BLM LAUNCHES OFFICIAL 30-DAY COMMENT PERIOD FOR BERRYESSA MONUMENT TRAVEL PLAN

BLM Knoxville OHV Area

Included in this Monument Travel Planning Process

                      BLM LAUNCHES OFFICIAL COMMENT PERIOD FOR BERRYESSA MONUMENT TRAVEL PLAN

OVERVIEW – Earlier this year, many of you participated in several  pre-scoping “listening” meetings with the Monument planning team where you offered ideas on how to improve legal riding opportunities for OHVs in popular areas such as Knoxville and Indian Valley where historic motorized use has occurred for decades. 

 LINK TO MAP OF OPEN AND CLOSED OHV ROUTES

https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2014711/200490393/20042361/250048554/BSMNM%20Route%20Inventory.pdf

 

As you can see, the current route inventory map does not show many routes open for OHV use even in historic riding areas.  Now it is time for you to resubmit your previous or updated comments about what routes should be open and other ways to enhance sustainable OHV recreation in the planning area.  It is also important to register to attend the BLM’s virtual meeting on July 21 (see news release below) and submit comments before this scoping period ends on August 16.

 

It is critically important for you to weigh in on this project with both general and specific comments.  I hope to see many of you at the meeting on July 21.  Thanks for your time and efforts on this planning process!  The BLM News Release below has more details.

 

 

          SUBMIT YOUR PUBLIC SCOPING COMMENTS ON TRAILS AND TRAVEL

       MANAGEMENT FOR BERRYESSA SNOW MOUNTAIN NATIONAL MONUMENT

 

UKIAH, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ukiah Field Office invites public comment on travel management planning for trails and roads within the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument on BLM-managed public lands. BLM will host a virtual public meeting, via Zoom, on Wednesday, July 21, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., part of a 30-day public scoping period, which ends Aug. 16.

 

This scoping period provides an open process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed and builds upon public input received during two previous workshops held to identify existing trails and roads, determine appropriate uses and ways to improve the trail network. Public input helps the BLM develop a range of alternatives to improve the recreational experience, while protecting natural and cultural resources.

 

Participants must register for the Zoom meeting at https://blm.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscOGqpzwsHkfbosVpMGLSMSGVV5nigc0

 

 After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with instructions, a link to join the meeting and phone numbers for those unable to join online. Zoom virtual meeting tutorials can be viewed at https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206618765-Zoom-video-tutorials

 

 Please contact us as soon as possible for reasonable accommodations to participate.

 

designated off-road vehicle trails, sight-seeing, remote backcountry travel and white-water rafting. The area also contains one of the greatest concentrations of biodiversity in California, and is home to threatened and endangered plant and wildlife species. To learn more about the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, visit www.blm.gov/berryessa-snow-mountain

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 More information about this planning effort can be found on the project website at https://go.usa.gov/xFq8W

 

Written comments may be submitted electronically to the project ePlanning website; via email to BLM_CA_BSM_NM@blm.gov

 or by mail:  BLM Ukiah Field Office, Attn: BSMNM Travel Management Planning EA, 2550 North State Street, Suite 2, Ukiah, CA  95482. For specific questions, contact Monument Manager Rebecca Carr Wong at 707-468-4023 or BLM_CA_BSM_NM@blm.gov

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 Before including mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses or other personal identifying information in a comment, commenters should be aware that the entire comment, including personal identifying information, could be made publicly available at any time. While the public may ask the BLM to withhold personal identifying information from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

 

This year, we invite everyone to reimagine your public lands as we celebrate 75 years of the BLM’s stewardship and service to the American people. The BLM manages approximately 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. 

R5 REGIONAL FORESTER APPOINTED AS NEW CHIEF OF THE FOREST SERVICE

 

Randy Moore (L) with Don Amador and other FS Leads

Grindstone Ranger District - Mendocino National Forest

R5 REGIONAL FORESTER APPOINTED AS NEW FOREST SERVICE CHIEF

QWR wants to send our most sincere congratulations to Randy Moore on his appointment by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to serve as the 20th Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service.

 

LINK TO FULL AGENCY NEWS RELEASE

https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2021/06/28/agriculture-secretary-tom-vilsack-announces-randy-moore-new-forest

 

 

According to a statement from Secretary Vilsack, “Randy Moore has been a catalyst for change and creativity in carrying out the Forest Service’s mission to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations,” said Secretary Vilsack. “In his role as Regional Forester, Randy has been a conservation leader on the forefront of climate change, most notably leading the Region’s response to the dramatic increase in catastrophic wildfires in California over the last decade. His proven track record of supporting and developing employees and putting communities at the center of the Forest Service’s work positions him well to lead the agency into the future at this critical time in our country.”

