BLM Presents Clear Creek Decision to San Benito County - Routes, Fees, and Gates

The Recreation HQ continues to be concerned about the national precedent being set by the BLM’s Record of Decision (ROD) to severely limit public access – including the functional elimination of historic OHV use - on the Clear Creek Management Area.

HQ believes the ROD could set a potentially dangerous administrative and/or legal precedent which could be cited by anti-multiple use (ranching, mining, agriculture, OHV, etc.) interests as the model by which to restrict or ban public uses on federal or state lands if even a non-proven hint of a dangerous substance (remember that CO2 has been classified as a pollutant) is found on said lands.

BLM's, Rick Cooper, Presents Plan to the Board

The Hollister Field Office Manager, Rick Cooper, gave a PowerPoint presentation to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors today detailing a rather complex fee/permit structure, limited route network, and plans to install gates on the main county roads.  He did state that his office has been working with the OHMVR Division on potential solutions.

The BOS and most stakeholders were most taken back by the proposal to install gates on the county roads.  After much discussion, Mr. Cooper, agreed to meet with county counsel to discuss options such as the county filing a formal RS2477 assertion to help address the gate/road issue.

At the OHMVR commission meeting last week, the BLM representative stated that the agency would not object to the county filing a RS2477 claim.

BRC and the county vowed to continue to remain engaged in the administrative process by filing an appeal by the March 14 deadline.

At the close of the Clear Creek agenda item, BOS chairman, Jerry Muenzer, told the public that in his view the most viable option to restore historic public access and OHV recreation to the area was for the passage of H.R. 1776.  He urged the public to send in letters of support to their Congressional representatives.

Link to BRC alert on ROD and HR 1776

http://www.sharetrails.org/news/2014/02/12/clear-creek-returns-recreation-spotlight

HQ wants to thank all of the users who showed up today to voice or show their support for the ongoing efforts to restore historic OHV recreation and other uses to the Clear Creek area.

HQ Salutes Cong. Sam Farr's Bill to Reopen Clear Creek

The Recreation HQ is extremely pleased to be talking about Congressman Sam Farr’s introduction of the Clear Creek National Recreation Area and Conservation Act of 2012 – H.R. 6286.

BRC News Release on H.R. 6286 - QWR also has an Email Blast below with link to June 2011 video testimony asking Congress to consider a NRA desigation for Clear Creek
www.sharetrails.org

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/BREAKING-NEWS---Clear-Creek-National-Recreation-Bill-Introduced-Today.html?soid=1109092517671&aid=uZyVry0XTEA

This has been a long and bitter battle for the last 4 years and 3 months.  It is my hope that this bill will reopen Clear Creek to responsible OHV recreation and also help reestablish normal and productive relations between the BLM and the user community (e.g. riders, local businesses, county supervisors).

I also want to personal thank those of you in the OHV community who have been supportive of my efforts to address the closure via the legislative process instead of the courts.  Please take time during August to stop by Congressman Farr’s office and thank him for his leadership via H.R. 6286. You can also send him a note as well.

Cong. Farr’s Contact Info

Salinas Office • 100 W. Alisal Street • Salinas, CA 93901 • Phone: (831) 424-2229 • Toll Free: 800-340-FARR • Fax: (831) 424-7099 •

 Santa Cruz Office • 701 Ocean Street, Room 318C • Santa Cruz, CA 95060 • Phone: (831) 429-1976 • Fax: (831) 429-1458 •

We have more work to do in pushing this through the House and Senate and then to the President.  Knowing many of the Creek fans like I do, I have no doubts that we can accomplish that task.

EPA Champions Closure Agenda at Clear Creek in Letter to Congress

HQ was amazed to read EPA’s September 29, 2011 bizarre response to the OHMVR Commission’s June 21, 2011 letter to Congress which challenged the agency’s stance that Clear Creek should be closed to OHV recreation.

Instead of functionally acknowledging the recent IERF study that shows OHV recreationists at Clear Creek only face a slight health risk (much lower than other activities), EPA stubbornly and with a certain amount of bravado insists that its original study and closure-oriented conclusions are correct.

