California Natural Resources
This month has finally seen the release of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force proposed Joint Strategy for Sustainable Outdoor Recreation. To review the document, click here:https://www.calrecvision.org/_files/ugd/51d842_70b5c495fa064d1185cd72f9fad1167d.pdf
As I previously reported to the BOD, I was finally granted an opportunity to talk with the drafters of the document before its release to the public and share my concerns. The draft was primarily composed by the Forest Service along with John Wentworth from Mammoth Lake Trails and Public Access Partnership:https://www.mltpa.org/. After extensively reviewing the document I have concerns about terminology along with many comments about each of the proposed actions. I have attached my comments to this email which are still a work-in-progress. The comments are still evolving and I will work with the VP of Land Use and Public Policy to submit comments for CORVA. I attended the public meeting on August 18th, and was very pleased to also see Michael Leuders, CORVA member, participating and providing excellent comments.
John Wentworth holds monthly meetings for the Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Partnership that I have now been invited to, and participate in, as well. The meetings are reminiscent of the quarterly meetings Ed Waldheim would hold in various areas around the state. John's meetings involves all government agencies including BLM and Forest Service, and Parks departments from Inyo and Mono counties.
I participated in the meeting on August 18th to review the document, there is still more meetings on August 22nd and 24th should anyone want to participate. This is the link to register for the meetings:https://info.mltpa.org/rescheduled-feedback-on-the-draft-joint-strategy-for-sustainable-outdoor-recreation-in-california-1?ecid=
One of the key problems with the document is the lack of a glossary with terms such a 'sustainable' are defined. For those that have been involved with land use planning, we all know how verbiage can be used as weapons. The term 'sustainable' has been one of the terms previously used to condemn motorized recreation. We cannot allow terms like this to be weaponized against motorized access and opportunities. And the document is replete with such words or terms including 'climate smart practices', that seem to be more political rather than practical proposals. There are some good proposals as well in the document, such as calling for roads and areas to be reopened more quickly after fire, which would be a welcome change. Also, another proposal endorses working more closely with rural communities and fire-safe practices and working on community support for recreation. For those that have been on the board for some time, you may recall the lawsuit CORVA filed with Butte and Plumas Counties, and Sierra Access Coalition, where I served as lead plaintiff. One of the key issues in the lawsuit concerned working more closely with rural communities on recreation issues and access. The proposals in this document do validate key issues in our lawsuit.
I will be attending the 2-day meeting in Grass Valley September 26 & 27th when the recreation proposal will be reviewed by the entire task force and potentially be adopted.
There have been no updates to the California 30x30 plan, but there also have not been updates to the percentage of land already considered conserved under the 30x30 criteria. If anyone has an area that they believe should be included in 30x30 as already conserved land, it can be submitted for review here:https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/8397283d95a34a4fad138b752ca0f7ba
State Parks
The upcoming month will be very busy for State Parks, but the past month has been very interesting as well. The state is still working on supporting the chapters of the former "NYPUM" program that are still active in California and include El Centro based at Heber Dunes and Ocotillo Wells SVRAs, and LAPD based at Hungry Valley SVRA. Both of these programs have adopted a new name "OHV4ME" which stands for OHV for Mentoring and Education. The goal of these programs remains teaching and mentoring children from underserved areas of the communities using dirt bikes. I participated in a meeting on August
The OHV Safety Summit will be held on Tuesday, August 23rd in Sacramento and virtually on Microsoft Teams. A number of members of the CORVA BOD are participating. It is very exciting to be at the forefront of determining future actions for UTV recreation. One of the criteria that must be considered is additional areas and trails available solely to UTV recreation. Lack of planning by all agencies have contributed to the lack of trails specific to the needs of UTV enthusiasts. SB 155 (2021) was passed specifically with this concern in mind, it is up to us to insist that more opportunities be available for UTV travel. Another fatal accident involving a UTV was reported at Hungry Valley yesterday (Saturday) and while the details have not yet been released to the public, it is believed to be a sole vehicle accident, possibly a rollover.
