BLM Open House:  June 17, 2002, Hollister, CA  -  A standing room crowd of approximately 150 OHV users showed up this evening to attend a BLM open house concerning Clear Creek.  The BLM's purpose for the meeting was to discuss their Green Sticker grant applications for next year.  The size of the crowd overwhelmed the BLM and the format for their planned presentation.  On previous open house events to discuss Green Sticker grants only a handful of users showed up.  This year was different, however, since the BLM has embarked on a program to sign all or most of the barrens in Clear Creek as "Closed" and the OHV community wanted to know why this was happening, without citizen input and review, since the Record of Decision for Clear Creek calls for approximately 937 acres of barrens to be OPEN. 

The planned format of breaking down into smaller groups to hear a presentation on the three different grants proved unfeasible given the fact that there were 150 people jammed into a room designed for no more than 100 or so.  When an OHV representative who serves on the Technical Review Team for Clear Creek attempted to do an unbiased review of the grants (having been briefed at a technical review team meeting earlier that evening), he was interrupted by the BLM's staff botanist who then took over the meeting and, unfortunately, created an extremely confrontational atmosphere in an already warm room.  When she finally left the meeting, other members of the BLM staff attempted to steer the discussion in a more positive direction.  Despite the initial negative tone of the meeting, many people in the crowd asked how they could help the BLM keep Clear Creek open and volunteered to help.

Already, several attendees have sent e-mails to the Hollister field office manager, Bob Beehler, asking that the botanist be removed from any decision making process involving Clear Creek because of her anti-OHV attitude.  This should not come as a surprise to Bob since the botanist is married to another BLM staff member who was removed from the Clear Creek program several years ago for displaying a similar anti-OHV attitude.  

The Salinas Ramblers have recommended to the BLM State management team that OHV areas in California be managed by a team staffed with people who specialize in OHV recreation.  Such a move would go a long way towards improving relations between the OHV community and the BLM.  The State of California Department of Parks and Recreation have a specific group, the OHMVR Division  for managing OHV recreation, why not the BLM?

In the near future please look for an analysis of the grant applications and a recommendation regarding support for them. A notice will be sent to everyone who left an e-mail address at the Friends of Clear Creek table.

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Letters to the BLM Area Manager

Dear Robert,

I attended the BLM meeting in Hollister last night. I am dismayed at the way the BLM behaved at this meeting. I have been a recreational user at Clear Creek for over 20 years. I have done a significant amount of volunteer work with the BLM, including Gully plugs, signage, trail work, clean up, etc.  I like to think that I am a responsible, cooperative citizen and recreational user.

I asked the BLM staff what could be done in terms of improving the situation at Clear Creek and working to mitigate some of the issues we as recreational users have. A Julie Ann Delgado was extremely rude, confrontational, uncooperative, negative, and definitely did not want to hear what anyone had to say. I am extremely concerned that some members of your team do not care whatsoever as to the feelings, needs, and ideas of the recreational users of Clear Creek.

I frankly feel betrayed. I want to help and be constructive. What is happening at Clear Creek is clearly not what I want. I understand the BLM wants volunteers. Not listening to user groups and actually antagonizing them is not going to assist in volunteer recruitment. Nor is it going to make the situation better.

I strongly request the removal of Julie Ann Delgado from any work concerning Clear Creek. She is clearly biased, hostile, and definitely does not consider the needs of the recreational users at Clear Creek.

Best Regards,

Jim Norris

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To: Bob Beehler

Manager, Hollister BLM Office

Bob:

Last night's meeting was informative, but I thought that the actions and demeanor of the female (biologist??), were kind of intimidating.  She displayed angry outbursts that don't belong at a public meeting, and I think she helped to create a hostile, take-sides atmosphere at the beginning of the meeting.  A more  professional attitude was displayed by the other members of the BLM team and once under control, the meeting became a lot less hostile.

Many of us are not informed and only see one thing--the diminishing OHV areas and constant re-sizing/regulating/removal of lands we have traditionally recreated on by an onslaught of elitist/environmentalists.  We tend to react negatively because nearly every action taken ends in a reduced area to recreate in.  It has happened over and over, and believe me, we notice that no land or area ever gets added--the results are always less area/access/opportunity.  Recreationist/OHV people obviously showed frustration and even hostility toward the BLM, because they didn't understand that the BLM is trying to keep Clear Creek open at the beginning of the meeting. 

