SailAway

Hey Pete... we have some special tickets we're using for people to hand in and claim their cleanup t-shirts. I'm sure we could scare up some others from past cleanups for your t-shirts. We could hand them to DDR members as they register for the cleanup, only 120 of course, first-come first-served. Let me know if you're interested in this and I'll dig out the tickets from one of the Glamis cleanups. Vicki

I know it's been mentioned, but just wanted to say it again... IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY WARM that day so make sure you have your suncreen and straw hat. We will have some cover but not like last year, unfortunately, so you may want to bring along your own shade. Some people even brought their own camp chairs last year which seemed to work out just dandy. Vicki

AB-SO-LUTELY. You were not a hinderance. This meeting was the first along a learning curve. There are some protocol matters that all of us need to remember, including me... I forgot myself once or twice while getting caught up in the moment but no harm, no foul and I'll do better next time. The important thing to remember here is what a difference you all made in being there. Hanging around after the meeting and via emails since the meeting, I have been told by virtually all of the TRT members and Barstow BLM staff that having the members of the duning community there was a privilege and deeply appreciated. Let me see if I can find one of the emails for a quote... That's just a sampling... there have been many other supportive comments made. We have a chance to make a real difference in Dumont's future and we're developing a strong partnership with the people who can help us make that difference. And that is allllllll good. Vicki

Absolutely! And you don't even need a toy to participate! Here's a good link on the subject... http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/i...amp;#entry59243

I just wanted to share this... Yesterday morning on my way to Barstow for the TRT meeting, I got jammed up on the 15. No big surprise since it's almost always jammed up, but it was still annoying. Traffic crept along and eventually we came to where there was a white truck or van (hard to see through the other vehicles) parked along the right-hand side of the freeway. On the left-hand side was a highway patrol car which made me wonder how that was going to work with four lanes of jammed traffic dividing them. Then, just a little ways past the patrol car, I saw something I would have loved to have my camera ready for... Sitting on the side of the freeway, in all the road debris, with his back leaning against the cement guardrail, was a young Highway Patrol officer. Next to him on the ground was a medium-sized dog, curled up with his head in the officer's lap. The young officer was calmly petting the dog and seemed to be speaking to him. I could not see any obvious signs of injury, but I'm certain the dog had been hit and this man was giving him comfort until animal control, or possibly an ambulance, could arrive. The image of this officer sitting on the grown strewn with trash and gravel and glass and rocks, one leg bent and the other flat on the ground so this dog would have a comforting place to lay his head, was one I know I will not soon forget, if ever. Vicki

