Road Ripping Hits Colorado NF

Road Ripping in Six Rivers (without NEPA) that Prompted Lawsuit/Stipulation

Over the last few years, HQ has been concerned the Travel Management Rule was (and apparently continues to be) being used by some units of the Forest Service to illegally “authorize” ground-disturbing project-level activities associated with road and trail decommissioning.

The BRC, Del Norte County, CAL4WD, and several other groups challenged such actions in 2010 and the federal government agreed to a public process before using ground-disturbing activities to decommission routes.

Six Rivers NF Lawsuit with Stipulation
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/12/ohv-legal-effort-takes-forward-step.html

2011 Letter from Six Rivers NF Forest Supervisor Agreeing to Public Notice
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Smith_River_NRA_Kelley_ltr_RE_comments_5-25-11.pdf

HQ wanted to alert riders in Colorado that the same type of illicit road/trail decommissioning appears to be occurring in their state. Our good friends at the Colorado Trails Preservation Alliance recently sent a letter to the Gunnison National Forest challenging ground-disturbing activities associated with road and trail decommissioning. It looks like the agency skipped the public process as required by NEPA.


September 2, 2011 COTPA Letter to the Gunnison NF with photos
http://coloradotpa.org/news/news/letter-to-the-gnf-nf-supervisor-for-action-being-taking-by-the-gnf-district-ranger.html

The 2005 TMR was never supposed to be used to effect landscape level route closures or be used as the authorizing process to obliterate existing roads and trails. Unfortuntely on some units, TMR is being misused.

The TMR saga continues…

HQ Closed Aug 21-31

The Recreation HQ will be closed for business from Aug. 21-31

Keeping OHV Recreation Alive is Worth Effort at OR Dunes

STRD Leadership (L) with Don Amador (R)

On behalf of the BlueRibbon Coalition, I want to thank the Save the Riders Dunes’ leadership for hosting the 2011 CORDRAM Tour. The tour was a real educational experience for the Recreation HQ.

In a 3-day period, the tour covered much of the three main OHV riding areas in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (ODNRA). On Sunday, Jerry Ingersoll, the Forest Supervisor for the Siuslaw National Forest, took personal time off and joined the group – in some “BBQ Diplomacy” (actually it was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) - to discuss various recreation and resource issues.

Rodney Roberts, a Coos County Deputy Sheriff, also joined the group to share his views on law enforcement on the dunes. Rodney also mans the Sheriff’s substation at the Riley Ranch ATV Park. The tour got to observe the Dunes Patrol (a volunteer group) in action when they rescued a stranded 4wd enthusiast that got stuck.

It was an eye opener to see the scores of OHV dealerships and OHV-related businesses along the 40 miles of Highway 101 that runs the length of ODNRA. It was clear the local economy is strongly tied to OHV recreation.

HQ believes the Forest Service offers the public one of the premier destination OHV recreation sites in the country. It has well-developed camping and staging areas. Also, there are many private OHV camping areas that provide more developed facilities (pull-throughs, lodges, group camps, etc.) often popular with today’s recreational community.

The owner of the Oregon Dunes KOA campground gave the group a guided tour of his facility. He said that most of his customers come from WA, CA, and OR. However, there are riders that come from all 50 states and from overseas. Also, OHV recreation is a popular activity enjoyed by military families when the service member is on leave.

There is a lot of hard work ahead for both the agency and user communities. However, after meeting federal, county, and local recreation leaders, I am optimistic that the future of the dunes can be secured if those interests find ways to increase communications and cooperation.
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HQ Closed Aug. 11-15 on CORDRAM Tour

HQ Closed Aug. 11-16 - On CORDRAM Tour to OR Dunes.

HQ Announces 2011 CORDRAM Tour

The Recreation HQ is proud to announce its 2011 California Oregon Dunes Recreational Access and Management (CORDRAM) Tour. CORDRAM goes from August 11 – 15. HQ’s Don Amador, on behalf of the BlueRibbon Coalition, will be headed to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area for a tour/review of the site with local recreationists, government officials, and other interests. 


As many of you know, BRC and local OHV representatives are concerned the Forest Service has wrongly focused on OHV closures over the last 40 years instead of addressing encroachment of non-native vegetation into the open dunes.

Thanks to an update from Save The Riders Dunes, HQ presents the following link to a 1994 Seattle Times article on the invasive beach grass taking over the dunes.

1994 Seattle Times Article
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940925&slug=1932531


The Forest Service has extended the public comment period until September 1, 2011. After reviewing the site, HQ plans on submitting an addendum to our July 25, 2011 comment letter in which we basically stated the agency has failed in it mission to protect the open dunes by almost exclusively relying on OHV closures as a management tool instead of addressing vegetation encroachment.

Blog with Action Alert to Send in Comments
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/08/or-dunes-keep-sending-letters-and-join.html

HQ believes that OHV recreation can survive at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area if the agency takes action to address the encroachment issue. OHV recreation is not the problem… it is the solution.

House and Senate Pass Legislation to "Fix" Lead Ban Issue Regarding Youth OHVs

The Recreation HQ wants to congratulate all the groups including the AMA and MIC who worked hard on legislative efforts over the last two years to get the now infamous “lead ban on youth OHV” corrected.


Article about House and Senate Approved Lead Ban Fix (quotes from AMA and MIC)
http://www.examiner.com/motorcycles-in-national/lead-law-repeal-moves-quickly-to-the-president

Even HQ weighed in from time to time with “lead alerts” to help support ongoing grassroots efforts so kids could ride youth-size OHV again.

April 5, 2011 HQ Lead Alert
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/04/hq-action-alert-call-senate-to-stop-ban.html

HQ wants to thank all you riders who took time to fill out petitions and make phone calls. Your efforts did make a difference!

OR Dunes - Keep Sending Letters and Join BRC

The Recreation HQ wants to urge OHVers who ride at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area to keep sending in those letters because the Forest Service has issued a letter stating they will continue to accept and use those letters through September 1, 2011. You also need to JOIN BRC.


July 25 FS Letter to BRC with Overview of Extension to Sept. 1
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/OR_Dunes_Ingersoll_July_25_letter0001.pdf

HQ would encourage riders to also contact their county commissioners and ask them to place this issue on the agenda at an upcoming meeting. Also, other elected state official should be made aware of the potential impacts of the ongoing closures and encroachment of vegetation into the recreation area.

HQ Blog on Letter Alert/Info
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/07/action-alert-comments-to-keep-or-dunes.html

Here is a recent news article on this issue
http://www.theumpquapost.com/articles/2011/07/20/local_news/doc4e25de75a3217440631661.txt

Also, I would ask all riders to join BRC as a way to help support our efforts on the Oregon Dunes. As you know, it takes time and money to fight for access and we can’t do our job without YOUR support. Please join today if you have not done so. That is a personal request from yours truly.

Join BRC online:
https://www.sharetrails.org/secure/join_or_contribute/

I also hope to see some of you when I am up at the OR Dunes next week meeting with BRC members, local OHV leaders, and govt. officials. I don’t think it is too late to get this ship turned around.