of this year’s workshop was centered on looking
for management strategies that might allow for or create new high-quality trail
opportunities for Side x Sides (SxS) or Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles
(ROVs).
New Route Signed and Managed for SxS Use
Other topics or education modules included, OHV sound
test certification, E-Bike recreation,
public/private partnerships, SxS and
Dirt Bike driver/rider certification, mentored trail rides/tours of unit, OHV grants, and soil conservation
plans.
The Chappie-Shasta OHV Area was selected for this year’s
event because of its ongoing efforts to employ various SxS-related travel
management strategies. Those routes help provide a growing number of
SxS enthusiasts with signed routes that include varying degrees of challenge
and looped touring opportunities.
SxS Tour Stop to Check Trail Management Prescriptions
The workshop provided ample “seat time” for agency staff
to experience the unit’s effective SxS management prescriptions from behind the
wheel on many of the 200 miles of roads and trails in this 52,000 acre area.
State Park Ranger Gets some Seat Time on Trail Tour
The event also offered the Recreational Off-Highway
Vehicle Association’s (ROHVA) Basic Driver Course for agency staff that needed
certification to operate government SxSs and was taught by QWR’s Don Amador, a
ROHVA DriverCoach.
Garrett Villanueva (R5 Trail Lead) Practices Exercise 4
of the ROHVA BDC
(Garrett was one of seven agency staff who took the course)
Paul Hart, a certified DirtBike School coach and Trails
Manager for the Yuba River Ranger District on the Tahoe National Forest, taught
a one-day hands-on training session to agency students that needed Dirt Bike certification.
Dirt Bike School Riders Waiting for Instructions
Grant administration from the California Off-Highway
Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division gave federal and non-profit partners
an update on OHV grant opportunities and policies for obtaining fiscal support
for OHV-related trail maintenance, restoration, law enforcement, and
education/safety.
Chris Real - SAE J1287 Technical Certification Class
Chris Real, President of DPS Technical, Inc. taught
agency staff and volunteers the technical inspector class on sound (SAE J1287)
and spark arresters.
Will Harris (OHMVRD) Gave Soils Presentation
Will Harris, Senior Engineering Geologist at the OHMVR
Division, talked to the group about the importance of clearly defining a
project area and/or route network in their soil conservation plans. There was a robust discussion about what
defines a project area which led to the potential for follow up presentations
at the OHMVR Division Grant Workshops in early 2018.
E-Bike Sign - Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
The need to review and possibly amend current rules and
regulations governing the use of E-bicycles/motorcycles on public lands was
also discussed including the apparent necessity to address said issues at a
national conference of agency professionals, recreation groups, and
manufacturers.
An event wrap-up with attendees identified the following
key tenets for agency recreation leads to consider when planning for SxS
trail-based recreational opportunities.
One – Look for appropriate level 2 roads, trails, or
routes where SxS use could be encouraged through signing and public outreach.
Two – Look for looped touring opportunities on federal
roads and/or route networks that can be signed or designated for SxS use.
Three – Federal agencies and county government should
look for ways to partner with each other to designate appropriate routes for
looped OHV touring opportunities that provide connectivity between
jurisdictions.
Both seasoned and newbie agency riders expressed their
appreciation for the event’s focus on SxS recreation and the opportunity for
plenty of trail time in which to hone their riding skills and view the
management prescriptions from the ground level.
Jane Arteaga - Trail and Recreation Lead at CA BLM State Office -
Getting some seat time on the trail
It was appropriate that this year’s workshop was held at
an OHV area that was named in honor of the CA OHV Program’s co-founder, Gene
Chappie.
According to the OHMVR Division, the Off-Highway Motor
Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Program was created in 1971 by two state
legislators, "off-roader" Gene Chappie and
"environmentalist" Ed Z'berg. The Chappie-Z'berg Law aimed to balance
the demand for off-highway recreational opportunities with natural and cultural
resource management. The intent was also to foster respect for private property
rights and protect California's natural and cultural resources through
sustainable management of OHV areas.
Sky Zaffarano (L), OHV Program Lead for Chappie, Explains Resource
and Trail Management Program on the Unit
It was also more than fitting that California Governor
Jerry Brown signed into law on October 3, 2017 legislation that reauthorized
the CA OHV Program and gave it permanent status. And, that announcement was made at the
Tuesday night BBQ hosted/donated by the Redding Dirt Riders, one of the unit’s
key non-profit partners.
Successful events don’t happen by accident. They come as the result of a lot of hard work
by non-profit partners, agency leadership, and recreation staff.
The 45 participants from the following organizations and
agencies should be commended for their commitment to providing access to
high-quality OHV recreation and related educational activities. Those agencies and organizations include the
Forest Service’s R5 Regional Office, BLM California State Office, BLM Redding
Field Office, BLM Ukiah Field Office, BLM Eagle Lake Field Office, Tahoe
National Forest, Eldorado National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest,
California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, and the Redding Dirt
Riders who are official non-profit volunteers for the Chappie Shasta OHV Area.
List of Partners that Support Chappie Shasta OHV Area
QWR also wants to thank these event sponsors and partners
for their support of this educational endeavor to help train agency staff about
safe vehicle operation and review new recreation strategies to address emerging
technologies and uses. Those supporters
include the Right Rider Access Fund, Kawasaki Motors Corp, USA, RZ Mask, BlueRibbon
Coalition/Sharetrails.org, and Redding Yamaha- Sea Doo. They join a long list of partners (see above)
that continue to make Chappie-Shasta OHV Area a premier West Coast designation site.
QWR understands that Adaptive Management is the current
term used by land agencies to describe how they look at new issues and
challenges and include them in the decision-making process. However, the term “Dynamic” infers a more
energetic or enthusiast process that agencies can embrace as they engage with
users, partners, and other stakeholders in collaborative efforts.
