August 1998 Newsletter
In this month's news:
Assemblyman Steve Baldwin fund-raising
Corral Canyon/Wildomar Issues
Beach Party
New Laws for carrying alcohol in an OHV
Holloween Poker Run
Imperial Sand Dunes(Glamis) Management Plan
San Diego OHV Trail Route Study
Desert Protection Act Update
New Preferred Merchant - Alignment and Brake Specialties
New Business Member - Baja Designs
New public members and renewals
Enterprise Forest Fees
BLM Fees
Ocotillo Wells Toilets Upgrade
Herman Schneider Tribute
Next Meeting
The August meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 4, at Giovanni's, 9353
Clairemont Mesa Boulevard at the corner of Ruffin Road. Their phone number
is 619-279-6700. Hopefully that will be our home for the foreseeable
future. We have a commitment from Giovanni's to allow us the use of the
room on the first Tuesday of every month except for November and June. In
those months we have the meeting room on the first Thursday of the month in
order to avoid meeting on Election Day.
A buffet including all-you-can-eat pizza, salad and soft drinks will
commence at 6:00 p.m., and the meeting proper will begin promptly at 7:00
p.m. Hope to see you there!
Chairman's Corner
Jim McGarvie
OHV recreation in general and SDORC in particular were well-represented at
a recent fund-raising dinner for Assemblyman Steve Baldwin. Roy and Nancy
Denner, Alan Klumph, Rick Moore and Jim McGarvie were present representing
SDORC. Also at the all-OHV table were Phil and Julie Allen representing
Tankslappers Motorcycle Club, Darren and Daena McGarvie representing Cycle
Parts West, and Harold Soens was gracious enough to eat the dinner paid for
by Bill Silverthorn, owner of Lemon Grove Motorcycles. All the above are
also SDORC members.
As you probably are aware, Steve has been a tremendous friend and supporter
of OHV recreation in the California Assembly, and even attended - along
with his wife Patti and their three sons - our Mystery Run last fall. It
was good for him to see that we support him as well.
CORRAL CANYON
John Elliott, Jan and Jim McGarvie and Harold Soens of SDORC, along with
Mike Ahrens of Cal4WD recently attended one of our periodic meetings with
the nice folks of the Cleveland National Forest, our hosts at the OHV areas
of Corral Canyon and Wildomar. The primary topic on the agenda was a
discussion of the San Diego County OHV Route Study and its relevance to the
Forest, but we also spent a fair amount of time talking about law
enforcement problems in Corral Canyon and Wildomar. Apparently these places
have become popular among the young folks as party venues on the weekends,
being about the only campgrounds in the forest without a fee.
One of the suggested solutions was, as you can imagine, institution of a
fee. Another suggestion was a campground host program. It is felt that a
semi-permanent presence, at least on the weekends, would discourage the
late-night activities. Once the partygoers realized that as soon as they
got started a host would call law enforcement officers on the radio, they
would find another spot.
Weekends could be rotated among several different hosts if no one wanted
the job on a permanent basis. Sounds like a great way to get some free
camping at a beautiful location, at the same time providing the Forest and
the OHV community a service. Anyone interested?
BEACH PARTY
The annual SDORC Family Beach Party will be on Sunday, August 23, at the
Silver Strand Beach State Park. Hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks will
be provided. Please bring a side dish. Contact H.P. or Megan for details.
DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!
The California State Senate and the Assembly Appropriations Committee have
passed amendments to the State Vehicle Code that would expand the current
prohibitions against drinking while driving and having an "open container"
in a vehicle so that they would apply to off-highway vehicles as well.
(3) If the vehicle is not equipped with a trunk and is an off-highway motor
vehicle subject to identification, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section
38012, the bottle, can, or other receptacle described in paragraph (1)
shall be kept in a locked container. As used in this paragraph, ''locked
container'' means a secure container that is fully enclosed and locked by a
padlock, key lock, combination lock, or similar locking device.
If an OHV is not equipped with a trunk - and last time I looked most bikes,
ATV's and buggies were not - a can or bottle of "adult beverage" which has
been opened must be kept in a locked container (guess I need to put a
padlock on my fanny pack!). This means that if you stop in the middle of
the dunes during a ride and pop a Bud while sitting on your quad you will
be in violation! The full text of the bill is available on the Internet. Go
to: www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html and search on Senate and 1639. For the
"Internet-challenged" give me a call and I will email, fax or mail a copy
of the bill to you.
This bill is expected to become law by the end of August. Be advised.
Roy Denner
Education Committee Chairman
SOMEBODY OUT THERE LOVES US!
