San Diego Off-Road Coalition

May 1999

Phone: 619.561.3877; Fax: 619.561.5424; e-mail: jgarv@home.com; www.sdorc.org

Our May meeting will be on Tuesday the 4^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.

Remember, this is the meeting at which our annual elections will be held. You still have time to express an interest in holding an office in the Coalition. Call Linda Berman at home at 760.788.4410, or at work at 619.443.8880. And please, come to the meeting and vote. Remember, you must be a current member to run for office or vote.

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.

Cliff Glidden had been Deputy Director, OHMVR Division, for over five years at the time he was replaced by the new administration. In that position he faced the difficult challenge of administering the green sticker fund, and somehow managed to protect the interests of off-roaders throughout the state. He spent considerable time and energy attempting to provide San Diego-area off-roaders with a close-in park, and his biggest regret is that he was unable to accomplish that while in office.

Cliff supported local off-roaders by attending the Board of Supervisors meeting in which it was decided to resume the route study. He has spoken at an SDORC meeting, and attended local events.

Cliff is first and foremost an OHV enthusiast who always had our best interests at heart. He will be missed. Looking forward to sharing some trails with you, Cliff.

On March 13,1999 I was involved in an accident at Ocotillo Wells Off Road Park. As I was traveling down Wolfe Well Road in my dune buggy, a 14-year-old boy on a motorcycle ran into my rear tire. He was airlifted to Children’s Hospital. Five days later, he died as a result of the injuries he received in the accident.

I am writing this to remind my fellow off-roaders how our hobby can become dangerous, sometimes deadly. I have been off-roading for many years. Fortunately, I haven’t had this type of experience before. I have seen the aftermath many times. On every busy desert weekend, I see the helicopter go by. I often wondered about the person on board.

I have introduced many people to the sport. I try to teach them how not to get hurt. We need to be diligent about safety. I urge you to share this reminder with all your friends and family. We can help to keep this from happening again.

Thanks for helping.

[Thank you, Dave, for sharing this important reminder with us — Ed.]

Cleveland National Forest

An area of concern locally is the endangered arroyo southwestern toad and several other endangered animals that inhabit the four southern California National Forests. The Tucson based Southwest Center for Biological Diversity sued the National Forests, including the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County, for not doing enough to study and protect the animals. The Forest Service may be forced to start taking actions which could impact our recreation in the forests.

The Cleveland N.F. has temporarily closed Indian Flats Campground, two miles northwest of Warner Springs, to protect the three-inch toads during their mating season. The closure started on April 1 and will be in effect until at least July first. Rangers are considering temporary closures at some other areas also. Fortunately the Descanso Ranger District of the Cleveland N.F. has recently completed a concrete water crossing over the creek on the road leading up to Corral Canyon Off-Road Vehicle Recreation Area. This should allow us continued access to this popular off-road area.

Ocotillo Wells

The El Centro Field Office and Desert District Office of the Bureau of Land Management have been working closely with the state Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division staff on the project to transfer approximately 26,500 acres of BLM land to the OHMVR Division for the expansion of the Ocotillo Wells SVRA. The BLM is doing a cultural survey with the State Office of Historic Preservation and a required nation to nation survey with the concerned Native American tribes is in process. No problems are expected with any of this and we will keep you informed on the progress.

"Two-Stroke Ban" Update

As many of you know the state enacted stricter rules on the use of off-highway motorcycles (OHMs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on public lands that went into effect for vehicles manufactured and sold after January 1, 1997. This has been unofficially known as the two-stroke ban. 1997 model year and later OHMs and ATVs are required to pass certain emissions standards or else they will not be allowed to be registered with green stickers in California. Without a green sticker those vehicles could not be operated on public lands such as the SVRAs like Ocotillo Wells, BLM areas like the Imperial Sand Dunes and Forest Service lands such as Corral Canyon.

All two-stroke models and many four-stroke models cannot comply with the new regulation and therefore are not eligible for green sticker registration. Needless to say this pretty much limited the use of those non-complying vehicles and hurt their sales, which impacted the motorcycle and ATV dealers. In order to provide some relief to the vehicle owners and dealers a number of organizations in the state worked out a plan with CARB to allow use of the non-complying vehicles.

