IV Press OnLine
Riders clean up dunes
By GREG HOLT, Staff WriterSunday, January 14, 2007 1:13 AM PSTAs he tore up the dunes with his Suzuki ATV Saturday afternoon, Todd Ziereis stopped occasionally to pick up any trash he spotted.At Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, the weekend before Martin Luther King Day has been the occasion for a large clean-up event for a decade now.Ziereis, 31, said 40 friends and family members came with him from Levine, Ariz., to the dunes this weekend, which he said is one of the area’s busiest times of the year.“As far as terrain goes, there’s nothing better than riding in the dunes,†Ziereis said. “Unfortunately, you do see a lot of trash out there.â€Cathy Kennerson, Chief Executive Officer of the El Centro Chamber of Commerce, said about 1,000 people participated in the clean-up, a relatively low turnout she blamed on the high winds and icy temperature on Saturday.She said riders were eager to help out and brought in bags of trash as well as box springs, mufflers, and car batteries.“It’s all part of a national Take Pride in America campaign, but we also want to make sure the dunes stay open to off-road vehicles,†Kennerson said. “It brings millions into the economy. They buy our gas and our food and they use our medical facilities.â€Jason Kaza, a member of the Yuma Duners off-road club, said off-road enthusiasts are well-aware that other dune locations have been closed because of trash build-up and are eager to do their part to keep the dunes in Imperial County open for riding.“The off-road community is pretty good about policing themselves, but you’d be amazed at how much trash there is out there,†Kaza said.
Julie Krough, a member of the American Sand Association, an organization formed to keep dune locations in the Southwest open to off-road vehicles, was busy selling raffle tickets for a DeJong Sand Car Saturday afternoon.She said the proceeds from the raffle will go toward fighting a lawsuit brought against the Bureau of Land Management by the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity to close a part of the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area because they say the presence of off-road vehicles threatens an endangered plant native to the area.“Part of the fundraising will pay for legal fees,†said Krough, who lives in Vista, Calif. “If there’s too much trash around they can shut the whole place down.â€Imperial County Supervisor Wally Leimgruber, whose district includes the dune recreation area, said environmental groups overestimate the dangers of off-road vehicles.“They are concerned about the amount of visitors, but the area is large enough to accommodate these visitors,†said Leimgruber, adding that he has been riding off-road vehicles across the dunes since he was a child. “We’re trying to promote responsible use because this area helps our economy greatly.â€
<added link to source of article - LoBuck 1/18/07 @ 5:44pm>
Especially considering the cold and wind. It was pretty nasty, but made for some excellent dune runs. 
I always like to donate things for the kids to win. Like that Motostik, helmet, kids dirbike toys, dvd's and the beenies came in handy this time! ha ha. Saw some folks put those things on right away.