Update on CA State Water Board and OHV

As some of you know, the California State Water Resources Board has been reviewing water quality issues for the last 2 years. This is an important topic for OHV interests because our sport could be dramatically impacted by new regulations and/or restrictions developed by the board. HQ is proud of the work that John Stewart (CAL4WD Rep. and BRC Board Member) has done on this project. HQ appreciates the following update from Stewart and believes he is doing an excellent job in representing OHV interests by helping prevent the green lobby from using the board to promote their closure agenda via the regulatory process.

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UPDATE FROM JOHN STEWART - OHV LEAD ON WATER BOARD MEETINGS
The California State Water Resources Board has released the revised proposed State Waiver for the USFS Water Quality Management Handbook. The revised draft documents in the proposed State Waiver package can be viewed at: http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/nps/wqmp_forests.shtml


A December 6, 2011 meeting at CALEPA in Sacramento has been scheduled for consideration of adoption of: 1) a proposed statewide Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for Nonpoint Source Discharges Related to Certain Activities on National Forest System Lands in California, and 2) a supporting Mitigated Negative Declaration

Public comment on proposed changes to the State Waiver will be accepted until November 21. 2011.

After reviewing the changes to the proposed State Waiver, I believe all concerns submitted on behalf of CA4WDC have been adequately addressed. Specifically, the revision clearly articulates that NEPA review applies to all projects and activities initiated under the proposed State Waiver. In addition, clarification of State Categories A and B have been clarified with their relation to USFS “projects and activities”.

With the release of this revision of the proposed State Waiver, the SWRB has clearly noted that a CEQA Environmental Impact Report of the proposed State Waiver as supported by the environmental community and others is not warranted.

The "effect" of this action is that all National Forests in California will now have consistent guidelines dealing with water quality without having to submit each activity or project to the appropriate Regional Water Quality Control Board for approval.


The proposed State Waiver accepts the USFS Water Quality Management Handbook as the guide for the management activities such as road maintenance, grazing, mining, and all activities requiring a permit.

As long as projects comply with the guidance in the Handbook, they should proceed with no extra approval or review necessary. The Handbook, in existence since 2001, has been updated and defines actions to be used by Forest Service, contractors and permittees involved in activities or projects on National Forest lands within California.

Over a period of almost two years, stakeholders have held meetings discussing the Handbook content and the proposed State Waiver. All documents have been circulated for public review and comment. Extensive legal review has been conducted by State Water Board and USFS to ensure compliance with state and federal laws. I have been an active participant in all phases of the discussions and meetings on this topic as the statewide OHV representative selected by USFS staff.
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HQ thanks John for his hard work on this issue.  

Time for Congress to Designate a National OHV Appreciation Day?

An OHV enthusiast (who is also a boater) contacted HQ recently and asked why OHV enthusiasts don’t have their own “National OHV Appreciation Day?”


July 1 Designated as National Boating Day (S. 199 and H.R. 505)
http://www.examiner.com/boating-in-cleveland/july-1st-is-national-boating-day

HQ believes that OHV recreationists are in a unique position politically given the current make-up of Congress combined with the President’s Great Outdoor Initiative to ask legislators to honor OHV recreation with its own day.

According to a 2005 Forest Service Report on OHV Recreation, 23.8 percent of the American population (age 16 or older) participated one or more times in OHV recreation during the last year (of the report).

2005 FS OHV Recreation Report
http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/OHV_final_report.pdf

HQ believes that major OHV recreation organizations and industry groups could get behind a collaborative effort to have Congress designate an appropriate date as our own “National OHV Appreciation Day.”

Sure it will take some work, but here at HQ we feel that the time has come for OHV recreation to be recognized by Congress and the President as an important facet of the outdoor recreation spectrum.

Please take the poll on this issue as well. Let us know if you would be interested in supporting or sponsoring this effort.

Private comments can be sent to: damador@quietwarriorracing.com

High Sierra Showdown on Feb. 15 - Regular Folks v. TNC in Fight at Independence Lake

Map of Independence Lake (click on photo to enlarge)

Back in August 26 of 2010, HQ featured a story about a small but determined band of local recreationists fighting for their historic access rights at Independence Lake located in the Sierra Nevada. It is one of those all to familiar and tragic stories where a land trust comes and “buys’ up acreage and does not tell the local folks that they will be turning that land into de facto Wilderness.


Aug. 26 Blog on Fight between The Nature Conservancy and Local Recreationists
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/08/loss-of-freedom-at-independence-lake.html

Since that post, the Friends of Independence Lake have been aggressively fighting for their access rights to a lake that many families have used for generations. Those efforts have resulted in the Sierra County Board of Supervisors taking up that issue on Feb. 15 at a board meeting in Loyalton, CA.

Feb. 15 Sierra County Board of Supervisors Meeting at Loyalton
http://www.sierracounty.ws/index.php?module=calendar&calendar[view]=day&month=02&year=2011&day=15

It’s not just lake access that has been impacted, but general public motorized use of historic county roads. Some of those roads are gated and use by street legal and non-street legal OHVs and OSVs are at risk as well.


For a current overview of the battle, please go to the Friends of Independence Lake and read their story. It is important for users to show up and let the board know that they should defend continued OHV and OSV access as well as historic boat access at the lake.

Friends of Independence Lake Website (great overview of issue and how taxpayers are helping fund closures like this - read about how Grandpa was told to take a hike)
http://www.friendsofindependencelake.org/

If you want to find out more about what land trusts and other green interests are doing to attack your access and property rights, feel free to visit the Property Rights Foundation of America’s website below. They have a lot of good information.

Property Rights Foundation of America’s Website
http://prfamerica.org/

HQ urges all access interests in the Loyalton area or others who recreate in or near Independence Lake to attend the Feb. 15 BOS meeting.  Since my August 26 blog, I have talked with several retired FS staffers who know the area and they feel that the lake should have gone to the FS where that agency would have kept it open for multiple-use recreation.

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Support the 4405 Land-Use Buggy and Help Keep Trails Open

4405 Land Use Buggy

The HQ is proud to feature a very cool fundraising effort by the high-performance rock-crawling community to help keep trails open.

Travis Carpenter will be piloting the famous “4405” land-use buggy on February 11 at an event. Trail supporters of all vehicle types can make a “pledge per mile.”

BRC News Release on 4405 Land-Use Buggy
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=720&filter=media

4405 Donation Site
https://www.sharetrails.org/secure/4405/

Over the years, riders have supported BRC and other land use efforts via donations made by clubs, small business, and individuals. Sponsoring a racer on a per mile basis is a novel idea that should be commended.

This year, there will be a lot of OHV access issues where off-road interests will have to be represented by professional land-use advocates, attorneys, and consultants. Fundraisers like this one will continue to be a critical element in keeping the doors open at BRC and elsewhere.

Thanks for your service and support!