Travel Management for MTB and Equestrians at CA State Parks

The Recreation HQ has long supported the concept of land agencies designating roads, trails, and areas for OHV use.   Although we disagreed with a number of tenets in the 2005 FS Travel Management Rule, TMR is here to stay.  HQ believes public involvement, a genuine collaborative process, sound management tools, and line-officers that are committed to have a quality trail program are key elements to sustainable OHV recreation for years to come.

TMR also includes wet-weather or seasonal closures to help prevent trail damage during wet conditions and that is why it looks like the CA State Park proposal to designate routes and times of use to better manage MTB and other trail users is appropriate and needed.

CA State Park Rule Proposals (Comments due April 4)

http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/795/files/ccr_amended_draft_regulations.pdf

Some units of the Forest Service open and close designated routes and areas to OHV, MTB, and equestrians to avoid severe impacts to the trail system during wet conditions and HQ believes those Best Management Practices should be used at state parks (SVRAs already use wet weather closures and trail designations to manage OHV) to manage MTB and equestrian use.

OHV, MTB, and Equestrian Trails Opened or Closed Due to Wet Weather

I don’t think the MTB community does itself any favor when they oppose the use of modern trail management tools at regular state parks.  

New Park Service MTB Policy and PEER's Trail Skunk Award

The Recreation HQ wants to applaud the new NPS mountain-bike policy which allows for unit managers to make site-specific decisions on mountain-bike trail opportunities.   HQ also wants to give out its 1^st ever “Trail Skunk” award to PEER for its crisis mongering about this new policy.

PEER’s “Trail Skunk” News Release

http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1604&title=PARK%20BACKCOUNTRY%20THROWN%20OPEN%20TO%20MOUNTAIN%20BIKING&subtitle=Bush%20Proposal%20Dusted%20Off%20and%20Adopted%20with%20Only%20Slight%20Modifications

News Article on new NPS Mountain Bike Plan

http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/newsDetail/6968.html

HQ believes there are a lot of good mountain-bike opportunities on public lands including lands managed by the National Park Service.  In many places, the OHV community is a co-user of those routes and we look forward to working with the mountain-bike community on joint recreation projects that benefit all user groups.  Redwood National Park is one unit where HQ believes there are a lot of future mountain bike trail opportunities on existing logging roads.  Also, new connector trails constructed between  skid roads could make for some great riding experiences.

Many dirt-bikers also mountain-bike such as new radio show host and MX star, Broc Glover.

HQ sends its best to IMBA and the mountain bike community on this important policy shift.

OHV, IMBA, and Enviros Ask County to Keep Road 40 Open

In my travels to other parts of the country, I often get kidded about living in California (people think it is a strange place). Actually, I am proud to be a native Californian who was born and raised up in Humboldt County.


There are not too many areas (or issues) in this country where I have seen environmental groups, conservation organizations, mtn. bike, and OHV interests come together to petition a local government to keep a road open for vehicle access.

Yet, that is just what happened recently in Yolo County regarding the proposed abandonment of Road 40 (aka Rayhouse Road). Several weeks ago, HQ issued an alert on that subject which included a letter from BRC to Yolo County.

Jan. 17 Alert with BRC Letter
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2012/01/hq-dual-sportadventure-rider4wd-alert.html

According to the local conservation group, Tuleyome, the county staff is recommending to the county planning commission that Road 40 remains open for public use. HQ believes that decision was influenced by diverse interest groups (e.g. Tuleyome, Sierra Club, BRC, IMBA, Audubon Society, et al) coming together to champion continued access to public lands.

This issue will be heard by the planning commission on February 9.

Public Notice of Feb. 9 Meeting (see agenda item 6.2 for county staff report and comment letters)
http://www.yolocounty.org/index.aspx?recordid=5221&page=428

HQ thanks all those who participated in this process.

Green Cabal and IMBA Push or Support Stonyford Designation

The Recreation HQ thanks a local OHV advocate in the San Jose area for the heads-up yesterday regarding IMBA’s support for a National Conservation Area designation for much of the Mendocino National Forest including the Stonyford OHV Area. As many of you know, a NCA designation historically by definition restricts motorized access and at the end of the day (i.e. King Range NCA) usually BANs OHV use via regulations or the eventual “Wilderness” designation.

