Clark Clark, Nv. new rules coming for off-roading

[rallyorg]

I am a series director for Southwest RallyCup Series and a organizer for Desert Storm Rally. I also help out the whole region for any Rally America sanction rallies. I went through a enviromental impact study this past year and I had to pay out some money for road surveys to happen and now certain roads are off -limits until other roads have been surveyed for enviromental impact and for possible historic sites...but we have been fortunate to use county roads to steer from most of this and we are able to continue onward with Desert Storm with over 100 stage miles this year and looks very good for the future since we now have a very good letter from BLM about how well we are able to be a "good neighbor" to the environment. Which I am keeping this like GOLD.

NOW, another Rally America sanction event outskirts of Las Vegas came under the same set of problems that I encountered and been telling all rally organizers to get prepared for this.....

Clark Couunty has to now do ALL environmental impact studies with their biologist and the Fish and Game, etc to see what off-road events do all if any impacts to the land.

I got the call from the organizer to tell me..."Denise...it has hit my area now." So he had to get prepared for the Clark County BLM meeting last week. It turned out better for him since we only use dirt roads that are established...BUT we have to do a couple of things to make sure we do not impact the outskirts of the land that attaches the road....and he does not have to worry about road surveys...only to possibly change the date of the event when the desert tortise stays in its burrows.

This DOES now hits any off road events in Clark County and each event will be assessed for enviromental impacts....I would suggest that all of the off-roaders to pay attention to how reports are coming along for the county and how they will be permitting ANY off-road events in that county.

We have been talking about this for a LONG time since I was a co-organizer for a national event Rim of the World in the Angeles National Forest and after 28 years of that event happening...it was finally disbanded by the forestry service and not allowing anymore premitted events. It was a big blow to the rally community when this happen back in 2006.

I hope that off-roaders and ralliest can band together to show we are "good neighbors" to the land and we want to be welcome back each and every year on public lands.

If we ALL can show we will clean up after ourselves and not out to tear up the land or roads and that we can work together.

Thank you...

 

[Ol' Curmudgeon]

Good info, Denise! Thanks for the heads up!

 

[xjchaser]

It never ceases to amaze me how people that never use our desert are hell bent on making sure we can't enjoy it either. As with most of the the off-roaders when I go to the desert it's much cleaner when I leave than when I got there. I clean up the trash I find that has blown in from wherever for whatever reason. And yeah we leave tracks and trails out there, are they harmful to the enviroment probably not. Been going to the desert for close to fifty years and haven't witnessed any mass distruction. And heck when it comes right down to it a dang solar power plant has a huge impact on the area it sits on. And as far as a visual raw desert with a few trails running through it is a beautiful sight, I can't really say that about a solar power plant. So Please tell me why we need to be protected from ourselves, and how we have become the bad guys.
I have to tell you this kinda reminds me of what we did to the original owners of this country. You know back when we came in took their land, built whatever we wanted wherever. Then when they rebeled they were branded as savages that were a menace to society and not capable of taking care of anything. So then we decided they needed to herded up and taken off to little areas where we could keep an eye on them and then we could protect them from themselfs. Oh well I guess I'm ranting, but it's kinda scary what is happening. I guess it maybe true, history may indeed repeat itself. And I truely feel sorry for future generations, cause in my humble opinion it's not looking very good.

 

[rallyorg]

I completely understand your frustration....rallies which are just like off-road events are mobile and are not in fixed venues. We are held at a higher standard then your normal person just sitting out in the desert or hiking, bycycling, motorcyling, ATVing...but we do have a probelm with ones that are living in the desert with a pup-tent or mobile home and throwing trash everywhere and doing what they please to the surrounding area which I have to say are called by others as "desert rats." They have no home and use the desert for their place to stay and BLM knows they are there but just can not enforce it because they do not have the man-power and budget to do so BUT I have observed over a period of years that they are the ones leaving the trash and making more problems in the desert then your competitors or your weekend people who have a designated area to enjoy their ATV's, etc.. who know that has been put in their head time after time to pick up after themselves, plus volunteers for competive events know to clean up after themselves and pick up for others that were not part of the event.

Competitive events are held accountable at a higher standard and as I said before...we have to make sure to pick up for the ones that are not part of the event. We are held accountable for any endanger species to get crushed/killed, any trees mowed down by vehicles or scraped....(one national rally event back East - if a tree is hit in a national state forest...you pay $500.00's for the hit and after so many hits the event owns the tree...which they do own several.)....you are also held accountable for any drunk drivers coming from the event if it gets out they came from XYZ event and at the awards ceremony that alcohol was served by that event. So now a national event back East can not have any alcohol associated with its event.

I have been educating BLM for what we do and how we do it and how we are "good neighbors" and the "off-roading events that I have seen is the same way...." They are listening and it is a slow process...we are NOT the bad guys...PLUS...we bring in the economic dollars to a community for a weekend which probably on your normal weekend would have not received those extra dollars...so they are starting to notice that...but they are up against the extreme environmentlist which could be your next door neighbor or someone in congress who wants all activities out of all public lands.

If organizers from all motorsport types of off-road events help educate and show you can have a competive sport and still keep the land and environment safe. Then we have educated what is perceived by others that we tear up and do not care. Plus, we are not coming up under such scrutiny all the time and being forced out of public lands that us taxpayers do pay for....

 

[Vtr_Racing]

Been going to the desert for close to fifty years and haven't witnessed any mass distruction. And heck when it comes right down to it a dang solar power plant has a huge impact on the area it sits on. And as far as a visual raw desert with a few trails running through it is a beautiful sight, I can't really say that about a solar power plant.

