What's New in the aSa
June, 2010

ASA RAMP INFO MEETING AT BUCKSHOT RACING
On May 15, the American Sand Association Board of Directors conducted an information meeting in La Habra, California to discuss the Draft version of the proposed ISDRA Recreation Area Management Plan (DRAMP). The meeting was hosted by Andrew and Vicki Buck of Buckshot Racing.

The meeting was open to all members of the ASA, as well as the public. In attendance were ASA founders Jerry Seaver and Vince Brunasso, the ASA Board of Directors, ISDRA Dune Manager Neil Hamada, acting El Centro field office manager Daniel Steward, and nearly 100 off-road vehicle enthusiasts. Before we begin to describe the highlights of this meeting, please remember that resources from the meeting, which include each of the Power Point Presentations, the proposed topics and comments regarding the RAMP, and the Maps outlining the Alternatives, are all available at this link: http://files.americansandassociation.org/files/2010%20RAMP/ .

The primary focus of the meeting was to outline the features for each of the eight proposed Alternative management plans, and there was additional information from BLM management that explained why the different Alternatives were being considered. Neil Hamada took extra time to discuss the Alternatives and answer any questions that people in attendance had. He did this so people were better able to understand how the new RAMP could affect off-road recreation at the ISDRA. Hamada provided attendees at the meeting with official BLM Comment Forms.

Another reason for the meeting was to help people further understand the process involved with implementing a new RAMP and the public comment period. To this end, Vince Brunasso gave a presentation to help people understand the most effective approach for submitting a comment to the BLM. Brunasso outlined the importance of submitting a good comment to the BLM. He did this by explaining the differences between well-written comments that include factual data with official report citing, compared with poorly written comments that lacked important data that would not necessarily be taken seriously by the BLM.

Dick Holliday also gave a very informative presentation on the ASA’s suggested comments regarding the Draft Recreation Area Management Plan. His presentation covered key areas of concern that relate to the off-roading hobby, as well as his personal insight into what the proposed plan really means to the future of recreation at the ISDRA. It became perfectly clear during Mr. Holliday’s presentation that he has spent countless hours studying the two Volumes of material prepared by the BLM and that he has read every page, some more than once.

Lunch was served at the meeting. Thanks to Andrew and Vicki Buck of Buckshot Racing and the crew from Monster Energy Drinks. Monster showed up with a very impressive rig equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system and plenty of complementary Monster Energy Drinks for everyone in attendance. Moreover, Buckshot had an impressive line of vehicles on display for everyone to look at while feasting on their gourmet Mexican food.

For more information about the ASA, as well as up-to-date information about the DRAMP, please visit the official web-site at: http://www.asasand.com/

ASA Members Get Informed	The Buckshot Crew

Deadline for comments on the ISDRA Draft Recreation Area Management Plan
The draft RAMP/EIS analyzes the environmental impacts of many land management issues, including recreation, renewable energy, and species listed under the Endangered Species Act, including the threatened Peirson's milk-vetch. A range of alternatives are analyzed in the RAMP/EIS, including closure of areas designated as critical habitat by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to off-highway vehicle use.

Comments are due by June 23, 2010

The draft is available online at http://www.ca.blm.gov/elcentro. Copies are available upon request from the field manager,

El Centro Field Office
Bureau of Land Management
1661 S. 4th Street
El Centro, CA 92243

or the BLM California State Office at 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W 1834, Sacramento, CA 95825.

Comments can be provided via email to caisdrmp@ca.blm.gov or by mail to the El Centro address above, attention: Carrie Simmons. For further information, please contact Erin Dreyfuss, RAMP team leader at (916) 978-4642.

GET THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE DRAMP
A web site has been created to inform ASA members about important issues regarding the Draft Recreation Area Management Plan (DRAMP).  It contains maps of the proposed preferred alternative, as well as how to make a valid comment.  There is also information pertaining to the ASA’s preliminary findings included on the web site and a copy of the BLM’s official comment form.
 
Please visit the web site at www.glamisrampinfo.com for more details and make your voice be heard.  The Final RAMP will affect recreation as we know it. Your input can make a difference.

