Topic: Big News For Truckhaven/T.D.S. ((( A MUST READ!!!)))

[Rocksurfer]

PRESS RELEASE

May 19, 2006
Contact: John Stewart
Natural Resources Consultant
California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs
619-390-8747 or E-mail: john@muirnet.net

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TRUCKHAVEN TO BE ACQUIRED FOR OHV RECREATION


Sacramento, CA (May 19, 2006): Today the California State Parks Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Commission voted to approve the acquisition of the popular recreation area known as Truckhaven. OHMVR Trust Funds, along with funding from the federal highway funds will be used to purchase 4,300 acres of lands used by off-road recreation for over 50 years.

The acquisition is expected to be final in August-September, 2006. For the near term, few immediate changes are expected. The area will come under management control of the adjacent Ocotillo Wells State Vehicle Recreation area. Over the course of the next 2-3 years, a comprehensive management plan will be developed for the area. There is an expectation that some area will be set aside as "buffer" for the housing and there are a number of archeology sites that will be protected.

During the State Parks presentation to the OHMVR Commission in support of the acquisition project, officials noted that in spite of the signs of heavy recreation use, the area was in better condition that other developed recreation areas. One of the OHMVR Commission members toured the area earlier in the week and commented that the area was surprisingly free of trash that is normal in other heavy use recreation areas. The Native American Tribes in the region are in full support of the keeping Truckhaven open for recreation.

Truckhaven is the site of Tierra del Sol Desert Safari drawing thousands of visitors to the area the first weekend of every March. Desert Safari is one of three major OHV events held in the area. An estimated 90,000 recreationists per year visit the area.

Over the past few months, there has been a lot of behind the scenes political maneuvering. On two occasions, members of the Tierra del Sol Four Wheel Drive Club of San Diego provided area tours for State Park officials and Tribal Leaders. One Tribal representative remarked about her familiarity with Tierra del Sol as her father was a friend of Tierra del Sol founding member Bozzy Willis.

Numerous individual and organization letters were written to southern California Assemblymen and Senators urging their support for the acquisition 26 of them signed a letter to the Commission urging a "yes" vote on the acquisition.

In the end, an expected close vote was a surprising 7-0 vote in favor of acquisition.

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__________________
John Stewart, KF6ZPL
Director, Environmental Affairs
UFWDA, http://www.ufwda.org
Natural Resource Consultant
CA4WDC, http://www.ca4wdc.com
Moderator, MUIRNet - Multiple Use Information Resource Network

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE to MUIRNet, send email to john@muirnet.net.

[Rocksurfer [OP]]

Some of this sounds great, but in reading it sounds like some areas will be closed. Just an example would be the buffer between the homes and OHV area, I think the notches would be real close to being closed. They are not very far from the current building. They are also closing an area for archilogical reasons, how much will this area be. Plus if the government gets this area the evironuts will now have something to say via their stupid lawsuits. I'm not so happy about this, may have been better in private hands.

[nowhitefenders]

   Hard to say, it has been my experience that change is never good. But at least it doesn't sound like a total closure, for the next 50 years anyway...

[Rocksurfer [OP]]

All I know is from what I've seen, and when the government (State or Fed) gets involved it's not good usually. Not that they do anything it just seems to open the guantlet of lawsuits, endangered spieces, etc, etc. Truckhaven has been the easiest area to have fun, nobody ever comes around and says you can't do this you can't do that. There are no fences and no problems. Just like at Hungry Valley OHV, there's stupid fences everywhere now. Areas that were open are now closed and so on. Sure this may keep the area open to use but it will not come without some problems for us.