From the Hi-Desert Star, Friday April 11, 2007:

A public forum was held in Joshua Tree April 5 to explore strategies for protecting public lands and private property from off-road vehicle abuse.

The Desert Protection Summit was organized by the Community ORV Watch. The group is an assemblage of self-described “reluctant activists” who feel compelled to voice their opposition about what they see as a growing public menace.

Victoria Fuller, a longtime Joshua Tree resident, said the organization was formed by people who wanted to help make their areas more livable.

Read the whole article.

If you need a ride to attend the 8/21 Board of Supervisors meeting about the ORV ordinance, we are coordinating car pools, so please let us know how we can help you get there by sending us an e-mail.

Here is a map link to the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors.

The Board of Supervisor's meeting starts at 10 AM. We will be conducting a press conference at 9 AM.

Be there to support the ordinance and keep it strong!

San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to will meet on Tuesday, July 24 August 21 to consider changes that would weaken the county ORV ordinance

Rider's groups successfully lobbied the board to take up the matter and have recommended changes that will allow for large, uncontrolled stagings of ORVs in residential areas

IF YOU VALUE YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY, QUALITY OF LIFE AND PUBLIC LANDS YOU MUST COME TO THE MEETING AND DEFEND THE ORDINANCE.

TUESDAY, JULY 24th August 21 at the Board of Supervisors Chambers
385 North Arrowhead Avenue in San Bernardino

ORV riders have threatened to bring busloads of supporters asking to weaken and repeal the ordinance. They have sent hundreds of letters to the supervisors. We must show up in large numbers to protect our private and public lands and contact our supervisors to defend the law.

Call and write your supervisor TODAY and demand that the ordinance stay strong:

Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt (District 1) -- (909) 387-4830
Supervisor Dennis Hansberger (District 3) -- (909) 387-4833

San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
385 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, California 92415-0181

The ORV Ordinance Review Meeting before the Board of Supervisors will be scheduled for June 2007 – the exact date has not been set yet.

Off-roaders are sending hundreds of letters (many of which are fabricated) to the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors advocating for the repeal and undermine the ORV ordinance. They want free reign to ride wherever they want whenever they want.

The Supervisors have responded by recommending changes to the ordinance that will allow for more ORVs per staging event and make it easier to get special use permits with less opportunity for residents to protest.

WE MUST ACT NOW TO SAVE THE ORDINANCE!

Write to your county supervisor and demand that they renew the ordinance WITHOUT CHANGES that will weaken it!

You can send a message supporting the as-is renewal of the ordinance to Supervisors Mitzelfelt and Hansberger by clicking here, or downloading and mailing this letter to each Supervisor.

REMEMBER a letter that you write yourself and mail to the supervisor of your district carries much more weight and will get a mailed response.

Here is a report from COW member Mark Heuston on his and member Paul Pierson's documentation of abuse and damage caused during the last President's Day weekend.

You can view selected photos from their ground truthing here.

Published in the Hi-Desert Star:

By Phil Klasky / Wonder Valley
Friday, February 9, 2007 11:08 PM PST

Hi-Desert residents didn't have much of a chance to celebrate the new county ordinance that helps curb off-road-vehicle trespass and destruction of our communities before a push back by riders that has made things worse. Just ask your local sheriff and homeowner.

Print out this flyer, get a least a hundred copied and distribute onto windshields while shopping, etc. during the holidays.  Our goal is to distribute over 5,000 before new year 2007 and this will only happen if you take action.  The attached flier is made for two to a page.

ALSO, we need to generate dozens of emails to LETTERS TO THE EDITOR at the Hi-Desert Star.  Write about your personal experience with ORVs over the holidays.

Take the time to do one or both of the action items before the new year to protect our private and public lands from ORV abuse.  Don't delay, do it today and ask your holiday guests to do the same.

THE BLM'S NEW WEMO PLAN - BLUEPRINT FOR CONFLICT AND DESTRUCTION

Over a decade in the making, the long-awaited and much-delayed Bureau of Land Management's West Mojave Management Plan (WEMO) final draft was just released. The Morongo Basin is part of the 9.3 million acres covered by the plan.  The WEMO was supposed to balance development and recreation with the conservation of natural resources.  But unfortunately the plan encourages uncontrolled off-road-vehicle abuse of our private and public lands property.

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.