OMRA Legal News 
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Greetings!!!!!
This weeks newsletter contains the following:
---DIRECTORY CHANGES
---WELCOME NEW NOHVCC PARTNERS
---SAMOA DUNES RECREATION AREA
--- SOUTH COW MOUNTAIN OHV AREA
---AHR NATIONAL SUMMIT
---LEGISLATOR/FARMER WANTS UNREGISTERED OPERATORS SUBJECT TO FINE
---DIRTBIKE ANTI-THEFT WEBSITE
========================================
DIRECTORY CHANGES:
Please make the following changes to your NOHVCC directory:
--NOHVCC Idaho Alternate State Representative and Board Member, Ernie
Lombard has a new email address at elombard@bitsmart.net
--NOHVCC Vermont State Representative and Board Member Todd Sheinfeld has a
new mailing address, and phone number,
Home: 802-453-4467 Work: 802-388-8850.
(Note: for mailing addresses, please call the Home Office)
=========================================
WELCOME NEW NOHVCC PARTNERS
-Please welcome the following new NOHVCC State Reps and add them to your
directory.
(Note: for mailing addresses, please call the Home Office)
Randy King
ND State Rep.
Home: 701-258-9544
rking@clickonasb.com
=================================================
SAMOA DUNES RECREATION AREA
(From: Jack Raudy 530-389-9154)
It may be only 300 acres in size, but for Carl Brandt of Eureka and
hundreds of other off-highway vehicle enthusiasts in California’s northern
coastal area, the Samoa Dunes Recreation Area is a crown jewel they never
want to lose.
“We have lost many popular riding areas up here over the last decade,” said
Brandt, president of the Lost Coast 4X4 Club, who has been recreating at the
Samoa Dunes for the past 50 years. “Naturally, we would all love to have
50
miles of coastline for motorized recreation, but that day is long gone, so
we must do everything possible to preserve this small recreational site in
our back yard.”
The Samoa Dunes Recreation Area, once a seasonal
food-gathering site
for the Wiyot Indians and later, during World War II, a Coast Guard
surveillance outpost, is now a multi-recreational park that attracts not
only OHV enthusiasts, but also hikers, surfers, beachcombers and fishing
enthusiasts from throughout the region.
Today, the Samoa Dunes park is managed by the Bureau of
Land Management
(BLM) and Bruce Cann, a member of the bureau’s Arcata Field Office, is
charged with ensuring that everything runs smoothly within the recreation
area.
“Every day is a balancing act and no two days are
alike,” Cann said.
“We make every attempt to provide the best recreation possible for all of
our visitors, while we are fully protecting and preserving our
environmentally sensitive habitat areas. We have found that the best way
to
achieve this balance is to ensure we have personal, one-on-one, contact with
our visitors.”
Cann explained that of the 300 total acres
within the park, only 140
acres are open for off-highway vehicle recreation and an additional 70 acres
within the Eureka Dunes Riding Area that extends about one mile north of the
park. The northeast 40 acres of the Samoa dunes park has been set aside
for
native plant research and is off limits to all recreation use. In
addition, another 120 acres has been declared wetlands and is also closed to
all vehicles.
“With the sales of sport ATVs tripling over the last
few years and the
tremendous increase in sales of SUVs, the BLM must work closely with the
entire OHV community to ensure that we all do our part to keep this park
open,” said Rocky Clark of Eureka, who along with his wife, Donna, and their
family, have been volunteering and recreating at Samoa Dunes Recreation Area
for many years.
With much needed dollars from the California Off
Highway Motor Vehicle
Trust Fund, Clark spearheaded an effort to construct a challenging
mini-Rubicon Trail for the veteran four-wheelers.
“We moved in as many big boulders as we could,”
Clark said, “so today,
anyone can bring in their rig and see how well it performs on the Samoa
Dunes Rubicon Trail.”
Sam Allen of Redding, made the long drive to join his
longtime riding
buddy, Chad Trump of Eureka. Both Allen and Trump are skilled ATV riders
and appreciate the opportunity to “catch some air” in the fore dunes.
“I have been coming out here and riding since
1978,” said Trump. “It
is totally awesome. This is what it is all about. We are lucky this
morning with virtually no other riders and we can pick and choose where we
want to ride.”
Bill Erickson, also of Redding, a relative newcomer to
riding a sport
ATV, said, “this is my first year and I can tell you we are having a great
time. We now come over here from Redding at least once a month and my
entire family now has an ATV and we thoroughly enjoy the sport.”
“I think much of the success at the Samoa Dunes can be attributed to
education,” said Cann, the BLM field office’s recreation planner.
