G25 Public Comments to Preliminary Applications

Throughout the area managed by the Barstow BLM there are checkerboard lands with alternating sections of public and private property. Hundreds of BLM-designated routes cross private property in violation of the Designation Criteria in the Code of Federal Regulations (43 CFR 8342.1). Trespass on private property is a regular occurrence in this area. In this grant application Barstow BLM law enforcement acknowledges that they are incapable of controlling trespass on private property. "Unlawful “off-route” travel, trespass/incursion and resource damage within sensitive desert habitats such as wilderness areas and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) from unauthorized OHV use continues to occur frequently despite efforts to stop this illegal behavior through means such as signs, barriers, kiosks and maps which are widely distributed and available to the recreating public. Rehabilitated intrusions and structural improvements meant to educate and guide OHV travelers onto lawful routes of travel continue to be disregarded and destroyed by reckless OHV operation. ... Some OHV users continue to disregard signs and barriers in the surrounding “limited use” areas and on private lands." The same language has been used in the Barstow BLM law enforcement grant applications in every year since 2019, so this situation has persisted for at least 6 years. Under these conditions, it is time for the BLM to close OHV routes through private property in the interest of public safety and in order to protect private property from ongoing damage. Moreover, since the BLM has no easements or other legal interest in private property in this area, the BLM will have no legal defense in the event of any accidents on private property that involve OHV activity. The normal defenses against liability, such as Cal. Public Resources Code 5090.38 and Cal. Civil Code 846 only protect the owners of property. So any party injured as a result of OHV use on private property can sue the BLM under the FTCA (28 USC 1346(b)(1)).Steven Gjerstad - 3/7/2025

I am writing to express my strong support for grant funding that benefits off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation in California, particularly in areas like Borrego Springs. Grant funding is essential for maintaining and improving OHV trails, promoting responsible recreation, and supporting local economies. Investing in projects that enhance trail access, safety, and sustainability not only benefits the OHV community but also helps preserve natural resources through managed and responsible use. I encourage the approval of grants that focus on trail maintenance, education programs, and environmental conservation, ensuring these spaces remain accessible and enjoyable for all. Thank you for considering public input during the grant evaluation process. I appreciate your efforts to support California’s vibrant OHV community. Dylan Dobey - 3/6/2025

Keep the trails open! Jason Morrison - 3/10/2025

I am a frequent visitor to the Borrego Springs area and use the OHV trails around. I heavily encourage the use of grants for this area to continue to maintain it's beauty, educate it's visitors and protect the OHV usage. Dylan Dobey - 3/11/2025

Throughout the area managed by the Ridgecrest BLM there are checkerboard lands with alternating sections of public and private property. Hundreds of BLM-designated routes cross private property in violation of the Designation Criteria in the Code of Federal Regulations (43 CFR 8342.1). Trespass on private property is a regular occurrence in this area. In this grant application Ridgecrest BLM law enforcement acknowledges that they are incapable of controlling trespass on private property. "Unlawful 'off route' travel, trespass/incursion and resource damage within sensitive desert habitat continues to occur frequently despite efforts to stop this unauthorized activity. Sensitive habitat and unauthorized areas that have been and continue to be impacted include Wilderness Areas, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), critical desert tortoise habitat, and private lands. ... Restored incursions and hard barriers meant to educate and guide OHV travelers onto legal OHV routes continue to be disregarded and/or vandalized." Similar language has been used in the Barstow BLM law enforcement grant applications in every year since 2019, so this situation has persisted for at least 6 years. Under these conditions, it is time for the BLM to close OHV routes through private property in the interest of public safety and in order to protect private property from ongoing damage. Moreover, since the BLM has no easements or other legal interest in private property in this area, the BLM will have no legal defense in the event of any accidents on private property that involve OHV activity. The normal defenses against liability, such as Cal. Public Resources Code 5090.38 and Cal. Civil Code 846 only protect the owners of property. So any party injured as a result of OHV use on private property can sue the BLM under the FTCA (28 USC 1346(b)(1)). One of the most difficult parts of a personal injury lawsuit to prove is that the defendant was aware of the dangerous condition. The Ridgecrest law enforcement grant applications from the past seven years (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025) prove that the Ridgecrest BLM is clearly aware that they have created a dangerous condition by designating hundreds of OHV routes on private property, by allowing trespass to continue on private property, and by their failure to develop effective measures to control trespass on private property.Steven Gjerstad - 3/7/2025

