WHO IS COHVCO?
The Organization Protecting Colorado's OHV Future
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The mission of the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO) is to represent, assist, educate, and empower OHV recreationists in the protection and promotion of off-highway motorized recreation throughout Colorado. COHVCO is an environmental organization that advocates and promotes the responsible use and conservation of our public lands and natural resources to preserve their aesthetic and recreational qualities for future generations.
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- OHV AREAS are DISAPPEARING & we NEED your HELP
- Click on the SOS to become a FRIEND OF COHVCO and receive your sticker (1 sticker for each $25 donation)
- Then post a picture of the sticker on your OHV and post it on COHVCO's Facebook page to show your support
- SPREAD THE WORD TO SAVE OUR SPORT!!
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HOW CAN I HELP?
Simple,
COHVCO needs money and volunteers to support all of our efforts, including legal and legislative, to protect TRAILS. Please help out today! Please click on one of the buttons on the left and you can go a long ways in helping COHVCO fulfill their mission. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
(If you want to pay for your donation through PayPal, please click one of the buttons on the left and follow the prompts. When you get to the payment screen at the end of the process, click on Cancel Payment. You will be redirected back to this page and by CLICKING HERE you can finish the transaction through the PayPal system.)
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WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
COHVCO needs a Strong Voice with a Strong Membership! The bigger the voice the greater the impact. The message has to be heard. Help out today - Click the button on the left and JOIN US TODAY!
(If you would prefer to pay for your membership through PayPal, please follow the prompts once you have clicked on the button on the left. When you get to the payment screen, make note of your payment amount and click on Cancel Payment. You will be redirected to this page and PAY NOW and you can finish the transaction.)
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AND IF YOU NEED ANOTHER IDEA TO HELP OUT
COHVCO needs volunteers to help out at the events below - take the opportunity to spread the word about the organization and the efforts to SAVE OUR SPORT!
May 18th Fay Myers
May 24th Sun Enterprises
June 8th Pikes Peak Supercross
July 5th 6th 7th Meeker (to be discussed in further detail)
July 28th August 4th "all 4 fun"
July 13th 14 Truck Fest
For more information call Ben Janin at 970-219-0871
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The Slavens Challenge
At Slavens Racing we are committed to land access issues and we fully realize that the days of the free ride are long gone. There is nothing free about freedom and it cost big bucks to protect our right to ride!
The Slavens Challenge; we will match all donations to the Colorado Trails Preservation Alliance, www.coloradotpa.org , legal defense fund up to $3000. Donate $5, $50, $500 or whatever amount you choose, and we will match it up to $3000. Send them a check, send us a check payable to them or pay online via Paypal, write or type "Slavens Challenge" on the donation, and we will match your donation.
Thank you in advance for your help. Do what you can and please get involved.
Regards,
Jeff Slavens
This is an exerpt from a letter written by Jeff to many off highway enthusiasts. We invite you to read the letter here.
To donate to the cause, please click on the button below.
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DONATIONS NEEDED
The Trails Preservation Alliance (http://www.coloradotpa.org) and Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO) have retained legal counsel to develop contingency plans for dealing with the lawsuit threatened by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) concerning the Bear Creek trail (#667, Pike Peak National Forest) located near Colorado Springs. This trail has a historic 50 year lineage as a multiple use trail and is the primary access to the Captain Jack’s trail system. The CBD has threatened to file a law suit against the City of Colorado Springs and the USFS to close the trail to motorized recreation, not mountain biking or hiking. This threatened lawsuit alleges that motorcycle caused trail erosion is damaging the habit of a native trout species.
The City of Colorado Springs and the USFS are considering options for this threatened lawsuit.
The Center for Biological Diversity has a history of threatening and or engaging in such legal actions across the USA. If they win this they will just ride their wave of success to their next motorcycle trail of choice. We must stop them in their tracks and that costs money. Click below to make a donation.
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INTRODUCING NEW COHVCO NEWS PUBLISHER
As many of you may have noticed the latest COHVCO News was published and printed by a new company. We would like to introduce you to Boondocker Publishing in Sundance, Wyoming. Jeff Moberg, owner of Boondocker Publishing, is an outdoor enthusiast and publishes other motorized recreation publications. Over the next few months COHVCO and Boondockers will be revamping the publication to reflect the views, efforts and concerns of COHVCO and their members. If you would like to advertise in the COHVCO News or have story ideas that you would like to see pursued please don't hesitate to contact Jeff at: Jeff Moberg, Boondocker Publishing, PO Box 400, Sundance, WY 82729, 307-283-3411, jeff@boondockerpublishing.com.
