CA OHV Grant Comments Ends TODAY - Many Riding Areas Have NO Comments

The Recreation HQ wants to remind OHVers in CA to be sure and comment on OHV grants related to your favorite riding areas.   This is YOUR chance to get engaged with the OHV program in a substantive manner.    The public comment periods ends TODAY at end of business.

 

Many popular riding areas and related grant applicants have not received a SINGLE comment from the user community.  The following link will take you to the full list of OHV grant applicants for the 2012/2013 grant cycle.  You can’t complain about the legislature taking money from the program if you are not willing to send in a comment letter.   To date, very popular riding areas such as Chappie Shasta, Cow Mountain, and the Samoa Dunes have not gotten a single comment!  Please write your support letter today!

Link to OHV grant applicants who have or have not received public comments (those who have received public comment are noted in blue)

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27308

 

The Recreation HQ issued an alert about this earlier and it has links and instructions that will get you to the comment section for the preliminary OHV grants.  Send in your comments today and urge your rider network to do the same.   

 

Link to grant comment alert with instructions

http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2013/03/reviewcomment-on-ca-ohv-grants.html

 

Thanks for taking time to be engaged in the CA OHV program.

Coastal Commission Votes for OHV Access on N. California Beach

The Recreation HQ believes that we should celebrate OHV victories no matter how small or large they are. Yesterday, the California Coastal Commission voted in favor of allowing sand-based OHV recreation to continue on the City of Eureka property as part of the BLM Samoa Dunes Recreation Area.

The General wants to thank all of you who responded to HQ’s September 9 Alert to send letters of support to the Commission.
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PHOTO: BLM Sign at entrance to riding area

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Sept. 9 Blog with Alert and Overview of Issue
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/09/support-continued-ohv-recreation-on-ca.html

With legal OHV access to the Pacific Ocean at a premium, your support of this issue was critical. HQ thanks you for your effort and encourages you to celebrate this access victory.

Have a great weekend!

Support Continued OHV Recreation on CA Coast

The Recreation HQ is asking riders to support an “OHV Success Story” on the North Coast of California in the Redwood Empire. The California Coastal Commission is holding a hearing in Eureka on September 16 to decide if it will reauthorize a permit that allows for OHV recreation to occur on 75 acres owned by the City of Eureka.

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PHOTO: This was a family recreating in the area together but using different modes of transportation

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Agenda for September 16 Meeting (scroll down to get to Sept. 16)
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/mtgcurr.html

This land is managed by the BLM and is an important part of the agency’s Samoa Dunes Recreation Area.

BLM Samoa Dunes Recreation Area
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/samoa.html

As a native of Eureka, I have had several opportunities to tour/ride this area on dirt-bikes, dune-buggies, SUVs, and by foot. It is one of the very few ocean-side OHV riding areas in California and it is very popular with local riders and folks visiting there in the summer to escape the heat in the inland areas of the West.

On all the tours, The General has been impressed by the level of cooperation between the agency and user groups. This positive and collaborative effort is largely responsible for the unit’s success in protecting sensitive areas while allowing for responsible OHV recreation. The staff report below substantiates HQ’s impression the area’s success.

Coastal Commission Staff Report on OHV Recreation
http://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2010/9/Th8b-9-2010.pdf

HQ is urging riders and even those representatives from mainstream environmental groups to send in a letter of support (both FAX and snail mail) for continued OHV recreation at this site. It truly meets the definition of “multiple-use” since at any one time you can see fishermen fishing from the jetty, equestrians, surfers, OHVers, and beachcombers all enjoying the area. Let’s all support keeping this area open for managed public use and recreation.

September 9 BRC Letter in Support of OHV Riding on City Property
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Coastal_Commission_Eureka_Dune_Sept-20100001.pdf

Thanks for your service!

PS: Letters should be received by the commission no later than Monday the 13th so that they can be included in the commission packets. FAX letters to: 707.445.7877

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Headwaters Forest - Good Idea or Raw Deal

When visiting with a reporter from the North Coast Journal the other day regarding a retrospective article on establishment of the Headwaters Forest Reserve (circa 1999) near Eureka, California, I remembered BRC’s strong advocacy for non-motorized recreational opportunity in that project.

BRC participated in the NEPA process and also filed a protest/appeal
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/media/?print=1&story=237

BRC Protest
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/media/?story=236

As a native of the Eureka area in Northern California, the battle for recreational access on behalf of the equestrian and mountain-bike community was more than a professional duty -- it was a personal obligation.

In the following article from today, BRC’s Beaches and Trails Certified Volunteer, Dennis Mayo talks about how the non-motorized recreation community got a raw deal.

North Coast Journal Article
http://www.northcoastjournal.com/issues/2009/02/26/headwaters-forest-at-10/

Quote from Dennis Mayo in article

"We got screwed," said Dennis Mayo of McKinleyville. "We were told, oh, come on, join in and play in the fun. We were told that we were going to get horseback riding, we were going to get all this stuff to help with ecotourism. I don't think a trail for somebody to walk on and one damn bicycle riding trail is recreation. It certainly doesn't meet the needs of the horseback riding community. We got zero."

Were there false promises made to the recreation community during the creation of the Headwaters Forest Reserve? I believe so. Did BRC work hard on behalf of the non-motorized community? Yes it did.

I guess the lesson to be learned from the “Headwaters” experience is that the recreation community must be wary of similar promises made in new Wilderness proposals and other land classification projects. The public does not have to be “kicked out” when lands are “preserved.” Buyer beware is an appropriate motto to remember.

Were there any positive developments during the Headwaters battle? You bet! Dennis Mayo who was a strong advocate for equestrian access had his eyes opened and is now a certified volunteer for the BlueRibbon Coalition. He now advocates for responsible multiple-use access for ALL users.

Since the Headwaters decision, the BLM has worked hard to preserve OHV recreation at the Samoa Dunes and for touring OHV use on the Humboldt Bay’s South Spit.

Samoa Dunes Recreation Area
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/samoa.html

“If land-use history is forgotten… it will repeat itself. The recreation community must never forget.”
--The General--

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