At a CARB meeting last December the regulations were revised. Under the new rules the non-complying vehicles will now be issued red stickers, similar to the green stickers, and will be allowed to operate on public lands during certain times of the year (riding seasons). Each riding area has its riding season, mainly in the fall, winter and spring, determined by the historical ozone levels (when ozone levels are lowest) for that location.

The riding seasons for non-complying red sticker vehicles in San Diego and Imperial counties are:

Ocotillo Wells: Oct 15 - May 15
Superstition Mountain: Oct 1 - May 31
Plaster City: Oct 1 - May 31
Imperial Sand Dunes: Oct 1 - Apr 30
Lark Canyon: Oct 1 - Jan 31
Corral Canyon: Dec 1 - Jan 31
Wildomar: Dec 1 - Feb 28/29

These areas will remain open all year round to green sticker and street registered vehicles. It has been reported, but not official, that certain non-complying vehicles that were inadvertently issued green stickers at the beginning of the program will be grandfathered in and allowed to keep them. New vehicles that are being sold now should receive the new red stickers upon purchase or in the mail from the DMV.

For more information, including a list of the riding seasons across the state, go to the following url for the current CARB rulings:

http://arbis.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/OFHWYMC.HTM

Blue Ribbon Coalition

Are you interested in learning about the many forces working against our sport and how to fight back to protect our access to public lands? There is an excellent organization that is working on this and I recommend that everyone join them. Their name is the Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC) and their motto is, "Preserving Our Natural Resources For The Public Instead of From The Public." The organization is one of the leaders of the Wise Use movement in America that supports all off-highway recreation interests including dirt bikes, mountain bikes, 4-wheel drives, ATV’s, snowmobiles, equestrians, watersports, camping and sportsmen.

The BRC publishes a monthly newsletter included with membership that is a great source of information with many useful articles. To join send $20 for a one-year membership with your name and address to Blue Ribbon Coalition, 1540 N. Arthur, Pocatello, Idaho, 83204-2507. For more information you can call them at 1-800-BLUE-RIB or visit their web site at: http://www.sharetrails.org.

I would like to recognize and thank Harold Soens for providing the information about the Ocotillo Wells expansion and especially for his efforts toward the revised CARB regulations. Harold helped us get the riding seasons we have at Corral and Lark Canyons after the original plan had these areas closed all year.

On Saturday, April 17th, the San Diego Off-Road Coalition impressed the Community of Lakeside with its entry in the Lakeside "Western Days Parade." Approximately fifty Coalition members participated in this event. The title of the SDORC entry was "Riding Together Into The Millennium." The entry included eight beautiful horses, six tricked-out custom sand rail dune buggies, six dirt bike motorcycles, six off-road ATV’s, a pair of brand new Polaris quad’s, six mountain and BMX bicycles, an off-road ready jeep, a modified VW bug stake-bed truck, and a lively band composed of off-road volunteers.

The SDORC parade entry led off with the jeep paced by horses and riders on each side. Curtis Itogawa, Superintendent of the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicle Recreation Area, and his baby girl waved to the crowd from the jeep. Six of the horses were matching Palominos adorned with tack covered with sterling silver. Two horses were magnificent Percheron draft horses. The sand rails were propelled by souped-up VW engines and powerful V8’s. Buggies built by local companies including Scorpion and Chenowth displayed their handiwork. One 7-seater sand rail included a custom seat occupied by the owner/builder’s thirteen-year-old daughter who is handicapped by the terrible disease cerebral palsy. Her dad says that riding in the rail is one of his daughter’s favorite activities. Riding shotgun in another rail was a cute little dog sporting goggles and a baseball cap. The off-roader that owns the canine entertainer lightens up other lives by displaying his talented dog at local hospitals.