Kathy Mick (L), Mike Burmann (CL), Randy Moore (CR), Don Amador (R)

Upper Lake Ranger District - Mendocino National Forest

 

Upon swearing in, Moore will serve as the first African American to hold the role of Chief of the Forest Service.

 

Don Amador, President of QWR and Government Affairs lead for AMA District 36,  states, “I have ridden OHVs with Randy on several field trips to the Grindstone and Upper Lake Ranger Districts to review their sustainable trail management programs that provide world-class OHV opportunity on the Mendocino National Forest and on other National Forests in Region 5.”

Randy Moore (L) - On ATV Field Trip

Grindstone Ranger District - Mendocino National Forest

“As  core-team lead for FireScape Mendocino, a forest health collaborative, it has also been a privilege to work with Randy  in his role as Regional Forester where he helped guide the agency  through a number of severe and precedent setting wildfire seasons.   I believe he is the right person at the right time to fill this critically important position,” Amador concludes.

 

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NIMBY WARS - Become a More Effective Land-Use Warrior

 

OPINION

By Don Amador

June 17, 2021

EFFECTIVE OHV ADVOCACY

Back in 2009, I read what maybe one of the best books ever written on the subject of effective grassroots political activism and how groups use the fine art of “political-craft” to achieve their land-use goals.  Given the current number of fierce political campaigns to shut down OHV-related legislation and recreation at Oceano Dunes SVRA and other state and federal riding areas, I want to encourage the new crop of OHV advocates to spend a few bucks to purchase online their own personal copy of NIMBY Wars.

 NIMBY Wars is a must read for all who are involved in land use advocacy. Regardless of your station in the battle for recreational access to public lands, you will benefit from the insights of this book as it succinctly explains the complex world of land use politics and articulates strategies for success.

 

It was early in my career of OHV land use advocacy (circa 1991) that I had this epiphany, “All land use decisions are political decisions.” Many club leaders, riders, new activists, and seasoned veterans have heard me talk about how important it is for all of us involved in land use advocacy to understand that at the end of the day - ALL land use decisions are political decisions.

 

Sure, scientific studies, reports, biological opinions, and other criteria are certainly factors in the land use decision-making process. However, the politics of the issue will be the last filter through which any decision must pass.

 

I have tried to explain (often times unsuccessfully) to those new to the field of land use politics the aforementioned thesis. To the normal person just sitting down with the decision-maker and explaining the facts, pointing out good science, offering a common sense solution, or supporting best management practices should be enough to encourage the decision-maker to make the right call. Unfortunately, those factors have little, if anything, to do with the final decision because the final decision is a political decision.

 

NIMBY Wars is a literary masterpiece that diagrams the bottom-up approach to grassroots activism and the importance of that local citizen (e.g. voter) or citizen’s group in achieving your objective.

 

Again, you must order this book if you are involved OHV advocacy, the OHV industry, or want to be involved in or lead, successful political campaigns to champion OHV recreational activities on public and private lands. If you are an experienced land use political professional, it will confirm various concepts and strategies you have employed and teach you new tactics.

 

If you are a new advocate, it will explain the politics of land use decision-making. If you are in the OHV business, it will explain and highlight the important roles of the professional land use consultant and the local user/leader. If you are a politician, lobbyist, or bureaucrat it will explain the history of land use politics and illustrate why and how you make your decisions.

 

Read this book! It will make you a more effective OHV champion.

BLM PLANNING EFFORT TO ENHANCE OHV RECREATION IN SOUTHERN MONTEREY COUNTY - COMMENTS DUE JULY 6

 

QWR commends the BLM’s Central Coast Field Office for starting this planning process to enhance sustainable OHV recreation opportunities on federal lands in an effort to address the increased demand – in our post-COVID world – for managed motorized and non-motorized recreation. 

 

Many land agencies have reported an unprecedented rise in visitor days which creates a huge capacity challenge for line-officers, recreation staff, and law enforcement.  For example, large numbers of SxS enthusiasts are traveling from the LA area to northern CA recreation sites such as the BLM’s Chappie-Shasta OHV Area near Redding and the FS’s Stonyford OHV Area.

 

OHV Routes at Williams Hill

Recently, the BLM was awarded a planning grant from the CA State Parks OHV Grant Program to improve the trail network and facilities at the Williams Hill OHV Area that is about 55 miles south of Salinas off of Highway 101.  QWR believes it is critical for OHVers who use - or might want to use - the Williams Hill site to weigh in with scoping comments that are due on July 6.

