USFS - San Bernardino National Forest
Project Description · Please remove “Yamaha” from page 1 when referring to the Southern California Mountains Foundation OHV route Map, it's name is SBNF OHV Guide. · Throughout the grant you refer to 40 and 38 Adopt-A-Trail Clubs, which is it? Project Cost Estimate · Please define the explanation, quantity and unit of measure for Big and Little Macks. · You mention you are installing additional toilets at staging areas in 2018. Please define the # of toilets and how often they are pumped. And since you mentioned you will have additional toilets, requested amount looks low for purchasing, please review. Stacy Gorin - 4/3/17
You told us you were in contact with the USFS regional office re the OHV Visitor Opportunity Summary Information, have you heard back and if so are there any changes to this item? · You also met with stakeholders with us at the 1/31/17 meeting, you should add that to the stakeholder part of item 10. Stacy Gorin - 4/3/17
A. Statement of Development Activity · The match description in the “funds would be utilized to” section are not as detailed as they are in the Project Cost Estimate. You should update this section to show that your Match also partially funds the vault toilets and fully funds the tables. · You state you are constructing 26 inch and 24 inch motorcycle trail. Correct to show 24 inch. · You state project will provide 5.4 miles of new motorcycle trail but 2.6 miles of new construction plus bringing 4 miles of unauthorized miles up to standard results in 6.6 mile of new motorcycle trail. Please review trail mileage for consistency. Project Cost Estimate · Under Contracts, #2 Trailering Site Development, you should explain that the 60K request is for one, 2 unit prefabricated vault toilet, as the way it is written now look like it is for two vault toilets and that cost is too low for 2 toilets. o In this same item, in the notes, you should more clearly define what parts of this entire item the grant would fund and what parts the Match would fund. Evaluation Criteria · Item 4 Diversified use- to the last line you should mention access into Horse Springs Campground via green sticker designation. · Item 10 Public Input- you also met with stakeholders with us at the 1/31/17 meeting, you should add that to the stakeholder part of this item. · Item 11 Utilization of Partnerships- Some of the Adopt-A-Trail Clubs mentioned in this item need to be updated to reflect the new clubs that work in the areas mentioned. Timeline · There appear to be several errors on pages 2 and 3 of the timeline. - Again you mention 27 inch trail where it should be 24 inch trail - In the October 2018 section, wouldn’t the February contract would be due in 2019 not 2018? - Wouldn’t the June –August 2018 section title should be June –August 2019 - In this section, wouldn’t the YCC would install signage for 2 not 3 years? Please review and adjust cost estimate to match. · It would be helpful to add the Match information into the timeline. Stacy Gorin - 4/3/17
$591,444 applied for by the San Bernardino National Forest… WOW !!! Firstly, I must submit that last year was my first in commenting on this particular applicant. That being said… here – we – GO !!! So, once again, I see that within this O&M Grant, the SBNF is asking for $68,541 for an Assistant OHV Program Manager with a $20,460 'match' from USFS Federal Fund. This brings this person's salary up to $89,001 which would be absurdly high when compared to the salary being some $20,000 more than previously applied for funds for an actual presiding OHV Program Manager. But now, I find out they claim the acting OHV Manager is actually the Recreation Manager whom has historically been in charge of overseeing every other type of recreation OTHER THAN “Motorized OHV Recreation”. So, why so much for an assistant position? And are we STILL funding an OHV MANAGER in addition to an Assistant OHV MANAGER? Especially since they claim the OHV Manager is the Recreation Manager (comparatively little experience with OHV when accessed in relation to Senor Hoffman)! In years past, the applicant asked for just about $65,000 for the main OHV manager. Accountability should be paramount as I can see no reason an ASSISTANT position would demand such an exhorbanant salary! If the person who had been the acting (in name and in function) OHV MANAGER is in fact, now the Assistant OHV Manager (rhymes with “KAUFMANN”), I’d say ‘fine by me’. BUT… I suspect that the assistant manager is actually someone who has quite the checkered past, to say the least, from his days as an LEO in East Riverside County (first name sounds like ‘CRAVE’, last name rhymes with GENTLEY). Last year, the applicant asked for $20,000 for yet ANOTHER Polaris RZR UTV. There were already two (2) within the fleet which I have yet to see ANY OF THEM EVEN ONCE on the forest. This amount of $$$ could easily have funded two ATVs or maybe even three motorcycles. Why do the FPOs and LEOs need to travel in such extravagant comfort? Maybe a rite of passage, perhaps? If so, I submit not at the expense of OUR green sticker funds. Last year, the applicant requested an allotment for a Road Maintenance Contractor (for green sticker routes) to the tune of $65,000... WOW!!! FAST FORWARD TO THIS YEAR and now applying for same position to tune of $100,000… DOUBLE WOW !!! The Adopt-A-Trail Program has over 48 active clubs with over 3000 active members with each club adopting a trail within the forest and THEY claim to be routinely doing MOST of the trail maintenance on their prospective trails. "These volunteers perform trail monitoring & maintenance (hand work) on Green Sticker routes and notify staff where mechanized work is necessary". 12,000 hours claimed last year at a proposed value of $331,080 (up from $322,000 last year = real dollars, not monopoly money). SO ... WHY the need to pay an outside (or inside) contractor? Have the Adopt-A-Trail clubs and their respective volunteers not been carrying their own weight lately? If so, no need for $90,000 to fund an assistant OHV Program Manager to manage the AAT volunteers when this forest says a route maintenance contractor is required to, let's say "take up the slack"! Money better spent on another deserving forest - spread the wealth - but not like Bernie Sanders proposes (Oh wait... he LOST - sorry, SNOWFLAKES)! Now, I see that $10,000 is being requested for MC/ATV/Excavator Maintenance… AGAIN, just like last year. This looks to be ONLY for service costs incurred by taking these vehicles to a dealership This forest HAD at least one competent, manufacturer-certified mechanic who volunteered their time to the AAT program AND to SCMF diligently and selflessly for over 6+ years. The SBNF squandered and exploited this resource by way of (ahem... alleged) DISCRIMINATION & CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS and NOW has repeatedly requested for this towering amount of funds for simple, routine maintenance... much of which can be completed 'in house' by one of the thousands of capable VOLUNTEERS at their disposal. Or maybe they've just 'scared' off the capable ones and are left to ask for OUR funds. I say cut this amount in HALF and utilize their considerable volunteer base for routine maintenance. Drew A - 4/3/17