Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Help Donstradamus Decide on Issuing Predictions for 2012

Donstradamus

This was updated (in bold) Dec. 29, 2011 to gauge the accuracy of Donstradamus' 2011
predictions made in Dec. 2010.  Please comment if you think Donstradamus should quit making
predictions or if he should continue - Thanks!


10- A pro-access Democrat congressman will switch to the GOP once House oversight hearings on Travel Management and other land closures are scheduled in mid-January 2011.  Several DEMs did vote for H.R. 242 to address the closure of level 3 roads in Region 5 - Pretty close

9 - A new OHV-oriented Luddite movement spreads across several western states. Dirt-bikers throw GPS units away and use maps instead. They leave cell phones at home when they go on trail rides with their buddies. Several guys I ride with have gone back to using maps when directions are needed - Sorta close


8 - Snowmobile sales spike due to heavy snowfall in the Winter of 2011. Environmentalists blame the high snow levels on global cooling that they claim is a byproduct of global warming. An ISMA June 2011 news release stated OSV sales were up 5% in the USA and greens still blame use global warming as main reason for any weather events - Dead on

7 - An all-electric OHV Park will be sited near a major population center in the USA. Left-wing eco-groups should applaud the facility, but complain instead.  Electric OHV parks are being talked about - Sorta Close

6 - Good News – Green mountain-bikers will finally get their long-time wish for a “Wilderness Area” that allows mountain bikes. Bad News – It is only 20 acres in size and riders must dismount when going downhill to reduce soil impacts. I believe one of the "Wilderness Bills" (maybe Testers') gave mountain bikers one or two trails as a bone (cherry-stemmed in the Wilderness proposal) - Sorta Close

5 - A new upstart political party that supports pro-trail legislators and policies will become an important factor in the 2012 elections. There is a new OHV trail polticial action committee, but effectiveness depends on OHV support - Close

4 - Federal land agencies allow OHVs to be used to treat invasive plant species such as the European Beach Grass at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and other coastal sites. The agencies rotate OHV use similar to how farmers rotate goatherds to manage unwanted vegetation.  The FS may consider allowing OHVs to "manage" some of the small pine tree "islands."  - Pretty close 

3- Diesel powered dual sport motorcycles long favored by the military are offered to the public in a civilian version as a way to help motorcyclists save on fuel costs. No info - Miss

2 - A MX superstar from the 1980s quits his unhealthy lifestyle. He adopts a vegan diet and trains for 5 months under the direction of Jillian from the Biggest Loser TV series. He places 2nd at the Hangtown MX race held near Sacramento. No info - Miss


1- A former motorcycle-racing champion wants to give back to the sport and donates $300,000 dollars to a national off-road advocacy group to help keep trails open.  No info on such a donation - Miss 
 
# # #

Thursday, December 23, 2010

HQ on Holiday R&R Dec. 23-Jan. 2

The General will be taking some time off to be with his family from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3.  Will reopen HQ on Jan. 3.  Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  FYI for those of you who wanted to see the FS official response back to BRC about the reinstatement of the 2" rain rule... I have posted that FS letter below:

FS Dec. 20 Letter to BRC
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Mendocino_Rainfall_response_to_Dec_14_letter0001.pdf

I hope to hear from some of you who go up and enjoy Stonyford over the Holidays.

Merry Christmas,

Don

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Thoughts from HQ on Christmas, New Years, and the OHV Struggle

The Trails You Take in Life are Important
 - Don Amador

The Recreation HQ wants to wish all its readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The General believes that OHV may be starting to turn the corner in the land-use fight.


Sure, there have been some setbacks such as the “cost recovery” issue that effectively stopped a number of historic enduros held in the Sierra Nevada, CCMA remains closed, enviros filed new “Subpart A” lawsuits against the FS in CA, NV, and ID, and non-street legal and street-legal OHVs have been banned on many historic trails (i.e. unauthorized routes) and forest roads.

However, looking on the bright side OHV does have some good news. Here are just a few: BRC legal and partners got the court to rule against the closures in the Little Belts Travel Plan; a stipulation was signed on the Six Rivers National Forest case to help stop illegal road ripping; a potential disaster in the So Cal Roadless case was averted because of OHV legal involvement; OHV leaders encouraged the FS to hold off implementation of Subpart A in Region 5 and elsewhere, BRC legal and partners successfully intervened in the ongoing Eldorado NF lawsuit and the new Subpart A lawsuit on the Stanislaus NF; and OHMVR is working on its own asbestos study that could help in the fight to reopen CCMA. OHV/BRC legal and partners argued before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and it was captured on video -- and they did a darn good job!