Your absolutly correct. How many of you can remember driving through Windy Point near Palm Springs and NOT see any windmills? I can and I remember fighting against those too. Huge eyesore for that area IMO. Were were lambasted for having the audacity to ride our dirtbikes out there! Pre windmill era.
The guys/companies who built those windmills used to string up barbed wire accross the known trails that we would ride with NO signage at all after they did it. They knew we rode out there as they saw us just about everyday.

 

[EMS702]

As for people saying Off roaders are bad. There was this Mattress and a few boxes dumped in the Desert at the last BITD PRIMM race. One of the race chase trucks stopped and picked it up and took it to a dumpster in jean to dispose of it properly. How many ECO nazi's would have done that. They probably would have parked a 4 wheeler next to it, take a picture and said we left it there. Wish I knew what team it was that did this, truck was not marked, it had AZ plates though. I would give them many REPpoints for picking up someone elses trash.

 

[rallyorg]

As for people saying Off roaders are bad. There was this Mattress and a few boxes dumped in the Desert at the last BITD PRIMM race. One of the race chase trucks stopped and picked it up and took it to a dumpster in jean to dispose of it properly. How many ECO nazi's would have done that. They probably would have parked a 4 wheeler next to it, take a picture and said we left it there. Wish I knew what team it was that did this, truck was not marked, it had AZ plates though. I would give them many REPpoints for picking up someone elses trash.

Exactly, that is why we have to continue picking up other people's trash because that event and others are held accountable...kudo's to that team that did that...BUT a note needs to be sent to the organizers so that they can convey that information to the BLM office that this is what we ARE doing to clean up the Desert and/or keep it clean if a competive event is not there.

If we keep a good track record of cleaning up, not tearing up any outside area of a competive road(s) then we are DOING EVERYTHING 'REASONABLE" TO KEEP THE DESERT PRISTINE.

We have talked to a retired superior court judge and she said doing everything within "REASON" should not keep you from doing anything competive and you do your
best to keep the public lands clean and left it as you saw it before competition.

 

[DeathMonkey007]

Hi Denise - Thanks for doing what you do to keep Rally alive and growing. It is an awesome sport and I hope to continue to see it grow. While your post is focused on Clark County NV, in my opinion the underlying message here applies nation wide. Recently in between stages at the Olympus rally I picked up a full bag of trash while waking the course. Sadly, I didn't have to walk far, and even more sadly, there is more out there. The trash I picked up did not come from racers or event participants... that stage I worked was closed to spectators, so they didn't leave any trash... the trash I picked up had been there for some time and was left by locals. (It's sad, but it is true). Without the rally that day, I wouldn't have been there and that trash would still be there.

I just did it, it's a habit I have gotten into over the years, so I didn't think anything about it, I just picked it up, threw it in the back of my truck and took it back to my hotel. I wasn't looking for an attaboy or any award or anything, like I said, just a habit. Your comments though got me thinking and now I regret not taking pictures and passing them on to Steve (chairman) and Bill (my volunteer coordinator) so that they could show the "good" that racing brought to this little stretch of forest road. I know I am not the only one on that stage that day that picked up more than we brought in. Bottom line, that stretch of road was left in better condition after the race...

Thanks again for doing what you do... and some day I hope to make it down your way to see Desert Storm.

 

[rallyorg]

Well thanks Jon....and yes from now on if anyone off-road and rallying...just take pictures of you picking up behind someone and showing them if you see something out of the ordinary like people throwing or tearing up where they are not suppose to be...report it...tell them if a BLM ranger or a forestry ranger is around you are from a off-road organization or a rally organization...that will be documented. Or go straight to the organizer. If we continue down this path...we will not be refused to be on public lands...

Yes, I hope to see you come down in the future...I have steward Olympus for Rally America several years ago and had a great time at the event. Love to get back up there in the near future!

But yes, as I stated in a earlier reply that STPR came up against some opposition and now had to re-format how they do things
at that event...so this is hitting nationwide...and I know up in the PNW...you guys are having some problems but you have a strong rally group up there and that is a good foundation to show to the government officials...you mean business and you will take care of what you have in events and respect the surrounding communites. You will always be welcome back..for now.
We do not know what the near future will hold for off-road and rally events. Hopefully, that will be a long time...

 

[baja619]

You will be happy to know that most offroaders are huge fans of most motorsports and that espicially includes rally racing. We are also fortunate to have one of the 'BEST' desert racing promoters (Casey Folks) working hard side by side with the BLM to ensure the future of desert racing in Nevada.

Please post often on RDC how we can help fight the good fight and retain the power and freedoms as citizens of the USA

 

[Forty1Racing]

You will be happy to know that most offroaders are huge fans of most motorsports and that espicially includes rally racing. We are also fortunate to have one of the 'BEST' desert racing promoters (Casey Folks) working hard side by side with the BLM to ensure the future of desert racing in Nevada.

Please post often on RDC how we can help fight the good fight and retain the power and freedoms as citizens of the USA

x2 to that my friend Casey does an amazing job.

And can i get a ... U-S-A! U-S-A!..

 

[rallyorg]

Well I like to thank you for all of your kind words and I hope that you guys will come out and support Seed 9 Rally which will be either Nov. 14th or Dec 5th, 2009....a all day event centered near Goodsprings, Nv. and using one of the casinos as its headquarters off the Interstate.....

The organizer's wife cooks up a great lunch. Awards ceremony at the oldest saloon in the area...Pioneer Saloon.