“We have
been very successful in keeping vehicles out of the sensitive plant and
wildlife areas and minimizing any user conflicts to the bare minimum.”
The 40-acre endangered plant protection area and three
enclosures at
Eureka Dunes provide habitat for two endangered plant species, the Humboldt
Bay wallflower and beach layia. Cann said the second largest population of
wallflowers in the world is found in this 40-acre area.
The Samoa Dunes park attracted approximately 175,000
visitors last year
and there were fewer than ten registered complaints. Beachcombers make up
about 50 percent of all visitors, while off-highway vehicle enthusiasts
comprise approximately 20 percent of the total.
“For the OHV enthusiasts, we have developed a staging
area that
includes an unloading ramp, new restrooms, picnic tables, and cooking
grills,” Cann said. “From the staging area, riders have easy access to
all
of the open terrain containing many trails and the beach strand.”
“I lived in this area for 28 years and Samoa Dunes
became my home away
from home,” said Steve Towns, who has since moved to Vancouver, Washington.
“I remember coming down here as a kid and riding my ATV from daylight until
dark.”
Jim Boyett, a member of the Lost Coast 4X4 Club, has
been going to the
Samoa Dunes for many years and now his grandchildren join him. “My
grandkids love to ride around on the dunes and play in the sand,” said
Boyett. “Our club has helped in setting up two rock areas for four-wheel
drive vehicles and we regularly volunteer for weed pulling projects and
beach patrol.”
For more information on the Samoa Dunes Recreation
Area, contact Bruce
Cann at (707) 825-2322 or e-mail bcann@ca.blm.gov.
========================================================
SOUTH COW MOUNTAIN OHV AREA
(From: Jack Raudy 530-389-9154)
UKIAH, CA (Jan. 17, 2003) -- From the majestic Golden
Gate Bridge to
the giant Redwoods on northern California’s coast, off-highway vehicle
enthusiasts are all echoing the same message: “South Cow Mountain OHV
Recreation Area is the place to go.”
Located in the Mayacmas Mountains between Ukiah and
Lakeport, about two
hours north of San Francisco, South Cow Mountain offers 23,000 acres and 200
miles of vehicle roads and trails for not only off-highway vehicle
opportunities, but also horseback riding, camping, mountain biking, hiking,
hunting or perhaps just a quiet day for a family picnic. The recreation
area attracts approximately 50,000 visitors each year.
The adjacent North Cow Mountain Recreation Area, with
27,000 acres, is
off limits to off highway vehicles and offers many opportunities for
non-motorized recreational activities.
South Cow Mountain was not always well managed.
In the late 1970’s and
early 1980s, this area was an unmanaged publicly accessible wild land where
many people made their own rules.
“This area projected every conceivable negative
stereotype,” said Mark
Conley, who heads up the state’s BLM OHV division. “The existing fire
breaks and old mining roads were used for all kinds of recreation access and
where trails ended, people would simply cut their own trails to their
favorite locations. No one was managing the eco-systems and law
enforcement was virtually non-existent.”
Then, in 1982 a partnership was crafted between the
Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), California State Parks’ Off Highway Motor Vehicle
Recreation Division, local motorcycle groups, four-wheel drive clubs, as
well as hunters, land owners, law enforcement agencies and public officials.
With all partners at the table, the group
developed the Cow Mountain
OHV Plan of 1982. The plan directed the partnership’s efforts in
managing
and developing the area for increased opportunities and safeguarding the
environments.
“It has taken 20 years to bring the plan to
fruition,” said Jonna
Hildenbrand, Outdoor Recreation Planner for the BLM’s Ukiah Field Office,
“and we’re not done yet. In addition to the trail system, we have
constructed erosion and wildlife ponds throughout the park. We have built
two staging areas, two developed campgrounds and purchased additional land
within the park’s boundaries for additional recreation opportunities.”
Steve Sampson of Sebastopol, president of the Wine
Country Rock
Crawlers four-wheel drive club, has been recreating at South Cow Mountain
since 1971. “Our members and their families really enjoy this facility
because it offers so many different opportunities,” said Sampson.
“With
elevations ranging from about 800 feet to 4,000 feet, the park offers easy,
mild and some difficult trails for our vehicles. The bureau has added many
long loop trails over the past three years and we can now drive through some
of the canyons that take you a long way from civilization.”
Hildenbrand explained that partnerships have been the
real key to
success at South Cow Mountain. “In the Eightmile Valley, for example, we
have volunteers from Mendocino Jr. College, Sonoma State University, and
Westlake Resource Conservation District and the Scotts Creek CRMP group all
helping with a two-mile stream restoration project,” said Hildenbrand.
