Update on Dublin Meeting for East Bay Park's Master Plan

 Park Board Member, Amy Wieskamp, Gives Welcome at Dublin Meeting

 

 

The Recreation HQ attended the public meeting in Dublin last night regarding East Bay Regional Park District’s General Plan.  The ongoing issue of the District “reaching in” to the Tesla property and the fact that the District does not offer one single acre of OHV recreation to the residents of CCC and Alameda counties (over 28K + registered non-street legal OHVs owned by residents who pay prop WW taxes to support the District in those counties) were topics brought up.

HQ also talked with Mike Anderson, the District planning lead, about next steps in the planning process. Mike said it looks like they will not be able to develop a draft plan for public review and comment until January 2013.  He also said there is not deadline for the public comment period.  However, HQ believes that users should try and get comments in before October 10, 2012.

 

HQ encouraged Mike to post this information on the District website so the public can be assured that they will have an opportunity to review and comment on the draft master plan BEFORE the park board casts a final vote.   HQ also got to meet one of the board members, Amy Wieskamp, and hopes that she will consider our input regarding OHV use at Tesla and on other District properties.

 

Thanks to all who came out to the meeting and/or who have been attending the meetings.  Getting involved in the public process is how things get done.  However, I would issue one word of caution to those of you who are posting on other blogs and forums.  It does not benefit our cause or add to our credibility as a user community when a few folks post derogatory and highly inflammable personal comments about District staff or directors.  It is perfectly fine to take them to task on policy issues but keep the personal attacks off the web.  They don’t help.

 The next and final public meeting of this series is Oct. 9 at:

Richmond Memorial Auditorium

Bermuda Room

403 Civic Center Plaza

Richmond, CA 94804

7:00 – 8:30pm

 Again, it is important for OHV to show up and make pro-OHV or other policy comments at the various flip chart stations.  Thanks again to all of you who are taking time out of your busy schedules to attend.

 

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CA Parks Foundation Insults OHV in LA Times Article

The comment made by the director of the California State Parks Foundation, Elizabeth Goldstein, about off-road recreationists being her “Children” is really one of the most astounding and arrogant comments I have heard in the last 25 years during my work in the land-use arena.

July 27, 2012 LA Times Article on State Park Budget Scandal with Goldstein’s Comment

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-state-parks-20120727,0,3856220.story

Karen Schambach’s comment in the same article about the OHV program having large reserves is equally insulting and disingenuous.  What Karen does not tell you is that her group and other anti-OHV organizations and their local counterparts have successfully blocked efforts by the OHV Program and OHV Commission to site new OHV parks throughout the state to meet their legislative mandate to provide high quality motorized recreation for the users.

During the 1990s when I was on the OHV Commission, we worked hard on finding locations in various parts of the state.   New SVRAs were proposed in Humboldt and San Diego Counties and everywhere in between.  However, green NIMBY groups blocked us every step of the way. Greens continued their blocking efforts during the 2000s.

Riders should not be fooled by the faux outrage being articulated by Elizabeth Goldstein, Karen Schambach and other anti-OHV groups and their supporters in the legislature.  The Sustainable Parks Initiative was a not so cleverly disguised direct attack on the OHV Program with a particularly sharp hit on the grants program… all designed to degrade management of OHV recreation to a point where Karen and PEER could then sue to have the area shut down.  (e.g. Carnegie SVRA,  Eldorado NF, etc.)

Although OHV recreation continues to grow and prosper in other states and regions of the country, motorized recreationists have a very tough fight ahead of us in CA.  The good news is that I believe anti-OHV groups, on a national basis, have already reached their zenith (circa 1990s) and are on the way downhill in their ability to kill motorized recreational activity.

The battle in CA will require OHV leadership to think and act outside of the box and to focus sharply on more effective ways of defeating our political opponents.

Thanks for your continued diligence and support!

Green Park Groups Fear Blowback from DPR Scandal

HQ Commentary by Don Amador

The Recreation HQ believes the article published today by the SacBee regarding how certain Park-related non-profits is really on target.

July 25, 2012, SacBee Article on Fear Striking Park-related Non-Profits

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/23/4653238/state-park-groups-fret-over-secret.html
 

I believe the CA Parks Foundation and other park-related non-profits should be afraid of public outrage and blowback from the OHV community because of their Sustainable Parks Initiative that was based on a lie.  That plan had as its “foundation block” the complete evisceration of the OHV Program and its grants program to federal and county partners.

I personally believe that certain non-profits are in fact nothing more than stealth branches of the Department of Parks and Recreation.  This scandal proves that abuse by Parks of the OHV Trust Fund has become institutionalized and has been an accepted way of doing business.

Further proof of OHV being nothing more than a political football to be kicked around by green groups and their friends at DPR was also highlighted in a 2005 audit of the program by the Bureau of State Audits.  *They only scratched the surface in my opinion.

That report had a lot to do with OHV leadership pushing for a complete overhaul of the OHV program that was set to expire on Jan. 1, 2008.  That effort in 2007 resulted in SB742, the new CA OHV Program.

