Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Page 26 , , ~ The Fedsand dirt riding Continued from page 18 about it, Turcott stated that any input from ORV enthusillsts pointing out the biases in for example, University of California proposals, would be carefully recorded and considered during review of the conservationist input in question. Just how widespread nationally are BLM programs similar to the one now affec,ting use of the California Desert so drastically? "There's a somewhat similar program in Southern Nevada, which is fully in step with what's going on in California. There are parts of Arizona, also, and isolated areas in Utah, near Salt Lake City, where about the same approach is being taken. Once you get past those geographic areas, there isn't anything else like it, 1) because of the desert-like nature of the resource itself, and 2) because of the population pressure. The population areas and the desert are right there - where one stops, the other begins." The BLM is also concerned with smaller scale ORV activity areas, such as hillclimbing and associated erosion in Northern Nevada, Wyoming, parts of Utah, Montana, and other states. The Bureau also deals with snowmobile use, but by and large the greatest BLM ORV related activities are focused in the Southwest, mostly California. The biggest BLM move so far, as far as ORVs are concerned, is working on the implementation of the Executive Order sent to the masses by President Nixon (with a little help from his friends in the AMA Political- Fron tierslRe-elect-the-President program). The proposed BLM regulations and public comments made on that proposal are still being processed into the final regulations. Many people are. still wondering whethel" the BLM final regulations will feature one of the old "closed until studied and opened" or "open until studied and closed" arguments concerning land management. Turcott responded, "We feel that properly managed off-road vehicle use on the unreserved public doman lands that the BLM administers is a legitimate use. I just don't see how the philosophical argument that has so polarized various segments of those interested in ORV use, closed until open or open until closed, is all of the formula that has to be con si dered. There is aaother overriding problem. If we were to take the extreme polarized side that all lands are closed until open, there is no way that this Bureau or this Departmen t could possibly police such a thing, and carry out such a policy. On the other hand we have the other extreme, open until closed. If that means open to all kinds of use that is not proper or managed, we can't buy that extreme either. There is going to have to be some management, some constraint, some mutual consistency in approach to ORV use, on the unreserved public domain. If nothing else, the President has told us this (in EO 11644). We're (the BLM) right in the middle. We're trying to come down with some procedures and some policies that make common sense, at least to start with. Then we'll learn as we go along from there. As for the extremism on both sides - no way." Some AMA District 37 officials have suggested that the BLM should make a fee distinction between clubs promoting a competition event for fun and a promoter running an event for profit. Turcott pointed out that it costs the BLM money to work with clubs, too, as far as paying BLM employees' salaries, developing routes, providing dos and don'ts for the club for the specific course, developing specific rehabilitation methods for after the event, and so on. Not only is it only fair to the tax payers to extract a use fee for these BLM expenses, but the BLM operates under a law which directs it to collect fees if not prohibited by other specific legislation. The only way to make a distinction between clubs and ·professional promoters would be to raise promoter rates through a system of variable rates, and thus get away from an easily, cheaply administered flat rate , '- system like they use now. The BLM did experiment with a sliding scale fee system along the lines of 2%, 3%,4% of the gross and on up, and the system caused a lot of administrative hassles. "It has been considered," Turcott said, "and I don't say that in the ensuing years, as we get .more and more experienced in this kind of thing, and more and more people are involved, that we won't have to make some kind of a differentiation. Perhaps we'll have to go to a percent of the gross in some situations and a flat rate in others. Right now, with the number of events in the Southern California area, we just don't have the people that can go in, take the time and sit over the bookkeeping of some promoter to get at this percent of the gross thing. There has been some consideration of the group that just meets expenses and does it for fun, and that's one of the reasons Mr. Penny cut the California fee in half." One thing that the cencerned representatives of M.O.R.E. that I met with before journeying to Washington was a rumor that the final BLM general regulations would not limit the requirement for a SLUP to organized competitive events with 25 or nlOre riders. They were afraid that, as they put it, the following scenario could take place: A car driving down a road next to BLM land has a flat tire, pulls off onto BLM land, and that constitutes an even t; The driver jumps out, tells the passenger to get the jack as he gets the spare tire, and that's organization, so the whole affair is an organized even t that requires a SLUP. Asked about this example, Mike Monroe, in the meeting with Turcott, said "The national regula tions propose 25 or more riders." Turcott scowled in disbelief. ''That's not true," he said, UThat's a good horror story. I know the technique." Their reponse to ORV group tales of Sierra Clubbers sandblasting off Indian rock painting because they didn't like the graffitti was about the same. Unqualified, unsubstan tiated rumor has no place in the motorcyclist's quest for credibility in the politics of off·road biking. Turcott, in closing up the interview, expressed