Nor Cal OHV, Enduro, Dual Sport Alert - Comment on Young's Corral OHV Trail Project

The Recreation HQ is issuing an ACTION ALERT for all those OHVers and dual-sport enthusiasts from around the county and elsewhere (including Canada, Europe, etc.) who have ridden on the Mendocino National Forest to send in a short comment letter regarding a very important project (comments due May 24) on the Young’s Corral OHV Trail Project.

Link to Project Description, etc.

http://brc1.us/wp5i0zp

The Upper Lake Ranger District is proposing to construct a short ½ mile section of trail to re-connect riding opportunities between the Upper Lake and Grindstone (e.g. Stonyford) Ranger Districts.  The proposed project will provide an important connector on the Mendocino OHV Corridor.  Currently, there is no legal access on this route due to easement issues with a private property owner.  To correct the issue and respect private property rights, the agency is proposing a short bypass that will, once again, allow casual use and permitted OHV/ dual-sport events on that route. 

 

After you review the project (it is basically just a one pager), please send a comment to the District Ranger, Lee Johnson, at: comments-pacificsouthwest-mendocino-upperlake@fs.fed.us

 

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SAMPLE LETTER

 

Lee Johnson, District Ranger

Upper Lake Ranger District
Mendocino National Forest
10025 Elk Mountain Road
Upper Lake, CA 95485
Attn: Frank Aebly, Project Leader
Email: faebly@fs.fed.us
 

Re: Young’s Corral OHV Trail Project

 

I support this proposed project to re-establish the connectivity of the Mendocino Off-Highway Vehicle Corridor. 

 

It addresses private property concerns and restores legal OHV recreation travel between the Grindstone and Upper Lake Ranger Districts for family OHV recreation and for long-standing events such as the SheetIron 300 Dual Sport Ride, Jackhammer Enduro, and the Cowbell Enduro.

 

Thanks for allowing me to comment on this important and much needed project.

 

Sincerely,

 

Joe Trail Rider

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HQ thanks you in advance to taking a few minutes to send in a comment.  Please forward this to your riding network.

 

 

BREAKING NEWS - CA AG Says Scandal Money is OHV

The Recreation HQ wants to share this breaking news regarding the 54M in the CA State Park scandal that broke last summer.   The California Attorney General, Kamala Harris, just released the results of her investigation into State Park’s reporting and use of special funds.

The report appears to conclude that over 34M of those monies belong to the OHV Fund.   As many of you know, the legislature reconvened in August to address the scandal.  Yours truly and several other OHV leaders met with legislators in Sacramento and in their Districts to petition them to allow those funds to be used to restore the local assistance grants program to previous levels.  Before the scandal, the legislature had capped the grants program at 10M (compared to 21-26M in previous years).  HQ believes the legislature's new post-scandal bill allows for those monies to be potentially used to restore the grants program to previous funding levels and to lift the 10M cap.

SACBEE Article on AG Report

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/04/5092744/capitol-alert-ag-report-parks.html

 

Link to AG Report

http://www.scribd.com/doc/118995801/Investigation-Into-Parks-Financial-Reporting
 

HQ believes the AG’s findings could benefit the upcoming grants cycle/program that helps fund OHV recreation-related management on FS, BLM, and county lands.  Stay tuned as the results of this report are analyzed for any potential impacts to current and future OHV funding needs.

 

Here is HQ Aug. 2012 Scandal Update

http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2012/08/ca-ohv-trust-fund-battle-remains-hot.html
 

Happy New Year! -- And thanks to all of you who sent in letters to your legislator and Governor.  It did make a difference.

 

Another OHV Christmas Miracle - 2" Rain Policy Reinstated on Mendocino NF

Reinstated  2" Rain Policy on 2009 MVUM

HQ believes in and celebrates Christmas as a special time where hearts are changed and miracles happen. One such miracle happened late last week when the Mendocino National Forest reinstated the time-proven 30-year old “2-inch” rain closure rule.

