This information was forwarded to us via Daphne Greene (article from Sac Bee):
Riders, environmental groups negotiate on fees, land protection as a state deadline nears.
By Jim Sanders - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, July 8, 2007
Millions of motorcycle, dune buggy, four-wheel-drive and other off-road riders could see California's vehicle recreation parks shut down next year unless agreement can be reached on overhauling the state program.
Prairie City in Rancho Cordova is one of eight off-road riding parks whose fate could be decided by sensitive, behind-the-scenes talks between environmentalists and recreational riding groups.
"The stakes are very high," said Daphne Greene, deputy director of the off-highway program, a branch of the state parks department.
Vehicle parks allow thrill-seeking, trail-loving motorists to gun their engines on thousands of acres where environmental degradation can be monitored and damage treated.
State law authorizes the 36-year-old, off-highway program only until Dec. 31. Nobody is pushing to eliminate it, but a tug of war has developed between groups pushing for new trails, more environmental protection and better policing.
Any agreement to preserve the off-highway riding program is likely to more than double entrance fees at the eight state parks, which generally charge $5 per vehicle.
Besides Prairie City, the parks are Carnegie in Alameda and San Joaquin counties; Hollister Hills in San Benito County; Hungry Valley in Los Angeles, Ventura and Kern counties; Oceano Dunes in San Luis Obispo County; Clay Pit in Butte County; Ocotillo Wells in San Diego and Imperial counties; and Heber Dunes in Imperial County.
Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, has jumped into the fray by proposing Senate Bill 742, which would keep the off-highway program alive while overhauling its funding and operation.
Steinberg's bill has passed the Senate, 21-17. But many issues remain unresolved and, at Steinberg's urging, officials for recreational riders, environmentalists and other interest groups are scrambling to reach consensus.
"My message is, if the program expires, everyone loses -- so figure it out," Steinberg said.
SB 742, by preserving existing fuel-tax revenue while increasing rider fees, could generate more than $30 million annually in new funds. Steinberg said the money should benefit all sides.
"Riders want to ensure that there's maximum opportunity to ride, and environmentalists want to make sure that as much land is protected from riding as possible," he said. "Compromise is the order of the day."
Carol Moreland, a Sacramento off-road rider who has not been involved in the fight over SB 742, said she does not think motorists would abandon the sport if fees rise.
"It's pretty cheap entertainment, if you want to look at it that way," said Moreland, of the Capital City Mountain Goat Four Wheel Drive Club. "I just think it would be a tragedy to close (Prairie City)."
Elimination of the vehicle parks, all sides concede, could lead to uncontrolled off-road riding on unguarded public lands that would strip vegetation and erode soils with no program, or money, for restoration.
California's vehicle parks attract about 5 million patrons per year.
"It makes sense for all of us, it certainly makes sense for the state of California, to have a balanced program," said Terry McHale, a lobbyist representing off-road riders.
Pete Conaty, who is teaming with McHale, said he is optimistic that agreement can be reached on SB 742, which is scheduled to be heard Tuesday by the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.
"I'd say we have a 75 percent chance of reaching agreement on the remaining big issues," Conaty said.
Brent Schoradt, of the California Wilderness Coalition, said eliminating the program would be a "loss for the environment and a loss for the public."
But SB 742 does not go far enough to address environmental concerns or crack down on rogue riders, he said.
"We feel the current version of the bill is extremely one-sided," he said.
Under SB 742, park entrance fees would double to $10 per vehicle, and motorists pulling a trailer would pay an additional $10. The price of state-issued stickers to qualify a vehicle for admission also would rise -- from $25 every two years to $84 every two years.
SB 742's details might change if competing factions can settle on a compromise, but the bill would extend the program until 2013, and key elements call for:
• At least 45 percent of the program's grants to be spent on maintenance and operation, 20 percent on law enforcement, 20 percent on restoration and 5 percent on education programs, leaving the remaining 10 percent uncommitted.
• The governor, rather than legislative leaders, to appoint a majority of the off-road commission that helps oversee the program. Membership would be expanded from seven to nine, with five appointed by the governor.
• Changing the commission's role to more of an advisory body. It no longer would approve grants or capital outlay projects, but it would continue to review and approve the program's general and strategic plans.
Pending negotiations will cover issues ranging from the extent of fee hikes to whether the off-highway park program should be extended for an indefinite period, rather than to 2013.
Environmentalists are pushing, among other things, to ensure that the eight parks better serve hikers, campers and fishermen who use the unpaved roads, too, and that state funds are not used to create new riding trails on key federal lands.
SB 742 is likely to die unless a deal is struck, Steinberg said.
"Closing is always the difficult part," Steinberg said of talks between environmentalists and riding groups. "They need to close."
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The recent closure of Fordyce has also upset a few:
New Fire Restrictions-very Important-please Read - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board
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We really need to contact are elected officials and whatever else it takes to support the offroad community. Otherwise, you should stop spending your money on all of those 4x4 mods. Before you say "who cares about Prairie City" there has been recent bids for Prairie City improvement, including a rock crawling comp area. Every closure sets the precedence for more
Anyone else as concerned about this as I am?
California is losing....OHV parks and forest access
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