San Diego Off-Road Coalition

January 1999

Phone: 619.561.3877; Fax: 619.561.5424; e-mail: garv@cts.com; www.sdorc.org

Our January meeting will be Tuesday the 5^th, at Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant, 9353 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard at the corner of Ruffin Road. Their phone number is 619.279.6700. A buffet including all-you-can-eat pizza, salad and soft drinks for $7.00 will commence at 6:00 p.m., and the meeting proper will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Our guest speaker this month will be Curt Itogawa, Superintendent of the Ocotillo Wells SVRA. He will bring members of his staff to discuss the Off-road PALS (Police Athletic League) program conducted there.

Don’t forget to bring some extra money for raffle tickets. Each month the pot gets bigger and the prizes get better. As with all our income, proceeds go to toward preserving and increasing our off-highway recreation opportunity.

Ours is a wonderful form of recreation. Depending upon our chosen type of vehicle it provides varying degrees of sunshine, fresh air, adventure, scenic beauty, exercise, excitement and, yes, risk. For many, the element of risk is part of the attraction, as it is with skiing, skydiving, and other so-called risk sports. You know, the adrenaline rush.

OK, so we know intellectually that there is a possibility that we might get hurt. That’s part of what makes our sport so exciting. But we don’t really think it will happen to us, at least not serious injury. The reality, though, is that serious injury and even death does occasionally occur in our sport, as it does in many others, or even in getting out of bed in the morning. The key is in managing the risk, reducing it to acceptable levels.

How do we do that? There are many ways, most of which are obvious, but maybe we don’t always give the subject enough thought. First, we need to ensure that our machine is in safe operating condition. Obviously it’s nice to make it back to camp, truck or home without the assistance of a tow strap. But of special concern are those things that could cause an accident; things like the security of axle nuts (ask me how I know).

Second, and of at least equal importance, we need to make certain that our body is in safe operating condition: Strong and healthy enough to endure whatever type of physical stress we expect to encounter. But even more importantly, our minds must be up to the task at hand. We must have the mental capacity to exercise sound judgment, unclouded by the effects of alcohol or drugs. It is no secret that many accidents, off-highway as on, involve alcohol.

What kind of judgment do we need to operate our OHV’s? Mostly it is just common sense. We don’t go out alone. We operate within our ability. We stay to the right around blind corners and over hills. When we want to jump over a blind hill we station a spotter at the top to make certain it is clear on the other side. We make sure we don’t drive/ride faster than conditions, such as dust or darkness, allow. When it is crowded, more than the usual amount of caution is called for. And did I mention that we don’t go out alone?

Fortunately, most of us possess this common sense. That’s why it is called "common." But a few of us don’t, and the rest of us are capable of forgetting it on occasion.

I have been riding in the Anza Borrego Desert since, oh, 1970 or so. I don’t think I have ever seen it more crowded and dusty than it was over this past Thanksgiving holiday. I am delighted that so many people, many of whom are out with their families, have discovered the pleasures of our wonderful sport. But a few of those folks left the desert in different vehicles than those in which they arrived; vehicles such as Life Flight helicopters and, in at least one case, a hearse. True, this young man died doing what he loved. But that is small comfort to his family and friends. He, as well as more than the usual percentage of casualties, was a victim of a multi-vehicle collision. Could this have been at least in part due to the dust and the shear number of vehicles? What do you think?

Let’s keep this in perspective. We share an activity unsurpassed in terms of fun, excitement and family togetherness. The accident rate on a busy holiday, while higher than we’d like, is probably no worse than that on the highways. Let’s just try to make sure we all go home with our family and friends and come back to the desert another day.

Happy New Year!

1998 has been a year of many accomplishments for the San Diego Off-Road Coalition (SDORC). As we continue to grow in size and support we are becoming more involved in activities related to off highway vehicle (OHV) use, education, safety, legislation and land use. The highlight of the year for the Coalition was receiving the award for the Number One Club for 1998 by the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission.

To all my fellow SDORC members, board members and others that have been involved with the Coalition in the last year I would like to congratulate YOU on a well deserved award and THANK YOU for your help in making 1998 a great year. We hope to see you all, and more, in 1999 to try and top ‘98!

