Home

admin-sdorc2026-08-18T10:09:24-07:00

August Land Use Update

Safety Bill
The OHV safety bill running this year has died. It was killed in the last committee, Senate Appropriation. To me, this is a huge blow to the OHV community. Why? Most of us who go off-roading in recent years have noticed a dramatic increase in bad behavior out on the trails. Not only have the off-roaders noticed, but the people who manage land for off-roading have seen it. When this behavior gets out of hand, people ask the land managers what they will do to correct it. The land managers’ hands are tied to some degree; their budgets don’t allow for extensive law enforcement and voluntary action is largely ignored. The consensus within the OHV community, land managers and State Parks OHMVR Division is that the only way to get to the problem people is to require training. Not long, hard or expensive training, but training nonetheless. It has been shown that OHV users operate more safely and responsibly after training. The bill that just died had been crafted by a wide variety of OHV advocates, some of whom had careers in agencies that manage OHV. I don’t yet understand why this bill, that is cost neutral and makes common sense training, died. I do know that at least one OHV organization is celebrating the stopping of this bill as a victory for the OHV community. It is not a victory and every preventable annoyance, injury, trespass and fatality might have been prevented if those involved had received training. Pushing mandatory training back another year does no one in our community any good.

Lost Lizard
Pre-registration for the November 7 2026 Lost Lizard Fun Run is now open and you can reserve your spot and T-shirt and save a couple dollars. We will once again be crossing Wheeler Road and the famous Superstition Dry Lake. Expect a 20-mile loop with an extra, difficult trail going in the sand on Superstition Mountain. We will be hosting seven checkpoints again and the raffle prizes are starting to pile up. Base camp will be at The Dip right off Huff Road just north of Wheeler. https://sdorc.org/fun-run-2026/

4X4 Meetup
SDORC will be hosting 4X4 meetups on the last Friday of the month in East County. We will bring our rigs and talk about our vehicles, trails, trips and anything else in a casual setting. Find us on the Meetup App https://www.meetup.com/home/ or our social media. We had a dozen cool rigs and nice people at our first one, so look us up.

Sand Sports Super Show
We are excited to be hosting a booth at the Sand Sports Super Show this September 18-20. This is the big one and just up the road at the Orange County Fairgrounds. There will be hundreds of off-road vehicle related vendors showing their products. You can talk to the people who make and sell the products and enjoy some great show deals. We will be in spot 1022 in building 10 right across from Funco. We want to thank Bonnier for hosting such a great show. https://www.sandsportssupershow.com/

Ed Stovin, Director of Land Use
San Diego Off-Road Coalition

admin-sdorc2026-08-18T10:43:00-07:00

July Land Use Update

National Monument Reductions
President Donald Trump signed executive proclamations under the Antiquities Act to drastically reduce the boundaries of two major national monuments in southern Utah: Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Bears Ears National Monument was reduced from 1.36 million acres down to about 121,000 acres and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was reduced from 1.87 million acres down to about 181,500 acres. The creation of these and other national monuments as well as their recent reductions was done by United States presidents under the Antiquities Act. These monuments were made by President Clinton and Obama, then greatly reduced by President Trump in his first term, both were restored by President Biden and just now reduced by Trump again.

Proponents of the reduction say that it allows resource extraction like mining, grazing, oil production and route construction. Opponents say monuments are required to protect sacred spiritual, cultural, and ancestral sites. Within the Antiquities Act is an important phrase “smallest area compatible.” It is hard to argue that 1.87 million acres are required to protect valuable and sensitive resources.

What is important to us who love the trail is how does this affect routes? The proclamation does not specify that routes are to be closed, however, it does say that management plans must be created. At that point, these plans can easily call for routes to be closed. In addition to that, routes may require extensive environmental review to remain open, which agencies may not have the money or willpower to do. These designations also do not allow for new routes to be made.

To support the reductions, any resource extracting projects that are proposed for this land must pass pretty strict environmental reviews. Also, interested parties that actually find sensitive resources on this land can tell the BLM, who will then note the resources and protect them should any proposed project come to that area.

