Off-Roaders Mad About Habitat Destruction Mitigation Requirements for New Off-Roader Parks
Off-Road Park Cost Questioned
Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
From 11/2005 issue: http://www.glamisonline.org/downloads/NewsletterArchive/0511NL.pdf published by the American Sand Association
The California Bureau of State Audits concluded in a report released last month that the Laborde Canyon off-highway vehicle, or OHV, park, to be located in the Badlands south of Beaumont, would come at an enormous cost roughly $27 million and may not provide enough benefit for its high price.
To keep plans on track,
Mullen said he would rather see more off-road parks to support the sport’s growing numbers than off-roaders using unauthorized open space and habitat conservation areas for riding.
To expand the proposed park from 600 to 1,200 acres as planned, the OHV division would have to purchase mitigation acreage at a 5-to-1 ratio for between $19,000 and $38,000 per acre, according to the audit.
The numbers were negotiated between Fish and Game and Parks and Recreation officials, Mullen said.
Some people in the off-road industry applauded the audit for bringing what they feel are exorbitant costs to light and hope the issues raised will stop the
"We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that unfair expenditure, mostly for land that we can’t even use, doesn’t take place," said Roy Denner, president and CEO of the Off-Road Business Association and a close ally of the La Verne based American Sand Association.
The county has an option to purchase the
Lockheed Martin, which once tested rockets on the site, is still conducting tests for contaminants such as perchlorate, dioxane and trichloroethylene, said spokeswoman Gail Rymer.
Testing is not complete, and cleanup processes may not start until 2008, but off-road use is possible much earlier if tests show there is no exposure pathway, Rymer said.
Given the high cost and questions surrounding the
"We asked the director for any analysis that would demonstrate that the
In response, state officials said OHV money has been allocated for the proposal but not spent. The state is awaiting the environmental report from Lockheed Martin and the state Department of Toxic Substances Control to determine cleanup costs before making any decisions, said spokesman Roy Stearns.
"We can’t really commit to (an off-road) park until we know what contaminants are out there and how they would be dealt with,’ Stearns said, acknowledging questions about whether
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The State’s auditor concluded:
“The division and the department have used money from the OHV trust fund for questionable purposes. Specifically, for three of its recent land acquisition projects, with planned costs totaling $38 million, the division and the department could not provide analyses that showed the value of these purchases to the OHV program. The division has purchased Deer Creek Hills, and Onyx Ranch and
Summary of Report 2004-126 - August 2005 http://www.bsa.ca.gov/reports/summary.php?id=484
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