Blog with Link to OHMVR June 21, 2011 Letter to Congress
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/06/ca-ohv-commission-sends-letter-to.html


September 29,2011 EPA Letter to U.S. Senate (with additional letters from CA regulators)
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/CCMA_EPA_Letter_CCMA_US_Senate_Comm_Nat_Res_9-29-2011.pdf

September 29, 2011 EPA Letter to House of Representatives
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/CCMA_EPA_Letter_CCMA_US_Congress_Comm_on_Nat_Resources.pdf

Blog with Link to IERF Study and recent ABC News Story on Clear Creek
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/09/abc-news-story-on-clear-creek-epahfo.html

HQ believes the EPA is making the best argument for Congress to step in and designate Clear Creek as a National Recreation Area where users can decide for themselves what health and safety risks they take. Be assured this recent EPA missive will only strengthen the resolve of the user community and San Benito County to reopen the Creek.

County Resolution in Support of a NRA Designation
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/10/breaking-news-county-votes-to-petition.html

The Clear Creek saga continues…

BREAKING NEWS - County Votes to Petition Congress to Designate Clear Creek as NRA

                                                   

The Recreation HQ is proud to announce the San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted today 5-0 in favor of a Resolution to petition Congress to designate the Clear Creek Management Area as a National Recreation Area.


HQ’s Don Amador gave a presentation regarding the need for Congress to step in and bypass the local land manager when he/she is not acting in the best interest of the public. Besides Amador, a number of OHV recreationists and a local newspaper owner stepped up to the podium and supported the County’s effort to champion access on behalf of their constituents.

Chairman Margie Barrios also cited the many campgrounds the Hollister Field Office had ripped out over the last several years and the recently constructed multi-million dollar taxpayer-funded “decontamination center” as prime examples of government waste.

Link to blog (with photo) of 1.7 million dollar boondoggle
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/01/jan-14-clear-creek-meeting-blm-and-epa.html

HQ believes access champions have taken one giant step in this long journey. Certainly the trail will be rough over the next few years while efforts are made to have Clear Creek designated as a National Recreation Area. However, it is a journey that all of us should be prepared to take.

PS - I plan to post the Resolution once the county publishes it and provides a link. Based on the comments by the county supervisors, I expect it to reflect the appropriate NRA related land management tenets in my July 22 Congressional testimony.



Oct. 4 - County May Petition Congress to Designate Clear Creek as National Recreation Area

HQ fired up its electronic communications center today to issue a rare weekend update on an important issue. On October 4, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors will listen to BRC’s Don Amador’s request to have them consider a resolution asking Congress to designate the Clear Creek Management Area as a National Recreation Area.


County Agenda for Oct. 4 Meeting (Clear Creek is #16)
http://cosb.us/wp-content/uploads/BOS-1004111.pdf

As many of you know, Amador testified before a House Subcommittee on June 22, 1011 regarding the ongoing closure of Clear Creek. At the end of his testimony, he recommended that Congress bypass the Hollister Field Office and designate CCMA as a National Recreation Area declaring as open the routes and areas highlighted in the HFO’s 2005 Travel Management Plan.

June 22, 2011 link to Video of Oral Testimony and Written Testimony with Exhibits
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/06/hq-post-congressional-hearing-update.html

Over the last few months it has become abundantly clear the HFO intends to continue citing EPA’s junk science as the reason to permanently ban historic OHV use at the Creek.

ABC TV Story on Clear Creek Makes Case for NRA Designation

http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/09/abc-news-story-on-clear-creek-epahfo.html


In April 2010, the County took bold action and declared their roads open for public use in Clear Creek based requests from the voters for local government to defend their access rights. Once again, the County will be asked to step into the breach and champion the rights of local citizens to use and enjoy public lands.

Link to County Reopening Roads
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/04/san-benito-county-votes-to-reopen-roads.html

I hope to see many of you there. If you cannot make it to the meeting, HQ asks that you give us moral support in our collective efforts to reopen Clear Creek.

CA OHV Commission Sends Letter to Congress on Clear Creek

As many of you know, the OHV commission held a hearing on April 5, 2011 in Hollister to discuss many issues - but the focus of the meeting was to daylight the new OHMVR Asbestos Study that was released on March 22, 2011.


BRC Letter to OHV Commission for April 5 Hearing
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Hollister_CCMA_BRC_Comment_Letter_April.5.20110001.pdf

After a lot of public testimony, the OHV commission voted to send a letter to Congress expressing their views on Clear Creek.

