A Rising Tide Lifts All Trails - Highlight Those OHV Success Stories

Trail Armor and Restoration Projects - Rubicon Trail

Eldorado NF

QWR has long believed that partnerships and collaborative efforts are key elements in any 21st Century OHV recreation program.   Those joint efforts in support of sustainable OHV recreation continue to be the backbone of successful OHV programs in Region 5 and throughout the West.

While OHV management certainly has its challenges, QWR believes it is important for agencies and partners to highlight success stories where new trail opportunities are being created and/or trails are being reopened after mitigation measures are completed that address important resource concerns.

Sediment Catch Basin and Rolling Dip - Mace Mill

Eldorado NF

QWR commends the Eldorado National Forest’s outstanding communication efforts as highlighted in their recent:  42 Route Project Update #7

Link to 42 Route Project Update #7

http://files.constantcontact.com/1eeadf48401/d82fd5a9-b868-4463-8633-2b77e3c478ef.pdf

As this report illustrates, various non-federal OHV grant programs (e.g. state, industry, etc.)  can help support the efforts of federal land agencies manage high-quality and environmentally sound OHV recreational opportunities.

Half Culvert OHV Bridge - Mace Mill

Eldorado NF

The document also notes the California State Park’s OHMVR Division has a grant program that supports their management efforts on the Forest and also shows that OHV recreation on public lands has evolved into a highly complex and diverse, partnership-based “a rising tide lifts all trails” concept.

QWR closes by stating that maybe the single most important factor in modern OHV recreation is the use of diverse partnerships as a synergistic force multiplier when it comes to the management of motorized use on designated roads, trails, and riding areas.

OHVers Attend Nor Cal Monument Meeting to Show Interest in Management Plan

Riders Highlight Important OHV Trails at

Monument Recreation Station

A good turnout of both motorized and non-motorized trail enthusiast attended the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management’s public meeting last night in Winters, California.

The agencies said they are in the early stages (pre-scoping) of developing a management plan for the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument (BSMNM) and have invited the public to participate in Community Conversations about the Monument. The conversations are an opportunity for the public to express what is important to them about the management of the BSMNM.

OHV recreationists and clubs who use the area for trail riding and events such as enduros and dual-sport rides know just how important it is for them to participate in the public process related with the upcoming management plan for the monument.

Recreationists Engage with BLM/FS Staff

The third Community Conversation will occur Tuesday, October 4 at the Holiday Inn Express in Willows, Calif. The meeting room is at 545 N. Humboldt Ave. and will also run from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

The BSMNM was established in July 2015 to preserve the objects of scientific and historic interest on the lands of the Berryessa Snow Mountain area. The 330,000-acre area is bounded on the north by the Snow Mountain Wilderness and on the south by Berryessa Mountain in north-central California. Approximately 197,000 acres are administered by US Forest Service and 133,000 acres by the BLM.

The agencies hope that you will join them at a Community Conversation. For more information please go here, http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mendocino/home/?cid=FSEPRD506559

                                                                     

AGENCY POST-CATASTROPHIC EVENT STRATEGY COMMUNICATION IS KEY PUBLIC SERVICE

Washed Out Road - Gifford Pinchot NF

(photo courtesy of Gifford Pinchot website)

QWR believes that creation of a substantive and timely communication program between the Forest and recreation community is a vital element of a successful travel management strategy.

Communication is even more critical when it comes to providing the public with access information during active and post-catastrophic events such as intense wildfires and major floods.

Washed Out Access Road - Gifford Pinchot NF

(photo courtesy of Gifford Pinchot website)

For example, several important roads within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest were washed out by flooding that occurred in December of 2015.  A number of those roads provide access to motorized trails on the unit.

LINK TO GIFFORD PINCHOT NF ROAD ACCESS INFORMATION

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/giffordpinchot/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD500377

The OHV community and the public-at-large understand how catastrophic events can impact access to recreation facilities such as campgrounds, staging areas, and trail networks.  That understanding and trust is strengthened when the Forest has an effective communication strategy and makes access information available through email and social media alerts with links back to the agency’s website.

LINK TO ROAD REPAIR STRATEGY

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/giffordpinchot/recreation/?cid=fseprd486364

As the Forest Service moves forward with it National Trails Strategy, QWR hopes the agency will encourage units that are ramping up their trail program to hire staff with good networking and communication skills.  In 2016, those talents are becoming a valuable and treasured asset and will complement the other resource-oriented specialized fields.  Communication is a good thing!