IN
THE
WIND
P30
CALIFORNIA OHVers
WIN ONE
A
ccording to the BlueRibbon
Coalition, state lawmakers
in Sacramento recently passed
Senate Bill 249 that perma-
nently reauthorizes the Califor-
nia OHV Program. This his-
toric vote—which also included
Senate Bill 159, a companion
bill that contained the funding
structure for the program—had
precedent setting broad sup-
port from both the conservation
and OHV communities.
The BlueRibbon Coalition/
Sharetrails.org (BRC) was part
of a diverse OHV stakeholder
group that championed the cur-
rent OHV program managed by
the California Off-Highway Mo-
tor Vehicle Recreation Division
(OHMVRD) that is an important
member of the California State
Park family.
Don Amador, Western
Representative for the BlueRib-
bon Coalition/Sharetrails.org,
stated, "As a member of the
2007 drafting team that helped
create the SB 742-based cur-
rent program, I believe passage
of the new SB 249 legislation
honors the spirit and intent
of our program that has been
heralded as a national model
for environmentally responsible
OHV recreation.
"I believe a lot of credit
goes to the thousands of OHV
enthusiasts, partners such as
county sheriffs, and non-profit
conservation groups, who took
time to write letters and/or
make phone calls to legislators
and the Governor stating their
strong support for the current
program that granted monies
to maintain trails, support law
enforcement, open new riding
areas and trails, fund important
restoration projects, and pay for
valuable rider education pro-
grams," Amador continued.
"Credit should also be given
to Senator Ben Allen, author
of SB 249, for listening to
concerns voiced by the OHV
coalition, partners, and rural
communities about how chang-
es needed to be made to the
original bill as that early version
was simply too costly because
it imposed an unwarranted level
of additional environmental
studies, reviews and reports.
The OHV Commission and
State Park leadership also had
key roles in helping resolve
contentious issues with early
versions of SB 249."
Amador summarized: "The
unanimous bi-partisan pas-
sage of SB 249 and 159 by
the legislature means the OHV
Program, as we know it today,
will continue on as a permanent
program within California State
Parks. Our local and federal
partners can now better plan for
OHV-related staffing needs on
a long-term basis now that the
sunset (a requirement that the
OHV program must be reautho-
rized every 10 years or so) has
been eliminated.
"Off-road enthusiasts can
be proud of their involvement
California's OHV program, as
we know it today, will continue
on as a permanent program
within California State Parks.