Beginning in late October after the new “it’s closed all the time during winter” rain closure was put into effect, HQ and BRC started to get a lot of calls from riders complaining about the OHV trail networks at Upper Lake and Stonyford being closed for extended period of time.

Nov. 29 blog with overview and link to Nov. 15 BRC letter to FS stating concerns about the new extended time-period rain closures (good overview)
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-mendocino-nf-wet-weather-ohv-policy.html

HQ understood the FS had placed this issue under review but it appeared to be progressing at slow pace. Last week, HQ and BRC became concerned that the issue would not be resolved before the Holiday camping season started on the Mendocino where the “Fouts Springs OHV Camping Area” becomes the largest city in Colusa County. Often there are 3-5 thousand family campers staged in that complex with kids of all ages enjoying their new or newly purchased used OHVs.

In the meantime, HQ continued to be deluged with emails and phone calls from frustrated and angry OHVers (including motorcycle dealers, enduro riders, BRC/AMA/D36 members, riders who were not members of any club, and even former FS staff).

Based on those concerns HQ and BRC ramped up their communications with agency leadership urging  they expedite the decision-making process so the OHV community could enjoy the Forest over the holidays. On December 14, BRC sent a letter to the FS that made a formal request for the agency to reinstate the historic and NEPA compliant 2-inch rain rule so that the OHV holiday season would not be ruined for thousands of recreationists.

BRC December 14 Letter Making Formal Request to Reinstate the 2” Rain Closure Policy
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Contreras_rain_dec_14.pdf

HQ and BRC commend the Forest for working hard last week to wade through the red tape so that the 2-inch rule could be reinstated on December 17. BRC also commends the agency for using the site-specific Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) at Bartlett Springs for the Upper Lake OHV Area and Fouts/MNFO3 for Stonyford. HQ urges riders to monitor these RAWS for themselves. And, please sign up for FS email alerts for closures with Tamara (her info is below).

Bartlett Springs RAWS for Upper Lake OHV Area
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?sid=BLTC1&table=1&banner=off

MNF03/Fouts RAWS for Stonyford
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?sid=TS378&table=1&banner=off

GET ON HER EMAIL LIST!

Tamara Schmidt
Public Affairs Officer
Mendocino National Forest
825 N. Humboldt Ave.
Willows, CA 95988
Email: tamaraschmidt@fs.fed.us
Phone Number: 530-934-1137

It is also important to remember when FS System Trails are closed by the 2-inch rule, that FS System Roads remain open for public use by hunters, woodcutters, and OHV riders. If you have any questions about rain closures be sure and call ahead before you travel up there. In addition, the FS still has the authority to issue a temporary emergency closure order (that supercedes the 2-inch rule) should the area be hit with a catastrophic rain event, wildfire, or some other natural disaster.

HQ will remain open until Congress goes home and the holidays begin. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy OHV New Year!

MENDOCINO NF ALERT - Road Gated at Crabtree Hot Springs and The Manson Family

Just when the Recreation HQ thinks it has seen everything regarding road and trail closures in Northern California, something beyond bizarre is brought to The General’s attention.
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PHOTO: Start of Private Property on NE Corner of Hot Springs Property

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Several days ago, HQ was alerted to the fact that the family which owns Crabtree Hot Springs has installed locked gates blocking 17N04, a major public transportation route (often referred to as the “OHV corridor” that links up the Upper Lake and Grindstone Ranger Districts) on the Mendocino National Forest.

After learning about this issue, HQ (on behalf of BRC) contacted the Mendocino National Forest’s Leadership Team and brought this to their attention. Based on those conversations, HQ believes the Forest is giving this “access crisis” its full attention and expects to have an update shortly.

In the meantime, a member of the public wrote a story in a local newspaper about the closure. Unfortunately, the writer wrongly identifies the county sheriff, Rodney Mitchell, as the point person for folks to send their grievances to.

