LITTER Education Program - TRASH WILL
EQUAL CLOSURE - Take your trash HOME
Dune closure is threatened if litter management is
not improved. The dunes
MUST
be LITTER FREE. Ravens and coyotes are predators
of the Desert Tortoise. The dumpsters are feeding grounds for ravens and coyotes.
The Biological Opinion issued by the USFWS requires
that the dumpsters must be raven and coyote proof. All
trash on the ground must be immediately removed -- day and night.
· Mailed with ASA merchandise and membership renewals
· In shops and business on the counter
· At the SAND SPORTS SUPER SHOW (SSSS), at the gate and with vendor sales
· With OHV parts shipments
· At Yuma, Brawley and El Centro duner pit stops
· With ISDRA vendors
· At Pair A Dice, Boardmanville, & Glamis Beach Store
· With BLM and ICSO personnel
· Buttercup camp host, Ranger Station, and the El Centro Field Office
· With the ISDRA visitor passes
· Public service announcement in sand sport magazines
· With you at the dunes
Next ASA Open Board Meeting
Oct. 22, 2005 at 9:00 AM
The Handlery Hotel
950 Hotel Circle North
San Diego, CA
September Newsletter
The next issue will be in the mail on September 1. An expanded version
(more pages) will be up on the website and sent out via a mass email on the
same date. Contact Jim Colln SANDUNERS@aol.com if you have something you would
like included.
Orangewood RV "Pound Sand 2005"
Scott Swenka is the coordinator for this two day event on OCT. 1 &
2 in Surprise, AZ at Orangewood RV at 11449 West Bell Road (114th Ave. and Bell)
This will be a fairly large affair with many OHV displays, live music, free
food and drink, several door prizes and an opportunity to see the new ASA give
a way car. FREE VENDOR BOOTH SPACE. Contact Scott Swenka flags@americansandassociation.org
or 480 390 3114. If he does not answer leave a voice mail.
Quads Donated
Cricket Sankovich has arranged for three "3" kids quads to
be donated. Two will be raffled at the MLK cleanup. Ticket sales ($1.00 ea.)
will begin at the Sand Sports Super Show. The third quad has been donated to
UDG to be used as an incentive to encourage duners to fill out a visitor's survey.
Thanks to Cricket and to D&D Motorsports of Apache Junction, AZ and RATV/MX
Warehouse of Glendale, AZ for their generous donation.
ASA goes to the LA County Fair
ASA has been invited to participate in the "Caring for the Land"
multi-agency exhibit at the LA County Fair (Sept. 9 - Oct. 2). ASA will co-sponsor
an "Environmental Magic" show that will feature magician Paul Cash
and his sidekick Glitter the rabbit. Paul and Glitter will also make one appearance
on the Heritage Stage at the Sand Sports Super Show. The theme of his performance
will reinforce Litter Education at the dunes.
Arizona Volunteer Steps Up
Conrad Nelson glamis01@cox.net AZ Sales Rep for Advantage Performance
Distributing (ASA and ORBA Business Sponsor) calls on 80 shops in AZ. What a
natural for getting the word out. Conrad will distribute ASA Newsletters, flyers,
and anything else that will help the cause. Is there anyone in California who
can provide similar support? Please contact Lloyd Misner, ASA Volunteer Coordinator
at 909 923 0679 or covairs123@hotmail.com
United Desert Gateway News
UDG will publish an annual Welcome newspaper that will hit the street
at the SAND SPORTS SUPER SHOW. They are working on installing 5 new info Kiosks
at ISDRA this upcoming season. Their website is being developed and will include
a FAQ's web page. They will kick off their ISDRA Visitor Survey at the SAND
SPORTS SUPER SHOW. All of this will be reviewed in detail at a meeting to be
held in El Centro in Sept. or Oct. The date and location will be announced at
a later time.
SAND SPORTS SUPER SHOW Plans
The SAND SPORTS SUPER SHOW Committee is ready. We have our new canopies
and banners. All merchandise is being taken care of. We are going to kick off
the Membership Drive at the SAND SPORTS SUPER SHOW. We also have an Information
Booth at the SAND SPORTS SUPER SHOW this year and that is something new. This
will be an additional ASA booth inside and will be staffed by BOD members and
others and will be setup to inform the public of all things ISDRA. A TV will
be there to play the new ASA DVD and flyers/leaflets/handouts will be available
for anyone that wants to learn something. The outdoor booth will have all the
ASA merchandise and the Checkered Flags, Membership signups. The Sand Limo will
also be there on stage for all to see with another booth setup for selling the
tickets.
Clean Up News
The United Desert Gateway will team up with True Excitement and KD Cycle to coordinate the annual Martin Luther King Day weekend cleanup to be held in Glamis and Buttercup on January 14, 2006. Representatives from each of the entities met recently to discuss the details of the cleanup and to begin the sponsorship drive.
