AlysonH Posted July 7, 2017 Report Share Posted July 7, 2017 This is a follow up to my previous post on SB 249 that was passed, but our responses are desperately needed so I decided to make a new thread. The information below is from CAL4 and CORVA.There is a committee hearing on July 11 to discuss SB 249 which drastically changes the OHV program in California. The OHMVR Division has administered the OHV program for the last 35 years using its team of highly-skilled environmental scientists, law enforcement officers, recreation planners, trail specialists, and grant administrators to partner with federal land agencies, county sheriffs, conservation groups, and OHV organizations in providing California residents and tourists from throughout the world with access to world-class motorized and non-motorized outdoor recreation opportunities on public lands. The OHMVR Program is completely self-funded and does not rely on any General Fund support. The proposed legislation (SB 249) as a very punitive bill that ignores the exceptional value this program has delivered to California in ensuring that quality OHV recreation opportunities exist in this state and are managed and controlled in a manner that emphasizes environmental sustainability and protection, as well as public safety and local government engagement. The current bill language can best be described as punitive and destructive to what has become a nationally acclaimed success story for delivering quality recreational opportunities while maintaining the strictest environmental standards.Proposed legislation SB-249 drifts from the original intent of the program and would lead to its ultimate demise. The proposed legislation contains many fallacies and misguided priorities. California OHV Program in Peril! Your Help Urgently Needed! WHAT CAN YOU DO??? Send emails to your legislators and the members of the Members of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife from one of the options below or send your own comments. If you do write your own, please use facts and be respectful. Also, it is important to contact as many people as you can about this and not just one person. Remember to do this before July 11. Click here to Find Your Legislator and here for contact information for the members of the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee SB 249 OHV Coalition DocumentsSB 249 OHV Coalition Substantive CommentsSB 249 OHV Coalition Letter to Senator Allen Letter Contents & InstructionsPlease copy and paste the below information and send an email to your elected representative.Most legislators maintain a social media (Facebook) presence.Also, please copy and paste the below information and post it to the Facebook Wall of your elected representative.OPTION 1Dear Assembly Member: Since 1971, the OHV Program has been a success and hailed as a national model. The program assures that quality recreational opportunities are available for future generations by providing education, conservation, and law enforcement efforts that balance OHV recreation impact with programs that conserve and protect cultural and natural resources. I encourage you to listen to concerns expressed by OHV stakeholders. Regulatory mandates and related compliance requirements place the entire program (SVRAs and units managed by the FS/BLM/counties) in both legal and fiscal jeopardy. CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) is defined as the fundamental guidance law for compliance, which requires the disclosure of potential impacts to the natural environment to the extent practicable. As such, the SB-249 creates a new administrative regulatory (legal) construct that is not supported by other legislation. This is excessive administrative regulation overreach, with an adverse impact on federal partner participation in the OHV program. The proposed administrative regulations cause confusion in the defined intent of the OHV program and the guidelines to manage the OHMVR program. I urge your office to work with the OHV community to provide legislation that honors the history, spirit, and intent of the current OHV program that is looked to as a national model of managed 21st Century OHV recreation. Please OPPOSE SB-249. Respectfully submitted, (NAME)(City), (State) (Zip Code) OPTION 2Dear (your senator or assembly person)The members of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association strongly oppose SB 249 introduced by Senator Allen, a bill seeking to reauthorize the Off-Highway Motorized Vehicle Recreation Division of the Department of Parks and Recreation. This bill proposes to take away sound management from OHMVR and state vehicular recreation areas and replace it with:A never-ending supply of unnecessary reports,Irrelevant duplicate agency consultationsBenefits to adjacent landownersThe OHMVR program was enacted in 1971, and has since successfully managed off-road recreation in state vehicular recreation areas and given children and families safe places to recreate. SB 249 would produce no environmental improvements; only take away from recreationists, rural communities that host off-road recreation, and law enforcement efforts.Those that oppose the continuation of off-road recreation in California have pushed hard to make SB 249 sound like something that would benefit environmental efforts, however all the bill would achieve is the elimination of off-road recreation in California at a cost of $11 million to the state.Respectfully submitted, (NAME)(City), (State) (Zip Code) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlysonH Posted July 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2017 I just sent emails to my legislators using the link above and it was very easy. I had to choose from a random list of options for the subject of my email and for one I chose "Other" and for the next one I chose "I need help" because it was the only option that best suited my email. The members of the Assembly committee are harder because they do not have email addresses and only fax numbers are listed. You could mail a letter, but it would need be in the post tomorrow morning at the latest. I was lucky enough to find the website for the committee member over my zip code and sent him an email that way. Thank you everyone for participating in this. Alyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHappel Posted July 7, 2017 Report Share Posted July 7, 2017 Done and Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco2Guy Posted September 19, 2017 Report Share Posted September 19, 2017 Got an email update from CORVA about SB 249 this morning and there's good news! http://www.corva.org/news/5267195 I asked Christina Silverberg, Director of Special Events at Hollister Hills, if this is the good news that it seems it is. Here's her reply. Hello Brenton,Yes, you can put on a BIG happy face! Things did turn out for the better! As I understand it, the update flows more in line with how the bill was originally set up. It’s great news that there is no sunset clause now and that the OHV program will continue to be funded along with the OHV grants.Thanks for the update regarding your training class – just let me know when you want to take a look at dates again.Sounds like you have a lot going on – hopefully your leg is healed now.I’m doing fine, thank you for asking, and you are wished a great day too!Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlysonH Posted September 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2017 Yes I got the email too and you beat me to posting it! Thank you everyone for all your efforts in letting the state know how we felt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlysonH Posted October 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 The governor signed SB 249 today and the off-road program is now a permanent part of the California Parks and Recreation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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