We would like to thank ASA member Joe Cuccio for putting this web site together for us

Desert District Advisory Council (DAC)
The next DAC meeting is scheduled for June 18-19 in Ridgecrest California.

There is a tour on Friday June 18 and the main meeting will be Saturday June 19th. The agenda for this meeting will be posted on the DAC Web Page a few weeks before the meeting.

Camping pad and wash road upgrade
Heavy machinery got the job done along Wash Road in April 2010, widening and resurfacing this popular access to camp areas along the washes. Other recent improvements funded by fee dollars include the resurfacing of Cement Flats and Pads 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5. As this funding allows, minor road shoulder work along Gecko Road should progress throughout the summer months.

ISDRA Ranger stations closed for the summer
The Cahuilla and Buttercup Ranger Stations are now closed for the summer months. (Ranger stations will re-open in October.)

ASA Board of Director Meeting Minutes available On-Line
The ASA BOD would like all our members to be able to track the action of your BOD therefore we have generated a place in the ASA on-line document library where the approved BOD meeting minutes can be found.

The meeting minutes will be found in the document library accessible from the "About ASA" drop down menu on the ASA Home page. They can also be accessed directly from the link below.
ASA BOD Meeting Minutes

BLM Volunteer Opportunities in the Imperial Sand Dunes (from the BLM El Centro Field Office Web Page)
Campground Host: The BLM is looking for dedicated individuals to be campground hosts in several of the Imperial Sand Dunes popular areas.

General Volunteer Many times we coordinate special volunteer projects to accommodate the needs of service groups, such as the Boy Scouts of America. If you would like to volunteer for a special project, let us know and we'll try to work up a project for you. Recently Boy Scout Troop 301 (of Phoenix, AZ) volunteered and donated landscaping to the new Buttercup Ranger Station. This project fulfilled an Eagle Scout requirement for one of the scouts.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please complete the Volunteer Application and return to the El Centro Field Office, Attention: Dallas Meeks. For more info visit: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro/recreation/ohvs/isdra/dunesinfo/volunteers.html

Bureau of Land Management Names New El Centro Field Office Manager
BLM has issued the following press release dated May 5th, 2010 announcing Margaret L. Goodro as the new field manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) El Centro Field Office. Goodro will assume her full time duties on June 6, 2010.

“Margaret comes with a wealth of experience in planning and directing comprehensive programs in visitor, recreation, and resource protection management,” stated Teri Raml, BLM California Desert District manager.  “Her management experience working with diverse interests as well as state and local agencies in developing programs will be of great benefit to the California Desert District.”

Goodro is currently assigned to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Western Regional Office, where she has served for the past year as an operations support specialist for the regional director.  Her duties have her providing oversight to 28 field offices and 1,500 employees in the seven western states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and the Territory of Guam.

 “I’m excited about the opportunity to be involved with the future of this vital area,” Goodro said. “I’m looking forward to working with the staff and the stakeholders to facilitate efforts to protect the resources, promote recreation, and harness the area’s array of renewable resources. It is an honor to join the BLM which has a prominent role in potential renewable energy and a cleaner energy future for the Nation.”

Goodro began her career in federal service as a park ranger for the North Cascades National Park, WA in 1994.  Park Ranger assignments to Glacier Bay National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Yosemite National Park, North Cascades National Park, Glacier National Park, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area preceded her assignment to the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, WA as Chief of the Visitor and Resource Protection Division in 2007.  She transitioned to DHS Western Region in 2009.

Goodro received a degree in recreation management from Central Washington University in 1996 and she is a graduate of the 2006 Executive Leadership Program. She replaces Daniel Steward who has been serving as acting field office manager since November 2009.  Steward will return to his position as staff Resource Branch Chief.

The El Centro Field Office is one of five field offices within the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA).  The CDCA was established by Congress through passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.  The El Centro Field Office manages 1.4 million acres of public lands and over 75 miles of International Border that spread across two counties: Imperial and San Diego.  The El Centro Field Office receives 1.4 million visitor use days annually and it is comprised of 10 wilderness areas, three open off-highway vehicle (OHV) use areas and more than 2,000 miles of OHV routes.  The El Centro Field Office is home to nine threatened or endangered species and 26 sensitive species.