“Additionally, we have members the Guideville Rancheria and Pinoleville
Rancheria assisting us with the reintroduction of native plants in that same
area.”
Money is being requested to establish a native plant
nursery at
Mendocino Jr. College. Native plants earmarked for the park will be grown
and nurtured at Mendocino Jr. College and the California Native Plant
Society provides assistance with plant inventories and rehabilitation work.
At the same time, local Native Americans will be using some of the plant
materials to make baskets.
Through the many partnerships and the bureau’s management plan, South
Cow
Mountain provides an extensive network of four-wheel drive, motorcycle and
all terrain vehicle trails, ranging from the most difficult to easy trails
for the neophyte drivers and riders.
John Berlow of Santa Rosa, an avid dirt bike rider, has
been coming to
South Cow Mountain for approximately five years. “This area is awesome
for
motorcycle riders,” said Berlow. “It offers high speed fire roads,
loop
trails and you can let your bike breath.”
Nate Goldstein, also of Santa Rosa, and his high school
buddies, drive
up to South Cow Mountain nearly every weekend. “We have been up here
five
out of the last six weekends,” said Goldstein. “I keep adding new
equipment
to my Jeep Cherokee and I can now make it up most of the difficult trails in
the park.”
Hildenbrand explained that that the bureau would like
to add an
additional 1,580 acres to the existing South Cow Mountain site. “We have
requested federal funding for 2004, that would enable us to purchase the
Garvens Ranch, which would provide additional recreation closer to Highway
175 and Lakeport,” said Hildenbrand.
“This acquisition would provide us with not only
improved access from
Lake County, but it would also provide recreational vehicle access, provide
a group camp site and greatly reduce the current impacts to residents along
other access routes into the park,” she said.
Directions to South Cow Mountain Recreation Area:
From Ukiah, take Hwy
101 south to the Talmage exit. Go east on Talmage Rd. about 1.5 miles.
Turn right at East Side Road. Travel less than .5 miles to Mill Creek
Road,
which is on the left. Continue on Mill Creek Rd. three miles to the
turnoff
for the North Cow Mountain Area, and 5 miles for the entrance to South Cow
Mountain.
For more information, contact the BLM’s Ukiah Field
Office at
707/468-4000 or e-mail jhildenb@ca.blm.gov.
===================================================
AHR National Summit
Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, N.W.,
Washington, DC
February 26-27, 2003
(From: Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation)
AHR Summit Information:
1. Time is running out to secure a room at The Washington Plaza for
AHR's National Summit. Please call the hotel at 1-800-424-1140 and tell
them that you are a part of the group number 2965 (the AHR Summit). Remember
that the room rate is $99/night. Please make your reservations today!
2. Attached is a document that will guide you through the process of
setting up a meeting with your member of Congress and what to say during
the meeting. The Congressional Education Day is Thursday, February 27th.
Try to make your appointment after 9:30am, so you can enjoy the
Congressional Breakfast Awards Ceremony that morning, But, if a member of
Congress or staff want to meet before that time, it is best to defer to
their schedule.
P.S. -- FY 2004 Budget Update: The President released his FY 2004 Budget on
Monday. In it, the Administration takes credit for fully funding the Land
and Water Conservation Fund. Let's do the math: Federal LWCF received $188
million and stateside LWCF received $160 million. That totals $348 million.
It doesn't seem to add up to the $900 million authorized level. Hmm...we
must have been home in bed with the flu when the teacher taught us how 188 +
160 = 900. Any math wizards out there who can help us out, please do.
Until
then, we will do more analysis of the budget and get back to you later in
the week. By the way, UPARR was zeroed out again.
Another good reason to come to Washington!
===============================================
LEGISLATOR/FARMER WANTS UNREGISTERED OPERATORS SUBJECT TO FINE
(By Tim O'Brien, Staff writer)
With the arrival of winter comes a growing number of snowmobilers and ATV
riders adventuring across fields.
While most snowmobilers and many ATV operators respect private property,
others cause trouble for farmers and other property owners who suffer damage
from inconsiderate operators.
Property owners say the problem is especially bad with all-terrain vehicles,
but ATV enthusiasts say that stems from the lack of a public system of
trails for ATVs, similar to the network of snowmobile trails.
Rensselaer County Legislator Ed Swartz is seeking tougher rules for ATV
operators. He wants to implement a county fine for improper use of an ATV
and for operating an unregistered ATV. Regulating ATV operators could have
the same impact that rules imposed on snowmobilers has had: make them more
responsible, he said.