On Wednesday, July 15th, the Lakeside Community Planning Group approved a
motion to advise the county that the LCPG is in favor of continuing and
expanding the KTU&A study to establish an OHV trails system in San Diego
County. Specifically, the motion included a request to create a new trail
linking the McCain Valley OHV area with the desert floor below near S2. The
LCPG will be involved with the county's OHV planning as this study is
continued.
THINK HALLOWEEN!
Each year at Halloween time the Los Pretot's Desert Club conducts a
Halloween Poker Run at the Ocotillo Wells SVRA. This year it will be held
on the night of Saturday, October 31st. If you have ever attended one of
these events, you know that it is a real blast and usually attracts
hundreds of off-roaders. Each checkpoint on the poker run is uniquely
decorated by a group of volunteers. In the past there have been haunted
houses, graveyards, and ghosts and spooks of all kinds. The activity
usually runs into the wee hours of the morning (when most ghosts, goblins,
and crazy people are out).
This year, the SDORC is planning to decorate and manage a checkpoint. We
already have some great ideas for a super scary scene. But we're not
telling anybody what our ideas are. If you want to know, you have to be
involved or be there!
So, we're looking for volunteers and more ideas. The day on Saturday will
be spent preparing our checkpoint and we will be required to man the event
until very late at night. We can either clean up on Saturday night or leave
the cleanup until Sunday. We will be forming a Halloween Weirdo Committee
to put our plan together. If you would like to participate, please call Roy
Denner at 619 443-9101 and get on the list.
We are going to put together a checkpoint the likes of which the desert has
never seen. We will scare their socks off (and maybe more)!
Acknowledgements
Thanks to "Off-Road Magazine" for running our press release pushing our
"Off Roader and Proud Of It" bumper stickers. As a consequence we have
received orders from 11 states totalling $120! Look for the magazine at
your newsstand or write them at 774 So. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870
for subscription information.
We also must thank those whose contributions to the Steve Baldwin campaign
allowed us to buy an entire "off-road" table at his recent fund-raising
dinner: Cycle Parts West, Lemon Grove Motorcycles, Off Road Warehouse,
Tankslappers M/C Club, Roy and Nancy Denner, Dick Miller, and Jim and Jan
McGarvie.
Thanks folks!
Legislation and Natural Resources
Alan Klumph
Two very important letters that everyone should be submitting as soon as
possible:
BLM IMPERIAL DUNES MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE
The BLM is developing a new management plan for the Imperial Sand Dunes
Recreation Area and is accepting comments at this time. It is important
that you provide your ideas on how you feel the dunes area should be
managed. It appears inevitable that there will be some type of fee program
implemented for the dunes users. This is an opportunity for you to help
decide how it should be done. All comments for this need to be submitted by
July 31, 1998. You can send in your written comments to the BLM at Bureau
of Land Management El Centro Field Office, 1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro,
CA 92243. For more information contact Elayn Briggs, Operations Staff
Chief, at (760) 337-4400.
SD COUNTY OHV ROUTE LOCATION STUDY
A letter stating your support for the San Diego County OHV Route Location
Study and any comments regarding it are desperately needed. County staff
has indicated they have received many letters in general opposition to the
plan and we need to strongly support it. All comments for this phase of the
study need to be submitted by August 5, 1998. Please send them to Jeff
Bosvay, Public Works Program Coordinator, Department of Public Works, 5555
Overland Ave., San Diego, CA 92123-1295. If you can, please also send a
copy to your County Supervisor because they need to know you support this
program. Also please send the Coalition a copy for our records. You can
contact Jeff Bosvay for more information on this at (619) 694-3266.
Desert Protection Act Update
Mike Ahrens, CA4WDC
I recently received a copy of the response from Chairmen Young and Hansen
regarding the National Park Services proposed boundary maps. Essentially,
the letter approves the proposed boundary maps with several exceptions. The
exceptions are essentially in two categories, those which they expect the
NPS to make immediately, and those which they would like the NPS to offer
legislation for. One of the exceptions to be acted on immediately is the
removal of Budweiser Wash from both NPS and Wilderness status. As with most
government-ease, the implications of this are not clear. The extreme
interpretation would be that this important section of the East Mojave
Heritage Trail is now reopened. Probably the more practical interpretation
is that NPS must submit maps detailing the wishes of the Chairmen for final
approval by the committee.
New Preferred Merchant - Roy Denner
ANOTHER MERCHANT SUPPORTS SDORC
The business is called "ALIGNMENT & BRAKE SPECIALTIES". The address is
10197 Riverford Road in Lakeside. Phone: 258-5775. Gary, the owner, says he
will handle the tough tire changes for SDORC members. He'll do those wide,
hard to change, buggy, jeep, and oversized truck tires if you can leave
them with him and are not in a big hurry. Gary doesn't make money on this
kind of work so it will be handled on a low priority basis - usually by the
next day.