Our success this past year is the direct result of the involvement of our general membership and the tireless efforts of dedicated board members that go above and beyond the "call of duty". The support for our events and activities has been slowly increasing over the last couple of years and this is a trend we would like to see continue in the future.

I would like to recognize a few members of our Coalition that continuously put in that extra effort which helps keep everything going and helps motivate me to continue. These hard working folks are Chairman Jim McGarvie, Education Chairman Roy Denner, Secretary Julie Allen and Jan McGarvie. A hearty THANK YOU goes out to you for all your help!

It is very important that more off-roaders become members of the Coalition and volunteer to help with our activities either with the group or individually. There are many areas which need support and help with little experience or knowledge required. Ask a board member what you can do if interested. Any special skills or services that the Coalition could use are especially helpful also. The areas that always need the most help are: being a club or business representative, working on the phone tree, setting-up/working at the Coalition booth at activities, helping with volunteer projects, writing letters and attending meetings.

What everyone always needs to do, whether a member of a group or not, is be a good representative of our sport. What this means simply is respecting yourself, others and the environment and following the rules. We should always present a positive image for our sport.

With the changing political tone and increasing restrictions on recreation uses of our public and private lands we need to be stronger than ever to protect our sport and our rights. Environmental and political extremism is at an all time high, and unfortunately against us, so we need to unite and work together to turn the tide our way. We are starting to have positive effects on issues we are working on, so it can be done. Lets all continue helping at some level and getting others involved to make this work for us. It can be done!

Thank you to everyone that has been involved with the Coalition for 1998. I look forward to seeing you all in 1999.

Commencing January 1, 1999, visitors to the Glamis area south of Highway 78, east of Coachella Canal, west of the Wash Road and north of Wash 15 will be required to purchase a $10 weekly pass or $30 yearly pass for their primary vehicle. The weekly pass is valid from the date of issue for seven consecutive days. The yearly pass is valid from October 1 through September 30. The passes are non-transferrable. A pass also will be required in the south dunes, south of Interstate 8 to the International border between Buttercup and Grays Well Camping area. The area north of Interstate 8 and south of Roadrunner Campground, and south of Wash 15, including Dune Buggy Flats will continue to be a free area.

Visitors may purchase their passes at self-pay stations located at the campgrounds, along Gecko Road, and near the entrances to Glamis Flats, the wash area, Cahuilla Ranger Station, and BLM's El Centro office located at 1661 South 4th Street in El Centro. The automated pay stations will accept cash, credit or debit cards.

In accordance with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the OHMVR Division, the BLM will institute a Technical Review Team (TRT) to help determine the ways in which revenue from the fee program will be spent. SDORC has nominated Justin Cole, SDORC Business Representative, to the TRT. Please contact Justin with your input regarding what you would like to see in the dunes.

The following roads within the Cleveland National Forest have been reported closed due to mud and ice from recent storms:

Pine Creek Road in the Descanso Ranger District, Orosco Road in the Palomar District, and Bedford Truck Trail, Skyline Road, Indian Truck Trail, Maple Springs Road and North Main Divide Road in the Trabuco District.

These roads are to remain closed "until conditions improve." If any of you happen to discover that any of these roads have not been reopened when you think they should have been, please let us know.

The Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission was given a tour of the Barstow Resource area. The resource area is so large, in order to visit the entire area in one day they used two helicopters. Dana Bell Western States Rep. for AMA furnished lunch at Razor Road area and everyone said it was very good. After lunch everyone got aboard the choppers, and took off for the Dumont Dunes area where the CORVA crew was waiting to show them the dunes like we users see them.

Bill and Donna Szep, Mike and Sandra Disco both from Downey California, and I had our buggies. This was my first time to see Dumont Dunes so towing my buggy from Ocotillo Wells was well worth the trip. Steve Bonar, the outdoor recreation planner for the BLM, brought his buggy to help out with the tour. The area is much smaller than the Imperial sand dunes, but still was a lot fun. We had about two hours to show our new visitors the dunes, and they seemed to have a good time. This tour was a great success and we need to do this more. Thanks to all for your help.

