Much talk has been raised about the Law Enforcement on the Rubicon and ENF/TNF/County in general, and grant funding, but little about the process and the status of actually funding what was requested.
The decision to fund or deny the ENF LE grant (currently not marked yes on the consent column of the list) is likely to be in the next OHMVR Meeting.
Read what was asked for (the raw dollar amount for each classification asked for by the ENF), what was agreed to as fair (the discounted dollar amount for each classification), and what is currently agreed by consent to fund (only $9K for "trails", and zero for LE).
Talk about Enforcement as a solution, but learn to work the system to achieve your goals (and keep informed, to target your activism). Your involvement needs to include keeping track of the tools requested to resolve priority problems (grants for Law Enforcement, and other priorities). Ask what can be done to fund the solutions in the priority you FOTR folks believe is most important, and then track and support a decision in your favor (call, advocate, push, scream, and address good reasons to approve what you asked for). Asking for grant funds is only the start of the process, the follow-through pressure to monitor the progress of a request is also important.
If you read deep into the information to be considered in the meeting you will find that "restoration" items were shut-out from funding consent (i.e. no funds for what many considered activities not aligned with OHV recreation). This appears to have prompted a proposal (from those who want to spend OHV funds on "restoration/closure") for a change in Commission policies.
A few things in this proposal may have a significant impact on future OHV management: a fixed % of funds must be spent on specific goals (including "restoration"), a change to allow non-profits to receive grants (like the CBD or SC to receive "restoration" grant funds, or potentially groups like FOTR), and the proposed Desert Riparian Policies (another formal call for desert closures).
I do not know of a better way to make you folks aware of the status of your plans and requests, so if it's too late now learn the process to make a better program & solution next year.
Happy Trails!
The decision to fund or deny the ENF LE grant (currently not marked yes on the consent column of the list) is likely to be in the next OHMVR Meeting.
Read what was asked for (the raw dollar amount for each classification asked for by the ENF), what was agreed to as fair (the discounted dollar amount for each classification), and what is currently agreed by consent to fund (only $9K for "trails", and zero for LE).
Talk about Enforcement as a solution, but learn to work the system to achieve your goals (and keep informed, to target your activism). Your involvement needs to include keeping track of the tools requested to resolve priority problems (grants for Law Enforcement, and other priorities). Ask what can be done to fund the solutions in the priority you FOTR folks believe is most important, and then track and support a decision in your favor (call, advocate, push, scream, and address good reasons to approve what you asked for). Asking for grant funds is only the start of the process, the follow-through pressure to monitor the progress of a request is also important.
If you read deep into the information to be considered in the meeting you will find that "restoration" items were shut-out from funding consent (i.e. no funds for what many considered activities not aligned with OHV recreation). This appears to have prompted a proposal (from those who want to spend OHV funds on "restoration/closure") for a change in Commission policies.
A few things in this proposal may have a significant impact on future OHV management: a fixed % of funds must be spent on specific goals (including "restoration"), a change to allow non-profits to receive grants (like the CBD or SC to receive "restoration" grant funds, or potentially groups like FOTR), and the proposed Desert Riparian Policies (another formal call for desert closures).
I do not know of a better way to make you folks aware of the status of your plans and requests, so if it's too late now learn the process to make a better program & solution next year.
Happy Trails!