 

BRC News Release on OHV Being a Political Football (with a link to the 2005 BSA Audit)

http://www.sharetrails.org/news/2005/12/14/ohv-groups-call-disbandment-ca-ohv-commission
 

Just where this ends up is uncertain.  But be assured that this issue has lot of riders fired up and let’s hope we can turn that energy into something positive for OHV.

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CA Trust Fund Raid On Major Sports Talk Radio

HQ’s Don Amador was on Bike Week Radio on June 24, 2012.  The main topic was the ongoing raid by the CA legislature of OHV fuel tax monies and the impacts it will have on the grants program and even the program in general.

Topics and themes included the CA Dems declaring war on the GOP and how OHV is being caught in a political perfect storm.   And, how other user-pay/user benefit programs are being hit and how important it is for all motorcyclists and OHV users to get engaged in the political process.

My introduction is at 28:20 – 29:49

Main segment is at 33:28 – 46:19

Link to Bike Week Radio Show

http://www.bikeweekradioshow.com/archive.html

We also mentioned how CA Parks Foundation is helping implement Karen Schambach’s long-time dream of decoupling the off-road fuel tax from the OHV program.   Assemblyman, Brian Jones, was also given props for being the lone voice on the Assembly Budget Committee who stood up against the raid.

Helmets off to Broc Glover and the rest of the gang at Bike Week Radio for having a segment on this important issue.  We also touched on the fact that there are positive pro-OHV efforts in the House of Representatives and how local counties are fighting back too.

Thanks for your continue interest and support!

PS- Be sure and send Broc Glover a note if you appreciate him having OHV access issues on the show…

Contact him at:  sales@bikeweekradioshow.com

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ABC NEWS STORY on CLEAR CREEK - EPA/HFO Makes Case for NRA Designation

Many riders watched the ABC feature story last night regarding the ongoing closure of the Clear Creek Management Area to all users. A big HQ salute is given to local off-road advocate Ken Deeg for telling his story to the reporter. As far as mainstream media coverage goes for OHV recreation, HQ believes the story scored an 8 out of 10.


ABC Video and Article on the Closure of Clear Creek (must watch video)
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news%2Fassignment_7&id=8363558

What struck HQ the most out of the whole video were statements made by EPA and Hollister Field Office officials. Just as Don Amador stated in his June 22,2011 testimony before a Congressional Subcommittee hearing in DC, EPA/HFO continue to give their agencies a black eye by showing their collective intent to permanently close or severely restrict OHV recreation at Clear Creek.

Blog with Video of Amador’s June 22 Testimony, link to IERF study, etc.
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/06/hq-post-congressional-hearing-update.html

While CA state parks spokesman, Phil Jenkins, did a great job sharing the OHV Division’s perspective on the issue and risks associated with high risk sports such as OHV, swimming at public beaches, rivers, and lakes, rock climbing, and snow skiing, HQ believes that ABC should have also interviewed one of the scientists from IERF.

As you know, on March 22, 2011 a report was completed by scientists from the International Environmental Research Foundation (IERF), the Department of Physics at Harvard University, and the Center for Applied Studies of the Environment at the City University of New York.


According to that new and scientifically valid report, “…the [health]risk at Clear Creek is similar to the lifetime risk of death from smoking less than one cigarette over a one year period. They noted other recreational activities, such as swimming, hiking, and snow skiing are over a 100-fold more dangerous.

In summary, EPA/HFO’s statements in the ABC story only validated and strengthened Amador’s June 22 recommendation to Congress that they should consider bipartisan legislation that designates the 70,000-acre CCMA as a National Recreation Area with OHV recreation and other multiple-use recreational activities codified as “prescribed uses.” Congress could designate as “open” all 242 miles of routes and 400 acres of open areas identified for motorized use in the 2005 CCMA Travel Management Plan.

HQ believes HFO/EPA have lost their objectivity and credibility during the CCMA debate by inserting  junk science and their personal political agendas into the decision-making process. Every day that CCMA remains closed to public use means that Congress is one day closer to deciding the future of Clear Creek by designating it as a National Recreation Area.

Former Dep. Director of CA OHMVR Dies at Early Age of 44

Dave Widell - R.I.P.

The Recreation HQ deeply regrets to inform riders that the former deputy director, Dave Widell, of the CA OHMVR Program died recently at the early age of 44.

Here is a local newspaper article on his passing
http://www.losbanosenterprise.com/2011/08/26/142043/grasslands-water-district-gm-dead.html

Dave Widell also wrote an editorial in “Taking the High Road”
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Dave_W_Taking_the_High_Road_Photo0001.pdf

Dave brought a lot of energy and political savvy to that post in the early 2000s. Even though we strongly disagreed on a number of policy issues including his development of the 2003 California Route Inventory and Designation Process (the precursor to the 2005 Travel Management Rule), I considered Dave a friend and will miss his presence on both a professional and personal basis.

The Recreation HQ wants to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Widell circle of family and friends.