Ocotillo Wells Offroad Park Closing? HELP

Hi Tacoma World,

This is one of the most popular forums of vehicle enthusiasts that I frequent and I thought I would start a thread here to inform a country-wide audience.

Ocotillo Wells is one of the few places left in California that still allows open riding to Offroad enthusiasts. The area hosts Hundereds of Thousands of visitors each year and designates 85,000 Acres to be used specifically for Offroad Vehicle Use. The area has been used as such for almost 40 years and many families have grown here.

Now, environmental groups such as PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Action), and DPC (Desert Protective Council) are seeking legal action that would limit Offroaders' ability to use this land for its intended purpose.

Please help fight the action and give the Offroad community the reputation that it deserves, don't let these groups paint the picture that We as a whole are reckless and destructive. I fear that with no action or voice, the park could be limited to the size of what Pismo Beach is now.

Read the News stories here:

http://www.cbs8.com/story/22285653/whistleblower-claims-environmental-damage-at-ocotillo-wells

http://www.10news.com/news/environm...-off-road-vehicles-at-ocotillo-wells-05272013


Here is a petition set up at WhiteHouse.gov:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/pe...end-open-riding-ocotillo-wells-state/dP751xyj


Here is a Facebook Group being used to organize fund raising: I especially encourage everyone who recreates in California to join CORVA. The California OffRoad Vehicle Association is dedicated to preserving the community's rights:

http://www.corva.org/


And if you live in California, write your Senator. Here's a link to find you Representative:

http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/



PLEASE do what you can. All it takes is five minutes in most cases. WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

 

As a San Diego Socal native, I started offroading when i was 12 (43 years ago) & can attest that special interest groups have been trying (& in a lot of cases succeeding ) to get closure to about 70% -80% of ALL public access in regards to the off road community, it's not just the desert, it's agenda is to reduce all combined OHV areas by that percentage....folks, thats a shitload of land that you , I & every taxpayer that offroads have not only supported but have paid to maintain the parks as well.. & to those who would say " Thats Califs. problem." Don't believe that for a second, if it happens here (& it does) it'll happen anywhere, yes, even your state

Get pro active....get involved

 

I was #1905 of over 90k needed signatures! We need to all work together to keep our recreational areas open and safe. Please take a minute to sign the petition and another minute to write your local representatvie.

 

Signed it, good luck to you guys out there. We are looking at a shitload of closures here in southern NM. We are fighting tooth and nail to keep out trails.

 

There was a letter template I saw somewhere. I will try to find it and post here to make it easy to write your rep California people

 

Thanks for the link, this needs to get a lot of exposure. I hope every Tacomaworld member that reads this thread takes the 1 minute of time needed to create an account and sign the petition.

 

There is only 25 days to get the needed 97k signatures with only about 2k so far. We need to take a stand!

 

All the employees of Rebel Off Road, including myself have wrote letters to each of our representatives and senators, and Phil Jenkins, the Chief of the OHMVR regarding the legal action against Ocotillo Wells. Though I did not grow up riding in Ocotillo, I am now a part of a family of wheelers that call Ocotillo Wells their second home. I'm standing up and taking any action I can to save our one precious off road heaven here in Southern California.

I received a generic response from Mr. Jenkins this morning, saying the following:

Dear Matt,

Thank you for your letters of support, and for all that you do to sustain our program. While I am unable to comment on the specifics of this case, I can assure you and those who enjoy Ocotillo Wells SVRA that we will defend our interests. The PEER lawsuit threatens our current land management scheme and alleges that we have failed to follow our legislative mandates. These issues are particularly important given the pending finalization of the new Ocotillo Wells SVRA General Plan which we are deeply concerned with completing. Please continue to enjoy our State Parks and Recreation Areas, and remember to ride responsively by staying safe and protecting our natural resources.


Phil Jenkins, Division Chief
916-324-5801
OHMVR Division
California State Parks

 

signed !

 

signed.