THE HEIST OF THE GREEN STICKER PROGRAM
My name is Ed Waldheim, I am 68 years old resident of California City, California. I have been fighting for the rights of off roaders since 1978 when President Nixon signed the executive order to create the California Desert Conservation area.
I have been commissioner two separate times for the OHV program appointed by two different Governors one Republican and one Democrat. I have been CORVA president for 14 years. We have created nine non-profits groups such as Friends of Jawbone, Friends of El Mirage, Friends of Oceano Dunes, Friends of Dumont, Friends of Kern County OHV Parks. Our groups groom trails with rented tractors, quads, rakes, sign trails with our volunteers.
In 2006, I attended 221 meetings (see the calendar of meetings at www.corva.org under calendar) over the years I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles. My five month old Prius now has 24,900 miles on it, no joke.
I do all this for free; I never get paid for anything. CORVA does not have a paid staff and no one gets paid except to get the newsletter out. We have a lobbyist in Washington DC, something no one else has except AMA national office, we have lobbyist in Sacramento and proud to be partners with Ecological group made up of ASA, ORBA, San Diego Off-Road Coalition, D-37 AMA and CORVA to have a full time attorney on staff.
Why this note to you at Truckhaven. Mike Bishop from ACORVA, CTUC and CORVA has agreed to pass these flyers and newsletters out to everyone he can reach to tell you that we are in big trouble. Our OHV program, Green Sticker program has finally been hijacked the Environmental Zealots and do everything in their power to discredit the off road community.
They tried to shut us down in Truckhaven with the CBD lawsuit. The only problem they came across is CORVA who stopped them cold. Go to our March ORIA newsletter or www.corva.org to get the full story.
Today you are having fun in Truckhaven because our attorney on behalf of our 5 partners was able to beat the CBD in court. But that victory will not be long lived unless we keep up our side of the fight. Remember these guys never quit. They want to see us in the Pacific Ocean.
They want to deny you and I our opportunity to ride and recreate. Make no bones about it. We are at war for our very survival of our sport!
The commission has cut all funding for operation and maintenance. No agency received a dollar to fix trails, clean restrooms and many did not get enforcement money.
Our OHV program comes up for reauthorization in Sacramento and bills by the Environmental Zealots are being introduced as we are introducing our bills. The fight is on.
Now you, the off-road public have to step up and do you part. We at CORVA and other organizations . "We are the vehicle of representation and we need all of you to work on it to make it more powerful. In Sacramento we are of no consequence, for 15 years we get 100 people to come to lobby day. We should have 5000 people; block the streets, the hallways in Capitol Building. In other words we need to make sure that the legislators know that you exist out there .That you are real and that you are passionate about your sport.
Up until now, we are not even on their radar screen, that fact is perfectly clear by the appointments they make to the commission all. They have finally taken over and killed our State of California OHV Program.
Agencies are now trying to figure out how to pay staff to keep areas open. If you think this does not affect you think again.
March 19, 2007 Monday in Sacramento, we need every single person who is at Truckhaven this weekend and at the Tierra Del Sol event in Ocotillo Wells to come to Sacramento. Take vacation time, take sick time, car pool to Sacramento, ask your club to pay for your gas, borrow money whatever be there. If you are not there. CORVA and all the other organizations will be hard pressed to save our sport. To date, they have done a good job on us, why because of our total apathy to the political process.
Truckhaven was saved this time; but will you be there to help us on the next round with donations, with membership, with manpower to protect your sport?
As of 2-22-07 the CBD filed an 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue claiming that OHV activities at Truckhaven are causing a "take" of Peninsular Bighorn Sheep in violation of Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act. As you can see, they are using "science" to prove their point. I cannot stress enough how important it is that we ramp up on the technical side so that we can challenge their claims. If we don't, consider Truckhaven closed for the indefinite future. This is war. We can either adapt or fight back with equal fire-power; or we can go home and stay there.
We need you in Sacramento, no excuses; we need every single member of clubs, play riders, anyone who recreates in California needs to be in Sacramento.
Join us in Sacramento on March 19, 2007
Registration is on www.clorv.org