COW Business

US Senate Committee to Receive Testimony Regarding Off-Highway Vehicle Management on Public Lands

The full US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural resources will be conducting a hearing to receive testimony regarding off-highway vehicle management on public lands.

You can view the hearing via webcast when it takes place on Thursday, June 5 at 6:30 AM Eastern Time via this link.

Report on Desert Protection Summit in Hi-Desert Star

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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.

Desert Protection Summit - April 5th - Schedule

9:30-9:40 AM Welcome by Matt Leivas (Chemehuevi Indian Tribe)
9:40-9:50 AM Phil Klasky and Pat Flanagan- introductions and logistics
9:50-10:00 AM Desert Cahuilla Bird Singers
10:05-10:45 AM

Activists Panel -- Local Solutions by ARR members

  -Tom Eagan (Rangers for Responsible Recreation)
-Dave Van Voorhis (Friends of Juniper Flats)
-Douglas Parham (Western SB County Homeowners Assn.)
-Phil Klasky (Community ORV Watch)
-Terry Weiner (Desert Protective Council)
10:45–11:00 AM Ileene Anderson (Center for Biological Diversity) -- Impacts on Native Vegetation
11:00-11:15 AM D'Anne Albers (Defenders of Wildlife) - Impacts on Desert Wildlife
11:15-11:30 AM Pat Flanagan (Morongo Basin Conservation Association) – ATVs and Children’s Safety
11:30–11:45 AM Karen Schambach (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) – Education and Law Enforcement
11:45-12:00 Noon Audience Q and A with presenters
12:00-12:30 PM LUNCH (provided – donations accepted)
12:30-12:40 PM Desert Cahuilla Bird Singers
12:40-1:00 PM Matthew Leivas and Cara McCoy, Chemehuevi Indian Cultural Center
- Impacts on Native American Lands
1:05-1:20 PM

Meg Grossglass (Off-Road Business Assn) - Rider and Vendor Responsibility

1:20-1:50 PM Keynote Speaker: Dr. Howard Wilshire (Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility) – ORVs, Nature and Time
1:50-2:00 PM Victoria Fuller (COW Steering Committee) – Report from Washington, DC
2:00-3:00 PM Panel of local officials:
  - Sgt. Rick Collins – SB County Sheriff’s Department
- Hugh Oram – SB County Code Enforcement
- Alex Meyerhoff – City of 29 Palms
- Ranger Mark Harris – Bureau of Land Management
- Daphne Greene – Deputy Director, State OHMVR Division
- Mary Ashley – SB County District Attorney
3:00-3:30 PM Audience Q and A with panel
3:55-4:10 PM Brent Schoradt (California Wilderness Coalition) – OHV Grants Program
4:15-4:45 PM Open mic

"Desert Protection Summit Conference and Public Forum" to address ORV abuse of our private and public lands

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Saturday, April 5th from 9:00am to 4:00pm at the Joshua Tree Community Center. Joshua Tree Community Center located at 6171 Sunburst Road in Joshua Tree.

In 2005, COW and ARR organized a conference on ORV abuse attended by residents by many different desert communities. The event was a great success and helped to launch many successful initiatives to obtain law enforcement and to protect our precious desert lands and our quality of life.

Community ORV Watch (COW), the California Wilderness Coalition (CWC), the Morongo Basin Conservation Association (MBCA), the Desert Protective Council (DPC), The Mojave Land Trust and the Alliance for Responsible Recreation (ARR) (partial list) is organizing another conference for updates, information and the development of effective strategies.

Dr. Howard Wilshire, respected desert advocate and author of The Environmental Effects of Off-Road Vehicles, will be our keynote speaker. The conference will feature reports from grass-roots
activists and presentations on a number of relevant topics including: impacts on cultural resources, private property and protected areas; instruction on how to use the law; conservation efforts; addressing harassment and intimidation; challenges with law enforcement; and, grant funding.

We have invited representatives from local, county and federal law enforcement agencies, county supervisors and local elected officials who will be asked about their efforts to address ORV abuse.

There is no cost to attend the conference but donations are welcome.

SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE CONFERENCE. CONTACT US FOR POSTERS AND FLIERS TO DISTRIBUTE IN YOUR AREA.

Sheriff's Department receives $133,000 ORV enforcement grant

The Sheriff's Department just received a $133,000 grant from the state of California Off-Highway Vehicle Commission to be used exclusively to address ORV abuse. The grant will pay for additional deputy hours, a truck to haul enforcement motorcycles to remote areas of the Morongo Basin, a message board to direct riders to Johnson Valley, the printing of more ORV brochures, and public education.

COW has been actively supporting the Sheriff's department efforts for the last three years which has brought over $250,000 in grant funds to the department. Our work now is to make sure that these funds are spent in the most effective way possible.

San Bernardino County officials keep law restricting off-roading

San Bernardino County officials keep law restricting off-roading

By DUANE W. GANG - 8/22/07
The Press-Enterprise

Link

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to keep a year-old law restricting the use of motorcycles and other off-road vehicles intact.

Strict off-road rules are upheld by SB Board of Supervisors

From the LA Times 8/22/07

Strict off-road rules are upheld

By Sara Lin August 22, 2007

Link

Spurred by desert homeowners tired of noise and dust, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to uphold an ordinance that clamps down on off-road riders gathering in groups or trespassing on private land.

Need a ride to the Board of Supervisors meeting? We can help you get there!

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.

Location of Board of Supervisors Meeting re ORV Ordinance - Tuesday, August 21

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!

COW Meeting - August 3rd - 7PM - Joshua Tree Community Center

On Friday, August 3rd at 7:00pm at the Joshua Tree Community Center, Community ORV Watch will be having a special meeting to discuss preparations for the August 21 hearing before the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors to defend the ORV ordinance from attempts to weaken and repeal the law.

Defend the law or lose it! Help support the community's efforts to protect our private and public lands from ORV abuse.

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