Green Sticker Funds at Work?

[silverback]

The following article was posted up on the news site: The Patch.


Section of Offroad-Damaged Badlands Southwest of Beaumont to be Restored

A project is planned for 279 acres north of Gilman Springs Road and west of Jack Rabbit Trail. The area did not burn in the 1,000+ acre Gilman Fire in early August, according to Riverside County park planner Steve Lech.


By Guy McCarthy
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A three-year project to restore a section of the Badlands southwest of Beaumont that's been damaged by illegal off-roaders is expected to begin in November 2012, Riverside County officials announced Thursday.

The plan calls for restoring a 279-acre section of the Badlands, north of Gilman Springs Road and west of Jack Rabbit Trail. The area did not burn in the 1,000-plus-acre Gilman Fire in August, according to Riverside County park planner Steve Lech.

The site is near the old Quail Ranch Resort and Country Club.

The project will be funded by an off-highway motor vehicle grant of more than $439,000 from California State Parks, county spokeswoman Kyla Brown said in a statement.

"Illegal off-road riding scarred hillsides and gullies, and carved out washbasins in the Badlands," Brown said. "With the California State Parks grant, native vegetation such as trees and shrubs will be planted to reduce erosion, discourage illegal riding and provide a catalyst to restore habitat for native species.

"Fencing and signs will be added on the site’s perimeter to discourage illegal riding and offer information about locations in the surrounding area where off-highway vehicle riding is legal," Brown said.

Riverside County’s Regional Park and Open-Space District, in partnership with the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority, was awarded $439,438 to complete the restoration, Brown said.

The Badlands project is scheduled to take place over three years, Brown said.

Preliminary work related to the grant, which was received in July, has begun and vegetation restoration is expected to begin by November 2012, Brown said.

"Once restored, the area will reopen for non-motorized recreational uses that will dramatically reduce effects on the site," Brown said.

Maps of the 279-acre project area and the Gilman Fire burned area are attached to this report.

The Gilman Fire burned more than 1,000 acres northwest of the restoration project area, according to Cal Fire and Riverside County.
Related Topics: Badlands, California State Parks, Erosion, Illegal Offroading, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Grant, beaumont, beaumont california, gilman fire, habitat, and off-road

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[Bro_Gill]

You know, this kind of needs to stop. Riverside County, while being one of the largest OHV owning counties in teh state, has NO OPEN AREAS from the County or the State available for OHV use. There area couple roads in the Berdoo Forest and a very, very small open area on the Cleveland Forest down by Wildomar, but NOTHING ELSE! Riverside County should be receiving NO FUNDS from the Green Sticker fund unless they want to offer some OHV opportunities. You should see how much they have received and spent on dirt bikes and quads and toy haulers to carry them around so they can go out and stop folks from using their OHVs and their laws regarding minimum acreage of private property to ride and permits needed for groups larger than 10 ON PRIVATE LAND! is ridiculous. There is an opportunity for OHV funds to be used to create a multi-thousands of acres OHV area in teh county that should be addressed that doesn't require massive clean-up of toxic rocket fuel, etc..., but I don't see that happening as long as the current B.o.S. is trying to be environmentalists out of one side of their mouths while cravging as much OHV Grants as they can lay their hands on out of the other. The area in the Badlands that they are "preserving" literally burns every other year and the fire history proves it. And NO, the fires are not caused by OHV use. The vast majority start off the 60 freeway. It has been called the Badlands for a reason, and it has nothing to do with the lack of trees that don't grow there...SO LET'S PLANT SOME!

[5racer]

kiss the homes near that area good by when they plant all the fuel for the fires that burn that area almost every year .and theres no way they will ever stop people from riding that area what a waist of money.