In addition to the shiny new Polaris quads provided by Motorsports Warehouse, there were all types of personal ATV’s, bicycles, and motorcycles mixed into the SDORC entry. The dirt bike riders entertained the crowd by zigzagging in and out of the horses and vehicles, occasionally popping wheelies at the request of the kids in the crowd. And the band played on! The off-roader foursome who calls themselves "Crazy Neighbors" played great upbeat music along the entire parade route. The back of the VW Stake bed truck that towed the band trailer was filled with kids jumping to the music astride their beginner off-road vehicles. Add to this lots of American flags, lots of SDORC T-shirts, and lots of off-roader smiles and you have the SDORC idea of a good time. The SDORC members in the parade were heard to comment that they had more fun than the parade watchers. A great barbecue/pool party was provided immediately following the parade for all SDORC participants and friends.

Most important was the San Diego Off-Road Coalition’s two-sided message to the community. First of all, it should be clear that most of the people who enjoy the sport of off-roading are family members. Toddlers to grandparents participate in this sport together. No other sport has teenagers and young adults waiting so eagerly to spend their weekends and vacations with their families. Secondly, off-roaders comprise a wide range of public land users including equestrians, mountain bikers, backpackers, and day hikers. If we are to keep public lands open for use by the public, it is imperative that we work together to accomplish that objective. Otherwise, our grandchildren and their grandchildren will not have open space opportunities available to them.

Representatives from SDORC, CORVA, CAL4WD and AMA District 38 met with Cleveland National Forest District Rangers and staff on April 26, 1999. Items on the agenda for the meeting included road closures, Indian Flats Campground closure, Orosco Ridge OHV area, Adventure Pass, a kiosk at the Pine Valley trailhead, a sign on I-8 for Corral Canyon and grants.

The National Forest Headquarters in Washington, D.C. has directed the Enterprise Forest, which includes the Cleveland, to remove 160 miles of roads. The Cleveland could not tell us how many miles they will remove. Ranger Tom Wright, Road Management Officer, reported that he is currently identifying and mapping all roads on the Cleveland. Once this is completed by the end of September 1999, he will then be able to identify which are "ghost roads". The majority of these "ghost roads" will be eliminated, with a few to be converted to trails. When all is said and done, the fire and water "-ologists" want the minimum of roads on the forest. There are currently 430 miles of roads in use.

John Elliott questioned the closures of Black Mountain Rd., Lower Santa Isabel, Cedar Creek Rd. and Silverado Trail with no resolution. Reasons for the closures included the red-legged toad, endangered plants, and current litigation.

The Adventure Pass opposition in Southern California has reached Washington headquarters. They have directed the Enterprise Forest to make the necessary changes to make the program acceptable to the public so they do not have to scuttle the program nationwide. Officials for the Enterprise Forest Adventure Pass Program have estimated that 7% of those purchasing the pass are OHV recreationists. The Cleveland took in $100,000 in 1998 and has agreed to identify $7000 to be spent on projects approved by the OHV community and Forest Supervisor. These will be special projects that are not already paid for by the annual O&M grant from the "green sticker" funds.

It was suggested that the first project be the information kiosk at the Pine Valley trailhead. This kiosk will identify the Kernan Cycle Trail as a green sticker legal trail. The remainder of the funds will be held over until the next funding cycle. A suggested future project is a well at Bobcat Meadow Campground at Corral Canyon. If you have project ideas, please let us know.

CalTrans has not contacted the Descanso Ranger District regarding the highway sign on I-8. Jan McGarvie will make inquiries to the state and report back at the next meeting.

The grant requests for the FY 2001/2002 total $159,000. These requests were reviewed by the OHV community representatives and will be submitted for approval by the OHMVR Commission on June 7, 1999 in Glendale. This grant hearing is open to the public. SDORC representatives will attend and speak in favor of funding for these grants.

The next quarterly meeting with the Cleveland N.F. is scheduled for July 13, 1999. Let us know if you have anything you would like us to bring before the meeting.

As SDORC’s representative to the Imperial Sand Dunes Technical Review Team (TRT), I attended its meeting on April 15. There were two significant issues discussed which might be of interest to SDORC members. One was the decision to send a letter to the OHMVR Commission supporting the action of giving the BLM $73,000 of "green sticker" money to help pay for delays incurred in the implementation of the fee program, and urging the Commission not to penalize the BLM in future grants.

