Ms. L. Smith

BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner

Hollister Field Office, BLM

20 Hamilton Court

Hollister, CA 95023

 

Ms. Smith,                                                                                          Oct. 25th 2004

 

I am writing you regarding the current situation regarding Clear Creek (CCMA) and within the public comment guidelines. Please consider the following comments:

 

  1. CCMA is the premier off-road recreation area in the Bay Area of California in terms of sheer size and variety of single track trails. The recent proposals set forth by the BLM involve closing almost 50 % of the available trails at CCMA, mostly single track. This will result in greater traffic and thus collisions on the remaining fire-roads.

  2. There has been significant controversy regarding the lack of communication and a working relationship(s) between the BLM and local off-road vehicle organizations. I have personally extended several offers to rehabilitate and maintain trails on behalf of the Timekeepers motorcycle club. Apparently, these offers have fallen on deaf ears at the BLM, as no further contact has been made by the Hollister office to work proactively with the Timekeepers in trail maintenance and rehabilitation. Instead, trails have been closed and areas have been fenced off, in many cases without due legal process or notice. Again, many of us still wish to work with the BLM, and not against the organization. We will continue to document our attempts to work with the Hollister office, and the offices response or lack thereof.

  3. In early 2004, there was a GPS mapping activity that involved a member of the BLM office (Jason) and several members of the Timekeepers, myself included. The activity involved riding mostly single-track enduro-type trails at CCMA, many of which were previously unknown to the BLM, and mapping their location by GPS. In effect, myself, and other Timekeepers served as trail guides for the BLM. The objective, as per the BLM (verbal), was to inventory trails at CCMA for better managed use, and to inventory those trails used by the Timekeepers for their annual off-road enduro event. It was assumed that the Timekeepers were working with the BLM to further maintain and/or manage these valuable trails for future and continued use. We had hoped that this activity would build a bridge for further cooperation and communication.

 

Instead, without communication or comment, the BLM has now disallowed the use of most of the 1-track trails. No attempt was made, or ever communicated, to protect these trails or maintain them for further use. Essentially, the BLM used the goodwill and resources of the Timekeepers to inventory and shut down trails at CCMA. This is viewed as a betrayal and deceitful action on the part of the BLM.

  1. As a conservationist who believes in preservation and wise use of our resources, I have been dismayed at the lack of management and lack of communication by the BLM regarding off-road recreation at CCMA. The recent radical proposals by the BLM to close up to 50 % of the single-track trails at CCMA force moderate shared use individuals like myself into defensive postures. Please note that the Hollister Field offices lack of willingness to work proactively with off-road organizations and wholesale trail closures without due process causes a radical polarization in opinion and stance among those who wish to recreate at CCMA. This ultimately results in a dramatic increase in donations to organizations that have the wherewithal and resources to litigate these issues on behalf of off-road recreation.

  2. Finally, please note that the BLM office in Nevada (Carson City) has been very successful working with local off-road organizations to preserve and manage their off-road recreation areas, including Wilson Canyon. Why can’t the same thing occur for CCMA ? Is there an internal conflict of interest or just a lack of interest ?

 

In closing, I hope that these comments are considered by those readers. I have maintained a copy of this communication and documented when it was forwarded to the BLM office by the postal service.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Josh H., Ph.D.

 

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I have been riding my enduro bike at Clear Creek for five years now, and enjoy it a great deal.  I am willing to drive over two hours each way just to have the opportunity to ride in an area that is not crowded and conjested.  I went to Hollister Hills once about four years ago and have not been back since.  It is over crowded and small.  What makes Clear Creek special is it's size and the sense of adventure it provides. If it becomes choked with limited use and regulation then this is taken away.  This land should be set aside for those that use it.  It is public land (not government land) and the using public should have the say in how it is used. 
 
Brad
Pacific Grove, CA