(Photo credit: Sacramento County Planning Commission)
Media Highlights Solar Plan Flaws at Coyote Creek
As ARRA members and conservation groups prepare to strongly oppose the 2,704-acre Coyote Creek Solar Project at the upcoming Nov. 18 Sacramento County Board of Supervisors meeting, the Sacramento Bee published an article highlighting significant impacts on native oak woodlands and other vital natural and cultural resources if the project — directly next to the California State Parks Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area (PCSVRA) — is built.
The article also raises concerns about a lack of transparency in the project narrative used to gain support from government officials, regulators, and local energy companies. Both OHV and conservation groups have called the Coyote Creek project one of the worst. Solar proposals in California aim to clear-cut about 4,000 native blue oaks, permanently transforming an important oak savanna and wildlife corridor into a damaging industrial site.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will review and possibly approve the Coyote Creek Solar Project and certify its Final Environmental Impact Report during the Nov. 18 hearing.
ARRA thanks its members for their ongoing engagement in this all-too-important matter.
(Photo credit: Bryan Much, NOHVCC)
NOHVCC Conference Well Attended Despite Government Shutdown
The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) held its annual conference in Bend, Ore., from Oct. 9-11. The conference brought together land managers, enthusiasts, and other professionals for engaging presentations, meaningful discussions about the challenges they face, and networking opportunities among attendees and their organizations. Despite the unusual situation with federal employees being unable to participate this year, the conference still saw good attendance.
The Mobile Workshop took place on the first day, with nearly all attendees participating. The workshop included visiting field sites to learn more about trail design, construction, maintenance, and related issues. Part of the workshop involved touring some scenic and challenging area trails via UTVs to explore their features. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department was a key contributor to the field day and, along with several other important contributors, to the conference as a whole.
The conference featured a wide range of presentations covering topics such as safety training, mapping, trail bridges, trail programs, tracking trail user data, and related subjects. In some discussions, they explored ways to influence social groups to promote good behavior on trails, which motorized recreation depends on to thrive. Representatives from the Motorcycle Industry Council provided an important update on government and industry issues affecting the motorized recreation interests of our community. Another highlight was a presentation on the current state of volunteerism and fundraising, along with the events of the past 50 years that have shaped our current situation. Click here to review the presentations.
NOHVCC sincerely thanks everyone who helped make the conference a top-quality event! The dedication and support of contributors, presenters, and participants created a great opportunity to promote a positive future for responsible off-highway vehicle recreation.
Sens. Sheehy and Heinrich Launch Senate Stewardship Caucus
On Oct. 29, Sens. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) launched the Senate Stewardship Caucus, with both serving as co-chairs. The new bipartisan caucus, with a strong focus on supporting economic growth in rural communities, aims to drive efforts to expand and protect access to public lands and promote commonsense land management policies. This emphasis on rural economic growth is a key aspect of the caucus’s mission. The formation of the Caucus mirrors a similar move in the House, where Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.-1)and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.-2) launched the Public Lands Caucus earlier this year.
“Public lands are a purely American institution, and all Americans can find common ground in working together to better manage, conserve, and steward these treasured landscapes while driving economic growth and supporting our resource and agricultural economies,” Sheehy said in a statement. “I’m proud to launch the Senate Stewardship Caucus with Senator Heinrich to safeguard the rights of Americans to hunt, fish, and recreate on our public lands and ensure we protect them for generations to come.”
“As a young person, I had the privilege of serving as an outfitter guide in the very landscapes that Aldo Leopold wrote of in that book. It was seminal in creating what he called a ‘Land Ethic’ — the relationship that our communities have with place, with land — public and private — with streams, with wildlife,” Heinrich said. “Putting together this Stewardship Caucus is an opportunity for all of us to work on these issues together to protect and conserve the places we know and love for this generation and the next.”
The six inaugural members include Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.).