Angeles forest for years has falsified its application and claimed areas that are closed off and not open to the public are available and in use in order to obtain this finding. This includes but is not limited to shortcut-rincon ohv rout 3n17 from forest boundaries to the west to Angeles crest to the east and lynx gulch road. These are the majority of recreational areas in this section of the forest and A.F. Claims them to be available when applying for money but does not allow the public to use them. This is currently the case with several years long temporary closures and for shortcut-ribbon, they currently claim it is open but if you obtain the gate code, they tell you only a portion is open because of a fallen dead tree that if it does exist should have been removed before the fire season. Kevin Anderson - 3/4/2025

Application looks great approve what they are asking. Casey Batchelder - 3/11/2025

Hello, I recreate in the Lassen National Forest year-round. I think the majority of these efforts should be directed towards side-by-side users out of all the OHVs. Time and time again it is the side by side users that are ruining OHV use for all of us. They are riding in an open cockpit with their trash flying out of the vehicle constantly. Beer cans and food wrappers are something I am constantly picking up and watch fly out of their vehicles. Often they are drinking while driving, and not slowing down for others. Side by sides are able to corner very fast and it poses a danger for us who ride motorcycles or atvs because we cannot react fast enough in a corner to avoid them. Many of us in the motorcycle and atv community do not feel safe riding high traffic forest roads because of it. Not to mention the damage done to graded forest roads when they fish tail around the corners. I also read that the scheduling for Forest Protection officers are during week days during daylight? I feel like the use of them would be far better suited for weekends when it is peak side-by-side and snowmobile use. There is very little use during the week days from my experience. Cameron D. - 3/5/2025

Law enforcement needs the money to enforce the rules, they should be awarded and even get enough money for overtime and enforcement. Casey Batchelder - 3/11/2025

Good evening. I 100% back the Alpine County Sheriff's on the funding for better tools for being on the trails. Slick rock is a trail that I love and volunteer on. The Sheriff's presence would be a welcome site on the trail. Alpine county has some awesome areas, the trails need to be protected, to stay open for the generations. Campers, hunters, fishermen, hikers, all enjoy the county, and all it has to offer. Other counties have Sheriff patrols on trails, Rubicon, Fordyce. It's a very welcome site I'm a resident of Arnold, have grown up on the hwy 4 corridor. Christopher Bruce - 3/13/2025

We support the Sheriff's grant application, as includes communicating with OHV users and an education component. We request help with monitoring the Palmdale Hills Trail, which has been inundated on weekends and holidays by side by sides and other unauthorized vehicles. The Palmdale Hills multiuse (equestrian, hiking and mountain biking) Trail has been in the area since the late 1950's and the 1.4-mile trail is located east (top of El Camino Drive) and west of the 14 freeway up to the aqueduct vehicle crossing near East Barrel Springs Road. The trail is being widened without permission with unauthorized vehicles utilizing trail causing erosion issues, with trail kiosk and trail markers being covered with graffiti, etc. Please include this trail as one of your patrol areas to educate unauthorized users to nearby OHV recreation authorized areas. You can find more information regarding this trail at trails.lacounty.gov and insert "Palmdale Hills Trail" to find map of the trail and other pertinent information. Feel free to contact me and I can join you on onsite to show you the area. Robert Ettleman - 3/11/2025

We support this grant request. Robert Ettleman - 3/11/2025

We support this grant request. Robert Ettleman - 3/11/2025

As a resident of Butte county, the Plumas National Forest trail system has been a key contributor to my continued appreciation for the north state. It has been maintained as a labor of love by non-profit organizations over the years. The trail stewardship efforts of SBTS has been a life-blood for this region and needs our continued investment and support, ESPECIALLY as we witness the reduction in workforce for many Federal agencies that would typically partner with organizations like SBTS. Please continue to entrust land stewardship to this wonderful organization for the benefit of the wildlife, the fire hardening efforts, and the community they have taken as core to their beliefs. Thank you. William Martin - 3/5/2025

