OHMVR Grant Funds at Risk
Posted: December 14, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: CORVA, education, grant Leave a commentAs a new CORVA (CA Off-Road Vehicle Assoc.) Field Representative, I felt the responsibility to phone in to and participate in the Board of Directors meeting Monday night. It is an open meeting, anyone call phone in and participate or just listen. For the most part, it was your typical meeting reviewing minutes, President’s report, old business, etc.
The one thing that jumped out at me was someone (sorry I didn’t note who brought it up) spoke about the new CA Senate Bill SBX1-1. Look it up. (I think there’s a similar one in the Assembly.) In a nut shell, it proposes the ability to change the allocation of the gas tax revenues that usually funds CA State Parks OHVMR grants to be used for all things vehicle related such as general highway repair, adding bicycle lanes to state roads, etc.
I’m not a legal scholar, so I’ve provided a link to the bill below for you to review the bill as well as copied the two paragraphs from the bill that I think sum it up:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520161SB1
(8) Article XIX of the California Constitution requires gasoline excise tax revenues from motor vehicles traveling upon public streets and highways to be deposited in the Highway Users Tax Account, for allocation to city, county, and state transportation purposes. Existing law generally provides for statutory allocation of gasoline excise tax revenues attributable to other modes of transportation, including aviation, boats, agricultural vehicles, and off-highway vehicles, to particular accounts and funds for expenditure on purposes associated with those other modes, except that a specified portion of these gasoline excise tax revenues is deposited in the General Fund. Expenditure of the gasoline excise tax revenues attributable to those other modes is not restricted by Article XIX of the California Constitution.
This bill, commencing July 1, 2016, would instead transfer to the Highway Users Tax Account for allocation to state and local transportation purposes under a specified formula the portion of gasoline excise tax revenues currently being deposited in the General Fund that are attributable to boats, agricultural vehicles, and off-highway vehicles. Because that account is continuously appropriated, the bill would make an appropriation.
This could be a huge blow to funding OHV maintenance and repair. Along with this bill, the entire OHMVR program is coming up for review (it will go away unless it gets voted to continue) and the OHMVR division will be rolled into the CA State Park system and no longer be a different division.
These are a lot of changes facing our grant source all at one time.
CORVA is on it. They are already voicing support to renew the OHMVR program. They are keeping an eye on how this system will be managed under CA State Parks directly. And they are aware of and will work to correct any bill that would defund or reduce funds to our OHV grant program.
As a life member of CORVA, I would ask that you help support the efforts of CORVA in this issue and the many others that CORVA champions. www.CORVA.org
Rubicon Ronin
“Turn Around, don’t Go Around”
Posted: October 24, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentSo, “Turn Around, don’t Go Around” has been the unofficial motto of this website. This weekend it came in to play twice. The first time, we didn’t go around, we cleared the trail. The second time we turned around.
Traveling down to Rubicon Springs Saturday morning (10-22-16), we came up to a rather large tree across the trail.
In two different places, people who didn’t know any better or were to lazy or unequipped to deal with the situation, drove around the tree.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to photo our method but a single winch line and a snatch block was all that was needed to clear the trail.
The tree will need a more permanent solution but I think it will wait until spring.
The rocks should hold the tree off the trail until we can cut it up and remove it completely from the trail.
At the bottom of Cadillac Hill, we turned on to the Long Lake Trail to check conditions. We didn’t get too far and found trees down. We cleared a few and kept going. Then we got to this:
At this point stopped driving and walked in to the campground along the river to check things out.
We had a chainsaw if we really had to go down this trail but we were planning on camping in the springs anyway.
The Hi-Lo’s will ad this to our schedule and try to get the trail cleared as soon as possible.
Did I mention the Springs…
After probably ten inches of rain in the previous week, there were puddles everywhere. Also evidence of the river rising out of the banks and moving toilets, wood and misc. debris down stream.
We camped along the slabs.
Rubicon Ronin
Fire Restrictions
Posted: July 9, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentFYI,
Fire restriction are in place now on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. They started July 1st.
Fire restrictions start on the Tahoe National Forest July 11th.
Eldorado Forest fire restrictions started July 21st.
You can have a propane grill but you still need a permit.
No welding while fire restrictions are in place. Maybe on private property WITH PERMISSION. Have water and shovels ready at all times.
New TNF Supervisor
Posted: March 2, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Tom Quinn has retired and Eli Ilano has been named his replacement
Eli was deputy on the Lake Tahoe Basin from 2007 to 2009. In 2010, he became the deputy on the Tahoe National Forest. In January of 2016, he was named acting supervisor of the TNF. Just last month he was named the Supervisor for the TNF.
So, he has a lot of local knowledge. I’m hoping his close relationships with the LTBMU will bring in a new era of cooperation and communication between the TNF and the LTBMU that has not existed up to this point.
The link below takes you to the story copied below:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tahoe/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD491608
NEVADA CITY, Calif. – Eli Ilano has been selected as the new Forest Supervisor on the Tahoe National Forest. He has been the Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Tahoe since 2010.
Ilano brings years of natural resource and public land management experience. Before coming to the Tahoe National Forest, he was Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in South Lake Tahoe. His past experience also includes working for the Bureau of Land Management, United States Senate, and non-profit sector, in communities around the country, focusing on natural resource issues.
Eli earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1995, and master’s degrees in Environmental Policy and Landscape Architecture and City and Regional Planning, from the University of California at Berkeley in 2001.
“I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to lead a great team of passionate and dedicated Forest Service employees on such a beautiful forest,” said Ilano. “The Tahoe National Forest is many things to many people.”
Ilano has been the Acting Forest Supervisor for the Tahoe National Forest since January 3, 2016, when former Forest Supervisor Tom Quinn retired after 8 years with the Forest.
Fire Restrictions Reinstated on the ENF!
Posted: October 15, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentIt seems the Eldorado National Forest got a little heat (pun intended) for lifting fire restrictions earlier this month.
They cite the forecast of dry weather for the change.
Link to the recent press release: Fire Restrictions
What ever the reason, it was the right move as all forests are still extremely dry.
Always be fore safe even if you’re only using a propane stove.
The 'Other' Rubicon 