The General’s friend and trail guru – Doug Teeter, president of the Paradise Ridge Riders – is planning a trail cleanup for Saturday November 14th from 9:00 am until the job is done. They will meet at the intersection of the Oro Quincy Hwy and French Creek Rd. N 39-41-107, W 121-21-710 the dump site is located approx. 1/10 of a mile down French Creek Rd. and then approx 1 mile left down Forest Rd. 21N44.
The Forest Service will place a dumpster at the Brush Creek Station (about 3-4 mi. from the dump site) were we will transfer the debris from our trucks/trailers. The Forest Service will pay all dump and rental fees, all labor will be volunteer.
Forest service contact for this project is Joel Osofsky
530-532-7465
Email jtosofsky@fs.fed.us
Paradise Ridge Rider contact is Doug Teeter
530-872-1852
Email yourtrailnext@yahoo.com
This project on the Plumas National Forest is done in cooperation between the Feather River Ranger District and Ironman Dual Sport, Paradise Ridge Riders, Chico Honda, Chico Motorsports, and many others.
These types of volunteer projects (i.e. cleanups, trail maintenance, etc.) are an important part of any successful OHV management program. Forests that have volunteer programs also score higher on the OHV grant application process at California State Parks.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Vote on S. 1571
The General often checks OpenCongress to track legislation. Yesterday, I alerted my fellow riders about S. 1571 and the ongoing saga of certain politicians to permanently site a correctional facility at the confluence of two streams and in the center of a popular destination recreation area in Northern California.
If you feel so inclined, please go to the website below and VOTE if you support or oppose S. 1571.
Vote Here at OpenCongress
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1571/news_blogs
Thanks for your interest in land-use issues!
If you feel so inclined, please go to the website below and VOTE if you support or oppose S. 1571.
Vote Here at OpenCongress
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1571/news_blogs
Thanks for your interest in land-use issues!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
S. 1571 - Oppose Correctional Facility at Major OHV Area
Sometimes what appear to be small issues can be overlooked by recreationists especially during busy periods when we all are dealing with travel management planning efforts, Wilderness proposals, budget issues, and other land-use decisions.
Many of The General’s followers ride or have ridden at the Stonyford OHV Area on the Mendocino National Forest. It is home to one of the most popular destination OHV areas in Northern California. Also, it is popular with hikers, fisherman, hunters, and hang gliders.
Many of The General’s followers ride or have ridden at the Stonyford OHV Area on the Mendocino National Forest. It is home to one of the most popular destination OHV areas in Northern California. Also, it is popular with hikers, fisherman, hunters, and hang gliders.
*Click on photo for larger view of facility and relationship to nearby campsites.
For a number of years, some members of Congress have been pushing ill-advised legislation that would permanently transfer lands to the Fouts Springs Youth Correctional Facility and out of federal ownership. The question is not that The General or OHVers don’t support rehabilitation of troubled youth (we do!), but rather should a correctional facility be permanently sited in the center of a large recreation area? The site is directly adjacent to 6 family camping/staging areas.
Several years ago, the FS did a Feasibility Study that showed the highest and best use of that acreage would be for future recreational use such as camping/RV parking or possibly for the training of firefighters, etc. The General agrees with that conclusion.
Last year, BRC, AMA-sanctioned motorcycle clubs/members, and other recreationists sent letters opposing the Deafy Glade Land Exchange Act. This year, it has resurfaced as H.R. 1043 and S. 1571. BRC has sent in letters to several key Senators since H.R. 1043 has passed the House. If and when it makes it to future senate hearings, there may be a need for OHVers and others to weigh in heavy on this subject. In the meantime, feel free to send in a letter (see BRC letters for Senator contact info/FAX numbers) or post a comment on this blog.
BRC Letters to the Senate on S. 1571
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Fouts_Oppose_S_1571_Oct._13_Updated_10.140001.pdf
Thanks for your service!
Friday, October 9, 2009
MVUM Implementation & Law Enforcement
As various Forests throughout the country produce or soon will produce MVUMs, the public will have questions about implementation and enforcement of the MVUM. The General believes the decision notice or ROD should have a narrative for how the agency intends to implement the MVUM.
