Evidence Discovered of Inappropriate Anti-OHV Influence on Carnegie SVRA Staff

[LYIN' KING]

BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC.

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Don Amador, BRC Western Representative
Phone: 925.625.6287
Email: brdon@sharetrails.org
Date: July 23, 2012

Green Groups Influence Bay Area Regional Park District to Support Ban
on OHV Use at Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area

LIVERMORE, CA (JULY 23)--Documents obtained by a Public Records Act (PRA) request appears to show an effort by some anti-access groups and their supporters to exert undue pressure on a government agency to oppose motorized recreation at a local OHV park. The BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), a national trail-based recreation group, filed a PRA with the East Bay Regional Park District on July 2, 2012.

BRC filed the request to obtain copies of any communications between the District and the Friends of Tesla, a local anti-access group founded by Celeste Garamendi to oppose OHV recreation on the Telsa property at Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area.

An initial review of the information shows Garamendi in a March 19, 2007 letter to a District Board Member informing her of the need for them to develop "outside" pressure to prevent motorized recreation on property purchased with non-general fund user-pay/user-benefit monies from the OHV Program at California State Parks.

Don Amador, Western Representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, states, "It appears that environmental activists and East Bay Parks may have had inappropriate contact outside of the CEQA process to potentially impact responsible OHV recreation on designated routes at Tesla."

"It should come as no surprise that some of the same anti-OHV groups who sued to close the SVRA in 2009 are stakeholders in current efforts to ban or restrict OHV recreation at the Park. Just as the court recently dismissed (with prejudice) their 2009 lawsuit, I believe the public will reject the effort by green groups and their friends in state government to prevent lawful use by the OHV community of the Tesla property," Amador continued.

BRC PRA Information
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/E...ncerns0001.pdf

Friends of Tesla
http://www.teslapark.org/

State Legislators Join Opposition to OHV
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/B...gie_6-8-12.pdf

OHV Commissioner Response to Opposition
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/L...rez_letter.pdf

[Bebe]

While this is important, why put them is separate threads?

/forum/land-use-issues/1079865-alliance-between-east-bay-parks-eco-activists-ban-ohv-use-tesla.html

[Bebe]

Another Question - I have never been there, are there any 4wd trails there??? I know I filled out a response on a questionnaire about wanting trails for 4x4's.

[Kurtuleas]

There's no real 4x4 trails.

The last time I was there, there WAS a rock pile and a small 4x4 area..

Think: Prairie City "light"


Then again, that was 2-3 years back.

[LYIN' KING]

I believe part of the intent in acquiring the Tesla property was to add on to the existing park while starting with a clean slate that would include 4X4 opportunities.

Having managed to decommission trails and perform other mitigation efforts in an attempt to placate the enviros concerns about Carnagie and keep it open, designing the Tesla addition in a planned manner to include 4X4 use appears to have been the goal.

Adding 4X4 trails to an existing park that has traditionally catered almost exclusively to two wheeled enthusiasts and has been more environmentally groomed for their use appears counter to the efforts made in striking some sort of environmental balance.