HQ has obtained copies of a June 21, 2011 letter that was sent by the OHV Commission to the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

June 21, 2011 OHV Commission Letter to the House
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Commission_CCMA_Letter_House_June_21.20110001.pdf

June 21, 2011 OHV Commission Letter to the Senate
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Commission_CCMA_Letter_Senate_June_21.20110001.pdf

HQ agrees with the tone and direction of this OHV Commission letter where in its summary it states the continued and proposed permanent closure of CCMA does not appear to be supportable nor in the best interest of the public.

HQ believes this OHV commission letter only strengthens the points made during Amador’s testimony/exhibits about the HFO/EPA’s flawed decision-making process and how that process - based on junk science and personal agendas – was designed to create a defacto-Wilderness area at Clear Creek.

Amador will request this OHV commission letter be added to Exhibit C in his written testimony.
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BLM/EPA Weighed in Scales and Found Wanting at Hollister Meeting

SRMC Member Points to CCMA Trails

Based on feedback from riders and club representatives who attended the OHMVR Commission meeting in Hollister yesterday, the BLM and EPA were weighed in the scales and found wanting. Very disappointing when riders showed up to view federal integrity and accountability and found none of those virtues on display.

HQ commends all those who showed up and continued to challenge the faulty science (even the BLM/EPA have said there were uncertainties from the beginning) used by the BLM as a poor excuse to effect the largest landscape level closure of its kind in U.S history.

HQ also commends the OHMVR Commission for voting (and showing accountability and integrity) to send a strong letter to Congress, elected officials, and government agencies. Among a number of questions, they will ask about the BLM/EPA’s continued determination to base the ongoing closure on flawed science and how that unexplainable stubbornness -- in the face of new science -- complies with the March 9, 2009
Presidential Memo on Scientific Integrity.

April 5, 2011 BRC Letter to OHMVR Commission
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Hollister_CCMA_BRC_Comment_Letter_April.5.20110001.pdf

March 2009 Obama Memo on Scientific Integrity
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Memorandum-for-the-Heads-of-Executive-Departments-and-Agencies-3-9-09/

Hollister Newspaper Article (good article)
http://www.freelancenews.com/news/274345-clear-creek-study-asbestos-dangers-can-be-prevented

HQ believes it may be time for the OHV leadership in CA to consider a “vote of no confidence” for the BLM/EPA line officers that have failed to properly discharge their duties.

The BLM/EPA can save their credibility if they just come out and admit they made a poor decision. BLM could accept the new science and reopen CCMA to historic OHV use if they wanted to. The ball is in their court.

New CA OHV Division Asbestos Study Shows Clear Creek Closure is Bogus

A Poster Users Made at Coalinga Meeting to Highlight Agency Bias Against OHV Use

The Recreation HQ is proud to announce that the OHV Division has released a long anticipated independent study on the impacts, or lack thereof, of naturally occurring asbestos on OHV users riding at Clear Creek.

March 23, 2011 - OHV Division News Release with Link to Asbestos Study
http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/

March 23, 2011 – BRC News Release on OHV Asbestos Study
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=728&filter=media

HQ believes this report validates the OHV community’s concerns that the closure at CCMA was politically motivated and was a gross abuse of federal power by a government agent.

HQ blogged back in Jan. 15, 2010 that the BLM and EPA should be ashamed of themselves for foisting an unwarranted 70K acre landscape level closure on the American People.

Jan. 15 Blog with Links and Stories
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/01/jan-14-clear-creek-meeting-blm-and-epa.html


HQ believes this closure has caused great harm to local users, businesses, and the community. OHV dealerships have closed. There is no excuse for this behavior and this abuse of power by government officials should be the object of a Congressional inquiry or hearing. Rick Cooper, the BLM Area Manager, told me on several occasions that he made the decision NOT to review options or management tools that would allow for CCMA to remain open. As the report states, there are many activities that occur on public lands that are far more dangerous. Yet, you have a government official that went out of his way to exclude any options to keep CCMA open.


HQ believes this issue has gone beyond the Hollister Field Office and will most likely be addressed by BLM Director Bob Abbey with input from county officials, OHV users, recreation organizations, gem collectors, Congress, and the OHV Division.

Stay tuned for more updates, as it appears the CA OHV Commission will have a hearing on this issue on April 5 in Hollister, at the Veterans' Hall on 649 San Benito Street just a few blocks from the San Benito County Board of Supervisors Office. The county officials have been real heroes in this fight as well.