In commenting on the collaborative efforts of the three entities, Jarrod Bullard of True excitement said, "I organized last year's south dunes cleanup and I look forward to continuing with that and working with the UDG and Kathy Godley from KD Cycle to carryout a one-day cleanup of the entire Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area." Nicole Gilles, president of the UDG, said "As a new organization we are thrilled to be a part of a project that demonstrates our commitment to keeping the dunes open through stewardship programs such as the annual cleanup." "I'm really pleased that Bullard and Godley will be spear heading the efforts as our south and north dunes cleanup leaders," she added.
"The Glamis and Buttercup cleanups, although carried out on the same day, will each have their own staging area, T-shirts, barbecue and prize drawing," said Bullard.
The cleanup task force will be reaching out to local and region businesses to assist with underwriting the cost of the event. Sponsors of the cleanup will be recognized on a commemorative t-shirt, poster and at the event. Bullard added, "This year's sponsors will have an opportunity to sponsor one or both of the events."
Anyone interested in sponsoring or assisting with the 2006 cleanup is encouraged to visit www.glamis-cleanupup.org. For specific information on the Glamis cleanup contact Godley at kdcycle@adelphia.net or for the south dunes email Bullard at info@trueexcitement.com
ASA Chairman Back to DC Again
The BLM Director of Law Enforcement and Security William Woody has invited
the Chairman of the ASA Board to be a guest speaker at a meeting of Sheriff's
and BLM law enforcement personnel from the southwestern US. The discussion will
focus on partnership building in support of law enforcement activities.
OHMVR Audit
The results of some very aggressive efforts by the ASA, ORBA and SDORC that
began over 1 year ago to have the California State Auditors Office audit the
OHMVR Fund are finally here. After presenting the various facts and inconsistencies
to, and with the help of, Sen. Bill Morrow, this audit was approved and initiated
last August. The audit was released on 8/17/05 and, in essence, states that
the fund was hijacked by people that weren't interested in OHV opportunities.
The auditor's review of the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Program (OHV
program) revealed that:
· The Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission (commission) and
the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (division) have not developed
a shared vision to implement an OHV program that is balanced between OHV recreation
and the environment.
· The division's recent strategic plan is incomplete and does not include
some important elements such as a comprehensive evaluation of the external and
internal factors that could affect the OHV program.
· In the absence of a formally adopted strategy, the
commissioners vote to approve grants and cooperative agreements based on their
individual interests rather than on a strategy to achieve a balanced
program.
· Recent legal requirements to spend designated portions of OHV program
revenue for conservation, restoration, and law enforcement have not been met
and because the division has not set aside the cash, a growing unfunded obligation
exists.
· The division and the Department of Parks and Recreation (department)
have spent or earmarked $38 million for three land acquisition
projects-one completed and two under consideration-that
offer little or no additional OHV recreation.
· Based on a questionable legal interpretation and inadequately supported
cost estimates, the department is using Off-Highway Trust Fund money-$3.6
million during fiscal year 2003-04-to support state parks that do not have OHV
recreation.
· The division made questionable purchases of goods
and services using contracts paid with OHV funds and in numerous instances
violated state contracting rules.
· The division's management of the funds expended through grants and
cooperative agreements needs improvement.
ASA, ORBA, and SDORC, the 3 lead organizations that
pushed for the audit, have this to say at this time:
1) The audit is a long complicated document full of major revelations. The core
group of OHV organizations are pouring through the document carefully. Any statements
made now would be totally premature and possibly incorrect.
2) When the core group agrees to a plan, it will be presented to all interested
parties who will be asked for input.
3) Input from all OHV lobbyists in Sacramento, as well as from Senator Morrow's
office, will be solicited.
4) A final document that describes the OHV Community's collective concerns and
planned course of action will be prepared.
5) All interested OHV organizations will be asked to sign a signature page to
this document (if they so desire).
6) Then, our collective position paper will be officially made public and be
available to post on organization websites.
7) Then, our current plan, is to have as many OHV Leaders as possible go to
Sacramento (probably the week after next) to do a formal press release and press
conference with Senator Morrow.
8)While in Sacramento, we would knock on doors of as many legislators as possible
asking for support.
This is subject to change as the effort continues but we feel it is imperative
that we keep any specific actions we might have discussed to ourselves until
we are all in agreement. For the first time that we know of in history, the
entire CA OHV community will be coalesced around a major issue! This should
have a major impact with our Legislators in CA.
ISDRA RAMP and Associated Lawsuits
CBD's request for summary judgment that calls for the judge to rule in favor of keeping the present temporary closures, voiding the biological opinion, and increasing critical habitat designation for the Peirson's milk vetch has been filed. Two weeks later ASA filed our opposition to it as did the Department of the Interior. The 2 latter briefs were very strong and for all practical purposes, make the argument of the CBD sound ridiculous.
A hearing is scheduled in San Francisco on 9/15 where both sides make final
verbal arguments in this 3 in 1 case. The final ruling is slated for 9/30 also
in San Francisco.
PMV Delisting Efforts
Art Phillip's studies are finalized for this season and are used extensively in our newest delisting petition and the addendum to it.
FWS has accepted our new PMV delisting for review. That means FWS recognizes it as a legitimate petition - not that they will grant a delisting. This also means we can drop our suit challenging the denial of the first delisting petition.
