SxS Training Part of Wildfire Recovery

ROV RBDC Graduating Class – September 19, 2018

Factory Pipe ROHVA Training Site – Ukiah, CA

QWR wants to congratulate the six BLM recreation leads and field staff who completed the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA) ROV Basic DriverCourse (RBDC) taught at the Factory Pipe Training Area located in Ukiah, California on September 19, 2018.

Developing Two-Feet Throttle/Brake Control

Exercise 4

This ROHVA class was offered in recognition of the long-standing partnership between OHV stakeholders and the BLM’s Ukiah Field Office which manages the Cow Mountain OHV Recreation Area.

Developing Two-Feet Throttle/Brake Control

Exercise 4

The River Fire damaged a significant number of popular OHV roads, trails, and related infrastructure on about 30,000 acres of BLM’s Cow Mountain Recreation Area.   Important wildfire recovery efforts are underway and the agency’s increased reliance on Side-by-Sides (SxSs) means there is also a growing need for ROHVA training opportunities since federal employees are required to get certification or recertification before operating a government SxS.

Practice Smooth Starting and Stopping 

Exercise 2

Don Amador, President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting, states, “It is a privilege to help train agency staff about how to operate their SxS vehicles in a safe manner as they prepare to address post wildfire damage to OHV trails, campgrounds, and cultural resources.”

Cow Mountain OHV Recreation Area

Currently Closed by River Fire 

“The driving skills learned will help agency staff safely operate their vehicles while doing trail repairs and soil stabilization treatments,” Amador concludes.

QWR believes that non-federal partners will have an increasingly important role to play in helping provide access for agency staff to professional certified safety instruction for SxSs.

LINK TO ROHVA (Go ahead and take the free online ROHVA E-Course)

http://www.rohva.org/

*If you are interested in having Don teach a ROHVA ROV Basic DriverCourse, contact him at: damador@quietwarriorracing.com

Cool eMTB Trail Opportunity in Southern Oregon

MTB/eMTB Kiosk at Whiskey Run Trail System

Coos County Forest, Oregon

While on a recent trip on the Oregon Coast, QWR had the opportunity to stop by and check out a very cool 30 mile network of trails open for both MTB and eMTB (Type 1) use.

Rules of the Trail

Managed by Coos County, the Whiskey Run Mountain Bike Trail System is a relatively new recreation opportunity designed specifically for MTBs and pedal assist eMTBs.  This trail project was the result of a collaborative effort between trail enthusiasts and county officials.

MTB/eMTB Trail Entrance

Whiskey Run Trail System, Coos County Forest, Oregon

LINK TO ARTICLE ABOUT TRAIL PROGRAM FROM TRAVEL OREGON

https://traveloregon.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/bicycling/mountain-biking/ride-whiskey-run-mountain-bike-trail/

The local user and county partnership appears alive and well since there was a new trail opened in the last few weeks.

New MTB/eMTB Trail Recently Opened

Whiskey Run Trail System, Coos County Forest, Oregon

QWR believes this is a good example of a land agency working with engaged recreationists to create new trail opportunities for traditional MTB use and to provide legal riding for pedal assist eMTBs.

QWR commends the ongoing efforts by local, state, and federal land agencies as they look for ways to create legal trail opportunities for eMTBs on non-motorized routes.

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.