New CA OHV Division Asbestos Study Shows Clear Creek Closure is Bogus

A Poster Users Made at Coalinga Meeting to Highlight Agency Bias Against OHV Use

The Recreation HQ is proud to announce that the OHV Division has released a long anticipated independent study on the impacts, or lack thereof, of naturally occurring asbestos on OHV users riding at Clear Creek.

March 23, 2011 - OHV Division News Release with Link to Asbestos Study
http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/

March 23, 2011 – BRC News Release on OHV Asbestos Study
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=728&filter=media

HQ believes this report validates the OHV community’s concerns that the closure at CCMA was politically motivated and was a gross abuse of federal power by a government agent.

HQ blogged back in Jan. 15, 2010 that the BLM and EPA should be ashamed of themselves for foisting an unwarranted 70K acre landscape level closure on the American People.

Jan. 15 Blog with Links and Stories
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/01/jan-14-clear-creek-meeting-blm-and-epa.html


HQ believes this closure has caused great harm to local users, businesses, and the community. OHV dealerships have closed. There is no excuse for this behavior and this abuse of power by government officials should be the object of a Congressional inquiry or hearing. Rick Cooper, the BLM Area Manager, told me on several occasions that he made the decision NOT to review options or management tools that would allow for CCMA to remain open. As the report states, there are many activities that occur on public lands that are far more dangerous. Yet, you have a government official that went out of his way to exclude any options to keep CCMA open.


HQ believes this issue has gone beyond the Hollister Field Office and will most likely be addressed by BLM Director Bob Abbey with input from county officials, OHV users, recreation organizations, gem collectors, Congress, and the OHV Division.

Stay tuned for more updates, as it appears the CA OHV Commission will have a hearing on this issue on April 5 in Hollister, at the Veterans' Hall on 649 San Benito Street just a few blocks from the San Benito County Board of Supervisors Office. The county officials have been real heroes in this fight as well.

April 7, 2010 Blog about County Voting to Reopen Roads in CCMA
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/04/san-benito-county-votes-to-reopen-roads.html

HQ thanks all who worked tirelessly on this issue since May 2008. It has been, and will continue to be, a tough fight. It is an effort worth the battle. There is only one Clear Creek and we want it reopened to OHV use - Period

Clear Creek Update - OHV 24 - BLM 21

The General is glad to be back at the Recreation HQ after spending the last 6 days in the field attending meetings and doing some recon.

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PHOTO: This is the warning sign for swimmers at Orick Beach in the Redwood National Park. Note that the Park is keeping count of the people who have died swimming since 2004 (click on photo to enlarge). This is what the BLM should do at CCMA - simply post signs and publish concerns on the visitor maps

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April 19 marked the end of the 45 day extension of the public comment period for the Clear Creek DEIS. The Recreation HQ believes we may have turned the corner in the battle to reopen CCMA to historic OHV use when the San Benito County BOS voted to reopen 25 miles of county roads in the unit and send letters to the BLM in support of Alt. A.

Background info on BOS vote and WND Article
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/04/off-roaders-blamed-for-county-vote-to.html

The Recreation HQ wants riders to have copies of the BRC Legal and BRC Western Rep. comment letters that were submitted on March 4,5 and April 19. Note that BRC brings up the faux liability issue (among other issues) and demands the DEIS be withdrawn and/or a supplemental DEIS be issued.

Faux Liability Issue
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/03/faux-liability-issue-at-ccma.html

March 4, 2010 BRC Western Rep. Comments
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/CCMA_DEIS_BRC_revised_comments_3.4.100001.pdf

March 5, 2010 BRC Legal Dept. Comments
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/CCMA_DEIS_Turcke_comments_3-5-10.pdf

April 19, 2010 BRC Legal Dept. Supplemental Comments
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/CCMA_DEIS_Turcke_Comments_Supplementa_4-19-10.pdf

If the CCMA battle was a football game, the Recreation HQ believes that we are in the 3rd quarter and the score is now OHV 24 HFO 21. Just what the score will be at the end of the game has yet to be determined. That score will depend on your continued efforts to reopen the area.

The General looks forward to riding on the reopened roads once the signs are installed by the county works department.and riding on the OHV trails once CCMA is reopened.

Off-Roaders Blamed for County Vote to Reopen Roads

Over the years, the Recreation HQ has followed breaking land use news covered by the crew at World Net Daily. So it was not really a surprise when The General got a call from a WND reporter regarding the historic vote taken by San Benito County to reopen their county roads at Clear Creek.