The next day, November 20, was the Commission meeting in Barstow. It would have been the same old meeting if it weren’t for the fee issue at Imperial Sand Dunes. Everyone is real upset about the fees, and the way they are trying to implement them. Julie Allen and Janette McGarvie got up and spoke against the fees. Commissioner Bramham spoke about all the mistakes that BLM made on how they were implementing the fees at the dunes. After all that Mr. Bramham voted to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the BLM. There will be a technical review team (TRT) formed to try to ensure the fees are used for improvements at the dunes.

Commissioner Amador honored Mrs. McGarvie for her excellent work while serving on the Commission. Mark Conley from the BLM also presented her with a certificate of recognition. Tim Read field manger for BLM Barstow Resource Area honored Brad Mastin for his service to the El Mirage steering committee.

Dave Oakleaf, the District 37 Legislative Officer (DLO) and I, District 38 DLO flew to Sacramento on Wednesday December 9th to make sure we made it to meeting on time. I flew out of San Diego on the same flight as Ron Roberts, the Chair of our County Board of Supervisors. I talked to him at the airport before we left, and he told me he would listen to everything that we had say about the two-stroke regulations at the Air Resource Board Meeting.

The meeting started at 8:00 AM. When I got to the meeting it was packed, because of the large agenda. Pleasure Craft Exhaust Emissions was the first on the agenda. These meetings would last twelve hours, and to be there all that time with a suit on is like torture, but I made it. We were the last item on the agenda and we were all still there to give our testimony. However, Ron Roberts had already left. The American Motorcyclist Association was there in force: Eric Lundquist, Legislative Affairs Specialist, Dana Bell, Western States Representive, Bill Dart, Dave Oakleaf, and I all making points for our Districts 36, 37 and 38. Also in attendance was our Lobbyist Pete Conaty. These regulations have come a long way from no place to ride, period. We now have 87 riding areas to recreate in the State, although some of them are not open to non-complying vehicles year-round. It is not perfect yet but it is a real good start, because our air quality is getting better and these regulations can be looked at in the future in the hopes of expanding these riding seasons. We could not have done this with out help from American Motorcyclist Association American Trials Association, Bureau Land Management, California Motorcycle Dealers Association, California Off-Road Vehicle Association, Department of Parks and Recreation, K.H. Wolf Consulting, San Diego Off-Road Coalition and the Motorcycle Industry Council. Thanks to all of you for your time and effort.

It might be of interest to know how our meager income was spent throughout the course of the year. Following is a highlight of our more significant expenses.

Newsletter publishing and postage $1,000
ORVLC contribution (Sacramento lobbyist) $1,500
Copying and printing $343
Bumper stickers $263
CARB hearing in Sacramento $200
AMA West Conference $187
Blue Ribbon Coalition $100
Paper and supplies $160
Legislative reception $200
Web site $70
Banners $160
Bank fee $96
P.O. box rental $40

Well, you get the idea. It takes money to do what we are trying to do, and we could really use even more money to allow us to hire an attorney when warranted.

If you care about your dunes, plan on joining a few hundred of your closest friends Saturday, January 16, 1999, and help collect some of the trash in the area. Meet at the Ranger Station on Gecko Road at Highway 78 at 9:00 a.m.

For further information contact the BLM at 760.337.4451 or Rob or Jennifer Whyte at 714.532.3504.

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The next meeting of the OHMVR Commission will be in El Centro on January 22, 1999. This would be an excellent time to make your views known regarding the new fee program in the Imperial Dunes, the Herman Schneider Bridge at Grey’s Well, and other issues in which you have an interest. Call the Coalition for details.

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Join us at our annual Winter Beach Party following the Commission meeting. We will be in Dune Buggy Flats, the Gordon’s Well area of the Imperial Dunes, from the evening of January 22 through the 24^th. This has been a well-attended and much enjoyed event in the past (with the possible exception of last year’s blow-out at Glamis!). This is in the no-fee area. Call for details.

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SDORC is proud to co-sponsor the First Annual Off Road For Hope: Ocotillo Wells Adventure ‘99, on February 6th.

All proceeds from this exciting new event will support the Muscular Dystrophy Association. SDORC is working in conjunction with the event’s co-sponsors California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs and CORVA. Los Pretot’s Desert Club will be the host club.