Local Story/Letter to Editor on Crabtree Closure (Uncanny resemblance to the Manson info below)
http://www.record-bee.com/ci_15885547):

Manson Family Picnic Website with Crabtree Issue
http://www.mansonfamilypicnic.com/crabtree.htm

Manson Family Picnic Missive Wrongly Directing Folks to the County Sheriff
http://crabtreehotsprings.hpage.com/

While this issue is being addressed by the Forest, HQ urges riders not to use the portion of 17N04 that transects the private property. Rather, OHVers should allow the Forest to work with the county sheriff and others to find a long-term solution to this issue.

If you have concerns, HQ requests that you correctly address those notes to the lead agency (the FS) and the proper staff. For now, send those concerns to:

Mike Burmann
OHV Manager
Upper Lake Ranger District
Email: mburmann@fs.fed.us

Be assured, The General will work to see that a solution is found in either the collaborative, administrative, or legal arenas.

Conservation Easements and Confusion at Davis NCA Meeting

The Recreation HQ has for a number of months shared concerns about how OHV use will be treated in Obama’s Great Outdoor Initiative. The General has kept riders informed about the various FOIAs and other efforts to day-light information on either new National Monuments or National Conservation Areas.

Update on July 8 LA Meeting and Glaring Absence of OHV in Obama Plan and State Proclamations
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/06/update-on-obama-outdoor-program-la.html

Today, the General, on behalf of BRC and my friend Dave Pickett AMA D36, attended the Great Outdoors Meeting hosted by Congressman Mike Thompson and U.C. Davis.
There were a number of other OHV representatives there including Amy Granat (Cal4WD) and Nick Haris (AMA). Several riders attended as well.

Rather than having a focused meeting on Outdoor recreation and the proposed Berryessa-Snow Mountain NCA plan, this meeting meandered on several non-recreation topics and was strangely bizarre and abstract. The panel included Cong. Mike Thompson and a several heavy hitters from the Obama administration including Nancy Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality.

I don’t think the topic of recreation was even mentioned by the main panel. Also, the sub-panel (mostly private land owners not in the NCA boundary) gave 3 presentations on conservation, conservation easements, and the need for Congress to fund various entitlement programs that benefit the aforementioned subjects.

While conservation programs are important, HQ felt the panel missed the opportunity present the proposed Berryessa NCA and to highlight outdoor recreation.

At the end of the two panel presentations, Congressman Thompson passed the microphone around the room for people to speak. Most speakers there praised the Obama administration and many asked for taxpayer funded eco-handouts from the federal government.

Several pro-access speakers got up and championed access to public lands. The General used his one minute of fame to pick up on what the EPA panelist said about how the feds should…”base programs on what works.” HQ could not agree more and, in fact, suggested to the panel that when they go to an area of the country… to simply pick up the phone and call the Regional Forester and ask him/her for the most successful and collaborative recreation programs in their district. Had CEQ called Randy Moore (R5 Regional Forester), he would have told them about how the Inyo National Forest is a model of how to get things done. CEQ should have then invited Inyo staff to be on the panel and give a presentation.

At the end of the day, the Davis meeting was confusing and disappointing. I did get to say hi to Nancy Sutley and gave her my business card and said I would see her at the LA meeting tomorrow. The General also talked with the proponents of the Berryessa plan and told them that any proposal must protect what is the largest and most successful destination federal OHV recreation program north of the LA area. And, that they must do a better job of outreach and communication when making a proposal that could impact OHV.

HQ also talked with Thompson’s staff and urged them to meet with local users, county governments, and other interests BEFORE launching any legislation.

Finally, HQ thanks the riders who showed up for a lesson in politics and process. It takes time to become an effective OHV advocate and coming to meetings such as the Davis event is part of the learning process. Thanks to all those who came to the program.

I hope to see some of you down at the LA Outdoor Meeting tomorrow.