April 7, 2010 Blog about County Voting to Reopen Roads in CCMA
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/04/san-benito-county-votes-to-reopen-roads.html

HQ thanks all who worked tirelessly on this issue since May 2008. It has been, and will continue to be, a tough fight. It is an effort worth the battle. There is only one Clear Creek and we want it reopened to OHV use - Period

Land Agencies Should Use "Signs" to Address NOA at CCMA and other Sites

REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK - ORICK BEACH

Since the BLM issued an emergency closure order in May 2008 that closed the Clear Creek Management Area to all users, the Recreation HQ and groups like BRC have urged the agency to adopt the use of “warning signs” used by sister agencies to address valid public safety issues v. the use of closures or expensive capping/ soil treatments.

CA State Parks uses signs to warn against undertow and dangerous ocean waves. Redwood National Park uses signs that count the number of people killed by downing on the beach and tallies those numbers on its warning signs.

At issue with the CCMA closure is that there is not one documented case in CA of a human contracting asbestosis/cancer and dying from recreational activity on public lands that contain naturally occurring asbestos. Yet, the BLM refused to even review or consider a signing prescription for CCMA because the line officer said he had made up his mind that the area should be closed to OHV and other motorized uses.

March 31 Blog on Faux Liability Issue at CCMA (a good read with background info)
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/03/faux-liability-issue-at-ccma.html

HQ believes it is just this type of arbitrary federal action that the new Congress will investigate and have oversight hearings on.

HQ urges all federal land management agencies to strongly consider a “signing” prescription for routes/areas that contain NOA

A spokesman for a major environmental group told me recently that the whole NOA issue is “much to do about nothing.” HQ agrees and hopes that the agencies can put this to rest once and for all and get back to the job of providing quality motorized and non-motorized recreation at CCMA and in the other 42 CA counties where NOA occurs.

Thanks for your service!

BBQ Diplomacy and County Coordination

Here at HQ, riders often bring up the topic of county coordination and cooperating agency status as it relates to Forest Service and BLM travel and land-use planning. HQ is acutely aware they are different but related terms but for the purpose of this discussion that is distinction without a difference.

The following article from the Cortez Journal does a pretty good job of explaining the terminology and differences but at the end of the day correctly highlights the fact that local government cannot dictate a course of action to the federal government.

Cortez Journal Article on County Coordination
http://www.cortezjournal.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=12289

Rather than being a legal or administrative club that local officials can use to beat the federal government into submission, The General believes that coordination is a valuable planning tool that allows the federal government to include and engage county commissioners and other stakeholders in what should be a genuine and sincere collaborative process.

In June, The General had the privilege to witness just such an effort on the Inyo NF where that agency was in an apparently successful planning partnership with local government, businesses, tourism, and other agencies.

Blog on the Inyo Effort and BBQ Diplomacy
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/07/disparity-between-federal-land-agency.html

HQ believes the land-use planning ball is in the agency’s court. Will FS and BLM leadership review a number of hot spots in CA (Shasta T, Clear Creek, etc.) and work to engage disenfranchised stakeholders? Or, will they continue to poke their administrative finger in the eyes of what should be their planning partners?

Can anyone smell a county/fed BBQ? Let HQ know and it will bring the chips!

Good OHV News - HR 689

The Recreation HQ wants to share some good OHV news that not just benefits motorized recreation in general but more specifically enhances permitted OHV events.

Congressman Wally Herger Announcement on HR 689
http://herger.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=674&Itemid=112

Record Searchlight Opinion on Herger Bill
http://blogs.redding.com/bross/archives/2010/07/one-small-step.html

For many years, there has been a matrix of federal lands at the Chappie-Shasta OHV Area. The trail system for both casual OHV recreation and permitted events was co-managed by the BLM and FS.

Info on Chappie-Shasta OHV Area
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/redding/recreationmain/reddingrecreationohvmain.html

Unlike the BLM’s Hollister Field Office that closed the 75K acre Clear Creek Management Area to all public uses including OHV, the BLM in the this area is committed to providing well-managed and comprehensive OHV recreational opportunities at Chappie-Shasta. The BLM stands in sharp contrast to the Shasta Trinity NF that has never been OHV friendly and just recently issued a travel plan that closed almost 100 percent (over 800 miles) of its single-track trails and trails less than 50 inches in width. Also, the BLM is more supportive of allowing permitted OHV events (enduros, hare scrambles, etc) on this unit. On the other hand, the FS had bound itself by a chain of both real and imaginary regulatory obstacles that stood in the way of the agency supporting permitted OHV events.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of local clubs such as the Redding Dirt Riders and the Recreation Outdoor Coalition, those groups were able to work with Congressman Wally Herger, Senator Diane Feinstein, local elected officials, and other interests to generate support for this important land management consolidation bill.