There will be an upcoming OHMVR Commission meeting on September 16th, with the tour the previous day, September 15th. This will again be a hybrid meeting. I have heard the meeting may be held in North Lake Tahoe, at Kings Beach at the facility right on the lake that had previously held a commission meeting pre-pandemic.
After the Safety Summit on August 23rd, I was invited to join an ad hoc meeting of the OHMVR Commission meeting on August 24th dedicated to exploring ongoing issues at Oceano Dunes SVRA. I asked that Mike McGarity and Bruce Whitcher also be included in that meeting.
Legislation
Both bills that our legislative coalition, the Off Road Vehicle Legislative Coalition, has supported this session have a high likelihood of passing.SB 894passed through the Appropriations Committee and was directed to a 3rd reading on the floor of the Senate. The Senate analysis for the 3rd reading contains the following paragraph:In any case, the bill directs DMV's reasonable costs to implement this bill to be reimbursed from the OHVTF, upon appropriation by the Legislature. This means DMV's costs to modifyits vehicle registration programming – whatever those costs turn out to be – will eventually be covered from funds dedicated to the benefit of OHVs. According to budget documents on the Department of Finance website, the OHVTF has a rapidly diminishing balance, starting atover $61 million in fiscal year 2020-21 and projected to drop to just under $15 million infiscal year 2022-23. Parks, which administers the OHVTF, indicates those numbers are outdated. While Parks could not provide more up-to-date numbers at the time this analysis.
The issue with the health of the OHV Trust Fund has to be brought up in a substantive manner at the next OHMVR Commission meeting. The last analysis the public had been given about the health of the fund was in 2020, and it is time for another review. The public deserves to know the state of the OHV Trust Fund.
AB 2152has been enrolled and presented for the Governor's signature on August 16th. The Governor has 12 days to either sign the bill or allow it to become law without signing, or veto the bill. The bill passed without issue, there is no indication the Governor will veto the bill. This is the bill that allows for a pilot trails program to begin in and around Needles, California allowing for mixed OHV road use following CHP guidelines.
Forest Service
As I've previously reported to the BOD, I have been working with a new group based around the Riverside County/Temescal Valley area called the Cleveland Caretakers. One of the primary goals of this group is to reopen Indian Truck Trail, the only OHV road access from Riverside County into the northeast portion of the Cleveland National Forest. The forest is refusing to consider reopening the trail after a fire roughly 4 years ago. Perhaps the recommendations in the Task Force document can help!
The Forest Service is convening a group to be involved with the Subpart C over-snow analysis meetings for the Inyo National Forest. Both Kevin Bazar and I have been contacted to participate, but more importantly, Kevin has recommended many local snowmobile enthusiasts who can participate.
The objection period has started for the SIerra National Forest Motorized Recreation Project. Both Mike McGarity and Ed Stovin wrote excellent comments, and are eligible to participate in the objection process.
The Lassen National Forest has released a Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact to update the Motor Vehicle Use Map and add roads to the system:https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=55457&exp=overview
BLM
The BLM has announced the upcoming Desert Advisory Council Meeting on Saturday, August 27th:https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2022-08/August_2022_DAC_AGENDA_508.pdf
At 9:45am, there will be a presentation on the Mojave Trails National Monument Planning efforts A number of BOD had expressed interest in this planning effort. There will also be an update on participation in the individual subgroups for the DAC:https://www.blm.gov/site-page/get-involved-resource-advisory-council-california-california-desert-district-rac-members. There is also the nomination link on this page for all those interested in serving on a subcommittee, with Dumont Dunes, Imperial Sand Dunes or Mojave Trails National Monument.