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ALERT!!
UPDATE OF THE BEAR CREEK LAWSUIT AND TEMPORARY CLOSURE
This alert is to address the significant interest regarding recent announcements of a “ban” on motorcycle use of the popular trail along Bear Creek outside Colorado Springs. There is more to the story than was unfortunately reported inaccurately by the Colorado Springs Gazette in its story posted online at 8:54 p.m. on November 21. (see http://www.gazette.com/articles/ban-147585-group-bear.html). The Gazette story jumped the gun and misstated some key facts.
First,the story fails to explain the “settlement” is PROPOSED and has not been approved by the Court. In fact, by order issued at 9:36 a.m. on Monday, November 26, the Court DENIED the settlement as presented. The reference in the article to the Forest Service having “10 days to ban the vehicles” fails to note that the 10 days runs from Court approval of the settlement. Obviously that has not yet occurred and wil lnot occur until the USFS and Plaintiff, Center for Biological Diversity address the Court’s concerns.
Second,the CMTRA, TPA and COHVCO are interveners in this lawsuit. This means several things. We have formal party status in the case, and can provide input to the Court on the settlement. The settlement comes as no surprise and we have been monitoring the negotiations between the USFS and CBD through our counsel, who has decades of experience in dozens of public lands recreation lawsuits and similar situations.
Third, the story conspicuously omits mention of the fact that in the proposed settlement the Forest Service admits none of CBD’s allegations or claims, and agrees only to “temporary closures” of specified trails on Forest Service land near Bear Creek. The settlemen trefers to completion of a Forest Service “watershed assessment” which was planned before CBD filed its suit and “consultation” with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the outcome of that assessment. A possible outcome(s) following conclusion of these agency activities may include the resumption of motorcycle use on one or more of the trails mentioned in the settlement.
Fourth,the practical significance of the “ban” cannot be evaluated until the agency assessment is completed. The primary trail of interest, Trail 667, lies deep in a canyon on primarily north-aspect slopes and is effectively closed from at least December through March mos tyears by weather. In other words, no one meaningfully rides 667 during the winter regardless of the settlement. A nonmotorized route, Trail 666, is traveled daily by many users, yet reflects unimproved crossings and sedimentation issues at least as great as those of the motorized route 667 conveniently ignored by CBD. It is at least conceivable that the agency activities required by the settlement might be completed prior to resumption of the 2013 “season” for motorcycle use of Trail 667. We believe the timing and specific language of the settlement agreement reflect awareness of these factors and the relative procedural ease with which the CBD case can be side-stepped by the agencies.
CMTRA, TPA and COHVCO have been participating in a“roundtable” process at Bear Creek alongside many other groups including nonmotorized recreationists, Trout Unlimited, and the City of Colorado Springs. This roundtable predates the CBD suit and has resulted in numerous improvements to the motorized and nonmotorized trails along Bear Creek and will continue to seek long-term management solutions. We appreciate your awareness of the complete story in forming an opinion about the Bear Creek trails and any support you can provide for the ongoing efforts of the CMTRA, TPA and COHVCO.
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COMMENTS SUBMITTED
?WOLVERINE-In February of this year the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced their proposal to list the Wolverine as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. In addition USFWS proposed two special rules designed to facilitate management and recovery of the species should it receive protection. These rules are very important to Colorado and the efforts of CPW to re-introduce the Wolverine into the state. Basically these two rules prohibit restrictions placed on activities occurring withing the high elevation habitat of the wolverine, including snowmobiling and backcountry skiing and land management activities like timber harvesting and infrastructure development.
For the last 3 years members of COHVCO and CSA have participated in stakeholder meetings hosted by CPW to discuss the reintroduction. These efforts have been targeted to ensure these basic protections of access that weren't in place when the Canadian lynx was released in the late 90's. Because these proposed rules do offer these protections COHVCO, CSA and TPA have submitted Comments supporting the listing with the proposed rules.