As OHV continues to get hammered on any number of fronts including the recent cancellation of AMA-sanctioned motorcycle events on the Eldorado NF (due to threats of eco-lawsuits), the news today should give all of us encouragement that it pays for us to “stay the course” and never give up.

The General salutes all those who were part of this effort. Now we just have to wait for the President to sign this bill into law.

Toxic Trails, CCMA, and You

The General has long stated to his riding buddies that he does not believe in federal government conspiracies. That long held axiom is based on the fact the he knows a lot of federal land managers at various levels and for the most part they don’t have the time or inclination to craft a conspiracy let alone carry it out.

However, the latest push by the Sierra Fund, a Nevada City-based eco-group chaired by Patty Brissenden (wife of former anti-OSV/OHV OHMVR commissioner John Brissenden) may cause The Recreation HQ to rethink that concept.

Some of you have seen the recent article about “Toxic Trails” in the Sierra.

SF Chronicle Article on Toxic Trails
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-06-23/news/21921340_1_mine-waste-rand-mining-district-arsenic

It is no coincidence that the closure of Clear Creek to OHV and other uses is cited as the model of how an agency should close lands to the public when a “dangerous” chemical or compound is discovered. The Sierra Fund cites its support and partnership with various like-minded green groups, foundations, and Cal/EPA Note also that other popular OHV areas at Foresthill and Downieville are cited in the article as potential closure targets.

Sierra Fund Support List for Toxic Trails Report
http://www.sierrafund.org/campaigns/mining

Cal/EPA Eco Justice Working Group
http://www.calepa.ca.gov/EnvJustice/IWG/Default.htm

After reading about who belongs to the working group, it should come as no surprise that in the BRC FOIA documents the BLM at CCMA cites Cal EPA/DTSC’s demand that CCMA be closed to OHV as the onus for the current closure.

See Blog on EPA Corruption at CCMA with link to FOIA documents
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/01/epa-violates-public-trust-at-clear.html

What trail enthusiasts (motorized and non-motorized) should be concerned about is that there IS a well thought out strategic effort by the green/governmental complex (EPA, Cal EPA, DTSC, CBD, TWS, etc.) to close OHV trails on FS and BLM lands due to undocumented “health risks” to the public.

Has this closure effort reached the level where the HQ can claim there is a conspiracy to close OHV off public lands? That time may come very soon, but in the meantime The General believes there is a well coordinated effort by greens group and their supporters (or hostages) in the federal government to restrict or ban historic OHV and other uses on public lands.

Now is not the time to give up but redouble our efforts to fight back. Thanks in advance for your support and commitment.

CCMA Update - Closure Order Still in Effect after May 1

The Recreation HQ has heard that some riders believe that they can ride on BLM lands at Clear Creek after May 2 because emergency closures generally are for two years or less unless they are tied to a planning effort.

Regs on Emergency or Temporary Closures
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/regulations/Instruction_Memos_and_Bulletins/national_instruction/2010/IM_2010-028.html

Unfortunately for riders who want back into BLM lands in CCMA before the planning process is over, the emergency closure order is tied to the ongoing planning effort and stays in effect until that planning process is concluded.

Federal Register Notice for CCMA Closure with Reference to Planning
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Fed_Register_May_1_20080001.pdf

The General understands the frustration of the riding community and is himself disgusted with the behind the scenes dealings and apparent effort of the Hollister Field Office to permanently eliminate OHV recreation on lands within their jurisdiction.

See 2006 BRC HFO RMP Comment Letter Asking for more OHV Opportunity on Lands Outside of CCMA
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Holllister_Field_Office_DEIS_Jan_5_2006_BRC_comments0001.pdf

The Recreation HQ believes that the OHV community by working with the county and elected officials in an honest and collaborative manner are making a big difference in the fight to reopen CCMA. Please continue to obey the closure order and ride only on the 25 miles of county roads that have been opened for street-legal vehicles.

The battle for CCMA continues.