Now let's see what I can fill in... This will be a long one so grab a beverage and relax... I was pleased to see that the TRT and the BLM representatives were clever enough to see that the primary agenda item would be the fee increase. Although there were some other important items on the agenda, anything else that was handled was done so very quickly so we could spend as much time as possible on the pivotal issue. Before we get to that though, I do want to assure everyone that the other important items (supplemental rules, camp racers, metal stakes) were only "tabled" for now and will be addressed at the next meeting. Okay, on to the fees... One thing to keep in mind from the beginning is that we are not paying a "use" fee. We are not paying to be able to camp, use the bathroom, ride our toys. The legislation that is allowing us to be charged is based strictly on "cost recovery." To oversimplify this, that means we are paying only to cover the costs of operating the riding area... maintenance of the road, ranger services, etc., whether we have one bike in the back of our truck or a $200K motorhome. There are several funding sources for Dumont. Primarily they are user fees, appropriated dollars and grant money (also known as 'green sticker money'). The expenses for maintaining the 'status quo' at Dumont, which would leave the level of services exactly as they were last year (law enforcement, bathrooms, emergency services, etc.), come to approximately 1.1 million dollars. Of that, Dumont usually receives appropriated/federal dollars (usually around $400K) and grant/green sticker dollars (usually around $200k) and the rest is paid through user fees. The grant cycle this year brought zero dollars and the appropriated dollars dropped down to less than a third of what can usually be expected. (The whys and wherefores of the evaporated funding should be discussed, but not here... let's start another topic and get that ball rolling for such an important discussion.) That means for this season the money is still there, since the grant and appropriated dollars are in place via last year's funding cycle... but next year we will simply not have the money we have been getting because the appropriated dollars were so drastically reduced and grant money dried up entirely. And that, unfortunately, means only one thing... a hike in user fees. The initial proposal was based on a three-tiered pass system: 3-day, 10-day and annual. After a lot of discussion it was decided that having three levels of pass is a management nightmare. At one point we were asked to name a figure of what we would be willing to pay to recreate at Dumont. This is an unfair question and skews the results... excellent tactic though, as it plays on guilt and loyalty and greed all at once. Of course we will all pay whatever we have to pay... but that has nothing to do with what is right or fair. And we didn't fall for it. Instead, we hammered out the numbers and then came up with something more reasonable that we thought would maintain the level of services and will keep the family duners coming back. Now... something everyone needs to know is, the bulk of our labor expenses (law enforcement, ranger staffing, emergency services) are from the extra personnel needed for the big weekends (Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Years, President's Day, Easter). Because of this, after MAJOR discussion and lots of back and forth, we proposed the following: $30 a week $40 if stay includes a holiday weekend $120 a year (full access) $90 a year (blackout for 5 holiday weekends) $10 at the gate if you hold a $90 pass and arrive during a holiday period We'll talk about the logistics of this proposal in a moment. What this tiered system would do, we felt, was keep the money coming in where the money is most needed and not force the users who will not be using the riding area during the high-cost periods to pay for those high-cost periods. This is, of course, contingent upon some extra research. The BLM will be looking into exactly how many more passes are sold during those five holiday weekends and will verify that this system will maintain our current level of services. I expect to hear from the BLM very shortly on this and will keep everyone posted. The logistics... of all the things that were discussed yesterday in regards to passes and enforcement of passes, this seemed to spark the most interest in the BLM. Apparently this kind of thing is done elsewhere and the program is easy to follow and will keep the enforcement problem to a minimum. I was encouraged by their enthusiasm for this proposal. And, this proposal is also contigent upon being able to reduce the operating budget by at least 10%, no small potatoes when we're talking about $1.1 million. But... I feel very confident that it can be done and will be done. We helped a little in that regard yesterday when we opened the discussion on vendors at Dumont. What the vendors are paying now is based on an honor system where they pay a percentage of what they make out at Dumont. For now, for the sake of moving along, we are going to accept that all have been honorable in their accounting (to be dealt with at a later date). Aside from that though, we were told that the vendors pay their vending permit fees but not the cost recovery fee that the rest of us pay. Yes, we are aware that there are vendors who are not just out at Dumont selling, they are also using the same resources the rest of us are using. We felt it was not a fair system and have asked the BLM to start charging vendors the same entry fee they are charging everyone else. This is a win-win situation and relieves a strain on the BLM and the folks who sell the permit because they will no longer have to deal with "But I'm with Joe Blow vending and shouldn't have to pay a fee." The BLM is looking into the vending regulations to make sure there is nothing prohibiting them from charging the vending fee and an additional entry fee. I will research this also and will report back what I learn. There are other areas where costs can be recovered and we will be working very closely with the BLM to make sure this happens. I think that's about it for now, at least for the primary focus of the meeting... Vicki

It was a good meeting and would not have been half as productive without all the "guests" who were there and gave input. I am in the middle of a couple things right now but I'll post more later. I just wanted to pop in and say my thanks for those new faces and their voices. Vicki

TRT = Technical Review Team. It's an advisory panel that acts as liaisons between their constituents and the Bureau of Land Management. Here's a link that provides some more info: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/dumontdunestrt.html

I'm sorry you won't be able to make it Pete... we could use your presence. Thank you to everyone else who has promised to be there. See you all in the morning! Vicki

Excellent job Terry! Vicki

We all just need to try to keep it out of camera range so we don't take a beating after the taping. Vicki

Here's what www.snopes.com has... http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/cellphones.asp

Hey... maybe that EZ up frame would take the trophy for "Largest item." Vicki

Yep. Like I said, there is a "blanket" regulation that is used often on public lands that most likely was used for your friend. Come to the TRT meeting and we'll bring up this issue and probably get into all the different kinds of law enforcement out there... some are enforcing federal laws, some are enforcing state laws, some are enforcing county laws and some are enforcing all of them. Some rangers have law enforcement duties and others are not able to write tickets. Some have EMS certificates and some do not. Unfortunately, it sounds like they are also dropping the ball on communicating with each other. But it does sound like the big cheese at the SBSO is going to take those two to task, as he should. Vicki

I was just trying to find a picture from one of the cleanups years ago where the quad rider has a big ol' trash bag over him (it was raining) and another full trash bag balanced on the tank of his quad, coming in for yet another raffle ticket! Vicki

I have to say, I've read through most of this but not all of it after it got to be just repeats of the same complaints and I need to jump in here... First, it has already been pointed out that these were not BLM rangers, they were San Bernardino Sheriff Office personnel. It's a fine line but still a line worth recognizing. Were they out there doing a tough job and decided to have a little fun with it? I'm sure they were and they did. Same thing happened a few years ago when a couple rangers raced down the afternoon drags. The crowd loved it and it showed a human side to the rangers that none of us knew existed. Still, people will object and others will support and in the end the only thing that got hurt was the one guy's pride who had to walk that bike down the dune face. Now... as for the flags... Believe it or not, there is a grey area when it comes to whips and flags on dirt bikes. I'll try to find the exact wording, but I want everyone to know this has been discussed over and over at the State level and I have yet to see the solution or elimination of the grey area. It has something to do with race bikes and not being able to differentiate between that and another dirtbike. And tickets can still be issued under a "blanket" BLM regulation that is used often on public lands. SHOULD they have had whips/flags? ABSOLUTELY, if only because of conversations like the one that has been burning over this. The perception is one of being above the law... never mind that they may indeed have been following the exact letter of the law as they interpret it. Of course, if the grey area of that law is no longer grey, that's another matter entirely. I'll see what I can find out and post the answer. Vicki

