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Stewards of the Sierra National Forest Public Input Needed
2016-2017 California State Parks OHV Green Sticker Grant Meeting
The Stewards of the Sierra National Forest are requesting public input for the 2016-2017 State Off-Highway Motor Vehicle (OHV) Green Sticker funding/proposal submission cycle by hosting General Public Open Housemeetings on December 14, 2016, January 11, 2017 and February 8, 2017 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The meetingswill be held at the:
The Pizza Factory
37184 Ave. 12
Madera Ranchos Ca. 93643
Read more: Stewards of the Sierra National Forest Public Input Needed
Three CTUC Maps now available on Avenza PDF Maps
CTUC is excited to announce that a high quality, digital versions of our new, 1st edition Needles, Amboy, and Palm Springs Trail Maps are now available on Avenza PDF Maps for iPhone and iPad!
If you have an iPhone or iPad, getting our digital Trail Maps is easy. Simply download the free Avenza PDF Maps app from the Apple App Store on to your iPhone or iPad. Then, launch PDF Maps and search the Avenza PDF Maps Store for "CTUC." Here you can purchase our digital Trail Maps for just $2.99 each (an in-app purchase).
Call to Action: Save California's OHV Program!
The California State Park’s Transformation Team’s Recommendations have been released and within is this alarming statement about the state’s highly successful OHV program:
The current organization structure separates these important recreation services from the rest of the services provided by the department. Visitors would be better served by fully integrating these services into the rest of the department.
What would this mean? It would mean an end to the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division of State Parks.
First, this division exclusively manages the extremely popular State Vehicular Recreation Areas (SVRAs). Second, it administers the all-important Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program which “provides for well managed off-highway vehicle recreation in the State of California by providing financial assistance to agencies and nonprofit entities.
This Grants Program supports the planning, acquisition, development, maintenance, administration, operation, enforcement, restoration, and conservation of trails, trailheads, areas, and other facilities associated with the use of off-highway motor vehicles, and programs involving off-highway motor vehicle safety or education.” Without this Grants Program, OHV recreation in California would quickly become unsustainable.
Many CTUC affiliates rely on the annual grants program to provide funding for education, signing, trail improvements, vault toilet maintenance and instillation, and campsite maintenance and much, much more. Stewards of the Sequoia alone performed 83% of ALL trail maintenance in Sequoia National Forest using OHV Grant funds. This is a trend repeated in National Forests across the state of California.
What makes the California OHV Grants program unique is that it is ENTIRELY USER FUNDED. All funds come from green and red sticker registrations, fuel taxes, and entry fees charged at SVRAs. This ensures that funds collected from OHV users are put directly back into providing riding opportunities across the state of California.
This latest threat to recreation opportunity requires an immediate and forceful response from the OHV community. The Motor Vehicle Recreation Division MUST be preserved and kept separate!
What can you do?
First, visit SaveCaliforniaOHV.org today. There you can message the decision makers to make your voice heard.
Secondly, watch this space for updates on new meetings!
OHV Candidate Questionnaire, LA 5th District Supervisor
Representing several state and local OHV user groups, Sundance Media asked candidates in the Los Angeles County 5th District Supervisor’s race two questions:
1)What would you do to improve OHV recreation opportunities in the district?
2)What is your position on the practice of Los Angeles County spending OHV Trust Fund dollars for OHV law enforcement in the Antelope Valley when the County provides no legal OHV recreation opportunities there?
We received just two responses from the two rounds of requests we distributed to all eight candidates. Both responses were enthusiastically in support of OHV recreation in the Antelope Valley.
Sen. Bob Huff writes that he “grew up riding OHV’s” and calls the lack of legal OHV recreation opportunities in the Antelope Valley “despicable.” He pledges to make it a priority “to find and set aside OHV areas to ride within the 5th District,” and will “work to allocate funding for OHV Parks through any future County Park parcel fee or tax.”
Rajpal Kahlon describes himself as “a big fan of OHV,” and expresses the need to “make it safe and fun.” Mr. Kahlon pledges to “reach out to OHV and residents of Antelope Valley to ask them how we can make it safe and fun for OHV and cut down the red tape,” and to use OHV Trust Fund dollars to “bring more legal recreation opportunities.”
Randy Banis, the founding owner of Sundance Media, said, “OHV enthusiasts who reside in LA County’s 5th Districts are fortunate to have two candidates who appreciate the value of OHV recreation to the county. I urge you to consider these responses when you cast your vote for Supervisor on Tuesday, June 7th.”
The OHV candidate questionnaire was prepared by Sundance Media on the behalf of:
American Motorcyclists Association, District 37
Antelope Valley Four Wheelers
California Four Wheel Drive Association
California Trail Users Coalition
LA County Trail Crew 4X4 Club
Off-Road Business Association
The full questionnaire and the unedited candidate responses are available for the public to view at: www.SundanceMedia.com