interest in the psychological considerations behind the tremendous upswing in the popularity of off·road motorcycling. "If we could really find ou t what all is behind this tremendous movement, we might be able to get at some of the rational to find this middle ground (between the extremes on each side). It (ORV use) is here, and it's not going to go away. I don't think we understand the basic causes of the phenomenon. "However" he cautioned, "unmanaged ORV use of the public land cannot be countenanced. Yet, don't let anybody ever say that we don't recognize managed ORV use as a legitimate use. There may be restraints in certain places, places of restrain t to individual use or small group use, and even complete closure in some places where the resource itself is too fragile. Also, don't let anybody forget that the most fragile ecosystelJl in Northern America is the Southern California Mojave Desert. It can tolerate the I.;'ast distnrbance before everything starts unraveling." Some last minute information as I left BLM headquarters in D.C., was that several past and present policy-level BLM officials are dirt riders, and, in his younger days, Turcott was one, too. There it is. The recen t1y released Desert-plan for California is just the first part of many occurrences that will affect ORV use in America in the next mon ths, years and decades leading towards the next century. A large par.t of what happens may depend upon how well you communicate to those charged with implementing EO 11644, which our dear President bestowed upon us, your desires and experiences. Another part will depend on how well conservationists present their concerns. It could, although it will never happen even though many people would like to see it, usher in a new age of conservationist/off-roader cooperation with the highest levels of the agencies involved to reach a middle ground. Whatever the outcome, it will be well proven that no desert or trail rider can escape the poli tics of off.road motorcyclinR. • October 16, 1973 Grind and "bear",it? The Golden Bear Endurance Test By Larry Langley SOGGY DRY LAKE, CAL., OCT. 7 The CERA Golden Bear Enduro should rightfully be called an endurance test. This year, bowing to rider pressure, CERA did not include the famous (or dreaded) sand' hill. However, all the usual sand and rocks that Ed White is famous for were included. We arrived at the pits at Soggy Dry Lake early Saturday night after jarring everything loose in my trailer down that Godawful trail they laughingly refer to as a "road!'. The pits were located on the dry lake itself and the riders instruction included a warning to look out for planes landing on the lake. After setting up camp we rode our bikes over to the impound area. CERA had an inspection to pass, then we pushed our bikes into the roped off area not to see them again until 15 minutes before our key time. Our alarm clock was the the tll'st riders off, at about 6 :20 a.m. Since we were on number 50 we had about 40 minutes to get ready. The usual butterflies ,were present so we skipped breakfast thinking we could grab a bite to eat after the flrst loop since we had a 30 minute break coming. That was a mistake. Since it was a cold engine start, we weren't allowed in to the pits until 15 minutes before our starting time. Loop One I was elated when my bike fired right off. I rode across the penalty line and head.ed down the dry la«e for a long 151 miles of CERA Golden Bear Enduro, at 25 MPH all the way. After crossing the dry lake, the course branched off in to some small hills and right into the sun. The combination of dust and sun was murder until you turned into a sand wash (the tll'st of many). Hitting the five mile check at 4.8 miles, we discovered we would have to adjust .2 mile every ,five miles. Leaving the five mile check we started doing some serious time keeping and soon thereafter we hit the tll'st check at 7.2 miles. Bad news. Their flip card had me three minutes early and needless to say I wasn't too happy. Now I don't claim to be the best time keeper in the world, but since I left the five mile check on time I figured it w","sn't too probabl~ I could make up 1.2 miles in only 2.2 miles, especially since the terrain was extremely tight at 24 MPH. Oh well, maybe they will throw it out. It's not the best way to start off an enduro, though. The rest of the first loop went well. Antieipating the first special test of .the enduro, the uphill speed test, CERA ran through some rotten dippity·doo terrain to wear you out before the tmish of the loop. The plan allowed 12'f1 minutes to complete the uphill test and they have a 30 minute break before starting the second loop. However CERA miscaJculated the amount of time required to get all the riders up the hill. -when we got there, there was a great mob of riders in line and it looked like a long wait. It was. We used up the 12'f1 minutes plus the 30 minute break. The hill was harder than it looked. Loop Two All we had time for was to dash to the pits, throw some gas in the bikes and take off on the second loop three minutes late. We really had to hump to catch up befc.re the first check. The trail got in to the sand dunes and did a lot of cross·country stuff before you came upon a tricky sand/rock uphill which was giving people fits. There had to be a check at the top. I was unhappy to 1e... n I disagreed with their milage by .6! (Here's another one for you to check Ed!) From here it took off over hill and sand, as the course made its way to the emergency gas check (it was a long 64 mile loop). Then you did some more sand rock running until you came to the best part of the enduro. CERA took you up into the hills on some rocky mining roads, over rock ridges (all this at 24 MPH), and finally into the last check where the cross country special test was to begin. Again I was scored three minutes early. Everyone I talked to agreed this one was cuckoo. The preceding 10 "Uh. well. lemme see•. .1 had it he.. a minute ago. Do I really need that little card.."

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