New WND Article on County Vote and County Gov’t. Fighting Back Elsewhere
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=137737

Comments were made by the BLM regarding their surprise by the vote and that off-roaders are to blame for the county pushback. The agency’s “surprise” is telling The General that nobody was watching the store as the BLM developed their scheme in 2007-2008 to lock OHVs and the public out of Clear Creek. Where were the grownups at Cottage Way in Sacramento (the BLM state office) who let this CCMA closure - founded on junk science and political agendas - take place? Based on letters and meeting with Congressmen, county supervisors, and off-the-record conversations with both retired and currently employed BLM staff, The General is not the only one asking that question.

In the BRC comment letter submitted to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, it is pointed out that the DEIS is so fatally flawed that it should be withdrawn and CCMA be reopened immediately.

BRC Comment Letter to the Board of Supervisors
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/San_Benito_County_BOS_Meeting_BRC_Letter_April-60001.pdf

As The General has pointed out many times before, ALL land use decisions are political decisions that at the end of the day have very little if anything to do with science or laws.
If the multiple-use community (off-roaders, ranchers, gem collectors, inholders, hunters, etc.) will continue to stand together with local elected officials in access battles that are occurring up and down the State of California and other western states, we have a chance to change the current closure agenda of federal agencies.

As Ben Franklin once said, "We must all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

The General says, “When it comes to the land use fight, the multiple-use community must unite for in that unity stands our only chance for victory.”

Thanks for your service! I encourage you to post a comment on this blog -you must sign up first before commenting. Also, feel free to send a private message to The Recreation HQ at: damador@cwo.com

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San Benito County Votes to Reopen Roads in Clear Creek

The General attended and spoke (on behalf of BRC and AMA Dist. 36/per Dave Pickett’s request) at the San Benito County Board of Supervisor’s meeting yesterday where the board took a historic stand against an unwarranted federal government proposal to functionally ban OHV recreation on 70K acres in the Clear Creek Management Area.

BRC News Release on San Benito County Vote Yesterday
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=692&filter=media

The Recreation HQ is proud of the courage shown by the board to pass unprecedented votes to reopen all 25 miles of county roads in Clear Creek, to send a letter to the BLM in support of Alternative A (the pre 2008 closure level of OHV use), and to send a separate letter to Congress asking them to investigate the unseemly and apparently unethical actions by some BLM agents regarding the interim closure and the DEIS.

The HQ is equally proud of the elected officials who stood with local users in the Redding area yesterday at a rally against the proposed closure (in the Shasta Trinity NF’s Record of Decision for Travel Management) of basically all single track trails and trails less than 50 inches in width in the Shasta Trinity National Forest.

Record Searchlight Article about Redding Rally at FS HQ
http://www.redding.com/news/2010/apr/07/shasta-supervisors-will-appeal-shasta-trinity-fore/

The General has warned agency leadership about the pushback they would get by local elected officials and area users if they fronted travel plans that effectively implement the closure agenda of environmental groups or, worse even still, the closure agenda of the federal line officer. Tragically, it appears federal agencies want to ignore those pleadings and remain hell-bent on foisting these plans on county governments and the recreation community.

The Recreation HQ (and a lot of FS and BLM staffers who have sent the HQ private messages or phone calls stating they are not happy with the new closure agenda of the federal government) hopes the Feds will reconsider their agenda and work to rebuild the trust of local people and elected officials. The ball is in their court.

The fight for access to public lands continues. Thanks for your service!

CCMA Update - The General is at San Benito County BOS Meeting Today

The Recreation HQ will be closed today as The General (on behalf of BRC) will be testifying at the April 6, 2010 San Benito County Board of Supervisors meeting in Hollister, CA at 1:30 p.m.

The Board will consider a vote to reassert their jurisdiction on 25 miles of county roads in the Clear Creek Management Area. Currently, the BLM is claiming management authority over these historic county roads. A vote in the affirmative will be a big victory in the ongoing battle to reopen CCMA for historic OHV and other uses.

The Board will also consider a vote regarding if they will send in a comment letter and what directions they will give staff about the content of that letter. BRC is asking them to support historic OHV and other uses in CCMA.

