Politics at Glen Helen: Campaigning for Recreational Land Use Rights

Ryan Dudek, 125cc-class privateer, ran custom-made Bush/Cheney graphics on his YZ250F at Glen Helen.

That's how the Mayor of one Southern California city explained why he was opposed to an off-highway vehicle (OHV) park in his town in spite of the fact that he knows there are many off-roaders living there.

It's sad, but true that political apathy has contributed to the closing of many of our OHV parks, motocross tracks and millions of acres of California Desert. We've all seen story after story of closures: Mammoth Mountain MX, Carlsbad Raceway, another chunk of the Mojave Desert, etc. Despite the resistance a few organizations are able to muster, the closures keep coming. Even though our sport is growing rapidly, it seems like our lands are shrinking even faster.

But luckily, our recent growth spurt has given off-road riders more attention. The issue of land closure and its impact on our sport has made its way into mainstream politics. At the recent Glen Helen National Motocross, the importance of this issue to the motocross community in the upcoming election was clear.

Ryan Dudek, a 125cc-class privateer, was racing with Bush/Cheney graphics on his Yamaha YZ250F. When asked what his motivation was for displaying his political message, Dudek responded, "The number one reason is that motorcyclists need Bush to help keep our lands open."

Bill Jones with his wife Maurine at the Glen Helen Motocross.

Bill Jones, nominee for U.S. Senate, made his second appearance at a National Motocross (also attending Hangtown in Sacramento). In an effort to appeal to the off-road community, Jones spoke at Glen Helen about California's environmental policies and the recreational use of our land:

"Since the modern environmental movement was begun in the 1970s, there are a lot of people out there who want us to think of the environment as a choice — we preserve the environment or we provide for people," said Jones.

"Whether they want to put it in terms of jobs vs. the environment, housing vs. the environment, or recreation vs. the environment, we have too many politicians that try to make these into litmus test questions of you are either for it or you're against it," said Jones.

"We all agree we should protect wilderness," said Jones. "But we also have 33 million people in this state today — growing to over 50 million by the mid-point of this century. We need to protect and manage our natural areas so they can be managed and used as our population grows, so that we all can continue to have the chance to get out there and connect with the land. Some of us will do it on horseback. Some of us will be hiking. And today, I see more than a few of us will be doing it on the back of a [dirt] bike or an ATV," said Jones.

"There are [some] whose vision of resource management is to shut the land off, put up a fence, and let in only a lucky few," said Jones. "We will see more wilderness protection, but we need to balance that with recreation protection and ensure that the opportunities all of us have here today will continue for the 50 million in our coming generations," concluded Jones.

For more information on OHV-friendly politicians (in California) including a General Election Voter Guide, visit the California Leauge of Off-Road Voters website at www.clorv.org.

Please keep in mind that how a canditate feels about OHV use is only one of many issues that should be considered when voting. It is important to educate yourself on the all issues so you can make an informed decision at election time. Remember, if you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain about the outcome!