ISDE 8Upport effort underway
00
0')
WIST
America's weekly
motorcycle neWspaper
Sharon Clayton. Publisher
Caroline GeDdry. Ezecutive Secrftary to
the Publiobcr.
Victoria Smith, AdvenioiDg/Editoriai
Auiarant.
Editorial
Chari.. Morey. Managing Editor. Dale
Brown. Editor. Mark Kariya, Editor.
Advertising
Skip JohDoon. National Sal.. Manager.
Terry Pran, Sa1cd if _ponied by a sdf
a.wr-..t
IWDJlOd cmcIopc.
All un-
solicited material wiD be handled widt
raoonable: care. ' - ' - , Cycle: New.
_ _ 1lO tapODIibility r... the safety.
Ie. or damqc to .cit material. Reprinting in .bole: or pan only by per'
m_on or the publilbcn. Advcrtisintl
r.t~ and circulation information will be
ICDt upon request. Sec S.R.D.D.
Copyright. Cycle ...... Inc. 1111.
TI'lI~ Cycle News ..........
U.S. P.-nt 0ftIc:a. AI
.-vect.
ritIht8 ,.
ON THE FRONT PAGE: A
fun mechIne if 1here ever WM
one, the
&&0 8ec:8
joins • perty in peint on •
V.mII'"
Sunset B88Ch gIIl'lIg8 door.
Impl'lilion begins on p. 14.
Photo by Clwllts Morey.
4
Keep the Sequoie openl
Many of us have been riding the
Kern Plateau trails since the late '50 s.
There was trail damage at that time
but each passing year brought no mea:
Iluable damage increues, in most
caleS. Nature does heal to IOIDe degree.
Then in 1978, the ilI-advised and
notorious "Golden Trout Waldemess"
closures hit. In addition to the tre·
mendous amount of recreational ve·
hi?e trail lost (approximately 271
rml.es) , the effect on the remaining
n:ail netWOrk was immediate, and pre.
dictable: Overuse. causing bogs, rut·
ting, erosion. marsh damage and root
exposures, to name a few.
In the summer of 1980, new and
heavy Forest Service monitoring pro·
grams included photo and other ob·
servation points at every opportunity.
The results proved what recreational
trail riden have been talking about for
two yean. The sudden overload of URn
and resulting damage could only have
been a result of GTW closures, since
seasonal trail damage increues were
almost non-existent in the previous 10
yean. Even the peak '75-'74 use yean.
One point of which I believe there is
almost 110 user a~ ill the potential
of "Green Sticker" funding of National
Forest Service lands and trails. Motor·
cyclisu normally UIOCiate these
monies with BLM and Parks and
Recreation Dept. funding. We, and
other volunteer groups, will give of all
we can to protect and maintain the
~ ORV trail network and
recreationaf opportunities that the Kern
Plateau offen. But volunteer work
cannot do it all, as many of us might
hope.
There is almost nothing that money
can't IIOIve and Green Sticker funding
coUld be the catalyst to help complete
a long·term fint class trail network in
this area.
Our specific reasons why closures
should not take place in the Sequoia
National Forest (either temporarily or
permanent) are as follows:
1). Extreme.July 1 opening impact.
2). ~nrealistic - due to widely vary.
mg mow melt and yearly wet
weather pattenll. Variable, rath·
er than rigid (Il/I· 7/1) dates
Ibould be used.
5). M:my families ~re already com·
IDltted toJone 81 Sequoia vaca·
tion schedules that can't be
changed on such short notice.
4). Almost complete seasonal cbure
of the largest trail riding area in
Kcm Flat area - the traiIa north
of Troy Meadows and FIIb Creek
campgrounds. The 5/51/1 report
states 47 miles of trail closure seasonal and permanent - with
400 miles open. But it does not
indicate the groupings, and thus
true impact of closures.