The second issue was the decision to "evaluate" the expansion of the fee program to include the Gordon’s Well area. I look for it to happen.

Both of these decisions are contrary to the input I’ve received from SDORC members, but I was out-voted. Most TRT members say that the majority of the opinions they hear from the users is that they are in favor of the fee concept. I will continue to attempt to represent SDORC to the best of my ability, and to argue our case before the TRT. Please provide me with your input.

Since 1971, California has invested more than $275 million OHV enthusiast-generated dollars for acquisition, development and maintenance of OHV State Vehicular Riding Areas (SVRA). This money is also used for the construction and maintenance of facilities for OHV recreation on local, state and federal lands. This fund is administered by the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division, and the OHMVR Commission.

The "green sticker" registration fee is $21 for two years for each off-highway vehicle using public lands. Seven dollars go to the DMV for administration costs, two dollars go to the highway patrol, four dollars go to the in-lieu gas tax fund and the remaining eight dollars go to the OHV program.

The fuel tax for off-highway vehicle use in California provides 61% of the program funds, while the registration fee provides 7.3% of the funding. The rest comes from a variety of sources.

Annually, about 50% of the funding supports the seven SVRA’s. They are Carnegie, Prairie City, Hollister Hills, Oceano Dunes, Hungry Valley, Clay Pit, and Ocotillo Wells.

The other 50% is awarded to federal, state and local agencies through the grant program. An example of this is the El Centro BLM which manages the Imperial Sand Dunes Riding Area and most of the rest of the San Diego and Imperial County desert area. Over the past 13 years they have received $13,632,150 in grant monies to provide OHV opportunities on the BLM lands. Operation and Maintenance for Imperial Sand Dunes totaled $6,154,686, for the Yuha Desert Area, $634,840, and for Lark Canyon, $634,840. Funds for development of projects totaled $6,218,502.

A few of the development projects were:

85/86: $905,049 for construction of Roadrunner Campground, and improvements to the Cahuilla Ranger Station and parking area.

86/87: $183,000 to expand the Ranger Station to accommodate the volunteer dune patrol, purchase equipment and supplies for patrol, and purchase 2 4WD pickups.

87/88: $6000 for installation and service of trash dumpsters.

88/89: $1,000,000 to repair and repave 2.7 miles of the Grays Well Road, install parking pads along the road shoulder, and install necessary traffic control structures, signs, and fences along the road.

89/90: $174,036 Gecko Road Facility for parking pads, a single vault public restroom, and two public telephones at the Cahuilla Ranger Station parking lot.

90/91: $253,499 for Buttercup/Grays Well restrooms.

91/92: $80,000 to construct an access ramp from Hwy 78 to the major camping area West of the Glamis store.

94/95: $677,000 for Gecko Road repair and repave, and to establish camp pads along the shoulder of Gecko Rd.

95/96: $1,300,000 for the Herman T. Schneider Bridge over the All American canal to provide access from Gordon’s Well to Buttercup OHV areas.

96/97: $250,000 to develop additional camping pads along Gecko Rd.

96/97: $160,000 to repair Osborne Overlook parking area for day use parking.

97/98: $230,000 for Dune Buggy Flats Access Rd., to improve l mile from the end of the paved Gordon’s Well Rd. across the Coachella Canal into Dune Buggy Flats Camping Area.

As has become tradition, in observance of the annual California Trails Days I organized a work weekend at Corral Canyon. Unfortunately worker turnout was low, do most likely to poor weather, but those who did show up got a lot accomplished. We were able to clear trail 6 ("Bobcat"), including removal of a down tree in addition to the normal rock and brush clearing.

Many thanks to Robert Molay (who worked both days), Mark Milling, and Peggy Martin (owner of Oceanside Cycle Supply).

After a slow start, the season got busy in a hurry. Brawley CalPals/Boys and Girls Club made arrangements for the "Sidewinder" program every month from February through May. The Hemet chapter booked "Sidewinder" in April and planned for more programs next season. The kids seemed to have a great time and the experience is very rewarding for the volunteers who put on the program.

