TRT news

[dunefreak]

I was hoping someone from the TRT or FoDD would post up on DDR to let us know a lil something about the TRT meeting yesterday, but I haven't heard anything until I saw John's (Sandemon's) post on DSD.

Here is what he said...

The TRT met yesterday and here is a brief rundown of what happened.

1) Rules;

The TRT heard from the BLMs chief Ranger that there is a problem with people setting up camps in the area on the way to and at competition hill. We were told that the BLM will be looking at a supplemental rule to prohibit this. We also revisited the use of metal and wood stakes to mark off areas and asked the BLM to include this in any new rules.

2) Use and Statistics;

The Halloween crowd was estimated at 15,000 with 2 fatalities, the CHP is the lead investigators and the BLM does not typically get any info back from them.

The Thanksgiving crowd was estimated at 20,000 with 6 DUI arrests with one of those being a felony, no fatalities at the dunes, 2 fly-outs and 27 medical responses with half of those being transported by ground.

3) FoDD Tri-fold;

I passed out a copy of the trifold to everyone there and the response was very positive and the group felt that it was a great job.

Updates;

Creek Crossing - On hold till summer

HR549 - Stalled in committee unlikely to make the calender this session look for it next year.

User Fee Increase - put off till next meeting when OHMVR funding will be final.

OHMVR Funding - We went over the proposed grant funding, the only place Barstow took a hit was Law Enforcement.

El Mirage Water Trucks - FoEl Mirage gave 2 water trucks to the Barstow office with the stipulation that they are to be kept busy. They were in use over last weekend at Dumont Dunes and did a great job of controlling the dust on the road in and Vendor Row.

FoDD Cleanup - The Cleanup is scheduled for March 17th.

FoDD MOU - I have not seen one so I cannot comment on this.

Budget for Dumont Dunes - Put off till next meeting.

4) Member Items;

Roxie brought up an e-mail that she had received from a person in Inyo County talking about the problem of people dumping or loosing bags of trash along 127 from Dumont Road to Tacopa and beyond. She said that this is not the first time she has had to deal with this problem, and she is under increasing pressure to provide trash dumpsters at Dumont. The majority of the people in attendance said that they were against it.

The next meeting is scheduled for March 6th 10:00 am at the Barstow BLM office.

[ynot]

Pete, I was going to post a item on this today but just didn't get to it. I will elaborate tomorrow on this.

[Richard Cheese]

Thanks for posting that, Pete

The TRT met yesterday and here is a brief rundown of what happened.

1) Rules;

The TRT heard from the BLMs chief Ranger that there is a problem with people setting up camps in the area on the way to and at competition hill. We were told that the BLM will be looking at a supplemental rule to prohibit this. We also revisited the use of metal and wood stakes to mark off areas and asked the BLM to include this in any new rules.

does this also include the finger dunes??? No staking off at all???

2) Use and Statistics;

The Halloween crowd was estimated at 15,000 with 2 fatalities, the CHP is the lead investigators and the BLM does not typically get any info back from them.

The Thanksgiving crowd was estimated at 20,000 with 6 DUI arrests with one of those being a felony, no fatalities at the dunes, 2 fly-outs and 27 medical responses with half of those being transported by ground.

20,000 and no fatalities??? good job people

3) FoDD Tri-fold;

I passed out a copy of the trifold to everyone there and the response was very positive and the group felt that it was a great job.

Updates;

Creek Crossing - On hold till summer yeah, cause it's better to build a bigger crossing in 118 degree heat

HR549 - Stalled in committee unlikely to make the calender this session look for it next year. what is this bill???

User Fee Increase - put off till next meeting when OHMVR funding will be final. what is the proposed increase???

OHMVR Funding - We went over the proposed grant funding, the only place Barstow took a hit was Law Enforcement.

El Mirage Water Trucks - FoEl Mirage gave 2 water trucks to the Barstow office with the stipulation that they are to be kept busy. They were in use over last weekend at Dumont Dunes and did a great job of controlling the dust on the road in and Vendor Row.

FoDD Cleanup - The Cleanup is scheduled for March 17th.

FoDD MOU - I have not seen one so I cannot comment on this.what is MOU???

Budget for Dumont Dunes - Put off till next meeting.

4) Member Items;

Roxie brought up an e-mail that she had received from a person in Inyo County talking about the problem of people dumping or loosing bags of trash along 127 from Dumont Road to Tacopa and beyond. She said that this is not the first time she has had to deal with this problem, and she is under increasing pressure to provide trash dumpsters at Dumont. The majority of the people in attendance said that they were against it.

why are people against having trash dumpsters @ dumont??? They have them at pismo, and it is no big deal to dump your trash on the way out of the recreation area

The next meeting is scheduled for March 6th 10:00 am at the Barstow BLM office.

[EY3BA11]

RichardCheese.. If you saw the amount of trash that is actually deposited in these bins you would sh*t yourself. Over t-day at glamis they had i would have to say a good 20/30 regular sized dumpsters and 4 of those huge a$$ truck trailer sized ones and a dump truck on duty allll weekend... The costs involved to get dumpsters out there is the big setback. Not to mention where you gonna dump them, how far away is the dump, how many people are going to realize ohh geeze this dumpster is full i better just take it home with me or naaa maybe ill toss it on the ground next to the dumpster and wait for someone else to clean it up.

