Public Comments for CA OHV Grants Ends on April 7, 2014 - Send in a Comment Now

The Recreation HQ wants to send out a simple reminder about the public comment period for the CA OHV Preliminary Applications for the 2013/14 Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program that ends on April 7, 2014.

This is your chance to submit a comment letter. HQ believes it is important for local users to review the preliminary grant applications and offer your views.   It is a great time for your club to weigh in with a support letter for those land agencies that are trying to offer the OHV community some high quality managed motorized use on roads, trails, and areas.

Please go to the CA OHV Grant website below and follow the directions.  You will see that many units have not yet received a single comment letter.

CA OHV Grant Website

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/

You don’t have to comment on every single grant, but please try and comment on the riding areas that you like to frequent.  Agency recreation staff and leadership read each one of these letters and I believe it is important for us to let them know that we appreciate their effort.

Thanks for your review of this request.

Amador on Bike Week Radio Show - Topics: OHV grants, DS motorcycles, leadership at state parks, grant scandal, Imperial Dunes, 2014 midterms

HQ’s, Don Amador, had a radio interview yesterday with the gang at Bike Week Radio.  Scott Cox and the crew at the station started the show off with KTM’s Kurt Caselli who was followed by motorcycle legend, Peter Starr.

 

We talked about a lot of important issues during my “OHV” segment at the end of the show.  Topics covered  includes: OHV Grants being adjusted back to 31M, buying a dual-sport motorcycle (Factory plated vs. bikes that comply with 2003 DMV cutoff rules), new leadership at state parks and OHV division, 2012 state park scandal,  Imperial Sand Dunes reopening 50K acres and legal history of that fight,  and 2014 midterm elections.

 

Amador’s segment starts at 47:31 at the show’s archive link for the July 14 Show

http://www.bikeweekradioshow.com/archive.html

 

Thanks for your interest and support!

 

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BREAKING OHV NEWS IN CA - OHV Grant Amounts Revised Up for 2012/2013 Grant Cycle Today

The Recreation HQ is very happy to announce that OHMVRD has revised the grant awards for the 2012/13 grants cycle.  The revision today will help fund many important OHV projects and programs related to Operations and Maintenance, Restoration, Education, and Law Enforcement.  If my math is correct, the grants program has been revised up from 10M to about 30M.  VERY GOOD NEWS!

 

Many of you remember the fierce budget fight last year with the legislature where OHV groups fought hard with politicians in an effort to challenge the 10M cap they placed on the 2012/2013 grant cycle. 

 

Link to 2012 Budget Fight (Dark Days Ahead blog)

http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2012/05/dark-days-ahead-for-ca-ohv-program.html

 

HQ believes the grant revision today was made possible – in large part - to the grassroots effort to by users, advocates, local elected officials, conservationists, and others to champion our program to the legislature and Governor Brown.  HQ also thanks our OHV lobbyist, Terry McHale, for his hard work on this issue too!

 

HQ urges grant applicants that had not been awarded grants for this cycle to please go to the OHMVR grant website and see if your grant got funded.  Again, this is very good news for a lot of units in rural areas where grant support is crucial for resource management and to help bolster the local economy.

 

Link to Revised Grant Awards

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1164

 

Thanks again to all of you who worked hard last year in support of the OHV program!