I was interviewed by the Desert Sun newspaper about the appointment of Shelley Lynch as the new Desrt District Manager where I was able to note the increases in popularity in off-road recreation since the pandemic and the need for more opportunities for OHV recreation:https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2022/08/08/blms-new-california-desert-director-shelly-lynch-ready-face-heat/10166420002/
National Park Service
Death Valley National Park has reopened after flash flooding washed out many of the roads through the park. Although most off-roaders do not travel through Death Valley during the heat of the summer, it is a popular destination other times of the year for street legal off-road travel. Many of the roads may be washed out throughout the winter months, and backcountry travel is not advised:https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
Upcoming events:
August 23rd: OHV Safety Summit
August 24th: Ad Hoc Committee Meeting for Oceano Dunes.
August 31st: Sierra Nevada SustainableRecreation Partnership
September 12th: Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Partnership meeting
September 13/14: California State Parks Rangers Association meeting, Truckee
September 15/16: OHMVR Commission Meeting
September 26/27: California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, Grass Valley
October 12-14: Nevada Offroad Summit, MInden Nevada. I have been asked to do a presentation! All are welcome.
Amy Granat Managing Director California Off-Road Vehicle Association
During the July, CORVA ZOOM meeting, President Mike McGarity appointed 3 committees. One of which is the bylaws committee. The task of the committee is to give our bylaws a much needed review and submit suggested changes to to them. The committee is asking our members for suggested changes to the current bylaws. If there is a section of the bylaws that you think that the committee should consider changes, additions, or removal, please let us know by Sept. 10, 2022. bylaws@CORVA.org
Thank You
CORVA Bylaws Committee
CORVA represented all off-road enthusiasts in California on the stakeholder committee during the years of negotiations. The Managing Director of CORVA, Amy Granat, has continued monitoring and particpating with the ongoing amendments in the ensuing years.
The DRECP overlaps with WEMO and covers almost 11 million acres of land with a lot of off-road opportunities. "Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan | Bureau of Land Management" https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-in-development/california/desert-renewable-energy-conservation-plan
Archeology affects access to off-road opportunities more than we generally recognize. There have been calls to create incentives for heavy users of land within the DRECP area to be subject to mitigation and additional fees for preservation measures. Most of this is geared towards development, especially solar development, but off-road recreation is considered a use with significant impacts to the land, and we have to be aware and comment when necessary as representatives of the greater off-road community in California.
A Bipartisan group of congressional representatives are working with the House Natural Resources Committee to save the iconic Giant Sequoias in California.
https://republicans-naturalresources.house.gov/newsroom/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=411361
Off-roaders take the condition of roads and trails in public land so seriously, that we have the highest percentage of volunteerism with the Forest Service as a recreation group!
The following link: https://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/1c4565c092da44478befc12722cf0486 tgoes to a link with a map to check on fire conditions for all public land in California, both Forest Service and BLM.
The Managing Director of CORVA, Amy Granat, reminds all off-roaders to "know before you go"! This is a theme of this year's OHV Safety Week sponsored by the OHMVR Division of State Parks in SVRA's throughout California on October 15 through October 23rd. Free classes will be offered for UTV, ATV and Dirt Bike Training. Call your favorite SVRA force more information, or check their website.
It is fire season in California, and more than most visitors, off-roaders are more intimately aware of on-the-ground conditions on public land. Many of us volunteer with the Forest Service throughout the state to maintain our trails, and understand the danger fire causes to our recreation opportunities. The Forest Service is on a mission to protect the icnoic Giant Sequoias, but the Managing Director of CORVA, Amy Granat, wants to remind the agency that OHV roads and trails also deserve protection. She states, "recreation enthusiasts who visit public land place a very high value on their opportunities, and urge the agency to protect high value off-road trails in the forests throughout California.
https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/07/22/forest-service-taking-emergency-action-protect-giant-sequoias
Persons with a valid California Campfire Permit are not exempt from the prohibitions listed in this order. However, persons with a valid California Campfire Permit may use portable stoves or lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel and may also build, maintain, attend or use a fire, campfire, or stove fire.
AB 1512 (Bauer-Kahan) Off-highway vehicular recreation: Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area: Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area
AB 1512 is in the Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File to be heard on Thursday, August 26th, Upon Adjournment of Session
The Off Road Vehicle Legislative Coalition is comprised of several statewide or regional organizations of OHV enthusiasts. Our coalition has reviewed AB 1512 and strongly opposes this bill. AB 1512 would deny opportunities for local Bay Area residents, including the elderly and disabled and motorized recreation enthusiasts.