Off-Roaders Blamed for County Vote to Reopen Roads

Over the years, the Recreation HQ has followed breaking land use news covered by the crew at World Net Daily. So it was not really a surprise when The General got a call from a WND reporter regarding the historic vote taken by San Benito County to reopen their county roads at Clear Creek.

New WND Article on County Vote and County Gov’t. Fighting Back Elsewhere
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=137737

Comments were made by the BLM regarding their surprise by the vote and that off-roaders are to blame for the county pushback. The agency’s “surprise” is telling The General that nobody was watching the store as the BLM developed their scheme in 2007-2008 to lock OHVs and the public out of Clear Creek. Where were the grownups at Cottage Way in Sacramento (the BLM state office) who let this CCMA closure - founded on junk science and political agendas - take place? Based on letters and meeting with Congressmen, county supervisors, and off-the-record conversations with both retired and currently employed BLM staff, The General is not the only one asking that question.

In the BRC comment letter submitted to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, it is pointed out that the DEIS is so fatally flawed that it should be withdrawn and CCMA be reopened immediately.

BRC Comment Letter to the Board of Supervisors
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/San_Benito_County_BOS_Meeting_BRC_Letter_April-60001.pdf

As The General has pointed out many times before, ALL land use decisions are political decisions that at the end of the day have very little if anything to do with science or laws.
If the multiple-use community (off-roaders, ranchers, gem collectors, inholders, hunters, etc.) will continue to stand together with local elected officials in access battles that are occurring up and down the State of California and other western states, we have a chance to change the current closure agenda of federal agencies.

As Ben Franklin once said, "We must all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

The General says, “When it comes to the land use fight, the multiple-use community must unite for in that unity stands our only chance for victory.”

Thanks for your service! I encourage you to post a comment on this blog -you must sign up first before commenting. Also, feel free to send a private message to The Recreation HQ at: damador@cwo.com

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San Benito County Votes to Reopen Roads in Clear Creek

The General attended and spoke (on behalf of BRC and AMA Dist. 36/per Dave Pickett’s request) at the San Benito County Board of Supervisor’s meeting yesterday where the board took a historic stand against an unwarranted federal government proposal to functionally ban OHV recreation on 70K acres in the Clear Creek Management Area.

BRC News Release on San Benito County Vote Yesterday
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=692&filter=media

The Recreation HQ is proud of the courage shown by the board to pass unprecedented votes to reopen all 25 miles of county roads in Clear Creek, to send a letter to the BLM in support of Alternative A (the pre 2008 closure level of OHV use), and to send a separate letter to Congress asking them to investigate the unseemly and apparently unethical actions by some BLM agents regarding the interim closure and the DEIS.

The HQ is equally proud of the elected officials who stood with local users in the Redding area yesterday at a rally against the proposed closure (in the Shasta Trinity NF’s Record of Decision for Travel Management) of basically all single track trails and trails less than 50 inches in width in the Shasta Trinity National Forest.

Record Searchlight Article about Redding Rally at FS HQ
http://www.redding.com/news/2010/apr/07/shasta-supervisors-will-appeal-shasta-trinity-fore/

The General has warned agency leadership about the pushback they would get by local elected officials and area users if they fronted travel plans that effectively implement the closure agenda of environmental groups or, worse even still, the closure agenda of the federal line officer. Tragically, it appears federal agencies want to ignore those pleadings and remain hell-bent on foisting these plans on county governments and the recreation community.

The Recreation HQ (and a lot of FS and BLM staffers who have sent the HQ private messages or phone calls stating they are not happy with the new closure agenda of the federal government) hopes the Feds will reconsider their agenda and work to rebuild the trust of local people and elected officials. The ball is in their court.

The fight for access to public lands continues. Thanks for your service!

CCMA Update - The General is at San Benito County BOS Meeting Today

The Recreation HQ will be closed today as The General (on behalf of BRC) will be testifying at the April 6, 2010 San Benito County Board of Supervisors meeting in Hollister, CA at 1:30 p.m.

The Board will consider a vote to reassert their jurisdiction on 25 miles of county roads in the Clear Creek Management Area. Currently, the BLM is claiming management authority over these historic county roads. A vote in the affirmative will be a big victory in the ongoing battle to reopen CCMA for historic OHV and other uses.

The Board will also consider a vote regarding if they will send in a comment letter and what directions they will give staff about the content of that letter. BRC is asking them to support historic OHV and other uses in CCMA.