"The snowmobilers I know haven't had so much of a problem since the 1970s
when the clubs were set up," he said. "On the other hand,
four-wheelers tend
to tear up the ground a little more." Swartz said people ride across
his
dairy farm daily. He allows them on some parts, but posts signs prohibiting
the vehicles in areas where his farm would be damaged.
Still, he said, some riders ignore the signs and run roughshod over his
land. When they do, Swartz said, he doesn't hesitate to prosecute.
"When I do have a confrontation, I try to have it followed through to the
point where the machine is confiscated," he said. "I'm trying to do a
high
fine, so it doesn't affect those people who are registered and use their
machines properly. It affects the renegades and troublemakers."
George Mesick, owner of Gem Farms in Castleton, said some snowmobilers use
his property, but the ATV riders are more frequent and do more damage.
"We'd probably give some people permission if they'd ask correctly but
nobody ever asks for permission," he said. Mesick -- who raises cows and
buffalo -- said the riders have killed portions of his hay field, leaving a
path off Van Hoesen Road.
He loses hundreds of dollars of hay annually as a result. "We had one group
two years ago went through one 12-acre hay field and really ruined it," he
said.
Since snowmobiles must be registered and have visible license numbers, he
said, they are less commonly ridden onto private property. "The ATVs are
much more destructive than the snowmobiles," he said. "In fact, we
have
given permission for a snowmobile club, and they are very respectful."
Alex Ernst, spokesman for the New York State Off-Highway Recreational
Vehicle Association, said $20 out of the $25 registration fee snowmobilers
pay goes into maintaining routes and providing insurance for their trails.
ATV riders are required to pay a $10 registration fee -- but all of the
money goes into the state's general fund.
"The snowmobile travel system is 90 percent on private property, but it is
permitted and they do have insurance. Those trails are put on a map. They
help people know where they can go and ride legally," Ernst said.
Robert Bryant, Saratoga county director for the New York State Snowmobile
Association, said snowmobilers were once considered troublemakers.
"The snowmobilers tended to be renegades years ago," he said.
"Then we got
organized."
Today, clubs like the Charlton Snowmobile Association, of which Bryant is
president, teach members to respect others' land. "We make sure they all
get
a map when they join our club, so they know where the trails are," he said,
and new members are taken out for an initial ride. "We try to make sure
everyone knows where the trail is." Members now know that if they fail to
respect property, they put at risk the almost 9,000 miles of snowmobile
trails in New York state. "People
know if they don't behave, the trail gets closed," he said. It happened for
a while last year on 150 miles of trails in Charlton.
The state has 150,000 registered snowmobilers and an equal number of
registered ATVs. But based on sales data, Ernst said, another 150,000 ATVs
are not registered [misquoted, correction: 100k registered, 200k not- Alex].
In Rensselaer County, there are 1,359 registered ATVs and 2,106 registered
snowmobiles, said Joe Picchi, spokesman for the state
Department of Motor Vehicles.But Ernst said paying the registration fee
provides no benefit to ATV riders.
"By registering your ATV, you get no access to any trail system," he
said.
"When people have a place they know they are allowed to ride, they are
going
to take that route, the path of least resistance. This could be one of the
solutions, developing a trail system that people know where it is."
==================================================
DIRTBIKE ANTI-THEFT WEBSITE
(From: James Horsnell)
Dear Dirtbiker,
We have recently started a website which we hope will be at the forefront
of fighting the increase in dirtbike theft.
Our website is trying to gather worldwide a database of bike models, engine
and frame numbers and list them with the owners name and basic details.
In future we would hope that when people plan to purchase a second hand
dirtbike that they run a check on our site to see if the bike is stolen or
not and that the person selling the bike is the rightful owner. At this
stage we are limited with the service we can provide by the amount of bikes
currently registered on the site. In a perfect world we would have every
dirtbike in the world registered on the site and people purchasing a second
hand bike wouldn’t hand over their money until the bike is checked with our
site and given the all clear. By sending you this e-mail we hope that you
check out the site and inform as many fellow dirtbikers of its existence and
to encourage you and others to join the site.
If we have the backing of the dirtbike community we will surely make an
impact on bikes being stolen, remember yours or anyone’s bike can be stolen
at anytime. If this website succeeds in its aim its going to make life very
hard for dirtbike thieves to sell a stolen bike second hand and may shut
them down altogether.
Registering a bike is free so join today together we can make a difference.
Regards,
James Horsnell
Operations and web design
www.dirtbikedatabase.com
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If you have news you would like to share with the NOHVCC network of OHV
enthusiast's, Please send it to us at lnoltner@nohvcc.org, and I will try
and include it in the next newsletter.
Have a great weekend and Happy Trails!!!!!!!