From an editorial letter published on 12/13/06 on the Hi-Desert Star website:

By Phillip Klasky / Wonder Valley

We received this message from an ORV rider:

Correct me if I am wrong but in your invitation to attend a meeting to complain about "Trespassing on Public Land" - isn't that a giant oxymoron. How can anyone be accused of trespassing on PUBLIC land.

On the right side or our home page you will see a link to our new ORV Abuse Incident Report form.

Use this form as a guide to report ORV abuse to the Sheriffs Department and Code Enforcement and for our own records. MAKE SURE YOU SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE PROPER AGENCY in addition to filling out this form. When you submit this form via the COW web site, COW WILL NOT make a report to law enforcement agencies; that is your responsibility. We will use the information you submit via our form to gather information for an annual report.

San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department Dispatch -- ask for Sergeant
Rick Collins or the watch commander-- follow instructions on how to
make a report

(760) 366-3781

County Code Enforcement -- ask for Hugh Orem or any other officer --

From the Hi-Desert Star Letters to the Editor:

Historic site deserves attention

Saturday, October 28, 2006 12:26 AM PDT

An historic site in Wonder Valley with old adobe ruins from the Post Homestead and protected sand dunes was vandalized by off-road vehicles. The ruins were run over and the adobe walls were used for target practice. New routes have been cut into sand dunes that are strictly off-limits to ORVs. The vandals ran over barriers and right past "no trespassing" signs.

On September 19th, COW members Carol Metzger, Mark Hueston, Eve Vykydal and Phil Klasky joined 25 activists from around the state to educate our elected representatives on ORV issues. We worked with the California Wilderness Coalition, Trust for Public Lands, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Desert Protective Council, Alliance for Responsible Recreation, plus other groups and just plain folks who have to face the crisis of ORV abuse in almost every corner of California.

Message to COW members:

COW has two digital cameras and a decibel meter available to members for the purpose of documentation of ORV abuses for law enforcement and code enforcement. Since San Bernardino County passed an ORV ordinance effective July 1, 2006, residents can seek relief from nuisance (noise, dust, harassment, trespass, etc.) by documenting abuses and making this documentation available to San Bernardino County Code Enforcement. Members can take digital still pictures and short videos with the cameras and use the decibel meters to estimate noise violations.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a far-reaching ordinance to control the crisis of ORV abuse in the state's largest county. Residents from all over San Bernardino representing dozens of community groups were virtually unopposed as they testified about the need to stop the epidemic of illegal and irresponsible activity such as trespass, harassment, property destruction, noise, dust and the damage to public lands/wilderness. Some of the supervisors, while expressing support for the measure, inquired into other provisions that would require visible license plates and other forms of identification and the confiscation of vehicles involved in repeated violations. ORVs involved in an alarming number of accidents involving children.

After three years of advocacy on the part of Morongo Basin residents, the Bureau of Land Management announced that it has hired a resident ranger for the Morongo Basin to be based in Twentynine Palms.

The California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission provides crucial policy guidance for the management of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on public lands in California. It also provides an important forum for public input on the state's ORV Program. As ORV abuse has exploded in recent years, the Commission has worked tirelessly to provide essential funds for law enforcement and restoration grants. These grants have helped to restore damaged areas, to protect pristine places from being harmed and to confine ORV use to the most appropriate locations.