It was an important point and should frequently be restated that our best bet is to challenge the Governor of California and his appointed OHV Commission with 5 out of 7 pro-environmental/elitist members.  This needs to change and seems to be the reason OHV opportunity is ever shrinking in our great state.  

Stating these facts at the beginning rather than the end of the meetings may help the meetings run smoother.

Sincerely,

Steve Ritchie
Hollister, CA

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Bob,

Last night at the Clear Creek TRT meeting, Julie Anne Delgado repeatedly and rudely interrupted me on several occasions, to the point that another member of the TRT had to ask her to stop. Then, at the public session that followed the TRT meeting to discuss the grant applications, she once again interrupted me as I was addressing the standing room only audience. In this case, her action portrayed the BLM in a very negative light and created a hostile environment that caused the meeting to devolve into an confrontational and largely unproductive session.

I don't know if her hostility is directed only at me or the entire OHV community, but I ask that her future participation in Clear Creek related TRT and public meetings be eliminated. I am afraid that she is acting as a surrogate for her husband who was removed from the Clear Creek program and that her continued participation in the Clear Creek decision making process will undermine it.

Ed Tobin

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Dear Mr. Beehler, 

Please allow me to introduce my self.  My name is Tony Furia, I am a member of the Los Altos Dirt Bikers, a father of two boys, and a motorcycle rider for 25 years.  Although I  am the secretary of the Los altos Dirt bikers I am writing this email more as a father then an officer of a user group.  As a dad its my duty to teach my kids  the lessons they need to get by in this world.   The most important lesson I try to teach my kids is to use good judgment and do what's right.   

My wife, two boys, and I ride as a family quite often.  Riding gives us an opportunity to spend time together as a family.  I try to teach my boys (8 and 10 years old) how important family is and to value the time we spend together.   Clear Creek has been a "class room" for many lessons.  My family grows stronger as we explore nature and what she has to offer,  I teach them to be responsible when we ride, to respect nature and others. 

Unfortunately Clear Creek is giving me an opportunity to teach my boys the hard facts of life too.  On the way home from the BLM open house last Monday my boys were wondering  what all the fuss was about.  They asked why the BLM woman was so mad and mean.  Well, I told them that this is what happens sometimes. Even thought we live in a democracy sometimes people in the minority have a certain amount of control.  My kids didn't have a clue what I was talking about so I simplified it for them.  Lots and lots of people (families, old people, teenagers and so on) ride at Clear Creek.  Only a very few go there to observe the beautiful and  unique plants and rocks without motorcycles.  They only experience a small fraction of  what we see when we ride, still, those people don't like us riding there so they use their jobs to tip the democratic scales and slowly push us out.  I went on to explain to my boys that we are willing to pay and to volunteer to maintain the privilege to experience clear creek "as it is ".  But folks like the female botanist ( I don't know her name)  and the environmentalists on the green sticker committee would much rather close or severely restrict  access to the public land's to the "the majority" and open it only to the few.  I explained  to my kids what "conflict of interest" means and how it applied to  the Clear Creek botanist.  How most people (the majority) who use the area are dirt bikers, but the botanist and her friends (the minority) are a small part of the user group but have more influence. And how they don't want to close it but want to put up fences and confine us to a smaller area (tainting the whole beauty and freedom of Clear Creek).

There was a silence in my van.  Just when I thought my speech went over there heads my oldest asked "so what are we going to do now Dad?"   I'm not sure, I told him.  What do you think we should do, I asked.  "Maybe you should write a letter to the boss at Clear Creek, I'm sure he will do what's right" . 

What will my kids learn from this difference in views over how Clear Creek will be managed.  Will a botanist with an agenda, and the political appointees on the green sticker committee  prevail? Or will  the majority of users who are willing to volunteer and or pay to preserve the beauty of Clear Creek for ALL to enjoy, prevail.  My kids already know that not everyone does what's right or use good judgment.  But I have told them that we must trust that Mr. Beehler and the folks running the BLM at Clear Creek are among those who "do the right thing" in spite of the pressures around them. 

Tony Furia 

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