Paul Reisman, a new ranger to the Ocotillo Wells District, put on a wonderful program about the stars. He set up a telescope behind the Ranger Station out of range of any lights and gave the kids a real education about the stars and planets.

Over the last three months the program has grown from five volunteers to nine. Among others, Harold Soens has become involved in the program, delivering and picking up the porta-potti graciously loaned by Los Pretot’s. He plans on becoming more involved in the future.

A recent article in the "American Motorcyclist" magazine, the Journal of the AMA, describes a serious problem that our National Government has identified. So serious, in fact, that President Clinton has issued an "executive order" calling on land managers to fight the spread of "invasive species." He has organized an "Invasive Species Council" that has 18 months to draft a "National Invasive Species Management Plan."

Once again, OHV enthusiasts are major culprits. After a day of trail riding, the tires and frames on OHV’s are embedded with small, sometimes microscopic, weed seeds. These seeds are then transported from one riding area to another. Once they take hold in the new area they can "choke out" native plants. According to "government experts," the imbalance can even change the habitat enough to threaten animal species that feed in the area.

At this moment, no one is talking about closing trails or banning OHV’s because of hitchhiking seeds, but the federal government is clearly serious about finding ways to reduce this problem. In some parts of the country, efforts are already underway to target OHV enthusiasts as a significant part of the problem.

What can we do? At this point, just be aware of the problem. If you remain on the designated roads and trails, as required in most areas, you are unlikely to harvest any weed seeds. Just to make sure, thoroughly cleaning your OHV between rides should eliminate any possibility of seed transfers.

OHMVR grant hearing, Southern California region, June 7 in Glendale. Call Janette McGarvie for information: 619.561.3877.

Many thanks to Cycle Parts West and Jeff Jeffredo for your contributions "above and beyond." They are very much appreciated!

Thanks to the following new and renewing members:

Arma Coatings, Robert Ash, Jr., Mark Berger Family, Brigantine Restaurants, Cycle Parts West, Beatrice Fischer, Jeff Jeffredo, Mark Price & Assoc., Jim & Janette McGarvie, Gordon & Bea Morris, Stan Palmer, John Robinson, Erik & Lori Ryan, Eileen Sampson and Scott Vandersluis.

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 and Brake Specialties, Arma Coatings, Aros Trailers, C&D Cycle Center, County Motor Parts, Cycle Parts West, Descanso Trading Post, Fun Bike Center, House of Motorcycles, K-CO Construction Inc., Law offices of Gary Quackenbush, Lemon Grove Motorcycles, Mail Boxes Etc., Motorsport Warehouse, Motoworld of El Cajon, Off-road Warehouse, Party Time Liquor, Rhino Linings of El Cajon, Webb's RV Supply, and Wilson Machine Works.

Following is a list of all those businesses that currently support our Coalition by virtue of their membership. Please show your appreciation by patronizing these businesses:

Alignment & Brake Specialties, American Metal Processing, Arma Coatings, B.A. Dick, Brattin Motors, Brigantine Restaurants, Buffalo Metal Works, Chenowth Racing Products, Crazy Keven's, Cycle Parts West, D&R Automotive, Douglas Wheels Inc., Duncan Racing, Escondido Cycle Center, Event Photography, Explorer Competition Products, Fabcom, Fiber-Tech, Fritz Garage, Fun Bike Center, Gilmore Off Road, Green Fascination, Hansen Loan Services, House Of Buggies, House Of Motorcycles, Johnson's Bug Machine, K-CO Construction Inc., Law Offices of Gary Quackenbush, Lemon Grove Motorcycles, Mark Price & Assoc., Mazzone Sandcars, McMillin Realty, Motorsport Warehouse, Motoworld of El Cajon, Party Time Liquor, Quackenbush Construction, Rick's Buggy Works, Ron Bishop Motorcycles, Sand Tires Unlimited, Scrib's Motorcycle, SMD Motorsports, Streamline Graphics, THOR and Tops International.

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!

WANTED: Newsletter input. Call Jim McGarvie with your articles or ideas: 619.561.3877.