SDORC

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Is your favorite off-road area near San Diego open?

Corral Canyon in Cleveland National Forest is open.
Ocotillo Wells is open for riding and camping.
All BLM areas are open for riding and camping.

It is always a good idea to check with the appropriate agency prior to heading out:
Corral Canyon: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/cleveland/recreation/ohv/recarea/?recid=78497&actid=68
Ocotillo Wells: https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1217
BLM El Centro Field Office: https://www.blm.gov/office/el-centro-field-office

SDORC submitted strong comments criticizing the BLM’s Grand View Travel Management Plan in Idaho. The plan proposed to close hundreds of miles of trail and with the help of our comments (and many others) the BLM reversed its plan and is going back to the drawing board. From the BLM: “Due to a large volume of public comments regarding Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use and demand for access, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Boise District is cancelling the Grand View Travel Management Plan Environmental Assessment to reassess information and validate route inventory.” To read SDORC’s comments, click here“

President’s Message

January Update

Safety Bill
It has been a while coming, but recently an OHV safety bill has been introduced in the state legislature by Assemblymember Lori Wilson. Should this bill pass (and we hope it does) online safety training will be required for all off-road vehicle users on public land in California. Not requiring safety training will include competitors in actual competitions, over-snow users and people on private property. The bill talks about required training, who will help make the program, when it will be implemented, how much it will cost and what happens if you are caught without training. While we don’t prefer the government getting in our business, the situation in off-road vehicle areas requires that something be done. We believe this is a big step in the right direction and should not be much of a burden to us off-roaders. As it is currently written, training will be required beginning January 1 of 2029.

Carnegie SVRA Soil Conservation Plan
This is the fifth soil plan we have looked at in the last year and will focus on how the park manages soil. Comments are now being solicited on the draft plan. The following is from the draft plan and shows why we need to comment. “To meet the criteria of sustainable long-term use, soil loss must not exceed restorability (i.e., the ability to be restored). PRC 5090.02 (c)(4) requires that when OHV recreation areas or trails or portions thereof cannot be maintained to appropriate established standards for sustained long-term use, they shall be closed to use and be repaired to prevent accelerated erosion. Those areas shall remain closed until they can be managed within the soil loss standard or shall be closed and restored. Restoration of these areas means that upon closure of the unit or any portion thereof, the return of land to the contours, the plant communities, and the plant covers comparable to those on surrounding lands or at least those which existed prior to OHV use.” SDORC is preparing comments now.

Solar Power by Prairie City SVRA
A solar energy project that would go right up to the property line of Prairie City SVRA has been withdrawn. They cite supply chain constraints, rising tariffs, and—notably—the three separate lawsuits filed by OHV organizations, conservation groups, and a federally recognized Indian Tribe as reasons they are not moving forward. SDORC has no connection with any lawsuits in this area. I toured the park last fall and I am not really sure opposing the project is the best action for the OHV community. Currently, the park is surrounded by private property. The owner of the property would like to get some revenue from their investment. While traveling to the park, I made a wrong turn and went by brand new home construction as well as recently constructed homes. The land around the park now is beautiful grassland with occasional oak trees. If I were given a choice between solar and homes, I would take solar for sure. Solar projects don’t make it their mission to stop OHV fun, while over at Oceano Dunes, new neighbors are loudly complaining about OHV use nearby. We will keep an eye on the area.

Oceano Dunes
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now considering an Incidental Take Permit and Habitat Conservation Plan for operations at Pismo State Beach and Oceano Dunes SVRA. This type of permit decides what activities can take place in an area where endangered species exist. The four species in question are California least tern, tidewater goby, western snowy plover, and California red-legged frog. Public comments are now being accepted on proposed alternatives. From the BlueRibbon Coalition, “support for Alternative 2 must be paired with clear administrative safeguards. Adaptive management must be mandatory, not discretionary. Access restoration must be an explicit outcome when standards are met. Emergency and seasonal closures must be limited, justified, and reviewed. Take determinations must be based on documented cases of species mortality or harm or measurable biological effects and not assumptions or speculation. Species listed as threatened should require more flexible recovery frameworks and fewer restrictions than species listed as endangered. Without these commitments, even a well-intentioned permit could be misused to justify long-term or permanent closures.”

Events
San Diego 4 Wheelers recently held a fun and successful Superstition Run. I personally missed it because I love going to the San Diego Supercross.

