COVID-19 UPDATE – DON’T BE GROUND ZERO

DON’T BE GROUND ZERO

Many of my colleagues in the recreation advocacy/management profession have been working hard to encourage and inspire motorized and non-motorized trail enthusiasts to follow the “Stay at Home” directives being issued by local, state, and federal authorities to help Flatten the Curve of Covid-19 infections. 

As you know, our frontline healthcare workers and 1^st responders place themselves in harm’s way every day to take care of a compounding number of very sick and/or critically ill Covid-19 patients.  Many of them are asked to work long hours with limited amounts of PPE.

Rural government officials including a number of sheriffs and county supervisors are asking visitors to honor those stay at home orders and postpone your backcountry adventures until the nation gets a handle on the Covid-19 crisis.

Here are a couple of reasons for those requests.

DON’T BRING THE VIRUS TO WHERE WE LIVE – With an apparent large number of infected people being asymptomatic (showing no sign of any disease), why  would trail enthusiasts want to be  the “ground zero” for introducing the coronavirus to our friends, healthcare workers, and law enforcement officials who live and work in largely uninfected rural areas of the country?

DON’T TAKE NON-ESSENTIAL OUTDOOR RISKS - Trail enthusiasts of all persuasions understand that participation in the sport comes with inherent risks.   Many of those injuries are critical and can require medical evacuation to a hospital where you will unnecessarily place yourself and others in danger of infection or require hospital staff – who are already maxed out taking care of Covid-19 patients – to address your self-inflicted injuries.  If you get lost, the local Search and Rescue may not be able to respond due to staffing shortages.

There is a growing consensus in the outdoor recreation advocacy corps that the best short-term advice is for us to avoid traveling long distances to recreate but rather utilize local opportunities to get some fresh air and exercise while practicing social distancing.

Responsible recreation means that we have an obligation to be good stewards and show respect for other trail users and our land management partners.  Part of that responsibility is to respect temporary unit closures.

When the Covid-19 book is written, let’s hope the recreation community is credited for doing its part to Flatten the Curve vs. being cited as the “Ground Zero” infector of a rural community.

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OP ED - COVID-19 MITIGATION IS NOT VACATION

OP-ED

By Don Amador

March 24, 2019

COVID-19 MITIGATION IS NOT VACATION

With hospitals and emergency responders running out of masks and other PPE in California and elsewhere, it should come as no surprise that local, state, and federal land managers are expanding the scope of their COVID-19 temporary access restrictions to popular destination recreation sites that - are or have the potential to -attract large crowds of visitors.

For example, California State Parks issued a news release late last night that stated, it is taking additional safety measures to reduce crowds and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Many state parks and beaches received record visitation over the weekend which made it impossible for the public to implement appropriate social distancing practices.

LINK TO STATE PARKS ANNOUNCEMENT

https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/945

The Nevada BLM issued a temporary closure order for the Sand Mountain Recreation Area near Fallon, Nevada.   As many of you know, the Sand Mountain OHV Area is a popular destination site for families and clubs that enjoy riding dirt-bikes, ATVs, SxSs, and 4WD vehicles.

LINK TO NV BLM CLOSURE OF SAND MOUNTAIN

https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/Emergency%20Closure%20Order.pdf

Based on photos and stories posted on social media, it appears that many motorized and non-motorized recreationists have misinterpreted various “shelter-at-home” orders from state or county government as authorization for them to take a short or long-term vacation - often with large groups – on public lands.  

Until we collectively “Flatten the Curve,”   recreationists should honor the stay at home directives and if they do go out for trail activities it should be close to home and/or in dispersed areas sans large crowds where social distancing is practiced.  Respecting the seriousness of this issue will hasten its resolution and help expedite the withdrawal of closure orders and the reopening of public lands for both casual use and permitted events.

The professional healthcare workers, law enforcement officials, and park maintenance staff  that I know will be greatly appreciative of us doing our part to address the coronavirus.

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BEING "TRAIL PROUD" DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

BEING TRAIL PROUD DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Over the last week, private citizens, businesses, organizations, and government agencies have been under a tremendous amount of pressure to address and/or take preventative measures to help “Flatten the Curve” by practicing “social distancing” such as avoiding crowded places, working at home, and traveling only when necessary to the grocery store, pharmacy, or essential meeting/appointment.

Having worked the field of OHV advocacy and recreation management for the last 30 years, I want to express my deep appreciation and pride in how the OHV community is responding to recent shelter-in-place orders and other guidance that is severely limiting our ability to work and/or enjoy our sport.