See April 6, 2010 BRC Comment Letter to the San Benito County BOS
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/San_Benito_County_BOS_Meeting_BRC_Letter_April-60001.pdf

Finally, BRC believes the county may find the BLM violated the public trust as well as over stepping their jurisdictional bounds regarding the county road issue and the agency’s trampling of private property rights. The county could request the BLM withdraw the DEIS because if it’s fatal flaws and direct the agency to reopen CCMA post haste.

The General is expecting a large turnout at the Hollister meeting today. He hopes to see many of you there.

Thanks for your service!

Rural County Government is 1st Line of Defense in Access Fight

As more federal and state lands are being closed to public access, many riders are turning to their elected county officials as a last resort in our collective battle to fight trail closures on Forest lands or challenge plans that ban OHV routes at Clear Creek.

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PHOTO: The famous Usal Road on the coast in Mendocino County (this road is on the Lost Coast DS Ride). These types of signs could go up on the county roads in Clear Creek.
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In contrast to the aforementioned paradigm, The Recreation HQ strongly believes that our elected county officials are really our 1st line of defense against closure oriented federal land use plans that impact the residents of the county or folks that visit the area.

Tomorrow’s vote by the San Benito County Board of Supervisors to reassert its historic jurisdiction of 25 miles of county roads in the Clear Creek Management Area and preserve those roads for public use could be a Seminole moment (if they vote in the affirmative) in the access fight here in CA.
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Hollister Freelance Article on County Reopening Roads at Clear Creek
http://www.freelancenews.com/news/264523-county-might-reopen-blm-roads-for-owners-access

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Info on San Benito County BOS Meeting tomorrow at 1:30 pm in Hollister
http://www.san-benito.ca.us/agendas/documents/10.04.06.pdf

AFTERNOON SESSION 1:30 P.M.

PLANNING DEPARTMENT – A. Henriques: 24) Review staff report, and draft comment letter to the Bureau of Land Management Clear Creek Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and provide comments and direction to staff.

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT – S. Wittry: 25) Adopt a Resolution to re-open unmaintained County roads upon the installation of appropriate information signage referencing a potential for human health risks within surrounding terrain in the BLM Clear Creek Management Area; and direct staff to maintain quarterly inspections of signs in the area.

Tomorrow is also important in CA’s access fight because elected officials and users will be holding a rally in Redding, CA to protest the proposed closure of 800 miles of single-track OHV trails in the Shasta Trinity National Forest’s Travel Plan’s Record of Decision.

Info on Redding Rally Against FS OHV Trail Closure
http://www.reddingdirtriders.com/News_View.aspx?Articleid=52

Colusa County is also taking a stand against Obama’s National Monument Agenda for the Stonyford OHV Area (see blog with links to county letter)
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/03/obama-outdoors-interview-and-access.html

As OHVers are in a fight for their lives regarding continued use of historic motorized travelways on federal lands, riders should continue to engage their elected county supervisors and have them join and champion our just cause.

Riders Want Back In at Clear Creek

The Recreation HQ wanted to share this article that appeared on a NPR website regarding
BLM’s San Jose DEIS public hearing.

PHOTO: The General at a "Warning Sign" at the BLM's Samoa Dunes Recreation Area (OHV, fishing, surfing, equestrian) near Eureka, CA

NPR Story
http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/03/26/atv-sidebar/

The reporter did a pretty good job of capturing the OHV community’s frustration with the continued closure of CCMA. However by focusing on the personal attacks on Rick Cooper (the reporter does capture that BRC did not support hostility or threats) did not detail the fact that the closure is based on Cooper’s fear of a disease that is non-existent in the OHV community..

Rather the reporter could have shown, as BRC and others have requested, that the BLM failed to analyze how the agency or sister land agencies deal with public access and health/safety issues including naturally occurring asbestos. Cooper told me at the San Jose meeting that he did not do that analysis as requested by BRC et al..

If he had done some research he would have found that the Department of Interior does use signing and education as a tool to address NOA and other dangers such as fishermen being washed out to sea, children being drowned at the beach or river, etc.

For example, the US Forest Service addresses NOA through the use of signs, education/outreach, soil treatments, and speed limits vs. an unwarranted and massive land closure.

