CA OHV Commission Sends Letter to Congress on Clear Creek

As many of you know, the OHV commission held a hearing on April 5, 2011 in Hollister to discuss many issues - but the focus of the meeting was to daylight the new OHMVR Asbestos Study that was released on March 22, 2011.


BRC Letter to OHV Commission for April 5 Hearing
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Hollister_CCMA_BRC_Comment_Letter_April.5.20110001.pdf

After a lot of public testimony, the OHV commission voted to send a letter to Congress expressing their views on Clear Creek.

HQ has obtained copies of a June 21, 2011 letter that was sent by the OHV Commission to the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

June 21, 2011 OHV Commission Letter to the House
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Commission_CCMA_Letter_House_June_21.20110001.pdf

June 21, 2011 OHV Commission Letter to the Senate
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Commission_CCMA_Letter_Senate_June_21.20110001.pdf

HQ agrees with the tone and direction of this OHV Commission letter where in its summary it states the continued and proposed permanent closure of CCMA does not appear to be supportable nor in the best interest of the public.

HQ believes this OHV commission letter only strengthens the points made during Amador’s testimony/exhibits about the HFO/EPA’s flawed decision-making process and how that process - based on junk science and personal agendas – was designed to create a defacto-Wilderness area at Clear Creek.

Amador will request this OHV commission letter be added to Exhibit C in his written testimony.
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BLM/EPA Weighed in Scales and Found Wanting at Hollister Meeting

SRMC Member Points to CCMA Trails

Based on feedback from riders and club representatives who attended the OHMVR Commission meeting in Hollister yesterday, the BLM and EPA were weighed in the scales and found wanting. Very disappointing when riders showed up to view federal integrity and accountability and found none of those virtues on display.

HQ commends all those who showed up and continued to challenge the faulty science (even the BLM/EPA have said there were uncertainties from the beginning) used by the BLM as a poor excuse to effect the largest landscape level closure of its kind in U.S history.

HQ also commends the OHMVR Commission for voting (and showing accountability and integrity) to send a strong letter to Congress, elected officials, and government agencies. Among a number of questions, they will ask about the BLM/EPA’s continued determination to base the ongoing closure on flawed science and how that unexplainable stubbornness -- in the face of new science -- complies with the March 9, 2009
Presidential Memo on Scientific Integrity.

April 5, 2011 BRC Letter to OHMVR Commission
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Hollister_CCMA_BRC_Comment_Letter_April.5.20110001.pdf

March 2009 Obama Memo on Scientific Integrity
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Memorandum-for-the-Heads-of-Executive-Departments-and-Agencies-3-9-09/

Hollister Newspaper Article (good article)
http://www.freelancenews.com/news/274345-clear-creek-study-asbestos-dangers-can-be-prevented

HQ believes it may be time for the OHV leadership in CA to consider a “vote of no confidence” for the BLM/EPA line officers that have failed to properly discharge their duties.

The BLM/EPA can save their credibility if they just come out and admit they made a poor decision. BLM could accept the new science and reopen CCMA to historic OHV use if they wanted to. The ball is in their court.

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.

CCMA Update - Harris Ranch Meeting - Join Our Quest to Reopen CCMA

Photo to left: Crowd at Harris
Ranch CCMA DEIS Meeting

Photo to right: The General giving
thumbs-down to closure

The General attended the BLM’s CCMA public meeting last night that was held at Harris Ranch near Coalinga. The ballroom was near packed to capacity with over 200 people in attendance. About ½ of the folks were OHVers and the other ½ were private property owners, gem collectors, small businesses, and ranchers. All spoke in favor of reopening CCMA to ALL users.

Friends of CCMA has an overview of the meeting and agenda
http://www.foccma.org/html/home/LatestNews.php

The next two meetings are as follows:

Jan. 14 – Veterans Memorial Hall, 649 San Benito St. – Hollister
Jan. 20 – Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara

For those of you attending, I believe you should come prepared at 5:30 to each of the next two meeting with specific questions regarding your concerns on issues such as the validity of the EPA study, other scientific questions, flaws in agency analysis, or why the agency ignored much if not most of the science that was submitted during the scoping period, etc. Be sure and record the BLM and EPA’s answers to your questions.

Be sure and read BRC’s FOIA information that points out how there were even concerns by BLM staff regarding the science used in the EPA survey or how the draft report was massaged. Link below has BRC attorney letter with FOIA materials.
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?filter=media&story=652

Later on in the program, be prepared to articulate (3 minute speeches) your position on how this closure has and will impact your family, your business, and why you think the agency has made a mistake. Also, be prepared to offer a management solution like one person did at Harris Ranch.

One speaker pointed out that one of BLM’s sister agencies – the National Wildlife Refuge – uses signs (rather than a ban) warning fishermen about the danger of eating too much fish that may be contaminated with mercury and other toxins.

Survey on Signs and Fishermen
http://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/pdf/anglrpt.pdf

Several other speakers also noted that other warning signs regarding health risks posed to pregnant women, elderly, etc. by using items such as cigarettes, alcohol, etc. are government approved ways to communicate health concerns to the public v. an outright ban.

The General agrees with the one or two speakers that stated to the group that at the end of the day, the CCMA is a political issue. On that note, I appreciated the fact that Senator Dianne Feinstein had a staffer there taking notes on this all too important issue. The Senator was helpful in protecting existing OHV routes in the 2006 North Coast Wilderness Bill and is also working to protect OHV recreation in the Johnson Valley area. Having your congressional representatives involved in the CCMA is very important.

As the FOCCMA website stated, BRC’s Don Amador spoke about how AMA, D36, TMC, CORVA, CAL4WD, BRC, FOCCMA, and SRMC are working in a cooperative manner to reopen the area to historic OHV uses. Amador also extended the hand of partnership to the gem collectors and ranchers to join our quest to reopen CCMA.

Stay tuned for updates. The General plans to be at the Jan. 20 CCMA meeting in Santa Clara and looks forward to visiting with you there.

Also, JOIN BRC and other groups to help us fight this closure
Join at:
https://www.sharetrails.org/secure/join_or_contribute/

The General’s Contact Info:
Don Amador
Recreation HQ
555 Honey Lane
Oakley, CA 94561
Email: damador@cwo.com

Forward this blog and info to your friends.

Thanks for your service and for attending these meetings.