OPINION - CA OHV PROGRAM NOT OUT OF THE WOODS

 

OPINION

By Don Amador

May 15, 2024

 

 

CA OHV TRAIL PROGRAM NOT OUT OF THE WOODS

 

 

While many in the OHV community including numerous federal and county land agency partners are breathing a sigh of relief after seeing $29M restored back into the OHMVR Division local assistance grants program, the question remains: what is Parks doing to increase the revenue stream?

 

How can we grow the OHMVR Program into the future when spending is outpacing revenue by 25% every year, which is draining the previously robust OHV Trust Fund?

 

With the latest $29M budget allocation the OHV TF is dangerously depleted with only a $50M balance to start the 25/26 fiscal year. At current spending levels the TF will soon be empty. Will Parks then bail out the division with SB1 gas tax money?

 

Over the last 4-6 years the OHV Program has annually been $25 - $30 million in the red and has only survived by spending down the OHV Trust Fund and axing important capital outlay projects that improve recreation experiences and safety.  I continue to believe this all points to a program in crisis unless Parks takes immediate action and implements measures to increase the revenue stream.

 

I believe that Parks should review the following issues:

 

• Update the antiquated day use, camping and annual pass fee schedules
• Object to the “temporary” $866,000 monthly gas tax diversion to the General Fund that has continued for 13+ years. 
• Review questionable SB1 personnel % allotments that further drain the OHV TF
• Review questionable OHMVR Division equipment and personnel charges to the OHV TF when work occurs outside of OHMVR units. 

 

Dangling the future of the OHV Program from a fiscal cliff each year during the budget process is not a pretty sight nor sustainable for this historically financially sound and forward-thinking program.

 

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Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for over 33 years.   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. Don writes from his home in Cottonwood, CA.

ROHVA SAFETY COURSE FOR YUROK BIOLOGY TEAM

SXS SAFETY TRAINING - North Coast Marine Biology Team

On May 3, QWR had the honor and privilege to teach the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA) ROV Basic DriverCourse (RBDC) on sovereign lands of the federally recognized Resighini Tribe of Yurok People.  The class was comprised of biologists from the Tribe’s Marine Natural Resource Management Program.

Exercise 4: Backing and Turning

 

The biology team wanted to take the safety course since they recently purchased a new Kawasaki Pro Mule 1000 from a local dealership in Eureka, CA to assist them in various research and monitoring projects as part of their management efforts in the Indigenous Marine Stewardship Area (IMSA) that includes coastal lands in California ranging north from Trinidad to the Oregon border.

 

CREATION OF IMSA

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2024/01/25/tribal-nations-designate-first-us-indigenous-marine-stewardship-area

 

One of the key topics covered in the class is Search, Evaluate, and Execute (SEE) and is one of the many important themes stressed by ROHVA in both the online E-Course and field training.   SEE is a common sense yet powerful decision-making process where a driver looks for various factors such as trail difficulty then evaluates the risk level of the situation and subsequently executes an action such as turning around and taking another route.

Exercise 3: Low Speed Steering Limits

 

Use of protective safety gear such as wearing a helmet and using eye protection is another area that is highlighted during online and field education process.

 

Don Amador, a ROHVA-certified DriverCoach, states, “It was great to get back to the north coast of California to help train tribal resource management specialists about how to safely operate a ROV/SxS .”

Exercise 5: Serpentine Forward & Reverse

 

“I always enjoy seeing students taking pride in learning some of the basic skills such as two-foot throttle/brake control to cross an obstacle, back-up, or load the SxS into a tight area such as trailer,” Amador concludes. 

 

QWR is a strong supporter of the focused safety efforts by our partners at CA State Parks OHMVR Division, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, ROHVA, Tread Lightly!, Kawasaki, and the CA Outdoor Recreation Foundation to address the rapid growth of ROV/UTV/SxS use on public lands.

 

Also since many land management agencies, tribes, and cooperators have increased the use of ROVs for recreation/resource management and fire suppression activities, QWR offers the RBDC course for agency or cooperator staff that need to get certified or recertified before operating a government or corporate SxS/ROV.

 

Finally,  a special note of thanks and appreciation to Dave Bertram and our good friends at Helmet House for donating full-face safety helmets and goggles to the biology department for use during the course and in their subsequent resource management efforts.

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 Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for over 33 years.   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. Don writes from his home in Cottonwood, CA.