VOLUNTEER TRAIL CREWS HELP THE MENDOCINO WITH POST WILDFIRE/STORM DAMAGE RECOVERY

VOLUNTEER TRAIL CREWS HELP THE MENDOCINO WITH POST WILDFIRE/STORM DAMAGE RECOVERY

 

Glad to see PWORA and other work parties taking place on the ULRD and Stonyford OHV areas!  I had the privilege to help organize and lead several dirt bike strike teams for PWORA back in the spring of 2021.  We had two dirt-bike mounted trail strike teams with support from a ROV carrying larger saws, tools, etc., which we used to clear downed trees from some of the higher elevation trails.

 

Even back then we were running into more of the larger diameter trees falling across the trail that were killed by the 2012 Mill Fire and were reburned in the 2018 Ranch Fire.  Most of the small diameter trees had fallen or were burned up.  It looks like now we are seeing even more of the larger trees starting to fall.

Don Amador Bucking Tree as Part of Dirt Bike Strike Team

Post Fire Recovery Effort from 2018 Ranch Fire

 

Having worked with the Mendo agency leads and staff for over 30 years on various recreation and fuel projects, I have every confidence they will continue to work hard to utilize every resource at their disposal including fire crews, partners, etc. to recover and reopen the OHV trail network.

 

Be sure and check in on the Mendocino National Forest website and FB page for updates on trail conditions and volunteer events.  https://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino/

 

Also check in on the PWORA FB page for updates on their ongoing Mendo work parties.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=post%20wildfire%20ohv%20recovery%20alliance%20-%20pwora

 

OHV WELCOMES NEW FOREST SUPERVISOR ON THE ELDORADO NF

Joe Stout (L) with QWR's Don Amador (R) on Field Trip

South Cow Mountain OHV Area - BLM Ukiah Field Office

 

OHV WELCOMES NEW FOREST SUPERVISOR ON ELDORADO NF

 

QWR wants to congratulate Joe Stout on his recent appointment to serve at the new Forest Supervisor on the Eldorado National Forest.  I had the privilege to work with Joe during his tenure with the BLM and believe he will do an excellent job in his new role with the Forest Service.  

 I especially appreciated Joe coming out to a tour of the BLM’s South Cow Mountain OHV Area 2016 when he was BLM’s State Office Deputy Director. 

 Here is link to that field trip.

https://quietwarriorracing.blogspot.com/2016/11/

  

Also, I will provide a link to the FS News Release on Joe’s Appointment and text as well.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/eldorado/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1083626

 

PLACERVILLE, Calif. - The Eldorado National Forest welcomes Joe Stout as the new Forest Supervisor beginning January 17, 2023. Based in Sacramento, Stout has served as the Associate State Director for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in California since May 2015. Stout is replacing Jeff Marsolais who accepted an Associate Deputy Chief position in Washington, DC.

 

“I am excited to take on this new leadership role with the Eldorado National Forest and look forward to actively engaging with our staff, partners, organizations and local communities in the shared stewardship of the forest,” Stout said.

 

Joe’s leadership experience includes serving as Acting BLM California State Director from fall 2018 to early 2020. Prior to coming to California, Joe spent six years in the BLM’s Washington Office as the Acting Chief of Staff for the Director’s Office, Division Chief for the Decision Support, Planning and NEPA Program, and Legislative Affairs Specialist. He also worked in Colorado as the Acting Associate State Director; State Office Planning and NEPA Coordinator; and as a NEPA Coordinator, and Acting Assistant Field Manager in the Kremmling Field Office.

 

As Forest Supervisor, Joe will lead a team that oversees four ranger districts and manages programs in natural resources, fire and aviation management, public services and engineering. The Eldorado National Forest includes over 600,000 acres within major watersheds of the American, Consumnes and Mokelumne Rivers. These lands provide many ecological, economic, and recreational benefits.

 

Joe holds a master's degree in Public Administration (Environmental Policy, Management and Law) from the University of Colorado in Denver. His undergraduate work was in sociology and environmental studies at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Along with his wife and two boys, Joe loves spending time in the outdoors, including backpacking, fly fishing, and skiing.

 

###

 

The U.S.D.A Forest Service is an equal opportunity employer. The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

OP-ED for MLK DAY - MY DREAM COMING TRUE

                                                        Don Amador is The Quiet Warrior

OP-ED

By Don Amador

Contact: damador@cwo.com

Phone: 925-783-1834

1/15/23

 

MY DREAM COMING TRUE

 

In 2001, I wrote an op-ed entitled; I Have a [Trail] Dream.   My dream back then was that someday all trail users would respect each other's personal choice of recreational activity and work in a collaborative manner on important trail stewardship projects, travel planning, and forest health efforts.

 Shortly after that missive was written, a number of stakeholder meetings were convened by the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division in an effort to bring diverse outdoor recreation interests together.  The theme for those meetings was based on the new concept of collaboration. 

 OHMVR Division’s collaborative process was a strategy to bring OHV groups, conservation organizations, and the non-motorized trail community together to discuss how they can work together to provide high-quality outdoor recreation opportunities for the public while protecting cultural and natural resources.

 Embracing that collaborative spirit, OHV worked with conservation groups and Congressman Mike Thompson in 2005 on a final version of the legislation that became the North Coast Wilderness Bill (HR233).  After a lot of hard work by both sides, the bill recognized OHV and mountain-bike use as legitimate recreational activities on federal lands and also codified OHV use in statute on designated routes.

 Collaboration between conservation groups and OHV continued in a process that led to the 2016 Dedication Ceremony of the Berryessa -Snow Mountain National Monument held at a popular BLM recreation site just a few miles east of Clearlake, California.

 The dedication event was unique because OHV recreation was featured as a key partner in development of the plan to enhance both conservation efforts and existing/ future non-motorized and motorized recreational opportunities within the Monument boundary. 

 Another stellar example of collaboration is being carried out by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship in their Connected Communities Project where their vision is to partner with the Forest Service, local communities, and other motorized and non-motorized trail groups to connect 15 mountain communities via a 600-mile route.  

 As the country celebrates Martin Luther King Day this year, I believe the outdoor recreation and conservation groups should continue to participate in solution-oriented collaborative efforts where finding common ground is the goal so our public lands can be enjoyed by current and future generations.

 

# # #

 

Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for 30 years. Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting. Don served as a chairman and member on the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. He has won numerous awards including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don currently serves as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California. Don writes on recreation and conservation issues from his office near Cottonwood, CA.