Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

When bikes and society collide: The Randsburg dilemma By Paul Carruthers 1L used to be that an off-road motorcyclist could ride out of the desert, down the streets of Randsburg, California to reach local stores and businesses for a drink or snack. But now a police (Tackdown ami a proposal to make' the l-< pract ice leg-'ll is shaping- up inlo a 0. bilter bailie. The merchanls association of Randshurg- - a small desert 10l\'n midway Ix,tw('en Barsto\\· and Ridg-eCrl'Sl- has asked Kern Counly Supervisor Roy Ashburn to implemenl Assembly Bill 1201, a law that g-ranls local romm un ities disCT(,t ion to allol\' off·road vehicles to be driv('Il on streets to allow access to community busi· m'sses and facililies. The plea for the eonlrolled access rOUie is, however, COIll ing' under strong- opposition from a g-roup of Randsburg- citizens. In Ihe past, laws outlawing 01'1'road, non·StllTt· leg-a I veh ide's on public roads had not b('('n enforced in Randshurg, according- to Randsburg Gennal Store owm'l' (and supporter of AB1201) Jan Hillenbrand. "They just slart(,d enforcing- ii, .. Hi Ilmbrand said. "They'w (oIT-road n·h icl(' users) uone it (ridd('n on the stn'el) for years and not g-ottick('lnl. Now it'sa mess; ii's like a police state around Ian·... It was on Ihe long- weekend of February 15·1 i lhat thing-s chang-('ll in Randsburg. Pol ice suddmly descmd· ed on til(' lawn and started h.tndingout lickets to off-roau \'ehicl('s beingriddl'n on the city Sln'l'ts after a group of ciliz('ns complaineu, Many UIl('Xpeci ing- off-mauers were caught off g-uaru, and weekenu (Tackuowns have cOlllinued. "We lll'ed to g-('I people on bikes informed so they don'l just ride in and g-el Iickeled," Hi I knbrand said. "Thc'y have Lo push their bikes, but we wanl lhem hert' and we are fight· ing for lhem." Accord ing- to Hillen brand, sonll' of Ihe police and resc'rve orrin'rs broug-hl into Randsburg- for Ihe surprist, crackdown g'ave tickets that were unsigned - making- Ih('m invalid - and g"dn' all(' licket to a rider who was only pushing' an orr-road·n'g-istered bike, Hillenbrand and the m('l'chant's associalion art' not g-iving' up without a fig-hI. "We g'('t a 10101' business 1'1'0111 the' bikes," she said. "We Ion' til(' busi· 1l('SS and not just Ix'cause of the busi· ness, but Ix'cause they an' sUlx'r nice people who ride in here, What WI' have are a few cranks in town thaI an' on their crusade of Ihe month." Hillenbrand claims that 62% of the reg-istered voters in Randsburg- arc in favor of the bill and that 80% of the property owners who Vale elsewhere art' also in favor of AB1201; Randsburg is populated by around 120 residents, according- to Hillenbrand, Like ('very conlroversial ,ubject, there are' two sides to Ihe Randsburg' dilemma. Judy Roether - one of Ihe more vocal allli·AB1201 resid('nts said the Ihing tha I Ix)t hers her most is Ihe noise from oil-road mOlOtTycles, "This is a sma·1I historical nlln· mu nil y ami \\'(' don'l wa nl iI ru ined, .. Ihe 65··year-old Roethn said. "We uon'l walll Ih('m running- up and down our 'In'ets. The law says Ihal Ih('re shall h(' no unlicensed n'hicles on the Slreets and we jusl want that law enforced. \\'ecan't listl'nlOTVor lake a nap b('cause of 'he noise. Th('y (lhe off·road vehicles) w('l'e made for ~If' t e ·)rt IV tI ' ·t1"<;.t ..... - ..... < 2.Q Anoth('l' probkm, according' to Ro('tll('r is insuran('('. "When I g-~'t in my car and g-o out on the Sln'et, I have to have insurance and show proof of thai in my car," she said. "What happc'ns when one of the bikes hits my car? Sure my insurance will pay, butm)' rales will g-o up. Tht'Se mOlOrcycle and four·wh('l'led thing-s, I don't know what vou call them, don'l have any insuran·n'. If they wanl to run up and down Ihe streets Ihe)' should g'('t imuralllT like IIll' rest of us han'I~." The bottom line, howner, is still Ihe noise, accordi ng to RO('1 hel'. "They can't run up and down Ihe streets where you lin', so why us? Th(,\, an like Ih('\' own the stn'('ts, The)' lear up our di-in'\\'ays and yards and W(' had 10 put up POSIS to kt'ep Ihem OUI. I'm just fe'll up wilh tht, whoil' ming'. We han' no quarn'ls wilh the motorcycl('s, bUI W(' just wanl Ihem 10 stay in the deserl." Whal doc's RcX't1l('r s('(' as being- a solution to Ill(' problem? ' "Why don'l Ihey pUI