There is a lawsuit running as we speak challenging the president’s ability to designate these giant monuments. The lawsuit was filed by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Mountain States Legal Foundation on behalf of two primary plaintiffs: Daniel Torongo, a Michigan resident whose family holds long-standing mineral and mining claims in the Chuckwalla Mountains, and the Blue Ribbon Coalition. The plaintiffs argue that President Biden exceeded his statutory authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act when he designated the monument (spanning roughly 624,000 acres in Riverside and Imperial Counties in California). The suit is still in early stages, and the court has allowed five tribal nations and nine environmental groups to file for intervener status. We hope this lawsuit can put an end to these expansive monument designations, including several that are in the pipeline awaiting the right (or wrong) president.

Thorn Fire
I received a call from Matt Lohr from the BLM El Centro office saying that the Lark Canyon OHV area will be closed for the weekend (July 19-20) because of a nearby wildfire. We are pleased to report that the fire has been 100% contained and did not make it to the OHV area. Lark Canyon has reopened for all you singletrack motorcycle riders (like me).

Lost Lizard Fun Run
Plans are shaping up for another great Lost Lizard Fun Run. We expect the route to cross Wheeler road again this year and are looking forward to having seven checkpoints around the 20-mile course. Pre-entry should be open as you read this, so signup early, and reserve your shirts for one of the most anticipated events of the year. In the coming months we will highlight our checkpoint hosts and raffle prize donations. I look forward to seeing all of you at the event on November 7 2026 at The Dip right off Huff Road just north of Wheeler. We are having meetings to plan the details of the event (the meetings are a lot of fun and you are invited). To sign up and see what it is all about go to https://sdorc.org/fun-run-2026/

Public Lands Rule
The Bureau of Land Management’s Conservation and Landscape Health Rule—commonly known as the Public Lands Rule—was finalized in May 2024 to place conservation on an equal statutory footing with traditional resource development (such as grazing, mining, oil/gas extraction, and motorized recreation). This was harshly criticized by recreation and extraction communities. The 2024 rule allowed conservation to be formally designated as a standalone “use” of public lands under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). The rescission removes this framework, returning to traditional definitions of multiple-use that prioritize active utilization, such as grazing, mineral extraction, and recreation. We would like to thank president Trump for rescinding this overreaching rule and restoring management of the land to the BLM as it was designed by FLPMA.

Ed Stovin, Director of Land Use
San Diego Off-Road Coalition

admin-sdorc2026-07-01T17:00:26-07:00

June Land Use Update

Oceano Dunes
Great news! Oceano Dunes is open for off-roading. After only six weeks of closure, California’s only OHV area on the beach is open. The April closure was the result of a 2020 Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit claiming State Parks was operating without an incidental take permit to protect endangered and threatened species there. The Park submitted a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) (which Parks had been working on for many years) to the Fish and Wildlife Service at the beginning of this year. It was surprising that the judge issued the order to close the park, given that the State had already completed the HCP. Fish and Wildlife reviewed the plan and issued an incidental take permit in May, allowing the park to reopen. We hope they got some dirty air quality samples with no one using OHVs there to show the bad air quality is from nature, not OHV use.

In not so good news at Oceano Dunes, Friends of Oceano Dunes (FoOD) decided to dismiss their Implied Dedication lawsuit. The legal cost of the suit was more than they could afford. FoOD asserted that because enthusiasts had been freely driving and camping across the dunes for decades before the state purchased the property, a permanent public easement was created.

Rubicon Trail
There is some controversy at the Rubicon Trail. A section of the trail has been identified as “unstable”. If the area were to collapse, the trail would be impassable. The Forest Service wants to make a reroute around the area. Some nearby landowners (who love to go 4-wheeling) believe the section can be adequately repaired quicker and for a lower cost. There were some passionate comments during a recent OHV commission meeting. I suspect the Forest Service reroute will take place. We will see.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP)
Some may remember when the Sunrise Powerlink tried to go through ABDSP, but was stopped by people (like the Anza-Borrego Foundation) because it would ruin the beautiful views in the park, especially going up the Montezuma Grade on S22. There is a new project called the Golden Pacific Powerlink that would bring renewable energy from Imperial Valley to customers closer to the coast to the north. While this would not threaten off-road vehicle routes, it would definitely threaten the beautiful views in ABDSP. There are about 500 miles of dirt roads in ABDSP and I think we all would like to keep the views. Click here for more details.