See April 6, 2010 BRC Comment Letter to the San Benito County BOS
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/San_Benito_County_BOS_Meeting_BRC_Letter_April-60001.pdf

Finally, BRC believes the county may find the BLM violated the public trust as well as over stepping their jurisdictional bounds regarding the county road issue and the agency’s trampling of private property rights. The county could request the BLM withdraw the DEIS because if it’s fatal flaws and direct the agency to reopen CCMA post haste.

The General is expecting a large turnout at the Hollister meeting today. He hopes to see many of you there.

Thanks for your service!

Rural County Government is 1st Line of Defense in Access Fight

As more federal and state lands are being closed to public access, many riders are turning to their elected county officials as a last resort in our collective battle to fight trail closures on Forest lands or challenge plans that ban OHV routes at Clear Creek.

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PHOTO: The famous Usal Road on the coast in Mendocino County (this road is on the Lost Coast DS Ride). These types of signs could go up on the county roads in Clear Creek.
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In contrast to the aforementioned paradigm, The Recreation HQ strongly believes that our elected county officials are really our 1st line of defense against closure oriented federal land use plans that impact the residents of the county or folks that visit the area.

Tomorrow’s vote by the San Benito County Board of Supervisors to reassert its historic jurisdiction of 25 miles of county roads in the Clear Creek Management Area and preserve those roads for public use could be a Seminole moment (if they vote in the affirmative) in the access fight here in CA.
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Hollister Freelance Article on County Reopening Roads at Clear Creek
http://www.freelancenews.com/news/264523-county-might-reopen-blm-roads-for-owners-access

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Info on San Benito County BOS Meeting tomorrow at 1:30 pm in Hollister
http://www.san-benito.ca.us/agendas/documents/10.04.06.pdf

AFTERNOON SESSION 1:30 P.M.

PLANNING DEPARTMENT – A. Henriques: 24) Review staff report, and draft comment letter to the Bureau of Land Management Clear Creek Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and provide comments and direction to staff.

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT – S. Wittry: 25) Adopt a Resolution to re-open unmaintained County roads upon the installation of appropriate information signage referencing a potential for human health risks within surrounding terrain in the BLM Clear Creek Management Area; and direct staff to maintain quarterly inspections of signs in the area.

Tomorrow is also important in CA’s access fight because elected officials and users will be holding a rally in Redding, CA to protest the proposed closure of 800 miles of single-track OHV trails in the Shasta Trinity National Forest’s Travel Plan’s Record of Decision.

Info on Redding Rally Against FS OHV Trail Closure
http://www.reddingdirtriders.com/News_View.aspx?Articleid=52

Colusa County is also taking a stand against Obama’s National Monument Agenda for the Stonyford OHV Area (see blog with links to county letter)
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/03/obama-outdoors-interview-and-access.html

As OHVers are in a fight for their lives regarding continued use of historic motorized travelways on federal lands, riders should continue to engage their elected county supervisors and have them join and champion our just cause.

March 2 - San Benito County To Help Keep CCMA Open?

The General has long believed that local users (i.e. voters) should try and get
their local County Board of Supervisors involved to help in the fight to keep public lands open for responsible recreation activities.

PHOTO: Sign of the CCMA Times

PHOTO CREDIT: Don Amador

EXAMPLE of how a county can take action regarding access
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2009/06/good-news-combined-use-as-access-tool.html

No place is a county’s help more sorely needed then in the CCMA Battle. The Recreation HQ was pleased to hear that several members of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors attended BLM’s socioeconomic meeting regarding the future of CCMA.

Thanks to a posting by my good friends at SBR, The Recreation HQ has learned that San Benito BOS has placed the topic of CCMA on their March 2 agenda.

This is a golden opportunity for local OHVers to show up and testify on how important it is for the county to take action regarding supporting a request for a 90 day extension of the public comment period and to eventually submit comments on the DEIS in support of continued OHV recreation at CCMA.

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March 2 BOS Agenda
http://www.san-benito.ca.us/agendas/documents/10.03.02pdf.pdf

PLANNING DEPARTMENT – A. Henriques: 12) Review the staff report, powerpoint and draft comment letter to BLM at the Board meeting, and provide direction to staff.
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Getting your local county, state, and federal elected officials involved in protecting your access rights is critically important in any land-use fight. Having the county weigh in (and hopefully some federal legislators as well) could help tip the scales in our favor.

The General encourages all riders and business owners (local voters are most important) who care about CCMA to attend the March 2 BOS meeting and respectfully articulate your desire for the county to support continued OHV recreation at CCMA.

Thanks for your service!