OHMVR Grant Cycle

OHV Grant Funding

The grant cycle has started. Several agencies have help open houses to ask the users what they want done with their trails this summer.

Please take the time to contact your local office and provide polite input as to how you would like to fee your funds spent.

The CA Off Road Vehicle Association (CORVA) has moved forward on the effort to renew the grant program. This great program was scheduled to sunset after this year. These funds are critical for us to maintain our trails and keep them safe and thus open.

 

CORVA is proud to announce the introduction of AB 1077, a bill to reauthorize the OHV program in California authored by Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach).  CORVA has been working with the California Motorized Recreation Council to have this important bill introduced. AB 1077 reauthorizes the Off Highway Motorized Vehicle Recreation Division that manages our State Vehicular Recreation Areas and OHV Trust Fund Grant Program, used by federal, county and city agencies across the state to keep off-road opportunities open in California.

We ask all our members to contact their legislative representatives NOW to express their support for the bill. Those who live in District 70 represented by Assemblyman O’Donnell are asked to thank the Assemblyman for authoring and introducing the bill. Click on the link below to find your legislators

The entire (short) bill text can be found here: Read Bill. It is usually short and just removes the provision that details the sun-setting of the program.

It wouldn’t hurt to have you contact your representatives to ask for their support of this bill. This bill does not use general taxes for funding, the funding comes from sales and green sticker fees. It is self contained.

 

Rubicon Ronin


Rubicon conditions

Rubicon

I’m continuing to follow the saga of the stuck rigs on the Rubicon. An effort was made this past weekend to reach them but it fell short due to mechanical failures. But they got to in quite a ways considering conditions.

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Yes, that is the staging area and the two twelve foot tall pit toilets!

I’m assuming the photo below is the creek at water bar number eight, the first Arizona crossing on the trail.

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That would be a cold, deep crossing on a Quad!

Please remember that this will be a very late OHV season. All trails will be very wet and probably not open on time. One can be cited for damaging the forest even while on an OHV trail. Always Tread Lightly!

Be patient, summer will get here.

 

Rubicon Ronin

FYI – Lake Tahoe has already risen three feet this year! And Spring isn’t here yet!

 


4wpw Grand Re-Opening

4WPW

Yesterday, Four Wheel Parts Wholesalers (4WPW) in Sparks, held a Grand Re-Opening. Sorry I didn’t post about it earlier but I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal. It turned out there was quite a large turnout.

There were several 4wd clubs represented, more than a half dozen vendors, free lunch, raffle prizes and entertainment in the form of people play on the wrecked cars and boulder garden with their rigs. The most entertaining was the guy in a full size extended cab who got majorly stuck on the cars.

The booth always seemed to have a crowd. That’s because I let the Tahoe Donner 4wd Club put up a banner and recruit new members. They are the most active 4wd club I know of. And yes, I’m a member. TD 4 Wheelers website

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I was displaying the same old stuff: Rubicon maps, fliers, t-shirts. It was a good day and I talked to a lot of people who had no idea there were so many side trails off the Rubicon on the Tahoe side.

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If you missed this one, 4WPW will be holding a similar event Saturday, March 11th. They are advertising it as a membership drive.

And another reminder, the Reno Motorsport Show will be happening March 17, 18 & 19.

 

Rubicon Ronin

 


ENF to hold open house for grant input

The Eldorado National Forest (ENF) just put out an email about an open house regarding the OHV rant process.

This is a good opportunity for the user to tell the forest service how we want our grant funds spent. Regarding the greater ‘Tahoe side Rubicon area trails’, there is only one trail, the Richardson Lake Trail that runs up to Sourdough Hill. Currently, that trail has maintenance well in hand, been adopted by a motivated user, and should be good for years to come.

ENF does a huge amount of work on the Rubicon itself in cooperation with El Dorado County. There are a few spots along the trail that could use some work (read as fill material) in order to prevent temporary closures due to running/standing water on the trail. These efforts should be emphasized and supported.

The old saying is “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain”. This is similar, if you don’t take the time to inform the forest service what you want to see them do for your trails, don’t complain when it doesn’t happen. ‘m sure there is a way to email in any thoughts or comments you have if you can’t make the meeting.