Glamis News
Polaris, maker of UTVs and other OHVs, owns 143 acres around the Glamis Store and they want to develop the area. We just learned about the project, which will make substantial changes to the area around the Glamis Store. Here are some of the things they want to do on their land:

Recreational – These include an Adventure Center (OHV training, OHV rentals, etc.), amusement facilities, desert tours, racetrack, shooting range, and park/playground/picnic area.

Commercial/Retail – Fuel stations, rental facilities, sporting goods stores, and RV park(s) to accommodate a small number of users that desire to have conveniences not found in open dry camping.

Storage – OHV and RV storage

Entertainment – Could include an obstacle course, fireworks display area, and racetrack.

Hospitality – Hospitality land uses may include medical services facility, mobile food trucks, tourist information center, public showers, public restrooms, and hotel/motel facilities.

Residential – Temporary housing in Glamis. Guest, employee housing, seasonal private residences and temporary use of RVs.

Renewable Energy – Solar generation facilities (including battery storage).

Infrastructure improvements – Existing water and wastewater facilities will need to be improved. The GSPA will allow for the development of utility buildings, utility substation(s), and water/wastewater treatment facilities.

Research & Development (R&D) Facility – This facility will allow Polaris to test their equipment in a natural and private setting.

The environmental work for the project has been completed and we will see it start to be implemented soon. Click here for more details.

Tire Efficiency Program
Assembly Bill 844 from 2003 directs the California Energy Commission (CEC) to adopt a replacement tire efficiency program “designed to ensure that replacement tires sold in the state are at least as energy efficient, on average, as tires sold in the state as original equipment on new passenger cars and light-duty trucks.” Replacement tires are those purchased by drivers to replace existing tires. The tires sold with new vehicles are referred to as original equipment tires. Testing commissioned by the CEC shows that original equipment tires are more efficient than replacement tires. This mandate sat quietly since 2003, but was recently acted upon.

Exemptions

Under the formal draft text released by the CEC, multiple categories protect off-road vehicles, trail rigs, and recreational dirt sports:

Dedicated Off-Road Recreational Vehicles: The draft rules explicitly state that the regulations do not include “a tire manufactured specifically for use on an off-road motorized recreational vehicle” (which includes sand buggies, dune buggies, ATVs, and UTVs/ROVs under California Vehicle Code section 500).

Motorcycles: Two-wheeled vehicles are entirely outside the scope of this program. Dirt bikes, dual-sports, and adventure bikes are unaffected.

Deep-Tread Tires: “Deep tread tires.” are exempt. This protects aggressive, heavy-ply Mud-Terrain (M/T) tires and specialized rock-crawling rubber. Because these tires inherently require deep, blocky treads to dig into dirt, silt, and rocks—which increases street rolling resistance—the CEC carved them out entirely.

Heavy Duty Load Ratings: Tires with a load index of 122 or greater (or rated for maximum loads exceeding 1,450 kg / 3,196 lbs) are excluded. This shields heavy-duty work trucks and large overland rigs that require commercial-grade weight capacities.

While pure off-road tires are exempt, there is a gray area for All-Terrain (A/T) tires designed for dual-purpose street and trail use on light trucks and SUVs (tires carrying the “LT” designation).

Phase 1 will begin January of 2028. New replacement tires sold in CA must meet the baseline rolling resistance max and the mandatory wet-grip safety floor.

Phase 2 will begin January 2031. The much stricter, tier-two rolling resistance ceiling takes effect.

Click here for more information.

Safety Bill
SB1613 is at the State Senate now. There has been some controversy regarding whether to include street legal vehicles. We argued at the beginning that street legal vehicles were not really part of the problem and should be left out. One advocate strongly argued that any vehicle operating in a green sticker area should be required to have safety training. The bill was amended to incorporate street legal early on. Groups supporting the current bill recently received significant pushback from the 4X4 community saying street legal should be left out. At the recent OHV Safety Summit, I spent time with the BLM State OHV manager. He told me that more than half the law enforcement stops at the Dunes are with street legal vehicles. From his comments, we have softened our resistance to including street legal vehicles requiring training. Training will likely take between 45 minutes to an hour, cost $25 and be done online.

Ed Stovin, Director of Land Use
San Diego Off-Road Coalition