Off road For Hope is open to all off-highway vehicles (except for 3-wheelers, due to insurance restrictions). We encourage all our members to join in this great new annual event. There will be runs for the experienced as well as beginner 4-wheelers and dirt bikes, poker runs and numerous games being organized by Los Pretot’s.

There will be a pancake breakfast, lunch and barbecue dinner as well as a grand opportunity drawing to end this fantastic outing.

Please call Eric Corens at MDA: 619.492.9792 for additional information and to receive your registration packet. Look for more information about Off Road For Hope next month.

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American Honda has collected nearly $1,000,000 to date (and still climbing) for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. On March 21, 1999 there will be a Ride For Kids at Glen Helen. The ride will include the GP track and 90 miles of forest trails. Watch for details, or check out their web site at: www.ride4kids.org.

IGNORANT LA TIMES STAFF WRITER CREATES "POSITION PAPER" ABOUT OFF-ROADING AND CALLS IT NEWS!

Thanksgiving day, 1998. LA Times staff writer, John M. Glionna, writes discriminatory article titled: "Sand Dunes Park Bracing for Invasion of Off-Roaders."

Well, they’re at it again! Southern California’s so-called "news reporters" are attacking the off-road community in a totally biased manner. Reporters continue to publish "position papers" about subjects that they know little or nothing about and print it as "news."

Mr. Glionna is not the first agenda-oriented writer to portray the off-road community from the eyes of a Brawley Hospital ambulance driver. To infer that this picture represents the typical off-road enthusiast is like describing all priests as pedophiles or all high school kids as graffiti artists! Far from the truth — but it makes headlines!

The sport of off-roading involves a risk of injury — just like football, baseball, swimming, scuba diving, and hang gliding. Accidents do occur and some of them are serious. Perhaps the accident rate at OHV sites would not be so high if off-roaders weren’t being squeezed into smaller and smaller areas as a result of the continual closure of existing OHV areas. Accidents also occur on our freeways (some of them serious) while driving to Grandma’s house for the holidays. Should we stay home from Grandma’s or forego our favorite sport because of the risk involved? What about the hundreds of thousands of families that enjoy their favorite sport or make the trip to Grandma’s for the holidays without getting hurt? Unfortunately they don’t make good headlines!

As usual, the article would not be complete without a quote from the environmental extremists. A Sierra Club activist is quoted as saying, "The dunes are becoming a sterile moonscape. Even if you banned ATV’s, it would still take 100 years for anything to thrive there again." With very little research (maybe including an actual trip to the desert), Mr. Glionna would discover that this statement is totally untrue! Most OHV enthusiasts are also environmentalists — but not extremists. Sensitive sites in OHV areas have been fenced off to protect endangered plants and animals. Biological studies have been performed to determine how off-roaders can enjoy their sport with minimal impact on the environment. Much of this has been done with money provided from the OHV Green Sticker registration fund. By actually looking at the dunes at Gordon’s Well, one can see that sensitive desert plants are thriving in the dunes. According to Cliff Glidden, Deputy Director of the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division of the Dept. of Parks and Recreation for the State of California, there are real scientific studies, performed by biologists, that show that off-roading has negligible negative impact on the sand dunes. These studies are available for the asking. Any serious investigative reporter would check with the person that runs the State’s OHV program before printing statements provided by extremist organizations. But, the actual facts are not nearly as newsworthy as off-roaders with semiautomatic weapons "peeling off shots" or fathers taping their kids’ hands to ATV handlebars, as reported by Mr. Glionna.

Fortunately, off-roaders are not at a total loss for honest news reporting. In San Diego County, the off-road capital of the world, there is a rapidly growing newspaper called the Daily Californian. The editors of this paper have taken the time to become familiar with the OHV community and understand what off-roading is all about. This paper tells it like it is — good as well as bad. The other major newspaper in San Diego has written only one significant article about off-roading in the last ten years and — guess what — it was about the Brawley hospital over Thanksgiving weekend! Also published monthly in San Diego and distributed all over California is the San Diego Off-Road Magazine — the voice of the Southern California OHV community.