Just a few reasons as to whyi can see they are opposed to it.

[ynot]

The TRT meeting was held on Tuesday 11-28-2006. although I was unable to attend the meeting in person I was able to listen in via telephone but missed the first hour due to a doctors appointment.

1) The FoDD handout was given rave reviews but we were unable to determine how many of them are being handed out. We requested that every vehicle coming in be given one but it would appear that may not be happening. Can any DDr members comment as to wether they received the tri-fold from FoDD when they came through the checkpoint entry?

2) Law enforcement does not want people to camp beyond the entrance to comp thru the pass.As many of you can guess they are unable to keep an eye on what's going on over there and the only reason anybody can figure they want to camp over there is to do things that most of us do not approve of or appreciate if they were camped next to us. I was not in on the discussion but it would appear that they will move towards keeping the camping out of that area.

3) As for stakes and other metal objects for keeping people out of certain areas. There already is a current law that disallows the use of anything that would be considered permanent for any use at Dumont. The large problem here is enforcement and having enough bodies to do the enforcement of it.

4)We as a group(TRT)(FoDD) are against dumpsters at the Dumont Dune area. It has been hashed and re-hashed in here and other forums enough to know it would not be a good thing at Dumont.

The Inyo county board of supervisors have sent a e mail to Roxie Trost (BLM) requesting that they(BLM) do something about the amount of trash left on the side of the road(HWY 127) thru Tecopa and Shoshone. I drive that route(s) enough to know that an occasional bag of trash does fly out of a vehicle and is not picked up. I do not believe that you can only blame duner's for this as it happens everywhere. So in order to educate the duners there will be a handout and education process started to let people know that this could become a serious problem if Inyo County wants to push it.

5) The issue of dumping black tanks along the highway should not even have to be addressed but unfortunatly it apparently is happening and therefore must be addressed.If it continues they(Inyo county) want to put a honey wagon truck at the entrance of Dumont for the duners to use. and trash dumpsters to. Oh and they of course want to include the charge for these facilities to you the user in your annual fee. So if you haul everything home you get to pay for the buttheads who don't. This has not happened but has been talked about. If you see someone dumping tanks or trash write down their license plate and report it to the proper authority. Imagine you have to change a tire the next time out right where Joe Butthead decided to drop his stickfish? Not a pretty sight!

6)The fee increase is being talked about but no $ amount has been decided. The TRT is demanding proof from BLM that the increase is needed before any decision is needed.

7)HR549 is a law stuck in congress about the Armagossa River being in a federal recreation area and the fight is to make sure the wording still allows us to cross the river to get to the dunes and keep Sperry wash trail open. There is more to it but that is a quick summary.

8) The river crossing ran into a set back from getting the enviromental impact paperwork done along with early rains which make it much more expensive and difficult to build the crossing with running water. As soon as the river runs dry this spring everything is in place to get the project done.

9) A MOU is a memorindam of understanding between FoDD and BLM which basically puts FoDD in a position with the BLM to get things done in a more timely fashion that normally would occur.

I hope I have answered your questions but if not feel free to contact me andf I will assist anyway I can. You also may consider attending the next meeting of the TRT in Barstow and #2 please consider joining the Friends of Dumont Dunes.org. It's $24.00 per year and you may join and learn a little about us at friendsofdumontdunes.org

Terry

[Sincity_blondie]

I wasnt handed anything when I came in thanksgiving weekend. But I also already had my annual pass and flashed it at the guys and they waived me thru. Maybe it was being handed out to people who still had to pay for the pass.

[04toy]

I had friends come up on Sunday and they were not given anything, nor was I when I stopped and bought my annual pass.

[ynot]

I just had a conversation with Sam who owns Western Maint. the vendor who is handeling the passes. It will be fixed and the tri-folds will be handed out on a regular basis to everyone coming through.

[badass24racing]

Thanks for the Update Guys Nick was right about the Dumpsters At Glamis last week :xmas_cool: Everyone needs To PACK IT IN PACK MORE OUT and DONT forget the March Cleanup OR maybe we need to do a DDR Cleanup sooner :xmas_tongue:

[HappyHour]

Hey Terry...........I went out there the weekend before T-Day and was handed a tri-fold when I entered. Although I already knew basically what it said, I read through it anyway. I must say, it is very informative and did look good........................good job..........

[ynot]

This is a copy of the e mail that was received by the BLM from Inyo County. Who ever dumped their black tanks near somebody's home needs to be flogged!!

Fire Chief of Southern Inyo Fire Protection District

Dumont's Impact on Southeast Inyo residents.

