10- After watching Why
We Ride, a nationally recognized conservationist embraces the concept of
managed OHV recreation as a legitimate and important public use of federal
land.
9- A group of Hollywood actors who ride off-road form a
national non-profit foundation to help support and defend responsible OHV
recreation.
8- The Forest Service adds a new classification of trails to
travel management to address the growing use of SxS on public lands. In fact, the agency starts to purchase said
vehicles for official use by resource specialists, recreation staff, and law
enforcement.
7- Hardcore 4x4 rock climbing enthusiasts discover the
challenging aspects of the engineered class 5 obstacle courses at several California
State Vehicular Recreation Areas. An amateur
competition series is developed and gets national acclaim.
6- East Bay Regional Park District changes its anti-OHV
stance and sites an all-electric OHV park on the outskirts of Oakland. The District offers this 15 acre unit as
mitigation for their unsuccessful efforts to block OHV use on the Tesla
property purchased in the mid-1990s with OHV Trust Fund monies for motorized
recreation.
5- The internationally recognized animal expert and zoo
curator, Jungle Jack Hanna, submits a proposal to the USFW Service to help them
avoid listing the Greater Sage Grouse as a threatened species. Hanna’s plan to build and operate 10
strategically located grouse breeding farms would enhance the grouse
population. The Service takes the
proposal under advisement. Congress
reviews it as well.
4- This year marks the creation of the IronRider Race. It is loosely based on the concept of the
Ironman
competition where the event participant utilizes various
sport modalities during the course of the race.
The IronRider is a 1,000 mile epic challenge. It is divided into 10-segments of 100 miles for
each of the following vehicle types.
Those specific motorized modalities are a dirt-bike, SxS, snowmobile,
dual-sport, SUV, rock crawler, ATV, adventure bike, full-size 4x4 pickup, and
electric OHV.
3- A motorsports enthusiast in a mid-West state sets a Guinness
World Record for belonging to the most powersports-related organizations. This person is a member of 115 local, state,
regional, and national OHV groups. The
donor believes it is important to lead by example to show others that it is
important to support those groups that defend responsible OHV use.
2- Tech guru invents heat-resistant micro-chip based sound reducer
that when installed in a muffler will emit sound waves to cancel-out exhaust
sound. The product results in a new
generation of light weight sound compliant mufflers.
1- A new attorney – who is an avid OHV enthusiast – is hired
by the Center for Biological Diversity.
She convinces CBD to reconsider its anti-OHV litigation strategy because
it is unwarranted and counterproductive.
A “can’t we all just get along” motto is adopted at the Center. The OHV community and many land managers hail
this decision.
Bonus Prediction - A new reality TV series is launched called Trail
Dynasty. It is centered on the life and
activities of a senior A enduro rider and his family. It stars the A enduro rider, his wife, two
sons, and one daughter.They also have two dogs and a cat. It is nominated for an Emmy after just 5
episodes.
Posts
A little wry humor, tongue-in-cheek, satire, and frustration all mixed in. Not unlike many how I and many in the OHV community feel !
ReplyDeleteSome years ago it was thought Climate Change would pull on the bulk of the anti's purse-strings, but apparently not. They still have many $hundreds-of-thousands or more to fight OHV recreation. As implied, for each $100,000 spent against OHV recreation, that presumably could increase a species population by 1%, that same amount spent to directly to assist the population could bring double digit increases. What a waste of time, money & energy.
On 6, the public survey EBRPD conducted for long-term planning over the telephone and by email, one will see the respondent's demographics point to a narrow group, not at all representative of the diverse populations of Alameda & Contra Costa Counties. FWIW.
Prediction 4 looks interesting, though 1000 miles total would be a logistically tricky. How about, say: 1 mile segments? That's feasible.
There may be a problem with prediction 8. I think some Forest Services (mostly in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico?) have already begun this policy, de facto. It creates an already apparent prejudice against allowing jeeps and 4x4s who want to recreate on routes originally open to all types of vehicles. Often these routes are un-maintained, and tend to "narrow down" over time due to brush, trees, etc. I believe I have seen such routes in Utah & New Mexico, where SxS & Quads are very popular. Correct me if my concern is misplaced.
thanks.