On October 3, 2017, the California Department of State Parks and Recreation (DPR) released its long awaited Operational Transition Plan that will restructure and guide the department's efforts to enhance service delivery, better support staff and key partners, provide career paths for diverse professional groups to develop as park leaders, and put program expertise closer to the public.
This development is important to Friends of Jawbone because it affects our neighbor and partner, Red Rock State Park, which is home to hundreds of miles of world class recreational OHV touring opportunities. It also affects the operation of the Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division which administers the Grants and Cooperative Agreements program that funds FOJ's ground operations and restoration work, as well as its rider education and safety projects.
Those who have been following this transformation effort by DPR may want to download and review the final Operation Transition Plan. Please let us know how you think this plan might affect OHV recreation in the greater Jawbone Canyon area.
Friends of Jawbone is happy to report that on October 3, 2017, Governor Brown signed state legislation into law the renews and makes permanent California's Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation program. This year-long push to reauthorize the OHV program and to make it permanent proved successful because the Governor and members of the State Senate and Assembly heard from thousands of OHV enthusiasts like you. Such an accomplishment would never have occurred if it weren't for your letters, telephone calls, emails and contributions.
“Members’ calls to their legislators worked,” said Amy Granat, Managing Director of CORVA, the California Off Road Vehicle Association. “The off-road vehicle community was able to convince the author of the bill and legislative leaders to work with off-road representatives on Senate Bill 249 and companion bill Senate Bill 159.”
Our friends at ORBA, the Off-Road Business Association, wrote, "While it may seem that a complicated state like California would never allow OHV use, this proves that a viable, responsible and important program can work its way through a super majority and become stronger. Our original goal was to keep the existing program intact while at the same time make it permanent. With strong collaboration and hard work, we have accomplished these goals and are now looking forward to the future of off road recreation."
Our friends in the conservation community also praised this development, including the California Native Plant Society. “We’re thankful to Senator Allen and his staff for helping us take an important first step to improve conservation standards without penalizing responsible riders," said CNPS Conservation Director Greg Suba. "SB 249 was always about finding a win-win for California. Nobody wants to see California’s natural beauty destroyed, so we’ve got to keep working together around our shared values."