They have 90 days from receipt of the petition to issue a preliminary finding as to whether or not the petition warrants further investigation and review. If so warranted, they have another 9 months to complete the review and are required to give us a final decision on the delisting. Since the Petition was logged in on 7/13/05, the preliminary finding is due 10/13/05 and final ruling is due on 7/13/06.
Our attorney is doubtful that these deadlines will be met due to the workload
of FWS caused by all the litigation FWS currently faces. They know that we won't
stand for any long delays so things may move along well enough to keep us at
bay.
Listing Another 17 Species
Our legal staff is composing arguments against the listing of 17 other species
at the ISDRA. The petition to list these species is weak providing nothing more
than conjecture and no conclusive science.
Camping Closure Opened
The 25,000-acre "no camping" closure east
of the railroad tracks at the ISDRA are
now Open. Travel in this area is restricted to existing trails. ASA
spent $7000 toward this effort with CORVA taking the lead with ORBA assisting
in DC. Implementation of BLM's Northern Eastern Colorado Desert (NECO) plan
reopened these lands. The Temporary Closed dune areas at the ISDRA are
still closed until the RAMP is implemented.
Arizona Sand Expo
The ASA will participate in the AZ Sand Expo that will be held at the Arizona
State Fair Grounds on Dec. 9 - 11. Volunteers will be needed to man our booth.
Watch the Nov. newsletter for more info.
Checkered Flag Program
Conrad Nelson and Don Johnson have joined the Checkered Flag leadership team
as co chairman of AZ CF activities. ASA CF Chairman, Scott Swenka is looking
for someone to take join the CF team to coordinate California activities. Someone
from the San Diego Area and another volunteer for the LA area would be ideal.
You can start by helping out at the ASA SSSS CF booth. Contact Scott flags@americansandassociation.org
or by calling 480-390-3114. If he does not answer please leave a voice mail.
Giveaway Car Schedule for 2005-06
The 2005-06 ASA raffle car will be unveiled at the SAND SPORTS SUPER SHOW.
A new display trailer has been donated by Weekend Warrior. The trailer has lift
up doors to enhance display capability. KS Sand Flag will have the car on display
at its Buttercup vending site on Halloween. Other ISDRA vendors are welcome
to do the same. The following is a tentative schedule of car display opportunities.
ISDRA vendors and others are invited to join the schedule.
Please contact Ron Scott at rscott@lazerstar.com
or 800 624 6234 to confirm a date.
· Oct. 1 & 2, 2005 Orangewood RV Pound Sand 2005 Surprise, AZ
· Oct. 8 & 9 Off-Road Expo Pomona, CA
· Nov. 14 Cattle Call Brawley,CA
· Nov. 28-31 KS Sand Flags Buttercup
· Dec. 3 Tamale Fiesta El Centro, CA
· Dec. 9 - 11 Arizona Sand Expo Phoenix, AZ
· Dec. 23 - 27 Reserved for an ISDRA vendor Gordon's
Well
· Dec. 29 - Jan 2 KS Sand Flags Buttercup
· Jan 14, 2006 UDG Clean up ISDRA
· Jan 21 Farmers Market El Centro, CA
· Presidents Day Reserved for an ISDRA vendor Glamis
· Easter Reserved for an ISDRA vendor Glamis
Canal Construction Projects
The ASA Board has asked Mike Gertsen to act as liaison with the Imperial Irrigation District, BLM and the US Bureau of Reclamation re the proposed canal modifications in the south dunes. Please contact Mike at 928 344 5203 or yumadune@msn.com Mike will provide periodic status reports.
Visitor Use Fees
The Imperial County Sheriff's Office (ICSO) will be collecting fees for the
2005, 06 season. You will be required to have a permit
before setting up camp. The BLM is finalizing details with the ICSO
to collect fees. Soon, more detailed information where to get season and weekly
passes will be available. As of this writing, permits will be available at the
same locations as always: retail outlets and seven vending machines in the dunes.
According to Sheriff Harold Carter, "To make the permit system less intrusive
and easier to monitor, ICSO will employ state-of-the-art technology. The new
machines will dispense a new kind of permit employing a radio frequency identifier
that allow patrol officers to use handheld devices that scan vehicles for valid
permits."
Slappy's ADOPT-A-WASH Program
|
CLICK
HERE to learn more and to signup.
MISSION STATEMENT:
Dedicated duners united together to protect and insure the pristine beauty of Glamis.
Dedicated lovers of Mother Glamis, let us join together to protect and insure
her pristine beauty for future generations. Our duty as a member requires us
to carry bags in our backpacks for trash we see in the dunes; we go out of our
way to grab a cigarette butt and place it in our pocket; we pick up cans and
bottles and place them in our coolers until no more can be filled; we notice
and take action of caution tape tied to a bush; We work hard to clean abandoned
fire pits filled with metals and glass. We walk our wash, pad, or flat before
we leave with bag in hand. We are the keepers of Mother Glamis, and she is counting
on us.
Thank you.
The American Sand Association
Unite, Inform, and Mobilize