HERMOSA WATERSHED PROTECTION ACT-COHVCO and CSA have worked extensively with Senator Michael Bennet and his staff and later with Congressman Scott Tipton and his staff to adequately vet the Hermosa Watershed Protection Act. The Act will create some new Wilderness, a special management area and release approximately 500 acres of a BLM WSA on top of Molas Pass for snowmobile recreation. Throughout the whole process protecting motorized recreation access has been the driving force behind these organizations efforts. Correct wording that protects summer and winter recreation in the special management area has been of special importance to these efforts. The release of the WSA will protect a very popular snowmobile area around Molas Lake that is slated to be closed to winter motorized recreation without this effort. Letters of support of the legislation was sent to Congressman Tipton's and Senator Bennet's offices. The legislation is scheduled to be released in late April.
SAGE GROUSE-COHVCO has submitted comments on the Sage Grouse habitat designation. Also provided is a map of the areas affected. In the ongoing effort of COHVCO keeping ahead of threats to off-road activity this particular issue has been an important issue and all off-road enthusiasts are encouraged to read the comments to acquaint yourself with the threat and reasonable solutions.
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SNOWMOBILERS DISAPPOINTED BY COURT RULING
BOISE, ID (April 2, 2013)--Snowmobile advocates today responded to a recent decision in United States District Court for the District of Idaho, which directs the U.S. Forest Service to promulgate new motorized travel management regulations. The decision was released on March 29, 2013, and declared unlawful the agency's 2005 Travel Management Rule for violating "plain language" in a forty-year old Executive Order and allowing it to be "discretionary" whether the Forest Service designates "areas of use or non-use" by snowmobiles. The 2005 Rule was years and millions of dollars in the making.
While it is typical to conduct further proceedings to determine a proper remedy in an environmental case like this, the court's decision simply announces a new rule must be issued within 180 days. The parties to the case, including snowmobile advocates Idaho State Snowmobile Association, American Council of Snowmobile Associations, and BlueRibbon Coalition, are still interpreting the court's ruling. "This is either a tectonic shift or much ado about nothing," stated Sandra Mitchell. "Forest Service rules and maps have for decades regulated not only areas of 'use and non-use' but details to the gnat's eyelash regarding winter use of specific roads and trails for motorized and non-motorized users. If it does anything, this decision will create unnecessary controversy and further sap the planning budget of an agency already fearful of being raided in the name of fiscal reform," added Sandra.
The decision is subject to appeal for sixty days. A copy of the decision may be viewed HERE
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WHAT IS COHVCO WORKING ON??
SUCCESSES
LAWSUITS
- Pike/San Isabel - the first suit was filed on January 31, 2011 anti-access plaintiffs including...(more)
- Rico/West Dolores - While the second suit on the Rico/West Dolores Area of the San Juan Forest was...(more)
- State Parks Board Litigation - COHVCO was forced to sue the Colorado State Parks Board after...(more)
ACCESS
- Colorado Roadless Rule - COHVCO supports the Colorado Roadless Rule Making process and is vigorously...(more)
- Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal - The Hidden Gems Campaign has now morphed to a new...(more)
- San Juan Mountains Wilderness Proposal - While the recreational impacts of the San Juan Wilderness proposal...(more)
- OHV Permits on Plated Vehicles - Details available at the State Parks website
- Turkey Springs Travel Management Decision - COHVCO generally supports this decision as it opens a significant...(more)
- OHV Registration and Titling Proposal - COHVCO has been working with Representative Kevin Priola in the development...(more)
- Sage Grouse Conversation Measures - COHVCO has submitted detailed comments on the proposed conservation measures...(more)
- Potential Re-Introduction of the Wolverine - COHVCO has been actively involved in stakeholder meetings addressing the possible reintroduction of the Wolverine in Colorado...(more)
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WHERE ARE THE HOTSPOTS THAT COHVCO IS WATCHING?
- James Peak Wilderness - Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties
- Pike/San Isabel National Forest
- Rico
- Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal - Summit, Pitkin, Delta and Gunnison Counties
- San Juan Wilderness Proposal - San Miguel County
- Turkey Springs - Pagosa Ranger District, Archuleta County
- Kremmling
- Colorado River Valley - Glenwood Springs and surrounding area
- Jackson County - Walden area
HOW IS COHVCO INVOLVED?
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COHVCO and the COHVCO Mountain and Vehicles Logo are trademarks of the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition.
Website and all contents are Copyright 1994-2012 COHVCO. All rights reserved.
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