Forest Service NOA Program/Educational Outreach
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/noa/pdfs/NOAVisitorInformationPaper.pdf

The article also misses the point about riders being “worried” about NOA. It’s not that riders are not worried about health issues (heck, we wear riding gear, keep our bikes in good condition, and avoid driving off cliffs, etc.) but rather we don’t worry about politically-driven faux issues that are used arbitrarily to make the Hollister Field Office an “OHV Free Zone.”

Thanks for your continued vigilance in the fight for CCMA.

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March 2 - San Benito County To Help Keep CCMA Open?

The General has long believed that local users (i.e. voters) should try and get
their local County Board of Supervisors involved to help in the fight to keep public lands open for responsible recreation activities.

PHOTO: Sign of the CCMA Times

PHOTO CREDIT: Don Amador

EXAMPLE of how a county can take action regarding access
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2009/06/good-news-combined-use-as-access-tool.html

No place is a county’s help more sorely needed then in the CCMA Battle. The Recreation HQ was pleased to hear that several members of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors attended BLM’s socioeconomic meeting regarding the future of CCMA.

Thanks to a posting by my good friends at SBR, The Recreation HQ has learned that San Benito BOS has placed the topic of CCMA on their March 2 agenda.

This is a golden opportunity for local OHVers to show up and testify on how important it is for the county to take action regarding supporting a request for a 90 day extension of the public comment period and to eventually submit comments on the DEIS in support of continued OHV recreation at CCMA.

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March 2 BOS Agenda
http://www.san-benito.ca.us/agendas/documents/10.03.02pdf.pdf

PLANNING DEPARTMENT – A. Henriques: 12) Review the staff report, powerpoint and draft comment letter to BLM at the Board meeting, and provide direction to staff.
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Getting your local county, state, and federal elected officials involved in protecting your access rights is critically important in any land-use fight. Having the county weigh in (and hopefully some federal legislators as well) could help tip the scales in our favor.

The General encourages all riders and business owners (local voters are most important) who care about CCMA to attend the March 2 BOS meeting and respectfully articulate your desire for the county to support continued OHV recreation at CCMA.

Thanks for your service!

CA OHV Commission Weighs Into Clear Creek Fight

In the early part of OHV Wars, the CA OHMVR Commission was taken over by leaders of the environmental movement. That body invented the now infamous 2002/2003 CA Route Inventory and Designation Process which defunded many FS/BLM trail projects and laid the foundation for various hybrids of the now equally infamous 2005 National Travel Management Rule.

An audit by the CA Bureau of State Audits found what The General and others already knew – The green OHV Commission was abusing their power to enact an anti-OHV political agenda.

See 2005 article on that BSA report with links to the audit
http://www.blueribbon.org/releases/?filter=media&story=464

The new OHV program (SB742) depoliticized the commission by stripping their grant authority and made grants more of an academic/bureaucratic exercise to be run by OHMVR staff. (side note- the grants program is now more streamlined and efficient then is has ever been with a majority of green sticker monies getting out on the ground for trail recreation projects)

Since SB742, some riders have asked what role the new OHMVR commission will have regarding OHV recreation since they don’t have grant authority. Up until the commission meeting that took place yesterday in San Jose, that question may have had some legitimacy.

Info on OHMVR Commission Meeting
http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21853

One of the hottest topics on the commission agenda yesterday was the ongoing battle to reopen Clear Creek for OHV recreation. Testimony was provided to the commission (which only has authority when convened) regarding the fact that CCMA is the largest destination OHV area in Central California and now that it is closed --- other riding areas ranging from Hollister Hills SVRA to Jawbone are being overcrowded by displaced OHVers. The commission also learned that the state OHV program has invested over $9 million dollars (over the last 30 years) at CCMA and has a vested interest as a land-use partner with BLM to see that good science is used before the final decision is made to close it OHV use.

After the presentation by BLM’s, Rick Cooper, and the aforementioned testimony was heard, the OHMVR commission voted to send a letter immediately to the BLM State Director asking him for a 90 day extension to the public comment period which ends March 5, 2010. The commission also directed the OHMVR Division to take the necessary steps to prepare comments on the CCMA DEIS.

The Recreation HQ believes this action by the OHMV Commission could play (when combined with the efforts from OHV groups, elected officials, and others) a pivotal role regarding both the request for a 90 day extension to the public comment period and what the BLM ultimately proposes in the FEIS/ROD.

The General thanks members of the TimeKeepers MC, SRMC, Friends of CCMA, SBR, and other riders who showed up to make a difference.

Thanks for your service!