Gary also does alignment, brakes, tires, shocks, frame, axle, suspension,
and welding on motor homes of all sizes. His company handles all of the RV
work that Webb's RV - another Preferred Merchant - doesn't do. Let's give
him our business!
Membership Update
Bill Quackenbush, Membership Chairman
New members joining us in July are: Warren Foy & Mary Kelley, Kent Nicholls
& Evelynn Kilmartin, and Randy Truby.
Renewals this month include: Robert Brandstorm, George Collins, the Karasek
Family, Mike McCrae, Gordon & Bea Morris, Meg Palazzolo, Jerry & Sue Routt.
Renewing business memberships this month are: Buffalo Metal Works and B.A.
Dick inc.
A new business member joined us this month: Baja Designs. Check out their
web site http://www.bajadesigns.com
Our heartfelt thanks to all!
Need a membership form? They are available online at
http://www.off-road.com/~sdorc/join.html
Special thanks to Jan McGarvie and Rick Moore who staffed the membership
booth at the hot and dusty
Tankslappers Grand Prix.
Membership questions? Contact me, via e-mail: billq@san.rr.com
Commissioner's Report
Jan McGarvie
A few notes of interest from the commission meeting held in Sacramento on
July 16-17th:
ENTERPRISE FOREST FEES: In January 1997 the commission approved a
resolution that clearly expresses its policy shall be that requests for
operation and maintenance grants from land management agencies for areas
where user fees are being charged may be reduced commensurate with the
amount of fees collected for OHV use. Therefore, the 98/99 grants to the
Enterprise Forest were cut by 5%. Control language was placed on the
99/2000 grants, which says, "All four Southern Forests will not be funded
until the OHMVR Commission reviews the Adventure Pass fee program impact to
OHV program in these forests."
BLM FEES: Mark Conley, BLM State OHV Coordinator, gave a report to the
commission. California has two areas identified as demonstration fee areas:
California Desert District and Merced Wild and Scenic River. Control
language was placed on the 99/2000 O&M grant which says, "El Centro
Resource Area will not be funded until the OHMVR Commission reviews the
Demonstration Fee program impact to OHV program in the desert."
OCOTILLO WELLS SVRA: Commission approved $13,000 to remodel the existing
pit toilet on Main St. to incorporate the Sweet Smelling Toilet (SST)
operating system. If the retrofit is not successful, additional funds will
be made available to replace the existing restroom with an SST type of
building.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION: A request was received from the OHV community that
Herman Schneider be recognized for his many years of dedication and
contributions to the OHV community. In a cooperative agreement between the
Commission, OHMVR Division and the BLM, the new Greys' Well Bridge will be
dedicated and named the Herman T. Schneider Bridge.
A Special Tribute
Jan McGarvie
I have been asked to write a tribute to Herman Schneider, Off-Road
Activist. At first I thought "that will be easy". But as a sit at the
keyboard, I find it a very difficult task.
Those of you who know Herman will agree that he is a very complicated
personality. Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham once described Herman as
"a piece of work". Often he was seen as stubborn, opinionated, gruff, and
long-winded. All these traits surfaced when Herman was addressing an OHV
issue. But I know the warm, compassionate, intellectual, philosophical side.
His compassion for OHV recreation is contagious. When I first met Herman we
were both attempting to get "grassroots support" to oppose the Desert
Protection Act. We decided to join forces and work through the San Diego
Off-Road Coalition. It was at Herman's insistence that I go to meetings
with him all over California (probably just to have someone to talk
philosophy with on those late night drives back to San Diego), where he
introduced me to the movers and shakers in the OHV community. Then it was
off to Washington D.C. to meet with Congressmen and Senators. Our victories
may seem small in the overall picture of S21, but they were enough to
encourage Herman to continue to fight to keep the riding opportunities we
have and for new riding areas. The San Diego City Council Chambers and the
County Board of Supervisor Offices became very familiar stomping grounds
where Herman pushed his vision for a county OHV park.
In 1987 Herman worked with the BLM to write the El Centro Resource Area
Management Plan. All of the goals set forth in that plan to develop the
Imperial Sand Dunes into a premier riding area have been accomplished. He
worked with the California Air Resources Board to keep the Dunes out of the
PM10 Dust Restricted Area. He traveled all over the state, usually at his
own expense, to attend numerous Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation
(OHMVR) Commission meetings before I even knew what OHMVR stood for. And if
that's not enough, after attending three or more meetings a week, he spent
his weekends as a supervisor of the volunteer dune patrol for the Imperial
Sand Dunes!
Its time to rewrite the El Centro Resource Area Management Plan. However,
due to Herman's failing health his knowledge of the past and his vision of
OHV for future generations will be sorely missed.
*Safe riding! From your friends @ The San Diego Off Road
Coalition!*
Last Updated August 1, 1998