There are many other good news items such as the fact that Carnegie SVRA (under threat of a court ordered closure last Christmas) is still open. Also, the Mendocino National Forest just went back to its old “2 inch rain policy” so that it would not be closed all winter by an ill-advised ad hoc “extended rain closure” policy. And, the Shasta Trinity National Forest has not yet published its MVUM, which is the implementation tool for the TMR FEIS/ROD. HQ believes that Forest wants to work with the OHV community and develop a real program with an official OHV trail coordinator that will work on post Subpart B project level trail efforts. There are other good news stories too.

Finally, a lot of you got involved in the political process this election cycle. While OHVers may not have gotten the results they wanted in CA, OR, NV, and WA, the off-road voter did help boot out anti-OHV legislators in other states on November 2 and we now have pro-OHV and pro-access chairmen in various House committees.

HQ believes that 2011 will be very busy on the land-use front and encourages the OHV community to stay engaged and be of good cheer. There are sure to be a lot of ongoing and new battles that we must fight. However, HQ believes there is a light at the end of the tunnel and looks forward to celebrating many new victories with my friends next year.

There are too many partners to thank and name in the above issues, but you know who you are and I appreciate your support, friendship, and commitment.  All of the above victories and ongoing fights are a TEAM effort.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The General
PS – Now enjoy some time with your family… That’s an order!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Official Quiet Warrior Racing "Less dBA =s More Trails" T-Shirt Up for Auction



3 day auction on eBay for offiicial Quiet Warrior Racing "Less dBA = More Trails" T-Shirt.  You bid will help support the land-use work of The Quiet Warrior.  Thanks for bidding and Merry Christmas.  This size is XL.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Quiet-Warrior-Racing-Less-dBA-More-Trails-T-Shirt-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem1c18076fd5QQitemZ120662224853QQptZApparelQ5fMerchandise

Thanks,

Don

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!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

MUST SEE LEGAL OHV TV - BRC/MIC/TWS Counsel Argue Before the 9th Circuit

Stop and Watch OHV Court TV

It’s not often that riders get to see an OHV “legal football game” on TV. However, in BRC’s News Release today you will see OHV attorneys and counsel from The Wilderness Society argue before the U.S 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in what the HQ feels is an important case.


BRC News Release on en banc review
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=717&filter=media

MUST SEE OHV TV - 25 Minute Video with BRC’s Paul Turcke/Lead Counsel and MIC/SVIA’s Paul Gale/Friend of the Court, and Megan Anderson/The Wilderness Society
http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/view_subpage.php?pk_vid=0000006124

In the 9th Circuit it has been hard at times for “conservative” interests (i.e. OHV, timber, businesses, etc.) to intervene in environmental lawsuits. Often those conservative interests are only given “limited intervenor status" instead of full intervenor status. Instead of having a seat at the table during discussions and more importantly during the remedy phase negotiations of the suit -- those conservative groups have been told to sit at the back of the legal bus and only given minor roles.

Having been in federal court a number of times with Turcke and other attorneys (both OHV and green), I found this 25-minute video highly fascinating. The General thought Turcke did an excellent job of giving the court his perspective from the trenches on why full intervenor status is important. HQ thought Gale gave the court a good historical perspective on this issue.

On the other hand, I did not think the court was overly impressed with Anderson’s somewhat nuanced presentation.

It’s hard to predict what the court will decide. However, riders can be assured that BRC legal and friends are out there on the judicial football field engaged in timely and effective legal actions to preserve and protect continued OHV access to public lands.

Thanks for your service and support!

PS: I know BRC would appreciate a donation to help support this case. If you are able, please donate to this case which stemmed out of the original Sawtooth NF lawsuit.  Go online and in the contribution instructions type in "Sawtooth Lawsuit en banc review"

DONATE HERE
https://www.sharetrails.org/secure/join_or_contribute/?c=1

An OHV Christmas Miracle - A Case Study in Perseverance


QUOTE OF THE DAY

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. ~Walter Elliott, The Spiritual Life

Many of us fondly remember the original “Miracle on 34th Street” movie (I did not like the remakes). The Recreation HQ believes that OHV may have its own version of that movie for this Christmas called the “Miracle on the Gasquet-Orleans Road.”

Triplicate Article on Miracle
http://www.triplicate.com/20101213110976/News/Local-News/Forest-access-deal-may-end-suit

HQ riders have been following the recent developments of the stipulation signed by the court regarding the Six Rivers NF lawsuit that addressed ad hoc road ripping without public notification and an unfair MVUM that had closed several important jeep trails.

BRC News Release on Stipulation
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=715&filter=media

HQ Blog with History and Overview of Six Rivers Case
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/12/ohv-legal-effort-takes-forward-step.html

The General believes that this tactical suit was key in bringing the environmental groups to the table. I don’t think the collaborative stakeholder process would have successfully resolved the issues surrounding several important and historic jeep trails (or the ad hoc closing of routes) without the litigation.

Is this lawsuit an OHV version of the Normandy Invasion? No. However, it is a key battle in OHV Wars and one that is worth the fight.

Thanks for your service and Merry Christmas!