parking' lOIs on Ihe outside of town and Ihey can walk in," she said. "They have Iq.:s just like we do." Those wishing- to voice their feeling-s on Ihc' issue can write to the R4lndsburg- General Store' in Rands· burg', CA 9355·1. Navy vs. off·roaders in California By Lynn Brown CHULA VISTA, CA, MAR, 19 The battle between off-road vehicle enthusiasts and the U.S. avy over public land in California's Imperial County has now entered round two, The proposal came to Light in November of 1984 when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the Navy had filed a petition for withdrawal of 318,000 acres of public land in 1m· perial County. Off-road vehicle enthusiasts were outraged with the proposal since included in the acreage were the Imperial Sand Dunes (Glamis), Superstition Mountain (Sand Dam) and the proposed expansion area of the Ocotillo Wells State Vehi· cular Recreation Area (SVRA). Over 10,000 letters opposing the proposal from across the country were delivered by the San Diego OffRoad Coalition (SDORC) to Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-45). Since then the possibility of adverse effects on off-road vehicle use in the Imperial Sand Dunes and the expansion of the Ocotillo Wells SVRA have been eliminated, The fate of off·road vehicle use in the Superstition Mountain area is, however, a major concern, The BLM has released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the 1985 Proposed Amendments to the California Desert Plan which includes the Navy's proposaL The Navy still proposes to withdraw half of the Supe.rstition Mountain and eliminate the only public access road, Imler Road. Although the Navy proposes to build an alternative access road it would cross an area that is subject to severe erosion during win· ter rain storms common to this area. According to AMA District 38 President Otis Fudpucker, "If the proposed alternate road existed in mid December, it would now be gone." A mid'December storm left an impas· sable wash across the proposed route, The SDORC, which has been the lead off·road organization involved since the beginning of the proposal, is submitting a proposal which would leave the emire Superstition Mountair ., .. . .....•....... outside the Navy's withdrawal and open to off-road vehicle use. Their proposal would modiry the southern boundary of one of the Navy's target areas, leaving Imler Road open for public access and eliminating con· flicts with a popular area known as "The Dip" south of Imler Road. According to SDORC Chairman Jim Peterson, "The DEIS still reflect a no-lose situation for the avy at the public's expense. Since the Navy has pointed out to us, in writing, that they are in need of flat Land, we see no reason for the Superstition Mountain to be included in their withdrawaL" Peterson went on to say, "It [the DEIS] has not addressed the feasibility of the proposed alternate access road nor which agency (BLM, Navy or County of Imperial), will be responsible for repair and maintenance of il." He explained that if the proposed alternate road were washed out it would eliminate all public access to Superstition Mountain, The SDORCE isalsoconcernt'l1 thatcdmpers in the area would be stranded should a storm hit during a weekend and Leave the road impassable, Fudpucker is concerned with the safety of AMA District 38 desert racers who would have to cross the proposed road during the start of a race. "We can't stop the racers at this point and if a vehicle on the road didn't stop, it would be a disaster," he said, The DEIS is out for public reveiw and comment through June 6. BLM EI Centro Area Manager Roger Zortman said no public meetings are planned on the proposal but several were held throughout southern California and Arizona earlier. Zortman said he is available, by invitation, to speak to interested parties regarding the DEIS. The final draft should be ready by late July followed by the signing of a draft agreemenL Follow· inga 15-day public review and appeal period of that draft a final agreement is expected to be signed in late Sep· tember. Interested readers can obtain a Draft Environmental Impact statement from the BLM California Desert District, 1695 Spruce St" Riverside, CA 92507 , , , Editor, Cranstonfhreatens Imperial Sand Dunes By Lynn Brown CHULA VISTA, CA, MAR. 19 What the avy doesn't want from off-roaders in Imperial County, California