I have received a number of emails from riders who want to know if the agency is going to immediately start writing tickets based on CFRs cited in the MVUM - as noted below:
Violations of 36 CFR 261.13 are subject to a fine of up to
$5,000 or imprisonment for up to 6 months or both (18 U.S.C.
3571(e)). This prohibition applies regardless of the presence
or absence of signs.
Or, will the agency coordinate a phase-in of law enforcement initially using education and outreach (instead of immediately citing users) such as land agencies did with the 2003 CA 96dBA OHV sound law or law enforcement agencies did with auto/driver cell phone ban?
I found an example of a coordinated/education effort on the Payette National Forest. In their ROD, the Forest describes how it will use a coordinated approach of education, outreach, signing, collaboration, functional maps, doing new trail projects etc. rather than immediately writing 5K tickets or sending people to prison. They will use exiting authority to cite for resource damage in the meantime.
See pages 29/30 for the ROD’s implementation narrative
http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/payette/publications/trvl_mgmt/rods/rod_MCL_KSL.pdf
I have received a number of emails from riders who want to know if the agency is going to immediately start writing tickets based on CFRs cited in the MVUM - as noted below:
Violations of 36 CFR 261.13 are subject to a fine of up to
$5,000 or imprisonment for up to 6 months or both (18 U.S.C.
3571(e)). This prohibition applies regardless of the presence
or absence of signs.
Or, will the agency coordinate a phase-in of law enforcement initially using education and outreach (instead of immediately citing users) such as land agencies did with the 2003 CA 96dBA OHV sound law or law enforcement agencies did with auto/driver cell phone ban?
I found an example of a coordinated/education effort on the Payette National Forest. In their ROD, the Forest describes how it will use a coordinated approach of education, outreach, signing, collaboration, functional maps, doing new trail projects etc. rather than immediately writing 5K tickets or sending people to prison. They will use exiting authority to cite for resource damage in the meantime.
See pages 29/30 for the ROD’s implementation narrative
http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/payette/publications/trvl_mgmt/rods/rod_MCL_KSL.pdf
Regardless of what approach (hard core enforcement v. education/phase-in) the agency adopts, there should be a narrative some place in the decision document or public notice (and clearly posted on the website) so that the public and user groups know where they stand and what to expect.
# # #
Thursday, October 8, 2009
OHV Acres Left in California
Every once in awhile, The General gets a question from a rider or reporter about the number of acres in California that still allow motorized recreation. Often that question stems from the wild claims of Wilderness advocates who state that “our Wilderness Bill is only for areas that don’t have legal OHV use in them and that OHVers have lots of other places to ride.”
Well that claim might have been true when the Wilderness Act of 1964 was signed into law, but since then we have had various new rounds of Wilderness designations including the Wilderness Act of 1984 (that’s when a lot of legal OHV routes were closed) and others including the California Desert Protection Act where millions of acres were closed to OHVs or lands were transferred to the National Park Service.
In 2002, OHMVR published a report called Taking the High Road – The Future of OHV in California. I don’t think there are any copies left or in circulation. However, I have posted page 13 of that report which shows the loss of OHV acres from 1980 to 2000. Remember too that California is approximately 100,000 million acres in size.
Link to Taking the High Road
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Taking_The_High_Road_page_13.0001.pdf
Well that claim might have been true when the Wilderness Act of 1964 was signed into law, but since then we have had various new rounds of Wilderness designations including the Wilderness Act of 1984 (that’s when a lot of legal OHV routes were closed) and others including the California Desert Protection Act where millions of acres were closed to OHVs or lands were transferred to the National Park Service.
In 2002, OHMVR published a report called Taking the High Road – The Future of OHV in California. I don’t think there are any copies left or in circulation. However, I have posted page 13 of that report which shows the loss of OHV acres from 1980 to 2000. Remember too that California is approximately 100,000 million acres in size.
Link to Taking the High Road
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Taking_The_High_Road_page_13.0001.pdf
Certainly the new rounds of Wilderness proposals, travel management plans, reclassification of lands, and other issues will impact OHV access to public lands. What that means is the fight will be harder to keep what we have left. That means staying engaged in the land-use and political process. Yes, I did say political since ALL land use decisions are political decisions. This is no time for the faint of heart or for those who are easily discouraged. Rather, this is the time for effective advocacy on all fronts.
