FOJ meeting May 2009

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Left home 6AM and made good time to Mojave.

Meeting called to order by VP Paul Kober

1. Moose Anderson Days 2009. In the post mortem discussion of Moose Anderson Days 2009, concern was expressed by several parties over volunteers who collected t-shirts and promptly disappeared without doing any volunteer duties, only to promptly return at lunch time. Discussion ensued, with general consensus that a system would be devised for distributing something AT THE WORKSITES that would allow the volunteers to claim their rewards upon return to Jawbone Station. Discussions will continue.

2. Mr. Maben from the Kern County BOS gave a report, highlighted by an unofficial prediction that due to the ballot measures failing in Tuesday’s election, Kern County will lose an additional 50 million in State funding in the coming year. He also announced that a satellite-fed electronic kiosk would be in place within the coming month at the Jawbone Station, with touch screen information imputed from the League of Cities on various facilities available in the area.

3. Mr. Hurtado from the California City Police Department gave a report on legislation his city has submitted in Sacramento to be able to get more local control over vehicle standards on their roadways. Cal City is trying very hard to become more OHV friendly by getting permission from Sacramento to allow OH vehicles to drive on ‘city’ streets in Cal City [kind of like the ‘bad ol’ days’ in Pismo] Their initial proposal was to have a non-specific code added to the DMV that would apply to cities of over 200 sq miles, of which California only has 3 anyways. This was met with some resistance, and they are now planning to rewrite this proposed legislation to focus EXCLUSIVELY on Cal City.

4. Mr. Tyson from the Kern County Sheriff’s department reported on a shift in Sheriff’s Department policy that will no longer cite OHV on private property if they are on public access roads to that property. This is very frustrating to certain local property owners and environmental groups, but also in keeping with the department’s need to focus their limited resources on more serious criminal activities.

 

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5. Mr. Dingman’s assistant from Red Rock Canyon State Park reported that the Park has acquired the use of some large earth-moving equipment and has used it to fill in 5 vertical mine shafts up on Opal Peak near the Dutch Cleanser Mine. They are also putting pressure on the owners of the mine to fence off their area from OHV use, even though there has historically been access, and the owners do not seem to have a problem with it.

I asked this gentleman to comment on the rumours that Hart Road would be closed. He declined to comment on the road directly, saying rather that there was pressure from sources to change access to almost every road in the Park.

He also indicated that they were having some confusion over proper enforcement of mining infractions in Last Chance Canyon. I told him that Lyn Gumm was working on a mining regulations handout [or so he said at the last BLM Steering Committee meeting] and that this would probably be useful. He agreed.

He also commented in general that the State Parks, and in particular the OHV division has not suffered any financial repercussions in the current budget crisis, as their funding is independent, thru the green sticker funds.

6. Mr. Shaw of the Honda Proving Center said that they had a BEAR on their property in the last month. A couple of other people chimed in on bear sitings in the lower desert reaches of the Piute Mtns, which is probably fallout from the big fire they had up there last year.

7. Craig Beck of the BLM Ridgecrest office reported that there would not be a Steering Committee meeting this month, as most of the members who usually attend would be across town at a meeting on Abandoned Mines being held at a local hotel.

He also indicated that BLM Ridgecrest has plans to begin stabilization of historic Beveridge Cabin, located high above Saline Valley, in mid-June. I plan to get more information on this.

8. Mr. Sellard of FOJ reported that the RTP grant for Phase 1 of the Jawbone Station has been received. It is over $400,000, and will cover the cost of the Architect and contractors that will build the new multimedia room. This is SEPARATE from the 2009 OHV grant proposals by the BLM to add a pavilion and maintenance building on site.