5). Division of all FISh CreeklTroy
Meadows trail riden to the more
difficult and challenging Wood·
pecker, Siretta Peak and other
southside trails. Their use by aU
::L~ly riden will only cause
..
heavy ~ trail impact. in·
jW1eI, c:onp1OD and future clo·
sure studies.
6). Volunteer groups, Forest Service
penonnel and others, must be
given the opportunity to prove
what they can do to correct trail
damage problems for a IUIDIIIer
first. IT not effective, then it
would be reasonable to consider
cardu1ly certain closures, after
~ parties are given adequate
tune to complete c:ommeDts and
lies.
In
of importance, _ feel the
real answers are as follows:
1). Establish loop trails out of exist·
ing dead ends and trail heads
wherever JK-ible. as soon as it is
pouible.
2). Eaablish traiIa. to
mate at least that lost
GTW. This sbould drama .
reduce individual trail 0ftl"UIe.
5). Use volunteer help as much as
pceble. in not only physical trail
!abor, b~t i~ flanning and routIng. This Wll help to insure a
maximum recreational experience
of new ORV trails.
A combination of Forest Service
funding, "Green Sticker" monies
usage, and Forest Service/ORV
mutu~1 ~ooperation has potential of
establishing a forest trail netWOrk
similar to the best - Washington
State.
BILL HERNDON
President Vallejo M.C.
Los Angda. CA
:J:
5"
If you talk to anyone wbo has gone
to the Six Days you will hear the same
thing,. "there is" no support for our
Amencan team. The other countries
support their teams completely. If_
want to gain support from other
people outside the "motorcycle
people," we have to start with the
people
who
ride
or
enjoy
motorcycling. If _ don't support oar
American Six Day Team. why should
anyone else? At the Cal City Qualifier,
I made up a couple of signs and went
a~ and talked to people about
this. The response was very receptive.
On Saturday I collected money from
those who had money on them. I
collected $45.50. I received a check for
$250 the next Thunday and I'm
expecting three more checks now. I
doubt if they will be anything like this
check, but you can see people do care
and want to help.
We have a savings account set up at
Security Pacific Bank and checks
should be made out to "1981 Six Day
Team." We will be taking our signs
and collecting donations at the District
57 desert races and also the Baja 500.
Just a little bit of information for
those who are not aware, if the boys
are notfactory sponsored, they have to
pay thetr own way to the Six Days.
Check with Jeff Fredette and Man
Cullins, for just a couple. We need our
top riders to repraent the United
States of America if _ want to bring
home the Gold.
Send checks to 1981 Six Day Team,
clo Kathy Miller. 9601 Warburton
Drive, Huntington Beach. CA 92646.
714/962·6715, or contact Minnie
Aabcr.dt, 714/979-2455.
KATHY MILLER
Huntington Beach. CA
The AMA also has its own ISDE
Support FlUId going at P.O. Bo:c 141.
Waterw1le. OH 4J081. Also. til. thrtle·
_
"club teams" are
wvau, fIII_d
", til. AMA aftn clubs or groups arlo
most su/JllOf't tM A mme- ISDE
effort... E:ilitor.
LA. County OHV dt."..lopment7
Has anyone heard of L.A. County
developing off·road areas? I hadn't
until I read a copy of the letter from
the L.A. County Department of Parks
and Recreation in the Comments and
Responses to the Hungry Valley Plan.
It states, in part: "Due to the large
number of OHV users in Los ADgdes
County, this Department ill in the
process of developing two units. Our
San Gabriel project has received a
grant from the state's OHV Grants
~ an~ the Rowher Flats project
• m the enVlJ'ODJDeIltal documentatioD
phue."
IT you are interested in theIe areas,
CODtaCt:
County of Los A...aa
DepanmeDt of PUb and Recreation
ISS w. WubingtonBlvd.,
Room Il!OO .
Los Angda. CA 90051
215/744-4211
You might want to asIr. what kind of
public notification and participation
was used for the plannmg of these
areas.
ROBERT ALLESSI
La~dale,CA
