LEGAL JOLT HITS THE OREGON DUNES NRA

 

2018 Field Trip to OR Dunes NRA

LEGAL JOLT HITS SHORE AT OREGON DUNES NRA  

 

On March 25, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a 60-Day Notice of Intent to sue alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act Regarding both casual OHV use and permitted events that are or will be occurring in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.

 

NEWS ARTICLE ON LETTER OF INTENT TO SUE

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/forest-service-faces-potential-suit-to-protect-coastal-martens-in-oregon-dunes/ar-BB1kA7Yz

 

In 1972, approximately 28,000 acres (out of 31K acres) was open for legal OHV use when Congress designated it as a National Recreation Area.  After implementation of the 1979 ORDNA Management Plan, the acreage available for OHV use was reduced by about 47% down to 15,000 acres.  When the 1994 ODNRA Management Plan was adopted, the acreage available for open riding was reduced significantly to 5,930 acres. 

 

After the 2014 Oregon Dunes NRA Management Area 10 (C) Designated Routes Project Record of Decision there is about 6,000 acres of open OHV use and 10 miles of designated routes (about 1 acre of tread footprint).

 

COLLABORATIVE WORKING GROUP AT OREGON DUNES

https://quietwarriorracing.blogspot.com/2019/08/collaboration-for-recreation-understand.html

 

Don Amador, QWR President and Pacific Northwest native, states, “This is not the first time that OHVers have had to fight against unwarranted beach closures in Southern Oregon and it won’t be the last.  Local OHVers have worked in a collaborative manner with conservation groups to protect resources while allowing for meaningful OHV use of the dunes.  I think this legal threat does a great disservice to that effort.”

 

“This is an important ocean/sand-based OHV mecca enjoyed by millions of American and foreign tourists and is worth fighting for.  I count myself as a long-time champion and supporter of this riding area and the Save the Riders Dunes Association, local businesses, powersports dealers, and other key stakeholders,” Amador concludes.  

 

 # # #  

 

 

OHV SAFETY WEEK - SHARE THE TRAIL - Watch for Two-Way Traffic

WATCH FOR 2-WAY TRAFFIC ON ROADS/TRAILS

Shasta Trinity National Forest

QWR wants to encourage OHV enthusiasts in CA to support the 2024 “SHARE THE TRAIL” themed Spring OHV Safety Week that is running March 23-31.  The educational goal for this event is to help new owners of OHVs better understand the responsibility they have to drive in a safe manner since there is often two-way traffic on public land roads and trails.

 

LINK TO SHARE THE TRAIL SAFETY WEEK NEWS RELEASE

https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/1258

 

 

The foundation for this ongoing State Park safety week program was developed by the California State Parks’ Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division and partners after robust discussions on current OHV safety issues at the August 2022 OHV Safety Summit held at the McClellan Training Center in Sacramento.

Is there another vehicle coming around this corner?

M10 - Grindstone Ranger District, Mendocino NF

 That conference was attended by various key state and federal agency representatives, powersports industry leads, major OHV organizations, ROV/UTV trainers, motorized media outlets, law enforcement, competition event organizers, and educational non-profits.

 

 

The primary focus was on improving/updating safety efforts to address the rapid growth of ROV/UTV/SxS use on public lands.  That inaugural summit was successful as the group subsequently planted the “safety standard” in the ground and resolved to improve safety education to reduce impacts to natural resources and other user groups.

Be Aware of other OHVs

 

Don Amador, QWR President and ROHVA Driver Coach, states, “I am glad to see the California Department of Parks and Recreation and OHMVR Division continue these key OHV safety programs.   As a ROHVA driver coach, I have seen the importance of SxS owners enhancing their driving skills and also learning about the use of proper safety gear.”  

 

“What makes these OHV safety programs so important is that many new operators have very little if any driving experience on public land roads and trails.  Often they are not aware there could be other vehicles using the same route and meeting another vehicle coming around a blind corner could be a safety hazard which is what makes these outreach programs so important.”  Amador concludes.

 

QWR believes it is important for the greater OHV community to “share” this important safety and responsible use message with our riding network and those new to the sport.

 

# # #

 

Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for over 33 years. Don writes from his home in Cottonwood, CA.  Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing LLC. Don serves as the Western States Representative for the Motorcycle Industry Council. Don is Past President/CEO and current board member of the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance. Don served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June, 2018. Don served 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 served as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California from 2019 – 2023. Don is a Core-Team member on FireScape Mendocino.  Don is a contributor to Dealernews Magazine

BOOK REVIEW - THE BIG BURN - How the Massive 1910 Wildfire Saved the Forest Service and Preserved Access to Public Lands

 

BOOK REVIEW

By Don Amador

March 4, 2024

  

*This book is of particular import to the motorized trail community and outdoor enthusiasts who use motorized routes to access non-motorized areas.  Without the conservation efforts by Roosevelt and Pinchot over a century ago, most, if not all, of our FS and BLM recreation areas today would be owned by private interests and guarded by locked gates and posted with no trespassing signs.  Trail users owe these and other visionaries a great deal of thanks.

 

THE BIG BURN – How a Massive 1910 Wildfire Saved the Forest Service and Preserved Access                                                to Public Lands for Future Generations

 

As a native of the Pacific Northwest and an outdoor recreation enthusiast and advocacy lead for the last 33 years, I had some knowledge of the role that President Teddy Roosevelt and the former Chief of the USDA Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, had in setting aside vast amounts of timberlands in the West for the use and enjoyment of the American People and creating the FS in 1905 to manage those public lands for future generations.

 

However, I was not aware of the intense amount of opposition they faced by Congress and private sector interests to block reservation of those lands for public use and to hamstring the agency with staffing challenges, very little if any forestry tools, no wildland fire training, and a very limited or nonexistent road and trail network.

 

Fortunately for me, a longtime friend and retired FS Recreation Officer, gave me THE BIG BURN, a book written by award winning author, Timothy Egan, that takes a deep dive into the conditions and other factors that led up to the Big Burn Fire, the largest wildfire in U.S history, that burned approximately 3 million acres of forested lands in Idaho, Montana, and Washington in the summer of 1910.

 

I was inspired that a relatively small number of Forest Rangers could muster a large and diverse corps of local residents, business owners, railroad workers, Buffalo Soldiers from the 25^th Infantry, outdoorsmen, frontier women, and others to try and save lives, property, and natural resources that were in the path of this wind-driven firestorm.

2023 Smith River Complex Fire

Smith River NRA - Six Rivers NF

 

The book helped me better appreciate the vision for conservation of public lands and the grit both Roosevelt and Pinchot displayed in their fight against the many enemies they had.   And, it let me get to know the heroism and leadership shown by FS personnel such as Ed Pulaski (inventor of the Pulaski trail tool) as they rallied largely untrained forces to fight the fire.

Pulaski Trail/Wildfire Fighting Tool

I believe this is a must read book for FS/BLM staff and private sector partners who are engaged with recreation management, forest health/fuel projects, forest planning, wildfire suppression, and post-wildfire mitigation efforts.   

 

For those who have experienced first-hand the devastating impact that an intense wildfire can have on forested lands that we live, work, or recreate on, this literary journey will most likely bring back painful memories but the hope it offers is worth it.

 

###

Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for over 33 years. Don writes from his home in Cottonwood, CA.  Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing LLC. Don serves as the Western States Representative for the Motorcycle Industry Council. Don is Past President/CEO and current board member of the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance. Don served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June, 2018. Don served 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 served as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California from 2019 – 2023. Don is a Core-Team member on FireScape Mendocino.  Don is a contributor to Dealernews Magazine.