OHMVR workshop tonight, 04/24/07

[SailAway]

There’s a public workshop tonight (and one Thursday night in San Diego) that anyone who has ever had to pay a use fee at Dumont or Glamis should try to attend. Heck, anyone who has ever registered an off-highway vehicle should try to attend now that we can't get to our money.

This workshop is being put on to discuss how the California Off-Highway Motorized Vehicle Recreation Division that handles our “green sticker” money will work in the future.

Here is what the Commission has written for the Division’s “program focus.”

Protect and enhance opportunities and landscape and enjoyment for people who recreate

Recreate Responsibly – You are the Solution

Ecologically balanced recreation which protects and enhances opportunities and landscape and enjoyment for people who recreate

Provide opportunities that incorporate ecologically balanced recreation, enjoyment and safety among users.

Not quite the focus I was looking for, I must say. Sure would like to see less “landscape” and more “motorized recreation” in there. Aw, I'm probably asking to much of the motorized recreation division. :bangin:

Here’s the blurb about the meeting...

OHMVR Strategic Planning Workshops - April and May 2007

A series of public workshops are scheduled for April and May 2007 to discuss and provide input on the Draft Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Program Strategic Plan.

The workshops will focus on developing goals and strategies for the OHMVR Program that will assist the Commission and Division in moving forward as part of the overall Strategic Planning effort.

Two workshops are scheduled for:

• April 24, 2007, 6-9pm

Mission Inn

3649 Mission Avenue

Riverside, CA, 92501

Phone: (951)784-0300

• April 26, 2007, 6-9pm

Hanalei Hotel

2270 Hotel Circle Drive North

San Diego, CA, 92108

Phone: (619) 297-1101

Additional meetings will be scheduled throughout the State and will be announced at a later date. If you have any questions please contact Edward Navarro at enavarro@parks.ca.gov or (916) 439-8383.

Here's the Draft Vision Statement

And here's the Abstract Strategic Plan

Yeah, I know it's last-minute and I'm sorry about the timing, but I sure hope to see some people there.

Vicki W.

Edited April 24, 2007 by SailAway

[wsky70]

I won't be able to make that one, hopefully they come out with some more dates and places around to attend, would be good for knowledge...SF Woody

[SailAway]

I plan on suggesting appropriate places for the next round...

Any suggestions?

Outside of Nevada of course, since this is a California program and Dumont is in California.

Baker? Bakersfield? High desert?

Vicki

[Don29palms]

Palm Springs area somewhere would be great.

[aceisback]

Beaumont, Banning, Yucaipa, Coachella Valley. Lots of serious off roaders in those areas.

[Mr.B DS650]

Beaumont, Banning, Yucaipa, Coachella Valley. Lots of serious off roaders in those areas.

orange county :mc_smiley:

[Richard Cheese]

I plan on suggesting appropriate places for the next round...

Any suggestions?

Outside of Nevada of course, since this is a California program and Dumont is in California.

Baker? Bakersfield? High desert?

Vicki

one in the high desert for sure. You would also want one in the central, or southern san joaquin valley...Fresno area, or bakersfield Area......

[duniemonkie]

Baker would be great for all the vegas riders.

[SailAway]

Great suggestions. I'll pass them on, for sure.

Last night's meeting had very low attendance but that actually worked to our advantage. We had a small dedicated group who spent the entire three hours working and stayed on track and I think we really made some headway.

So we can all understand why this process is important, here's a little background info...

When the Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division was first created within California State Parks & Recreation, it was more or less a pilot program. The legislation that created it even put in what is called a "sunset" date so that if the whole thing didn't work out it could just naturally die off without needing new legislation to end it. The program was designed to help maintain and create OHV opportunities, provide funding for education, trail maintenance, etc. A Commission was created to help decide how to dole out the money that was coming in from a special tax and OHV registration fees.

This all worked great for a while.

Then the Commission, who really holds the purse strings, started being taken over by anti-access people. How did this happen? Simple... we didn't pay attention. As a community, at least in the past, we have been very passive. Many were and some still are of the mindframe that "someone else will take care of it" and because no one really was, the fox got into the henhouse.

However it happened is not really important any more... the sad fact is, we're stuck with a lopsided Commission who is hell-bent on removing OHVs from the picture altogether.

Okay, so now the program that had such promise is no longer working. It's broken. But here's the thing... it's not just the off-roaders who are losing. Because the anti-access zealots are so impossible to work with, the true conservationists are losing too. The anti-access crazies will never rid themselves of OHVs... it's not possible. There's way too much money tied up in the industry and even in the face of all the environmental adversity we face today, our sport is growing.

And their blind ambition has made enemies of people who could actually help the true conservationists reach their goals.

We are here to stay. How we stay is in their hands just as much as it is in our hands.

Do we want the OHMVR division to continue? Yes, we do. Do we want our money to be held hostage? No, we don't.

The legislation that created the OHMVR Division is about to sunset in January 2008. Without additional legislation to keep it going, it will simply cease to exist. Money that is currently being paid into the OHMVR general fund will no longer be solely accessible to the OHV community. But we're not getting our money anyway, right?