IMBA Blog on Wilderness Conference and Stonyford NCA
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=615893

See HQ Blog on IMBA Drinking Wilderness Kool-Aid with OHV War History Lesson
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/01/imba-drinks-wilderness-kool-aid.html

While researching IMBA’s support for hosing OHV use and other multiple-uses (while naturally promoting mtn. bike use) on the Mendocino National Forest, The General was not surprised to see the green cabal of the usual suspects (The Wilderness Society, California Wilderness Coalition, and the Sierra Club) and a new group called Tuleyome pushing for a NCA (or Monument) designation for the Stonyford OHV Area.

The Wilderness Society Overview of Snow Mountain/Stonyford NCA Proposal
http://wilderness.org/content/california-berryessa-snow-mountain

Tuleyome Overview with Maps and Outline of Stonyford Proposal
http://www.tuleyome.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=27

As DOI continues to stonewall BRC and pro-access congressional representatives on our requests for documents related to national monument designations at Stonyford and elsewhere, The General believes the aforementioned pro-Wilderness groups will be the ones found to be actually driving the Obama National Monument plan vs. Interior bureaucrats concocting this scheme in a vacuum.

Article on Congressional Hearing Yesterday
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700029888/Democrats-thwart-Rep-Rob-Bishops-move-to-obtain-national-monument-documents.html

Yes folks there is bad news, the OHV Wars continue. Battles will continue at Clear Creek, the Eldorado NF, and at Oceano Dunes and Carnegie SVRAs. New battles will be fought at Stonyford, the AZ and CO OHV programs, the OR Dunes, and other OHV areas.

However, the good news is that we have rural counties stepping up to the plate and joining our fight against land closures. Both Glenn and Colusa counties have passed resolutions against the Stonyford Obamument. San Benito County just reopened their county roads and has sent letters of support for historic OHV use at Clear Creek. Shasta County is filing an appeal on the Shasta Trinity travel plan. Others like Del Norte County are fighting back as well. Be strong, we are not alone any longer.

The General, once again, wants to thank all of you who have answered the call to join in the fight and defend our access rights.

To Join BRC or donate to the cause go to:
https://www.sharetrails.org/secure/join_or_contribute/?c=1

Feel free to comment on this blog topic today in the comment section or send The General a PM at: damador@cwo.com

*

IMBA Drinks Wilderness Kool-Aid

On January 8, 2009 The General posted a mountain-bike oriented OHV War history lesson for land-use newbies who ride both mountain-bikes and OHVs.

See Jan. 8 Mtn.Bike OHV War History Lesson
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/01/mountain-bike-history-lesson-in-ohv.html

Recently, BRC issued an Alert regarding a new Wilderness push in Congress – an effort that not surprisingly has the support of IMBA.

See BRC Alert on Wilderness Push
http://www.sharetrails.org/alerts/?alert=1107

What should be bothering many of you who are mountain-bikers is that IMBA has joined this ill-advised congressional push for more Wilderness quality lands to be managed as de facto Wilderness -- a land management prescription that by the way bans both mountain-bike and motorized uses.

See IMBA Effort in Support of de facto Wilderness
http://www.imba.com/news/action_alerts/01_10/01_15_Grijalva_letter_action.html

If I was a hard-core mountain-biker, I would be asking just what the heck is going on at IMBA. I believe that organization is going through some sort of identity crisis. IMHO, they should be joining forces with BRC and other access groups as enviros seek to close state and federal recreation sites to ALL uses including mountain-biking.

The Vichy French taught us that siding with your enemy is not a good long-term military strategy. The General believes IMBA should study history before launching pro-Wilderness initiatives.

PEER SENDS LOVE LETTER TO IMBA

For many years, some leaders of the mountain bike community

have had a dream of finding a way to rewrite federal law so that

mountain bikes are allowed in designated Wilderness areas or

other non-mechanized land classifications.

The following Feb. 17 PEER News Release
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1160
should serve as a potent reminder to mountain bike leaders that

many green groups lump their form of recreation in the same category of other hated land-use groups which include OHV, timber, mining, and cattle grazing.

All one has to do is simply replace the term “mountain bikes” with “OHVs” and
the PEER news release would look like so many others they and other green groups have
filed against dirt-bikers, ATVers, or 4WD owners.

The General continues to feel that mountain bikers and OHVers have a lot in common
and should join forces to advocate for continued motorized and mechanized responsible access to our Backcountry. Maybe PEER’s news release will fill the mountain bike community’s nostrils with the not-so-sweet aroma of green bias arising from the brew of the enviro's conflict industry.

# # #