I think it's very important as a County, and for the community's lying there in to keep our natural resources open for all to enjoy. This will take different shapes at different times but the key element is to being open for all Forever. Hugh Brown - 3/6/2025

I urge you to fund the PNF Ground Operations grant for Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. Maintaining these trails is critical to the success of the local economy and the well being of local residents. The Mt. Hough trail system and surrounding areas are very popular among recreators, whose dollars flow into the local economy. It's also important for local residents to have safe access to these trails for health and well-being. Maintaining the trails properly will lead to long term sustainability of the trail system. Also, on the heels of the Dixie fire, it is presumed that the trail system requires more maintenance than ever before, meaning that funding this grant is more important than ever before. Please support the Quincy area, Mt. Hough, and Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship in this vitally important effort. Kyle Stone - 3/7/2025

Great Job, Important work. Please fund. Mary Gross - 3/8/2025

Economical stimulation, ecological protection, public quality of life in enhancement. These are all proven results of the continued existence of the trail network. The importance of this grant can not be overstated. The city, and county depend on this grant. How much money has been invested into this trail network? Makes sense to protect this investment and continue to attract the public to this land as the use of this motorized trail network stimulated the local economy. Public opinion is clear: keep these trails open. Christopher J Atkinson - 3/8/2025

The Quincy trails are more than paths through nature-they're a vital part of my life. they provide a space for me to connect with the outdoors, stay active and find peace. Whether I'm hiking, biking or just taking a hike, these trails offer a sense of community and deep appreciation for the environment. Protecting and maintaining them is incredibly important to me and the local economy, because they enhance the quality life and the natural beauty of the area. Bob Russell - 3/10/2025

To whom it may concern, The Plumas County trail system is extremely important to me and my family. It is imperative to keep these trails open for the public to use. Not only do the trails provide excellent access to our public lands, they also provide a critically positive economic impact to Plumas County and it's communities. Here are some reasons for my and my family's support: Recreation opportunities for visitors and locals Creates local employment Creates sustainable trail systems that require less maintenance Keeps trails open and safe while protecting watershed I fully support this grant opportunity being approved. Martin Scheel - 3/10/2025

We run the Lake Davis Resort. There would be much more opportunity for our guests to enjoy the area on their OHV with improvement to the trails. We personally have had to turn around several times in our excursions on the trails in Plumas county. Many residents of Plumas county do not realize how important a trail system is in bringing in tourist dollars to the county. We support the efforts of our county to get grant funding for this project. Susan - 3/12/2025

I support this grant to maintain motorized trails on the Plumas National Forest. Thank you,Nick Collin - 3/13/2025

Dear Grants Manager and Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee: Defenders of Wildlife (Defenders) has reviewed the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee’s(DTPC) G25 Ground Operations Grant Application and recommends that the Off-highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division award the grant in the amount of $486,613. If approved, the DTPC’s G25 Grant Application will significantly reduce impact to the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area (DTRNA) caused by off-highway vehicle (OHV) use both within and adjacent to the DTRNA. This will be achieved by: 1. Installing desert tortoise exclusion fencing along 13.12 miles of existing perimeter fence at the DTRNA boundary and adjacent DTRNA Expansion Lands acquired by the DTPC and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to protect the desert tortoise and its habitat; 2. Monitoring and removing invasive plant species that proliferate along OHV routes and trails adjacent to the DTRNA and Expansion Area perimeter fences; 3. Restoring soil impacts and surface degradation related to the fence installation; 4. Installing new and recycled signs along perimeter fences that notify the public about the desert tortoise and its protected status; and 5. Restoring soil erosion and surface degradation along perimeter fences, streambeds and wash areas along the fenced perimeter of the DTRNA and Expansion Lands. DTRNA Background The DTRNA was designated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1976 as a fully protected Research Natural Area and as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1980. It is the only desert tortoise conservation area managed by BLM that is fully fenced to exclude livestock and motorized vehicles. Monitoring by the U.S. Geological Survey has documented that the DTRNA is the only known area where the desert tortoise population is increasing compared to adjacent unfenced Critical Habitat where populations are in steep decline and below minimum viable density. Importance of the DTPC’s Grant Application for the Desert Tortoise The full potential of the DTRNA and adjacent Expansion Lands in recovering the threatened desert tortoise is compromised due to motorized vehicle use along the perimeter fences which has resulted in mortality and injury to desert tortoises that move from the DTRNA to adjacent habitat outside the fence. The DTPC’s Grant Application to fund installation of desert tortoise exclusion fences, install signs, remove trash and exotic plants, and restore soils and habitat within and along the fences will contribute to recovery of the desert tortoise. Conclusion For the reasons stated above, Defenders recommends that the OHMVR Division approve the DTPC’s G25 Grant Application. Please contact me at my email address if you have questions about our letter of support or need additional supporting documentation. Respectfully submitted, Jeff Aardahl – 3/11/2025

