IN
THE
WIND
P50
OFF HIGHWAY MOTOR VEHICLE
RECREATION DIVISION IN TROUBLE?
T
he California Off-
Highway Motor Ve-
hicle Recreation Divison
(OHMVRD) might be in
trouble.
The California State
Parks Transformation
Team is recommend-
ing that the OHMVRD,
a separate and highly
specialized department,
is moved back into the
offices of the California
Department of Parks
and Recreation (DPR).
According to Cali-
fornia State Parks, the
recently announced Or-
ganizational Structure
Opportunities project
"seeks to identify opportuni-
ties to elevate and strengthen
all of its programs, including
the OHMVR program and the
services it provides."
But according to Don Ama-
dor—avid OHV land-use advo-
cate and BlueRibbon Coalition
Western Representative—such a
move would neither strengthen
nor elevate the program; in fact,
it would eviscerate it.
"In the early 1990s when
OHMVRD was located at/in
DPR, the OHV program lan-
guished in obscurity and irrel-
evancy while trying to operate
under the oppressive bureau-
cratic thumb of apathetic and/or
anti-OHV Resource Agency and
the DPR leadership," Amador
said.
"It is important to remember
that the OHV program has a dis-
tinct mission that is often lost in
DPR where there has been (and
apparently continues today) a
corporate or institutional move-
ment to end or severely restrict
motorized recreation, moun-
tain bikes and horses on DPR
lands," Amador continued.
"Based on what I know today,
I believe the Transformation
Team's proposal has nothing to
do with improving government
efficiency. Rather, it is a crass
political maneuver to eviscerate
the OHV program and lay the
groundwork for permanently
sunsetting the program on Janu-
ary 1, 2018."
California DPR Director Lisa
Mangat announced there will be
opportunities for public engage-
ment in the process by way of
an open house on Tuesday, July
19 in Sacramento, California
(CLICK HERE for more info).
Amador urges the California
OHV community members to
take action on this issue. Visit
http://savecaliforniaohv.org/ for
more information, links to State
Parks, California Representa-
tives and a letter generator. CN
The California Off-
Highway Motor Vehicle
Recreation Divison
(OHMVRD) could be
eliminated.