BLM Involved with Local Community
The El Centro Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management suffered significant damage during the 7.2 earthquake that occurred on Easter Sunday near Mexicali.  Their office was closed for two weeks to cleanup and because it was uninhabitable, some staffers need a place to conduct business.  More importantly, the BLM needed an office that was accessible to the public.  The El Centro Chamber of Commerce & Visitors’ Bureau stepped up to the plate and helped the BLM out by housing several of their employees during this difficult time.  

The BLM recently honored the El Centro Chamber for their generosity at a recent chamber mixer.  A plaque was presented by Acting Field Manager Daniel Steward to Chamber President Bill DuBois. Several BLM employees were in hand, along with many business members, to see the presentation.

The BLM El Centro Field Office has been very active in the local community. In addition to the mixer, Executive Director Nicole Gilles had two BLM employees accompany her to a Rotary meeting in Brawley.  Gilles was able to introduce Acting Field Manager Daniel Steward and Acting Assistant Field Manager Kynan Barrios to many community leaders at the meeting.  

The ASA would like to thank the BLM for their involvement and support of the community in which many people recreate.

Acting Field Manager Daniel Steward presents El Centro Chamber President Bill DuBois an appreciation plaque for their support after the Easter earthquake.

BLM Names Imperial Sand Dunes Volunteer of the Month  April 2010 (from BLM El Centro Field Office Web Page)
Avid duner Tom Gell of Temecula, CA donates valuable time and experience operating heavy equipment in the resurfacing and widening of Wash Road (along with the Cement Flats and Pads 1 through 2.5 resurface) in April 2010. No newbie to volunteer work, Tom worked hard as a volunteer to construct the "new" road last summer, and always showed up at clean-ups held during the season. Way to love your dunes.

Display the ASA Raffle Car at Your Next Event
Do you have an off road shop or an upcoming off road or other motorsports related event in the San Diego or Temecula area? Do you want to help the American Sand Association? You can do that by inviting us to display our Raffle Car at your event or business. The raffle car represents the ASA’s primary source of revenue to carry out its mission. If you would like to help support the ASA by displaying our Raffle Car please contact Chuck Hattaway at 619-890-9093. No event is too big or too small.

El Centro Police Chief Builds Class 5 Black & White
Chief Jim McGinley has been an avid off roader and has been racing for the past 10 years.  When he became Chief of Police for the City of El Centro in May of last year, he was already in the process of building a race car.  Then he had the idea to make it look like one of the city’s black & whites.  The vehicle will be used for racing in the Superstition area, but will also be used by the city for promotional events. The Class 5 car is made from a 1968 Volkswagen body and features a 2010 Crumco racing chassis that is powered by a 1915 cc Volkswagen engine.

A labor of love, Chief McGinley paid for this project out of his own pocket.

Got Desert I.D.?
We all know that we shouldn’t ride in the dunes alone. Even though we have been taught this rule since we’ve been going to the dunes, often times this rule is broken.  What would happen if something catastrophic happened to you and no one knew who you were?

This happened to a friend of Russ and Valerie Rogers.  It prompted them to create “Got Desert I.D.?” Working in conjunction with officials at the dunes, they are implementing a way to ID and locate all dune lovers.  The easy to fill out yellow fluorescent card will list pertinent information so one can be easily identified. For more information visit their web site at: www.gotdesertid.com

ASA PARTICIPATES AT EXTREME OFFROAD EXPO
The ASA was proud to display the Banning raffle car at the Extreme Offroad Expo held May 21-23rd at the Orange County Fairgrounds.  We would like to thank the following volunteers who helped us out at the ASA booth: Chuck Hattaway, Dick Holliday, Tim & Sue Moore, Steve McKee, Bryce Hove, Richard Ferr, Katrina Ashbough and Barry Hannah.  It is the help that volunteers such as these provide us that allow us the opportunity to participate.

Pictured from L-R: Barry Hannah, Katrina Ashbough, Nicole Gilles, Chuck Hattaway and Dick Holliday

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