Here are some examples from what I have seen so far from OHV;

PROFESSIONAL - Consultants, contractors, agency leads, and legislative staff are tele-working from home on issues such as grants, policy, programs, cancelled events, resource management, law enforcement, safety, and legislation.

PERSONAL – Taking cancelled events in stride, getting out on trails with small numbers of your family or friends to enjoy the great outdoors, and urging others to remain calm and respectful.

BUSINESS – Instituting strong disinfectant mitigation measures in the store or shop, closing the doors if required by government orders although I believe dealerships should stay open since OHVs are used for farming/emergency services/rescue/utilities/law enforcement, etc., and offering mail order or delivery on products.

The greater OHV community should take pride in how this highly popular outdoor activity has matured over the last 30 years into a sport with the capacity needed to adapt to ever changing Covid-19 related circumstances so as to ensure our continued access to high-quality OHV recreation on public lands during the emergency and after it subsides. 

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QWR STATEMENT ON COVID-19 - This Too Shall Pass

STATEMENT ON COVID-19

“This too shall pass”

The outdoor recreation community in California is all too familiar with having significant natural disaster events - such as the recent 2018 wildfire season - disrupt access to both casual trail use and permitted events.

Today, we are facing the coronavirus (COVID-19) that is another type of natural disaster which is not just restricted to forest lands in California but is impacting people and their activities – including powersports related events - on a worldwide basis.

The federal government has been directing the public to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to follow mitigation measures and other guidance from state and local government agencies.

CDC GUIDANCE on COVID-19

https://www.cdc.gov/

QWR would like to support guidance from the AMA, Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals, and other recreation groups who have issued statements about working in a cooperative manner with government officials and our land agency partners when it comes to cancelling or postponing scheduled permitted events or conferences.

GUIDANCE FROM GOV. NEWSOM’S OFFICE

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/03/12/governor-newsom-issues-new-executive-order-further-enhancing-state-and-local-governments-ability-to-respond-to-covid-19-pandemic/

Also, some jurisdictions may decide to allow outdoor group events based on site-specific information.  However, local government agencies may have a lower number of people that may be gathered at an event.  Always check with your local health agencies.

COVID-19 has now become a political issue with an uncertain outcome at this point.  It is the hope of many that the virus will run its course in a short period of time so we all can get back to a normal life.   However, there is the possibility that things could get much worse before the situation gets better.  We just don’t know.

As OHV, MTB, MotoGP, Supercross, and other competition events continue to be cancelled or rescheduled it is important to know that both motorized and non-motorized recreationists can still get out and enjoy casual trail use with family and friends in small group settings.

We will get through this natural disaster as we have so many times before.  That is what we do!

NEW CA NOHVCC STATE PARTNER - Comments Needed on CEQ NEPA Reform Process

Don Amador at 2019 NOHVCC Annual Conference

As a new CA State Partner for the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC), I would like to express my appreciation to NOHVCC for allowing me to help support their efforts to promote sustainable OHV recreation here in the Golden State and throughout the country.

LINK to NOHVCC CA STATE PARTNERS

https://www.nohvcc.org/engagement/find-a-local-organization/?state=California

Part of my volunteer work for NOHVCC will be to help share their resources and work products with fellow OHVers in CA.  One of those important current efforts is to let you know that the comment period to submit NEPA reform comments to the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) ends tomorrow.   Outdoor recreational interests have a keen interest in supporting government efforts to reduce the amount of red-tape associated with federal land agency planning and permitting processes.

NOHVCC issued a recent news release with information on the CEQ NEPA review process with a link to their excellent comment letter.  Please feel free to read their letter and send in a comment with your own suggestions and/or stating support for NOHVCC’s comments. 

LINK TO NOHVCC NEWS RELEASE ON CEQ NEPA REFORM PROCESS

https://www.nohvcc.org/nohvcc-comments-on-proposed-nepa-rulemaking-still-time-for-you-to-comment-as-well/

Once you have read the NOHVCC news release, you can go to the CEQ link below and find out about the proposed rulemaking and where/how to submit comments.

LINK TO CEQ NEPA REVIEW PROPOSALS

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/10/2019-28106/update-to-the-regulations-implementing-the-procedural-provisions-of-the-national-environmental

Thanks for your review of this information and your support of environmentally sound OHV recreation and efforts by federal agencies to reduce the amount of paperwork associated with land agency planning and permitting processes.

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Don Amador, President

Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting

Don Amador

CA State Partner, NOHVCC