Posted April 4, 2008

Crazy Miner strikes gold: How a club saved its off-road event

By Don Amador

In this day of shrinking federal on-the-ground recreation budgets, off-highway vehicle (OHV) clubs and organizations are being asked by land management agencies to shoulder more of the financial burden associated with special events conducted under permit.

This relatively new concept  is called "cost recovery." Basically, it means the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management trying to recoup some of the costs related to the agency’s administration of permitted events such as enduros or dual-sport rides.

Historically, when recreation budgets were more robust, the land manager would often absorb the costs of having staff specialists monitor environmental impacts associated with the event. Also, federal agents would often perform the technical inspection of the OHVs, which includes checking for current vehicle registration, compliance with exhaust sound limits, and having a legal spark arrester.

Many clubs do not have a problem with reasonable cost recovery charges. However, as cost recovery is still in various stages of development and implementation, OHV organizations must be actively engaged with the land manager regarding oversight of costs and charges associated with permitted events. Those clubs may also be able to offer their own trained members to supplement jobs often performed by costly agency staff.

One such case study is what the California Enduro Riders Association (CERA) has done to partner with the Forest Service in an effort to support legitimate administrative costs related to the permitted event by having trained club members augment agency staff duties.

Earlier, CERA was faced with a decision regarding their two premier events on the Eldorado National Forest. The agency had told the club that it would have to subsidize Forest Service administrative costs at the AMA and AMA District 36-sanctioned Crazy Miner Family Enduro and the Fools Gold Enduro. Cost recovery estimates had run as much as $8,000 for both events. The choice was simple: either cancel the events or find another solution.

The first decision the club made was to analyze the agency’s cost recovery budget proposal to find areas where there may have been some miscalculations or misunderstandings. Second, the association added a $15 per adult or $7 per youth “land use planning charge” to the entry fee to help cover some of the additional costs.

Third, CERA decided to work with AMA District 36 and the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Program to host a sound-testing certification class for club members so they could replace agency staff at the tech station.

Fourth, CERA offered to do the pre- and post-event photo monitoring at trail sites selected by Forest Service staff. Clark Frentzen, a professional engineer, did the photo monitoring and will prepare a report to be submitted to the agency. This task was completed in less than one day because of his ability to ride a dirt-bike and take photographs and notes. A federal agent who drove a pickup and then walked into the various course monitoring locations could have easily taken up to two days to complete this one task.

OHV organizations should be working to obtain five-year event permits. Clubs should also consider joining with other organizations and apply for a five-year “master permit” where the entire route network is analyzed at one time for resource issues and other concerns. While this strategy may cost more upfront, there should be substantial savings to the event promoters in future years.

Declining federal recreation budgets should not be an obstacle for those clubs and federal units who want to partner in new and creative ways to both protect the resource and allow for quality OHV events to continue.

Maybe there is still some gold in the Mother Lode.

Editor's note: Don Amador is a contractor for the BlueRibbon Coalition and a member of the AMA and AMA District 36.

© 2008, All Terrain Vehicle Association