We are, right now, faced with the very real choice of either extending the sunset date in the hopes we improve the program, or letting it lapse and being forced to start over. There is new legislation moving through the system right now, SB 742, and it's gnarly as it stands. But maybe we can make it work to our advantage... we'll see. I'll go into more detail on that under a separate post.

For now, we are continuing to meet with the California State Parks & Recreation people under the hope that we will still have an OHMVR division this time next year... but with improvements.

The meeting last night, the meeting Thursday night, and any we are able to arrange in other places... these are all workshops that are vital to fixing this extremely broken system.

If we leave it to the beaurocrats, they'll screw it up. Sorry, but that's the fact. They need our input and our guidance if they are going to get it right.

And that's why it's important to be at the workshops.

It's called taking control.

Vicki

[aceisback]

How are the people with the money involved in this whole process, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, CanAm, Kawasaki, Artic Cat, KTM?

If you look at the most powerful lobby in the history of our Nation, the NRA, God bless them, they don't mind spending a few dollars to protect OUR rights. They are not all about lining thier pockets. Can the same be said for the producers of the products that we enjoy so much? Do they have our backs or are they just out for the sale?

Seems they would be very involved because if the access to ride is taken away then the demand for things to ride dwindles?

Just curious and thought you might know.

Thanks for your service Vicki.

[SailAway]

How are the people with the money involved in this whole process, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, CanAm, Kawasaki, Artic Cat, KTM?

Funny you should ask that! The OHVMR Commissioner that we met with last night asked the very same thing.

Unfortunately, the response wasn't what she was hoping for.

Are the big manufacturers stepping up and helping with the process? Yes, to a minor degree. They throw some sponsor money or raffle prizes out every now and then... maybe sell a raffle vehicle to an organization at a substantial savings, that kind of thing.

But actually funding the areas where the users play while using their product?

Nope.

And why not? I've heard a variety of answers.

The most often used one is "the issue is too hot." They don't want to bring the anti-access lobby down on themselves by supporting us too much.

But the other answer is the one that really intrigues me... I've been told the manufacturers don't feel it's their responsibility to fund the riding areas, any more than any other provider of product should be spending their profit for open areas. Like ski resorts for instance... are any of the ones on public land subsidized by ski equipment manufacturers?

I'll tell you what I'd like to see... I'd like to see a coalition of industry providers pool their money to buy up some land for our use. Heck, they can pass the management of the riding area over to a private company for all I care, as long as they own the land outright allowing us to use it.

Oh well, we can dream.

Vicki

[aceisback]

I'll tell you what I'd like to see... I'd like to see a coalition of industry providers pool their money to buy up some land for our use.

It used to be that way. An area called the Badlands near Beaumont where the 60 and the I-10 meet. All of the manufacturers owned it and it was open for riding for a long time. Now it's nothing but roof tops as far as the eye can see.

I don't really care if they buy up some land, I'd just like to see them support US like we support them. Atleast a voice in the matter you would think would carry some weight.

[Richard Cheese]

It used to be that way. An area called the Badlands near Beaumont where the 60 and the I-10 meet. All of the manufacturers owned it and it was open for riding for a long time. Now it's nothing but roof tops as far as the eye can see.

I don't really care if they buy up some land, I'd just like to see them support US like we support them. Atleast a voice in the matter you would think would carry some weight.

like riding in the DS super bowl???

or shooting raptor hill???

[aceisback]

like riding in the DS super bowl???

or shooting raptor hill???

Speaking of Super Bowls... there are some mighty big ones down at Buttercup. Are you going/coming next weekend or not? It's only got to be a 6 or 7 hour drive for you. Surely your gas is cheaper up there than ours here in the High Desert is.

[Richard Cheese]

Speaking of Super Bowls... there are some mighty big ones down at Buttercup. Are you going/coming next weekend or not? It's only got to be a 6 or 7 hour drive for you. Surely your gas is cheaper up there than ours here in the High Desert is.

not gonna make that one, Vic

Jim and Laura got their new toy hauler a couple weeks ago, and we are heading to pissmo oct 4-6 for their first trip.

there has been some talk amongst us about glamis next year though. I google mapped it, and it is only like a 5-6 hour drive from bako, the map says

who is all going to buttercup???

btw, that weld didn't hold up, so I have some JB weld on there right now, and will know in a couple weeks if it holds or not

and Supersonic toys had an auction for an oil tank on ebay that went for 20 bucks, and I MISSED it!!!

[aceisback]

Check the garage thread at the Connection. There's a guy parting out an 03.

Ray and I are trying to swing a Coral Pink and St Anthony's trip for this Summer. And 4SW in there somewhere. Hell, before you know it we'll be buying these new, improved, and more expensive passes we're all fretting about.

Leave your calendar open for DS Days. Sand Mountain, NV. Labor Day.

[Richard Cheese]

Check the garage thread at the Connection. There's a guy parting out an 03.

Ray and I are trying to swing a Coral Pink and St Anthony's trip for this Summer. And 4SW in there somewhere. Hell, before you know it we'll be buying these new, improved, and more expensive passes we're all fretting about.

Leave your calendar open for DS Days. Sand Mountain, NV. Labor Day.

will do.