 

It is important to make specific comments on how to improve the current OHV program there.  For example, you may want them to plan for new connector trails, 4x4 challenge course, increase single-track opportunities, or develop new camping/staging areas.  You might also comment about this planning effort being important due to the increased demand throughout the state for recreation opportunity and to relieve overcrowding at other OHV areas due to COVID and past, current, or proposed land closures.

 

LINK TO BLM SCOPING DOCUCMENT AND INFO LINKS

https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-seeking-public-input-williams-hill-ohv-trails-recreation-improvements

 

Please share with your riding networks to help land agencies address public demand for motorized access and other forms of recreation.

PSA - Attend Recreation Focused Virtual Meeting for North Zone National Forests on June 10

 

Smith River NRA HQ - Six Rivers NF

SORC RECREATION MEETING ON NOR CAL NATIONAL FORESTS

JUNE 10, 2021 – 10AM TO 12PM

 

 The virtual meeting slated for May 26 to discuss recreation a number of Nor Cal National Forests has been rescheduled to June 10, 2021 from 10am to noon.  The June 10 meeting is hosted by the Sustainable Outdoor Recreation Collaborative (SORC).  Stakeholders from both the motorized and non-motorized communities are encouraged to attend and share their views on recreation opportunities and issues on the following Forests – Mendocino, Six Rivers, Klamath, Modoc, Lassen, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests.

 

MEETING INFO

Date: Thursday, June 10, 2021

Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm (PDT)

https://csus.zoom.us/j/83534099167

Meeting ID: 835 3409 9167 Dial-in: +1 669 900 6833

 

PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO ATTEND

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NSjv2PsJK4aLwJgJK9akJe-ogVR_KTwCTtW2-SsvIbY/edit#gid=0

 

 

QWR believes is it important to recreation group leaders to attend.  This is a great opportunity to hear from and visit with agency recreation and management leaders from individual Forests and the Regional Office and to share ideas with, or learn from,  attendees from other recreation interests at the meeting.

 

I look forward to seeing many of my Nor Cal recreation family at this meeting.

 

 

ATTEND BLM TRAVEL PLANNING MEETING - April 21, 2021 from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Entrance Sign at the Knoxville OHV Area

ATTEND BLM TRAVEL PLANNING MEETING – April 21, 2021

 

 If you or your organization enjoys OHV and other trail-based recreation on federal lands – such as Knoxville OHV Area, Walker Ridge/Indian Valley, and Mendocino NF – within the boundaries of the

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, please attend the ZOOM meeting on April 21 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm.

 

Many of you attended the previous travel planning meeting and provided important information that will help inform the planning process.  Your additional input is needed at the April 21 meeting as the agency is expected to provide an updated presentation based on your previous comments. 

 

Please use the link in the BLM announcement below to register for the April 21 meeting. 

 

LINK TO MEETING AND REGISTRATION

https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-seeking-input-berryessa-snow-mountain-national-monument-trails

  

Thanks for your participation in this planning process.  It will also provide you with some additional experience in federal travel and land-use planning as both the BLM and FS will be updating their current management plans over the next year or two.

 

See you at the meeting tomorrow night!

SENATE RULES COMMITTEE CONFIRMS ARMANDO QUINTERO AS STATE PARK DIRECTOR

NEWS RELEASE

April 8, 2021

      SENATE CONFIRMS ARMANDO QUINTERO AS CA STATE PARK DIRECTOR

On April 7, the CA Senate Rules Committee voted to confirm Armando Quintero as the CA State Park Director.   Quintero was questioned about management prescriptions at Oceano Dunes SVRA and if Parks would be mounting a legal challenge to the Coastal Commission’s recent vote to close the unit to OHVs in three years? Director Quintero said he has been meeting with CCC leadership on a weekly basis and that Parks will be consulting with the Administration on any legal actions or administrative decisions they may or may not take or enact.

Director Quintero stated that Parks is hiring a number of new non-badge park managers (for example Parks just hired Peter Jones to be the District Manager at Prairie City SVRA).  I believe this is in response, in part, to a loud cry by many in OHV leadership who have repeatedly stated the import of having decision-makers at the local level that will provide on-the-ground oversight of unit management activities/staff and also provide more accountability to park users and partners.   

Quintero also stated the important role that State Park grant programs (including the OHV grant program) has in providing access and management support for sustainable recreation on public lands throughout the state. 

Don Amador, QWR President and former Chairman of the CA Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission, states, "While this confirmation is an important step, it remains to be seen just how Quintero implements his vision for enhanced access to sustainable recreation while balancing that goal with protecting natural and cultural resources."

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