It didn’t copy and paste well but here it is…

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U.S. Forest Service

Eldorado National Forest
100 Forni Road

Placerville, CA  95667

Web: www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado

Twitter:@EldoradoNF

Facebook: www.facebook/EldoradoNF

     image   News Release

Contact: 

Kristi Schroeder, (530) 622-5061

 

For Immediate Release
Date: February 1, 2017
Public invited to Eldorado National Forest Open House to discuss Off-Highway Vehicle grant applications
Placerville, CA – The Eldorado National Forest will be submitting applications for Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Cooperative Funds for the upcoming 2016/2017 grant cycle.  The Forest is developing preliminary applications to the Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division which includes a strong emphasis on trail maintenance and repair, law enforcement across the four Ranger Districts, printing and distribution of the Motor Vehicle Use Maps, restoration of impacted areas, planning, and education.
As your ideas are important for developing our proposals, the Forest will be hosting an Open House on February 8 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM to discuss the proposed preliminary grant applications.  This Open House will be held at the Eldorado National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 100 Forni Road, Placerville, CA 95667.  You can call (530) 622-5061 for directions.
The Eldorado National Forest has been successful in being awarded grants from the OHMVR Division in previous grant cycles.  The grants have helped address trail repair and clearing of downed trees on over 300 miles of OHV routes and law enforcement patrol on an additional 900 miles of native surface roads on the Forest, provided for the printing of free Motor Vehicle Use Maps, as well as other planning, development, and restoration activities.
Once completed, the preliminary grant applications will be available on the OHMVR website on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 through Monday, April 3, 2017 for review and comment. To review the grant applications submitted go to http://olga.ohv.parks.ca.gov/egrams_ohmvr/user/home.aspx
The public may provide electronic comments to the Eldorado National Forest (applicant) by e-mailing both Michelle Zuro-Kreimer at mzurokreimer@fs.fed.us and carbon copying (cc) the OHMVR Division at ohvinfo@parks.ca.gov.  You may also send written comments, suggestions, or letters of support for the applications to Michelle Zuro-Kreimer, Eldorado National Forest, 100 Forni Road, Placerville, CA  95667.
FS
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U.S. Forest Service – Eldorado National Forest, 100 Forni Rd., Placerville, CA 95667
Sent by kschroeder@fs.fed.us in collaboration with

 

 


Snow is a four letter word

It’s official, this season of storms at Tahoe has brought more snow than the HUGE ’82-’83 winter some of us remember. And it’s only January! Many locals are using four letter words to describe the amount of snow.

Driving around on 89 you already get the feeling there’s a lot of snow. Turning in to the Tahoma residential area. The smaller roads are plowed with clean streets and steep, sheer walls.

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A little further in, the roads are not much narrower and not as clean. I’m assuming they will get cleaned as time allows. Crews were working in the area as I was driving around.

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When you get to the Rubicon trailhead, you understand the issues facing those who would like to go play in the snow on the Rubicon. The berm at the trailhead is currently about 11 feet tall! (My truck is about six feet tall.)

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Looking up and down the street, not all of the other berms seem as tall.

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If you poke your head around the backside of the Rubicon berm, you see that the snow naturally on the ground is four, maybe five feet deep.

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This morning, I sat down with Placer County Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery at her monthly coffee meet & great that she holds every fourth Thursday of the month in Tahoe City.

She had already been made aware of the situation and we discussed options for dealing with the situation.

Since we don’t know who piled the snow there (Placer is firm that their plow drivers do not dump snow there.), we can’t go after anyone yet. Placer does not have the resources to place someone there to watch. A game camera has been suggested, but if it was placed when mentioned, it would be under snow right now.

I’ve asked for a “No Snow Dumping” sign with the proper County ordinance and fines listed. Montgomery was open to the idea.

This year might be too late to get a program in place to keep the trail open but I’m hoping for written agreements for next season.

Always travel/wheel prepared for anything. Carry food, water, a change of clothes, phone, ham radio, sleeping bag, etc.

 

Rubicon Ronin