Closures and Analysis Paralysis Headline Sacramento Field Hearing

Photos: CERA President, Charles Hirst (left) and Hearing Crowd (right) - see if you recognize anyone?

Trail history was made yesterday in California when a congressional subcommittee held a field hearing that was primarily focused on the loss of multiple-use access to, and use of, our national forests.

As HQ told attendees at the Ride Reno 200 Dual Sport banquet on September 17, the OHV community has a lot to be proud of as they are now having their access issues being addressed by both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Two examples of that seismic shift was that a representative from U.S. Senator Dean Heller’s office was at the banquet to listen to concerns about special recreation permits being denied to clubs and there was a September 19 field hearing in Sacramento. At the field hearing the loss of forest trail access, abuse of the event permitting process, and forest health were front and center.

HQ is very proud of all the access and multiple-use witnesses including Charles Hirst, president of the California Enduro Riders Assn., and Nick Haris, the western representative for the AMA. PEER’s testimony that OHV recreation brings zero economic benefit to local communities was shot down quickly by Eldorado County Supervisor, Jack Sweeney. Plumas County Sheriff Hagwood gave very compelling testimony. The hearing played to a packed house.

The Recreation HQ strongly urges you to take time and watch the hearing including the Q&A. There is some very compelling testimony in both the written and oral presentations.

Link to the Hearing’s Audio and Written Documents

http://naturalresources.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=258843

Stockton Record Article on Hearing (pretty good overview)
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110920/A_NEWS/109200313/-1/A_NEWS14

HQ agrees with the one or two hearing panelists that a “TMR reset button” should be pushed because on many Forests it is both a planning debacle and public nightmare.

HQ Blog on Pushing the TMR Reset Button
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/06/criminal-invasion-closes-public-lands.html

In closing, HQ must give kudos to Randy Moore (R5 Regional Forester) for showing up and taking the heat. As it was pointed out by one of the congressmen, Moore is in a tough spot because of the planning and political box he is in.

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Thanks to all who showed up and/or those who supported representatives to stand in their place. Access history was made on September 19 and you were part of it.

November Election and Access on Federal Lands

On this mini ‘Super Tuesday” where there are a several primaries being decided, The General is reminded of the August 25 Forest Service Management Roundtable where Congressman Tom McClintock addressed a number of access issues that are impacting his constituents.

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PHOTO: A few riders on a "Remember Eddie Diaz" trail ride

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See August 25 Statement by Congressman Tom McClintock to Region 5
http://mcclintock.house.gov/2010/08/statement-to-the-regional-us-forest-service-management-roundtable.shtml

See July 21 blog on “Cost Recovery” and Issues on the Eldorado
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/07/ohv-cost-recovery-fight-on-eldorado-nf.html

The Recreation HQ believes the agency’s fear of environmental lawsuits is driving a lot of FS and BLM decisions here in California.

ELDORADO - As HQ points out in the aforementioned blog, the reason for increased cost recovery charges to CERA and the Polka Dots has nothing to do with protecting the environment but are simply self-preservation steps to protect the agency from being forced to spend hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars defending itself against ongoing and future eco-litigation. And then paying EAJA awards to the litigants.

TMR - The FS closed thousands of miles of forest roads and trails to OHVs because of the enviro’s promise of endless litigation if those closures were not put into effect. Yet despite massive closures, the greens showed their “lust for closures” by filing a lawsuit against the Stanislaus NF’s travel plan because it did not close enough.

See blog on Lust for Closures
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-green-subpart-lawsuit-shows-lust.html

CCMA - Here the BLM decided to make the Central BLM District of CA an “OHV free zone” by closing the 75K acre CCMA. HQ believes this is being driven by the threat of a lawsuit against the BLM unless they close the unit to OHVs. In fact, the BLM even stated that at a public meeting.

See Tobin’s June 22 blog (scroll down to it) and read BLM’s explanation for the closure regarding fear of litigation
http://www.salinasramblersmc.org/Tobin/Blog/blog.htm

What does all of this have to do with today’s primary? Since “all land use decisions [and closures] are political decisions,” the statement by Congressman McClintock to use the power of his position to hold access and recreation related hearings in the next session of Congress could have a significant impact on these issues.

Currently, there is an anti-trail majority in the House of Representatives. Most of the hearings have centered on the need to exclude historic public use of federal lands in favor of highly restrictive land use designations and programs with OHV being the scapegoat for all of this country’s environmental woes. At these hearings, McClintock and other pro-access legislators worked hard to advocate for public access, but most of the time they are ignored since they are in the minority.

If pro-trail interests are voted into office on November 2, access champions like Congressman McClintock and Congressman Rob Bishop will be in a position to hold agency leadership accountable for the decisions they are making. They could also work on EAJA reform. It’s unfortunate that land use has become a political football but that is the stark reality.

2011 could be a very interesting year depending on what happens November 2.