I'm coming from Corona/Riverside area and would be happy to pick up two more passengers. Vicki

That reminds me of something... Last year after the cleanup we had a lot of really good ideas being exchanged on how to improve it for this year. I seem to recall one of those ideas being having someone out at one of the "gathering spots" with raffle tickets, signup sheets and trash bags so that may have missed the registration area can be brought into the event. It would be even better if we had a 4x4 truck with a trailer out there or just a 4x4 truck... to help haul the filled trash bags back to the dumpsters. Vicki

If it looks like there will be too many of us for that room, I'll give them a head's up so we will be accommodated. Vicki

The upcoming TRT meeting is probably one of the most important ones we've had so far and yeah, I know it's on a weekday but geez, we really need some members of the duning public to be there. You see... Dumont Dunes has, in the past, received "operating" money via grants from the "green sticker" fund (that's where your toy registration money goes, and some California fuel tax money). Well, that particular portion of Dumont's funding has completely dried up. We need to get into how that happened, but not here... in another thread would be great. Here, we need to talk about why it's so important for as many of the Dumont duning community to show up on the 6th as possible. There is some very strong talk about raising the user fee at Dumont. I'm not talking about a little hike... I'm talking about a substantial increase. The talk is strong enough that one could say a hike is inevitable. And WE as a duning community, need to be involved in just how much, and why. Now... please keep in mind nothing, NOTHING has been decided yet. And also keep in mind that your TRT representatives (John Dalgleish/Sandemon for Friends of Dumont Dunes and Terry Allen/Ynot for Nevada off-roaders) and other representatives of Friends of Dumont Dunes, are staying on top of this and will absolutely represent the Dumont community to the best of our ability. But it sure would help if we had some obvious backing. After all, there's safety in numbers, right? As many duners as possible need to get on top of this, learn what's happening and make sure that the BLM knows we are aware, awake, and interested in what's happening to our riding area! Here are the details of the meeting: Tuesday, March 6, 2007, 10:00 AM BLM Barstow Field Office Conference Room 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311 For more information call (760) 252-6000 I've seen and heard lots of talk about the user fees we have already. I know some of you have very strong opinions on this matter. NOW is the time you can actually make a difference and start walking the walk. Please... be there if you can. I will be, and I'm burning up a vacation day to do it. Vicki

You know... we've talked a lot about that idea. And most of us have seen it done at other events and cleanups. But we decided against it, mainly because this isn't a day for fundraising, it's a day for bringing the community together and all of us taking care of our dunes. The raffle prizes are donated by people and companies who want to show the dune users their support and we want to show our thanks. Even the t-shirts are paid for out of donated sponsors and then given for free to the participants. I'm not saying we won't ever do a 50-50 raffle... it's not like we don't need the funding... but this day is for the true dune devotees, for showing our appreciation, and not for passing the collection plate. Vicki

Are they clearly marked as a geocache?

I know these people personally and no one would every try to "get out" of anything. For Pete's sake... The bad guys here are the bastards who took the things that didn't belong to them. The victims are the ones who lost their property to the bastards who took the things that didn't belong to them. Cathi, you know we'll be watching extra closely for you and will help get the word out. Vicki

or These two statements don't seem to jive, but maybe I'm misunderstanding something? Regardless, the point I believe you may be missing is the use of common sense when determining what really is acceptible public behavior. Would you be defending the use of a stripper pole in the middle of a grocery store? Of course not. And this should be no different. Our public riding areas (and I stress the word "our") are not only used by one type of person, they are open to all types. In order to preserve this, there has to be some common sense and even a little restraint, when deciding just how to recreate on our lands. The bottom line, I believe, is that Dumont is not open to adults only. There is no age limit. As such, introducing adult-only entertainment is simply inappropriate. Vicki

You know what would help... Next time you see a ranger, tell him/her how you feel about that kind of thing coming to Dumont. Or give the BLM a call and express your feelings. Either way, express your support for how they handled it last time and ask them to keep doing what they did. Friends of Dumont Dunes can share this information and your TRT representatives (Ynot, Sandemon) can share this information but it would be extra strong coming from the individuals themselves. Vicki