We support this funding request for: -OHV Visitor Education Representative on weekends and holidays as area has become quite popular increasing use tremendously! -Production and dispersal of bilingual safety brochures and digital messaging -Positive interactions with OHV users providing safety-oriented information and education on lakebed closures to protect the lakebed for public use. Robert Ettleman - 3/11/2025

We support this grant request, as the BLM is short of staff, underfunded, and relies on nonprofits such as this group to provide regular timely high-quality maintenance. The maintenance work with signage and fencing improvements is making a positive impact with the various user groups who frequent this unique area. Please keep up the good work being accomplished within the confines of this unique OHV area! Robert Ettleman - 3/11/2025

We support the continued use of grant funding to regularly maintain this expansive recreation area. Robert Ettleman - 3/11/2025

As a resident of Butte county, the Downieville trail system, has been a key contributor to my continued appreciation for the north state. Not only is it a world-renown trail network, it has been maintained as a labor of love by non-profit organizations over the years. The trail stewardship efforts of SBTS has been a life-blood for that network and needs our continued investment and support, ESPECIALLY as we witness the reduction in workforce for many Federal agencies that would typically partner with organizations like SBTS. Please continue to entrust land stewardship to this wonderful organization for the benefit of the wildlife, the fire hardening efforts, and the community they have taken as core to their beliefs. Thank you. William Martin - 3/5/2025

The funds will help: -create recreation opportunities for visitors and locals - build local employment - create sustainable trail systems that require less maintenance - keep trails open and safe while protecting watershed. Rachel Dobornyi - 3/5/2025

The Downieville trail system is a world class system for biking and draws people from hundreds of miles to enjoy the trails and compete in the Downieville Classic. These recreation opportunities are sacred to visitors and locals alike. I love to visit and stay after a ride to enjoy food and visit local shops. There is no question that these trails create lots of local employment opportunities. I also like riding there knowing that I’m supporting sustainable trail systems that require less maintenance. I’m so grateful for Sierra Butes Trail Stewardship for keeping these incredible trails open and safe while protecting the watershed. Andrew Little - 3/6/2025

Please continue to fund the maintenance of the Downieville trail system. This world renowned trail system is so important to locals and visitors alike, providing recreation opportunities for thousands and thousands of people each year. Maintaining the system creates local jobs while also sustaining the region economically. Many of the local towns and businesses absolutely depend on this trail system being open for their businesses to remain open. It's vital that the trails be maintained to spec and remain safe for the thousands of folks that enjoy them. Kyle Stone - 3/7/2025

Economical stimulation, ecological protection, public quality of life in enhancement. These are all proven results of the continued existence of the Downieville trail network. The importance of this grant can not be overstated. The city, and county depend on this grant. Christopher J Atkinson - 3/8/2025

Please provide funding for this incredible work these people are doing to provide recreation and further economic boost to the area by the visitors attracted by these trails. Paul Fitzgerald - 3/12/2025