Residents of Tecopa, Shoshone, and Charleston View are becoming angry at

the fact that heavier traffic on Old Spanish Trail Road and Highway 127

has also brought more trash and biohazzards. For years, residents have

referred to the motorists heading toward Dumont as "Duners." The name

does have a negative connotation because motorists with extra large RVs,

long toy haulers, and modified off road trucks have increased the noise

level in what is normally a quiet area. This heavier traffic has brought

with it an increase level of trash being discarded along the roads, and

often times overflowing our residential dumpsters. There have been a

couple rare occurrences of "Black Water" dumping along Old Spanish Trail

Road, the recent Thanksgiving Weekend gave Tecopa residents nothing to

be thankful for as RVers left multiple raw sewage dump sites near

residential dwellings. It is utterly incomprehensible why anyone would

dump sewage near a person house. It is not only disrespectful and

hazardous, it is a criminal act. I realize that not all Duners are

involved in such despicable behavior, but everyone should carefully

examine the implications of such behavior. I enjoy exploring the

outdoors as much as the next person. I also enjoy riding my quad. It

would be unfortunate if all off highway recreation way prohibited

because of a few misguided individuals. But that is exactly what will

happen if people in general don't clean up the situation. I have read

many articles regarding Dumont Dunes and multiple threats for its

closure. This would be a devastating even that may lead the way to

future OHV legislation. Although future legislation may be unavoidable

for certain issues, everyone can help prevent unfortunate consequences

when dealing with trash and waste. First is easy if your willing to go

an extra step. Secure your garbage so it won't escape your control.

Trash left on open trailers tend to fly out while driving home. Take a

trash can along with you and secure it tightly when you return home.

Even one item of trash from each vehicle can add up to a destroyed

desert landscape. Second, take your sewage to a proper disposal site.

Human waste is very dangerous to human health when its improperly

managed. Fecal matter and urine contain an abundance of bacteria. Not

only is it disrespectful to dump your toilet waste near someone's home,

but it is potentially dangerous for anyone who may come into contact

with the biohazard. I have taken pictures of the waste sites and have

forwarded them to County Environmental Health. It is clear that certain

individuals have a malicious intent to disregard public laws and public

safety. What else can you do. Help police the situation. Notify law

enforcement when you witness RVers dumping their holding tanks along

side a road. Also notify law enforcement when you witness trash being

dumped along side any road by anyone. Help clean up the trash. A few

volunteer groups are now working to clean up Inyo hwy 127 and Old

Spanish Trail Road. You can participate by either contacting those

groups or just do it. The last issue that isn't related to dumping is to

slow down. Old Spanish Trail Road can be a bit boring to drive if your

trying to get to the dunes. However, the road isn't engineered for the

extra long and heavy vehicles and it isn't designed for fast travel.

When you approach Tecopa, be aware that your fast moving vehicle is more

likely to run off the pavement, hit a pedestrian, and create elevated

road noise. The area between Old Furnace Creek Road and the Tecopa

Church is designated as a 25 MPH zone. Its not a suggestion! And

finally, Dumont Dunes does not directly support the communities in

Southeast Inyo. If Dumont Dunes continues to create a negative impact on

the communities of Tecopa, Shoshone, and Charleston View, these

residents may join the fight to close Dumont.

[Sincity_blondie]

Im willing to do whatever I can as a positive duner to keep our dunes open and clean. Ive joined FODD and would be willing to do more. Terry if you have any suggestions how I can get actively involved, id appreciate any info you can give me.

[ynot]

Im willing to do whatever I can as a positive duner to keep our dunes open and clean. Ive joined FODD and would be willing to do more. Terry if you have any suggestions how I can get actively involved, id appreciate any info you can give me.

Stacey, I appreciate your concern and positive outlook. Right now we are kinda of seeing where Inyo county wants to go with this. We could as a group arrange a roadside trash clearing day or something where we just take our vehicles out and pick up trash alongside hwy 127. Maybe arrange with the local county paper so we get some positive press? Just an idea? Let me know of any other ideas that anybody might have.

Terry

[04toy]

If you see a bag of trash stop and pick it up. Plain and simple. Yes it takes about 10 min of your life to do this, but guess what, if everyone did that there would be no issue. I've done it everytime I've driven 127, which is quite a bit considering I live in Pahrump and have family in LA. As for the black tanks being dumped, that's just plain disgusting. If you aren't going to be responsible about that then you don't need to be alive, IMO.

[dinicolada]

I two would be willing to come out and clean up the road any time you guys would set it up, as for stopping and picking up trash as you drive by, As a D.O.T. employee I would not suggest this as there has been many people hit on the side of the road doing this, the best way is with lots of vehicles and warning signs, I my be able to get some of those reflective vest to help. Just let me know how I can help too.

[04toy]

dinicolada, I agree with you on that. I figure if people can see my rig they can go around it and when I stop I make sure that I'm walking ahead of the truck and not back where I came from.

I'm game for a clean up trip down the road, as long as I'm not working - on call stinks!

[RRC]

This is the first I have heard of this dumping of black tanks on the road. If someone was caught doing this what would be the fine? This is an unforgivable act, if you are to lazy or are in too big of a hurry to dispose of YOUR waste, then maybe you shouldn't be camping! These people should have there trailers and or tow vehicles impounded, given tickets that include a HUGE fine, and some roadside cleanup hours, A LOT OF THEM!

Edited December 2, 2006 by RRC