BLM seeking OHV recreation input

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a positive future for off-highway vehicle recreation. You can learn more at www.nohvcc.org. NOHVCC is working in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to create a California Statewide OHV Action Plan. BLM is seeking assistance from the OHV community to learn how the BLM can improve access to high quality OHV recreation experiences in the state of California.

In 2014 NOHVCC and the BLM partnered to develop a National Motorized Recreation Action Strategy designed to help the BLM develop individual state action plans for providing high quality OHV opportunities and develop partnerships to help maintain those opportunities. This process has created state specific OHV action plans in 7 other states where the BLM manages public land. The strategies will be used to help guide future travel management and resource management decisions; however, the strategies are NOT part of a specific travel management plan. In developing these strategies, OHV enthusiasts have a chance to share your thoughts on the following topics:

• What activities are taking place on BLM-managed lands in California?
• Where in general are these OHV activities taking place?
• What experiences are you looking for on BLM-managed lands?
• Where might these missing activities fit on BLM-managed lands in California?
• What could the land managers do better to enhance your recreation experience?

Without the help of OHV recreationalists like you, BLM may not have accurate answers to the questions above, and you could miss out on a chance to provide ideas that could lead to enhancements to the areas and trail systems you enjoy. To gather your input, NOHVCC will hold two series of community listening sessions. The first round of listening sessions will be in Northern California in November 2022, with the second set taking place in Southern California in Spring 2023.

The first round of listening sessions: All sessions will be held from 6pm – 9pm:

• November 14: Milpitas, CA: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Silicon Valley, 1100 Cadillac Ct, Milpitas, CA 95035
• November 15: Ukiah, CA, Ukiah Valley Conference Center, 200 S School Street, Ukiah, CA 95482
• November 16: Eureka, CA, Red Lion Eureka, 1929 4th Street, Eureka, CA 95501
• November 17: Redding, CA, Win River Resort & Casino, 2100 Redding Rancheria Road, Redding, CA 96001
• November 18: Susanville, CA, The Historic Susanville Rail Depot, 601 Richmond Road, Susanville, CA 96130
• November 21, Sacramento, CA, Hilton Sacramento Arden West, 2200 Harvard Street, Sacramento, CA 95815
  • Zoom information: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82812928116?pwd=WjRIU3l1QnJwdUwwN2I5NG1KTnh3Zz09

The second round of listening sessions to be held in spring of 2023:

• San Diego
• Glendale
• Covina/Ontario
• Riverside/San Bernadino
• Ridgecrest
• Bakersfield
• Bishop (virtual)

The exact locations of second round of listening sessions will be announced at a later date.

All listening sessions will be hybrid meetings. Attendees will be given the option to attend in person or by virtual session. A series of follow up virtual sessions will also be held after the completion of the first and second round of listening sessions.

To register for a meeting please visit www.nohvcc.org and click on the events tab, or simply click here.

These sessions are not being organized by the BLM; however, staff from these agencies have been invited to attend these meetings as participants and will be on-hand to discuss current travel management processes and how your suggestions could help shape future decisions. The listening sessions will also be an excellent time for you to meet national, state, and local agency personnel. These organizations are interested in developing partnerships with individuals and organizations to improve the management of OHV recreation on public lands.

The more information that is provided directly from the OHV community, the greater the potential for a high-quality statewide strategy and action plan. Please participate in the listening sessions and invite your fellow club members and riding buddies as well. For more information on the meetings please contact Marc Hildesheim, NOHVCC Program Director, 208-416-3557, marc@nohvcc.org