Gui Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Hi Gang! New on the site, so not sure if this is the correct place for posting this, so mods feel free to move if needed. Thank you! Pass along to your crew members and any other Rubicon enthusiasts. On Thursday, April 23rd the California Water Quality Control Board is having a public hearing in Rancho Cordova to finalize their decision on closing the Rubicon Trail. We are asking all supporters within driving distance of Sacramento to attend this important public hearing. Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts need to show the Water Board the overwhelming public support to keep the Rubicon Trail open year-round. The goal is to have as many OHV enthusiasts as possible present at this public hearing. This is serious. On April 1st of this year, the United States Forest Service issued a 2-year temporary closure of the very popular Tellico OHV Area in North Carolina. Help Rubicon from turning into a Tellico type situation, by showing your support on April 23rd. SAVE OUR TRAIL! Meeting Place and Time Location - 11020 Sun Center Drive # 200; Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 Date & Time - Thursday, April 23rd @ 12:30 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandRonB Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hey GUI, For those who can't make it to Rancho Cordova this coming Thursday, where can we get additional info re: what California Water Boarding is planning to do e.g. web link or contact info, and what can we do to help? NCLR believes in the tread lightly principles including responsible recreation. Feel free to post here or PM me. Thanks! RonCT110 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gui Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Ron, For more background, this process started with a “less than real†report from the Center for Biological Diversity to the Valley Water Control Board, for control and abatement order (request for cleanup and closure of the trail. I say “less than real reportâ€, as it has been proven that the green organization pushing for this had a report submitted without signatures, the person (Monte Hendricks) creating the report quoted his own studies for reference, and provided no additional backing up or evidence. The person submitting the report did not count that his "work" would be double checked. More information on the link below: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/board_decisions/tentative_orders/index.shtml - scroll down to Eldorado County - Rubicon Trail To make matters worse, the Center for Biological diversity created form letters that the group could utilize to add numbers to their complaints and make their case stronger. We definitely do not want to upset the Water Board, so it is important that we act diligently. The best thing you can do is read the assessment, the DRAFT order and the document on the link above. Pen the PDF and look through the assessment. A more doable goal is to watch this thread on the Pirate Land issues with additional input and understand water is happening and how to write letters about it. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=766424 I consider myself an environmentalist, and strive to preserve nature and trails for everyone’s enjoyment. It is unfortunate that greenie extremists approach things from an unfair angle, distort the truth and take advantage of the system for their own purposes. We appreciate everyone's involvement as the time to act is now. The Rubicon trail is an amazing trail and I urge you to take action so we do not end up seeing the trail getting closed in ours or even our grandkids lifetimes! Your support and passing the information around is greatly appreciated! P.S> Moderator, I just saw I misspelled the title of the posting, but am unable to edit it. If you can, that would be appreciated, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gui Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 There are additional threads on the Pirate Rubicon Trail section so you are welcome to add to it, and seek more information about this. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=779730 http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=778687 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gui Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Just saw thsi thread here from ChrisJB which is related: http://nclrclub.org/forum/showthread.php?t=643 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gui Posted April 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Great news!!!!!! PRESS RELEASE: Water Board revises Cleanup Order to Sustain OHV RecreationRubicon Trail Foundation Supports Amended Cleanup and Abatement OrderThe Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) voted unanimously yesterday evening to issue a Cleanup and Abatement Order (CAO) to El Dorado County and the Eldorado National Forest for the world-famous Rubicon Trail. Before voting the order, the CVRWQB members specifically recognized the efforts of the agencies and volunteers, and asked us to honor the timelines of their request, as we continue and expand our stewardship efforts. Note that this is NOT an order for closure, as mentioned multiple times throughout the day by CVRWQB administrative staff, prosecution staff, and the Board Members. They went out of their way to continually say that “The Water Board is not closing the trail.” The revised CAO is a much less prescriptive order that calls for general consideration and planning but does not mandate specific actions, instead charging the County and the National Forest with working together to meet the CAO's timelines. Rubicon Trail Foundation believes that most of the elements of this CAO were already accomplished, in process, or in plan, but supports this revised CAO, with the Foundation’s requested changes. “This CAO is a burden, but one that we can bear, and drive to success,” said John Arenz, a Rubicon Trail Foundation Director. After the hearing presentations, the Board removed multiple pieces from the CAO: mandate for seasonal restriction (closure), incomplete and un-reviewed science, unverifiable traffic/population numbers, and references to uncertified, un-released draft planning documents. They also accepted County and Foundation feedback about timelines, and relaxed the timelines for more attainable dates, with more clear distinction between plans and documents. Rubicon Trail Foundation's strategy was to provide specific information for the CVRWQB and rebuttal to incorrect facts and pictures provided in response to the original CAO, and then the Foundation asked for specific changes, in reference to our comments.Correctly state that many public toilets are available alongside the trail on private property, but still available to the publicRemove references to the uncertified, un-released Draft Master Plan and the many errors and potentially illegal actions discussed within itCorrect the vehicle/person-count numbers that have been incorrectly stated/citedRemove references to the Draft Sediment Study which has not been peer-reviewed or submitted for proper publicationAnti-recreation groups also asked for small adjustments to the CAO, very few of which they received. Rubicon Trail Foundation appreciates the huge response from trail users, who out-numbered anti-OHV attendees by nearly a hundred to 1, with a massive show of grass-roots force that filled the parking lot and overflowed into the street, as seen on News Channel 13 coverage. The prosecution team specifically acknowledged OHV affidavits in their summary statements. These were much more effective than the opposition’s simple form letter, and Rubicon Trail Foundation would like to individually thank the thousands of users who took time to sign and fax these affidavits in, with specific thanks to the California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs (CA4WDC), Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR), North American XJ Association (NAXJA), National Off Road Association (NORA), and Pirate4x4.com who were invaluable in getting out the word. NORA was especially invaluable in getting users to the Water Board offices for the hearing, and planning parking, press, and organization. Rubicon Trail Foundation looks forward to working with continuing to work with El Dorado County, Eldorado National Forest, and the Regional Water Quality Board staff as we continue to manage this historic resource and the social and economic value it provides to the communities near it. The Foundation looks forward to continued success working with all interested parties in the well-established Rubicon Oversight Committee process. The Rubicon Trail Foundation was formed in 2004. We are a federally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to the future health of the Rubicon Trail and our mission is to enhance the future health and use of the Rubicon Trail, while ensuring responsible motorized year-round trail access. The Foundation works with individuals, clubs, organizations, and agencies to maintain and manage the trail. Our Officers and Directors represent a wide variety of Rubicon Trail OHV users, land owners, county representatives, manufacturers, and event organizers. Legal battles are expensive to fight and Rubicon Trail Foundation is committed to doing what it takes to keep the Rubicon Trail open. We have only just begun to keep the Rubicon open for all to use. Much work remains to be done this summer and in the coming years to comply with this CAO. Letters, meetings, and presentations are just a part of what we do. We also get out in the spring/summer sun and work hard to maintain the trail. If you would like to help with our efforts, we accept Paypal donations or major credit cards by calling 888-6rubicon or by signing up for a Friends of the Rubicon work party at: http://www.friendsoftherubicon.com More information is available at http://www.RubiconTrailFoundation.org # # # If you would like more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview with a representative of the Rubicon Trail Foundation, please e-mail president@RubiconTrailFoundation.org RandiiRandy BurlesonPresident, Rubicon Trail Foundation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandRonB Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.