For every idiot (and off-roaders have their share just like any other group, including "position paper" reporters) who went to a desert OHV area to act crazy over Thanksgiving weekend, there were thousands of off-road families that cooked turkeys on barbecues or in sand pits and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with relatives and friends at their favorite California desert campsite. Grandparents, babes-in-arms and, perhaps most important, teenagers and young adults spent the long weekend together participating in an activity that captures the interest of all participants. Those of us who spent our Thanksgiving in the desert surrounded by our children, grandchildren, and friends gave our thanks that there are still places available where the family-bonding sport known as off-roading can continue to be enjoyed. Unfortunately, we can only wonder what will be available for our grandchildren’s grandchildren. Who, in the long run, will actually be the endangered species?

Justin Cole, Roy, Nancy & Mikayla Denner, John Ellis, Scott Grossglass, Alan Klumph, Jim and Jan McGarvie, Rick Moore, Megan Palazzo and H.P. Tietz were the 12 hardy souls who showed up December 13 for our Adopt-A-Highway clean up that had been rescheduled due to high winds in October. It was a little breezy but we managed to keep the trash in the bags this time.

After gathering about 70 or so bags (some with unmentionable articles in them — ask Jim!), everyone headed up to Corral Canyon for a BBQ. Our head cook, Scott Grossglass, did a fine job of flipping the burgers (when he wasn't eating the cheese). Jan’s beans were awesome and we topped off the meal with Nancy’s now-renamed "SDORC Carrot Cake." Tired and full, we headed back home: that is, all but Jim, Alan and Roy (on his new XR400) who saved enough energy to hit the gnarly muddy trails ["hit" being the operative word; ask Roy! — Ed.] of Corral Canyon Park for a couple of hours. What a good way to fulfill our obligation to Cal Trans and have some fun at the same time!

Mike Mazzone, owner of Mazzone Sand Cars, has graciously donated to us one of his world-famous Mazzone buggy frames! We will raffle the frame off in the coming year in order to raise much-needed funds. We can’t thank Mike enough for his generous contribution to our cause. You can help, though, but patronizing Mike’s excellent facility for your buggy needs. He is located at 14401 Bond Court, off of Old Highway 80 in El Cajon. Phone 619-561-3838.

We also wish to acknowledge Off Road Warehouse and Cycle Parts West for their generous donations allowing us to order additional t-shirts for our money-raising efforts. The sale of these shirts has consistently been one of our best methods of fund-raising.

Once again we take pleasure in shining the spotlight on Sunlight Press of Lakeside. Dave picked up the cost of the paper as well as the printing for our new brochures. As a non-profit, low budget organization, support like this is critical.

Also, Bill Silverthorn, owner of Lemon Grove Motorcycles, displayed his generosity again with a nice donation.

Many thanks to all these fine folks! Please show your gratitude by patronizing these outstanding businesses.

Renewing business members this month include Escondido Cycle Center, Fiber-Tech, Green Fascination, House of Buggies, Johnson’s Bug Machine, Corky McMillin Companies and Sand Tires Unlimited. Renewing individual and family members include Kim Bilbrey, Paul Ellingsen, Scott Goetz, Ed Stovin and Dean Strasser. And we’d especially like to welcome new member Dennis Nottingham.

Need a membership form? They are available online at http://wwww.off-road.com/~sdorc/join.html

Membership questions? Contact me, via e-mail: billq@san.rr.com

Just a reminder to support our Preferred Merchants, as they support us with their discounts, donations and contributions.

Alignment & Brake Specialties House of Motorcycles
Arma Coatings Lemon Grove Motorcycles
Aros Trailers Off-Road Warehouse
County Motor Parts Rhino Linings of El Cajon
Fun Bike Center Webb’s RV Supply

FOR SALE: 1990 1/2 BOUNDER 34C-31.000 mi, no smoke or pets, mint cond., loaded, 454 Chevy, 2 roof AC's, 2 TV's, CB, stereo, micro, coffee maker, water filter, 4 burner stove with oven, dinette, encased awnings, 6.5KW Onan gen with low hours, all new batteries, xlnt tires, 2 dr refrig, must see $27,900. Call 619.443.9101.

WANTED! Volunteers to help SDORC with anything and everything! We need help manning our booth at events, cleaning up our designated highway section and area trails, acting as liaison at your favorite off-road dealer, making occasional phone calls, and other tedious (and, of course, unrewarded) tasks. Please give us a call if you’d like to help out once in a while. Thanks!