The Rubicon Trail Foundation is hosting their Black Tie and Boots event in Sacramento on March 14 at the Marriott Rancho Cordova Sacramento. It never hurts to help organizations like this. Click here for details.

Our good friends at Tierra Del Sol are hosting their 63rd Desert Safari March 19-21. This will be a driving event with base camp just outside the 4X4 Training area in north Ocotillo Wells. There will also be a raffle, off-road and food vendors. Side by sides will be welcome.

Ed Stovin, President
San Diego Off-Road Coalition

September Update

Ormat, Geothermal and Ocotillo Wells
I was recently invited to the desert to meet with staff from Ormat Technologies and look at a geothermal power plant. These people are seriously looking at developing a geothermal facility close to the Salton Sea Airport. The people we met with (as well as staff from State Parks and the BLM) are in charge of obtaining permits for the project. While there are some ugly geothermal facilities near the south end of the Salton Sea, this facility would be much more modern and better looking. An important part is that they are planning on placing 10 wells near the facility. Some of you might recall the proposed geothermal project along Pole Line Rd by Icelandic America about 17 years ago. That project proposed drilling 25 wells. The Ormat project would have half the wells outside the park and half inside. The proposed project site is a couple miles from the open area of Ocotillo Wells and about 1/2 mile from the closest legal route. I don’t think this project will have a negative effect on OHV, but we will keep a close eye on it.
The BLM is holding an auction for geothermal leases in Imperial County. There are a bunch of square miles up for lease, but only one in Ocotillo Wells. That one touches Highway 86 and is about midway between S22 and Highway 78. There is no telling if it will ever become developed, but we will for sure keep watching it.

Hungry Valley
Hungry Valley SVRA has two actions going right now. They are updating the General Plan as well as creating a Soil Conservation Plan. We just learned about these two projects, so we will have details next month. Speaking of next month, I plan on going on a long motorcycle ride for most of September, so I may not get a column out until October.

Flat-tail horned lizards
I am heading out to the desert soon to watch BLM staff count flat-tail horned lizards. This is a species of concern and environmentalists have tried five times to get this lizard on the endangered species list. What keeps them off is an agreement by 11 agencies that manage land in Imperial County. They all work together to provide enough protection for the lizard to justify keeping it unlisted. I predict the environmentalists will try again to list it and I would like to be more knowledgeable about it in case I need to testify before the Fish and Wildlife Commission. The best way to keep the lizards off the list is to manage effectively (including counting) as a regular part of managing our public land.

Sand Sports Super Show and Off Road Expo
The big Sand Sports Super Show is back at Costa Mesa with hundreds of great vendors ready to show you all things off-road. If you love off-roading and show specials, you should make the trip to Orange County Events Center September 19-21. Click here for details.
Two weeks later (Oct 4 and 5) at the same venue will be Off Road Expo, the big show which will be aimed more toward dirt and four wheel drive vehicles. Again, there will be hundreds of vendors with great show specials for all thing off road. Click here for details.

RZR
Our friends from Premier Legal Center, A.P.C. are looking for Polaris RZR owners. They are looking for (1) California Polaris RZR owners who (2) received a “Stop Ride” recall notice in the past 5 years (3) were unable to use their vehicle for at least 30 days and (4) did not receive financial compensation from Polaris. Our investigation reveals that Polaris routinely pays California consumers subject to such a notice who call in to complain because of the California Lemon Law, but takes no action to compensate consumers who do not affirmatively call and complain. If this describes your RZR ownership, please call 619-235-0137 and see if they can help you.

Safety summit
The next State Parks sponsored Safety Summit is scheduled for September 3, with an OHV commission meeting to be held in the same place the next day. It is going to be in Redding California and we plan to attend.

Chuckwalla National Monument and CalWild
Calwild (formerly the California Wilderness Coalition) sent an email recently stating that they, with some Native American Tribes and other environmental groups, have intervened in the lawsuit to overturn the Chuckwalla National Monument on the side of the government. I don’t honestly know what they can bring to the table, but it adds some complexity to the lawsuit. At the end of President Biden’s term, he made the Chuckwalla National Monument. It is 624,000 acres in northern Imperial and eastern Riverside Counties. The monument and the lawsuit shouldn’t have much effect on off-road vehicle use, but we will keep an eye on it. The proclamation states that all routes will remain open until a management plan is created. That will likely take 10 plus years and will probably not close any currently open routes.

Ed Stovin, President
San Diego Off-Road Coalition

Read past President’s Messages