Senate Appropriations Committee List:
Member
District
Party
Room
Phone
Portantino, Anthony (Chair)
25
D
5050
916 651 4025
Bates, Patricia (Vice-Chair)
36
R
3063
916 651 4036
Bradford, Steven
35
2059
916 651 4035
Jones, Brian
38
4088
916 651 4038
Kamlager, Sydney
30
4062
916 651 4030
Laird, John
17
4040
916 651 4017
Wieckowski, Bob
10
4085
916 651 4010
Senate Appropriations Committee Social Media
Legislator
Dist
Facebook
Twitter
https://www.facebook.com/portantino/
https://twitter.com/Portantino
https://www.facebook.com/patbatesca/
https://twitter.com/senatorpatbates
https://www.facebook.com/BradfordforSenate
https://twitter.com/SteveBradford
https://www.facebook.com/senbrianjones/
https://twitter.com/senbrianjones
https://m.facebook.com/SenSydneyKamlager/
https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager
https://www.facebook.com/SenatorJohnLaird/
https://twitter.com/SenJohnLaird
https://www.facebook.com/bobwieckowski
https://twitter.com/BobWieckowskiCA
Don’t know who your senator is? http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
If your Senator is not on the committee list above, please contact Senator Toni Atkins, Senate President Pro Tempore, and Governor Newsom; tell them of your OPPOSITION to AB 1512.
Contact Senator Atkins and the Governor NOW to oppose AB 1512.
Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) – President Pro Tempore
Capitol Telephone: (916) 651-4039; E-Mail: senator.atkins@senate.ca.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDToni/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SenToniAtkins
Governor Gavin Newsom
Telephone: (916) 445-2841; E-mail: https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GavinNewsom/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom\
I Just sent this to my State Senator, Dave Cortese:
SB799 and AB1512 seem to be a hot item right now.
Dave has supported OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) recreation. Specifically he helped with Santa Clara Motorcycle County Park (ie, MCP or Metcalf)
These bills are another in a long and expensive list of attempts of wealthy landowners to close or compromise an important State Park; Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area.
Previous bills were to sell off a piece of property, the ‘expansion area’ that was acquired decades ago to meet the needs of the local OHV community.
As the area has grown, the needs of our communities have changed. Years of study and public outreach has lead to the plan for the expansion area to be largely open space and an interactive experience accessed by OHV.
There is no opportunity at the current park for the largest growing segment of OHV’s, the family oriented UTV or ‘Side x Sides” The expansion are will also allow for remote camping access for the disabled, something that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the bay area.
Despite the fact that as a state park, Carnegie SVRA must meet the highest standards for environmental management, the supporters of the bill have misrepresented this as an area destroyed by OHV and had called for elimination of any OHV activity.
The approved General Plan, when implemented, will continue to conserve this area to this same standard of the existing 1500 acre park.
Additionally, this latest version leaves the cost of administration the expansion area undefined. Dare I call it an “unfunded mandate”? The legislation seems irresponsible, fiscally and environmentally.
More so, this a veiled give away to Garamendi/ Connolly disguised as a conservation area. Remember, the land is already funded as a state park. In reality the bill would just help their elk hunting business, their grazing opportunities, and their egos.
Please stop these elitist rich folks from trampling on the access of the general public.
Bud, the owner, is on on the "CA Mission 12 moto safety committee" as is Tim, one of our critical admins, and a moto instructor. Some of their activities are here https://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=145
Bud was largely behind AB-51, the lane splitting bill. They have a big concern, as should we all, about folks driving cars with "autopilot".
Anhow, I try to keep hot button issues in front of our membership. Some real questions are about Carnegie, Pismo, and the Green/ Red Sticker program.
I try to stay current and will post what I can here somewhere here https://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=63
or in "Riders Rights"...
The main BARF site addy is https://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/index.php
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