Helmets off to all of you who support land use organizations, attend meetings, rally local clubs, and partake in the administrative and political process.
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Roads of My Father
The General had a rare and unique “step back in time” experience this weekend while riding the Lost Coast Dual Sport Ride in NW California. As some of my followers know, I was born and raised in Cutten, a small community on the outskirts of Eureka.
*Click on photo for larger view
After WW2, my dad worked in the logging industry from 1950-1961 and then was hired as a foreman for Burman Construction Company. As a kid (aka The Cuttenkid), I remember driving on many of Humboldt County’s roads with my dad. Back in those days, the timber industry was going strong and many small communities had vibrant populations, grocery stores, and gas stations. Today they are mostly ghost towns.
In the early 1970s, The General worked at a lumber mill in Blue Lake that was eventually put out of business by the establishment of Redwood National Park. The sorter crew that I worked on actually set a mill record of pulling/sorting 220,000 board feet of lumber in an eight hour shift.
Seeing this small “logging museum” along one of the back roads in the Fort Seward area brought back some fond memories of driving on those same roads with my dad or handing him up a sandwich when he was running the dozer.
Thanks North Bay Motorcycle Club for the great ride and for allowing me to once again experience the backcountry roads of Humboldt County.
NBMC
http://www.northbaymc.org/content.aspx?page_id=9&club_id=709509
After WW2, my dad worked in the logging industry from 1950-1961 and then was hired as a foreman for Burman Construction Company. As a kid (aka The Cuttenkid), I remember driving on many of Humboldt County’s roads with my dad. Back in those days, the timber industry was going strong and many small communities had vibrant populations, grocery stores, and gas stations. Today they are mostly ghost towns.
In the early 1970s, The General worked at a lumber mill in Blue Lake that was eventually put out of business by the establishment of Redwood National Park. The sorter crew that I worked on actually set a mill record of pulling/sorting 220,000 board feet of lumber in an eight hour shift.
Seeing this small “logging museum” along one of the back roads in the Fort Seward area brought back some fond memories of driving on those same roads with my dad or handing him up a sandwich when he was running the dozer.
Thanks North Bay Motorcycle Club for the great ride and for allowing me to once again experience the backcountry roads of Humboldt County.
NBMC
http://www.northbaymc.org/content.aspx?page_id=9&club_id=709509
PS - My dad passed away in 1998
Friday, October 2, 2009
HR 1925 UT Wilderness Bill is a Zombie
One thing that I really hate are zombies. There is almost nothing that you can do to kill them … and, just when you think they are dead – they come back to life.
The never ending effort by SUWA and out-of-state legislators to resurrect the infamous 9.4 million acres of "potential Wilderness" in new versions of the same old Wilderness bill (now called HR 1925) reminds me of a land-use version of a zombie.
In Sept, BRC issued an alert to have its members send letters to their legislators in prep for the Oct. 1 hearing:
http://www.sharetrails.org/alerts/?alert=1070
The never ending effort by SUWA and out-of-state legislators to resurrect the infamous 9.4 million acres of "potential Wilderness" in new versions of the same old Wilderness bill (now called HR 1925) reminds me of a land-use version of a zombie.
In Sept, BRC issued an alert to have its members send letters to their legislators in prep for the Oct. 1 hearing:
http://www.sharetrails.org/alerts/?alert=1070
It looks like a lot of riders sent those letters, based on what I heard about the testimony of the UT Congressional Delegation and other gov.t officials:
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=27&extmode=view&extid=292
Sen. Orrin Hatch Takes Issue with HR 1925
http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.View&PressRelease_id=10b99c3a-1b78-be3e-e003-8a6390fa20bd
On May 5, The General wrote a blog about new Wilderness bills and the need to include the “Pombo Doctrine” in any new Wilderness legislation – see blog for a discussion of that issue and a copy of the Pombo Doctrine.
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2009/05/time-to-revive-pombo-wilderness.html
I think I have found a cure for the “Wilderness Zombie.” How about giving the wilderness undead a large dose of the Pombo Doctrine?
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