Senator Alan Cranston's California Desert Protection Act of 1986 would threaten. The Cranston bill, 52061, would designate three National Parks in the California desert for a total of 5.71 million acres with 3.05 million acres being taken from the 12,1 million now managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA). An additional 4,5 million acres in 81 separate areas would be designated as wilderness, leaving only 4.6 million available for multiple uses such as mining, hunting, grazing and motorized vehicle use, Included in Cranston's wilderness package are 96,990 acres of the popular Imperial Sand Dunes in Imperial County which includes the Gecko/ Glamis and Mammoth Wash ORV Open Areas. Two wilderness areas would be established in the dunes. One north of Highway 78, the North Algodones Dunes, and the other be- ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• a' tween the Gecko/Glamis area and the Gordon's Well area would be the South Algodones Dunes, The North Algodones Dunes Wil· derness Area would be expanded to include the Mammoth Wash Open Area, which is the third most popular off-road vehicle recreation area in the dune system. This is in direct conflict with a statement made by Senator Cranston in his introduction of the bill in the Congressional Record dated February 6, where he stated, " ... in drawing the boundaries of the areas to be protected, I have been careful to exclude major areas enjoyed by offroad vehicle enthusiasts ... " The BLM has said that only 22,il0 acres in the North Algodones Dunes Wilderness Study Area are suitable for wilderness designation, The Cran ton bill will designate 35,040 acres as wilderness. The proposed South Algodones Dunes Wilderness Area involves 61,950 acres of dunes, of which only 54,141 acres were under study by the BLM for wilderness designation. That study concluded that the area was nonsuitable for wilderness management due to the lack of manageability of the area. One of the major concerns over this area was raised by Louis McKey, the Phantom Duck of the Desert, who said "Recent decisions regarding the Panamint Dunes (near Death Valley) closed them to public uses because the adjacent uses threatened wilderness characteristics of the nearby areas," According to BLM EI Centro Resource Area Manager Roger Zortman, the same fate could befall the Gecko/Glamis area. "Based on current trends, with use increasing in the Gecko/Glamis triangle, if intrusions [into the South Algodones Dunes proposed Wilderness Area] from Gecko/Glamis visitors proves to be negative the BLM must take actions to protect the integrity of the wilderness qualities in the area," Zortman said, The options available to a£ford that level of protection incl ude increased enforcement, additional signing, creation of a buffer zone or, if necessary, closure of the area. Since the BLM had found the area nonsuitable as wilderness due to the manageability problems, it is likely intrusions would be encountered, The area has long served as a connecting route between the Gecko/G lamis area and the Gordon's Well area to the south for off-road vehicle enthusiasts, Zortman said, "With use trends spiraling upward and trends in the fed· eral budget spiraling downward the options for managemen t become very limited." So although the Gecko/ Glamis area is not included in Cranston's wilderness package, the future impaetsof the South Algodones Dunes proposed Wilderness Area could very easily lead to the closing of one of the most popular off-road vehicle recreation sites in the desert of southern California, An organization has been formed to fight the Cranston legislation called the California Desert Coalition, This group includes organizations whose members would be adversely affected by the legislation, includingo£f-road vehicle organizations as well as many other outdoor recreation groups, min· ing interests and those concerned with grazing rights. According to Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-45), speaking at the Cali· fornia Off·Road Vehicle Association's convention in San Diego on March 8, a major outcry of opposition to the bill by the public could force the Senator to withdraw the legislation. Jim Peterson, Chairman of the San Diego Off· Road Coalition, points out, however, "Since Cranston has . t. J • J

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