CA: Home for off-roaders in works-Bakersfield
http://www.bakersfield.com/local/st...p-5527464c.html Home for off-roaders in works
City, state make deal to buy 11,000 acres northeast of town
By JAMES BURGER, Californian staff writer
e-mail: jburger@bakersfield.com
Wednesday May 25th, 2005, 11:33 PM
Bakersfield and the state of California have inked a deal to buy 11,000 acres of cattle pasture northeast of the city and turn it into an off-road park.
It's a long-held dream of off-road riders who are watching Bakersfield's booming growth eat away their recreation areas.
The California State Parks department announced Wednesday it had teamed up with the city to buy land 30 minutes north of downtown Bakersfield.
City maps show the property sits just north of Round Mountain Road to the east of Granite Road near Poso Creek.
City officials signed a deal, earlier this month, to "option" the land from Eugene and Marian Gabrych for between $8.8 million and $11 million.
The money would come from state Off-Highway Vehicle Trust funds -- money raised from taxes and fees on motorcycles and quad-runners.
There are still some issues to iron out before the land is officially purchased.
The biggest is the need to secure ground for a road connecting the property to Round Mountain Road within the next year. The city has a year to get the access or the deal will fall through.
Still, local leaders are excited about the new development.
"It's a giant step forward," said Vice Mayor Mike Maggard. "I think the site could be beyond our wildest dreams. We've looked at a number of sites. This clearly was the best of them. This is the dream spot. If we make this work it will make the most people happy."
Local off-road leader richard Taylor -- who championed the deal -- has been hoping for a permanent home for motorbikers and quad-riders since 2001.
Over the past few years, riding land in northeast Bakersfield has been gobbled up by homes. Motorcyclists have seen their habitat shrink steadily.
They were shoved off the Kern River bluffs south of Hart Park. And that started them thinking about finding their own land.
"We came away with a quest for a replacement riding area for the (bluffs) area we've ridden in since the 1920s," Taylor said.
Now that quest is a big step closer to being achieved.
"This new (State Vehicular Recreation Area) will provide OHV enthusiasts a place to enjoy their sport in a well-managed, family-friendly atmosphere with a variety of amenities," said Daphne Greene, deputy director of the state's off-highway recreation division.
Many attribute the success of the effort to Taylor's ability to draw support from groups that traditionally fight tooth-and-nail to stop off-roading.
Harry Love, of the local chapter of Sierra Club, worked on the committee Taylor pulled together.
"richard Taylor has done a great job of getting a variety of people involved," he said.
Love said a comprehensive environmental report will ensure that the project doesn't harm the environment.
And he cheered the part of the plan that will reserve much of the 11,000 acres for buffer property -- property that would be open to public use.
"There's so many off-road people in Bakersfield and I'm sure they will be happy to have a place to go," said trails advocate Michelle Beck.
Maggard said the site will be great for off-roaders -- close to town, but not too close to anger homeowners -- and with a wide variety of terrain from flat areas for training children to steep climbs for the experts.
