The AMA Comment Letter:
The AMA Comment Letter:
California Department of Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division c/o AECOM, attn. Carnegie SVRA General Plan 2020 L Street, Suite 400
Re: Carnegie DEIR and General Plan
Dear Members of the Planning Team:
The following comments are submitted in reference to the ongoing proposed action for the Carnegie State Vehicle Recreation Area. This important facility has been part of the California State Parks system since 1980 when the site was purchased by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Prior to that, it was run as a private motorcycle park and enjoyed by generations of local residents and visitors.
Founded in 1924, the AMA is the premier advocate for the motorcycling community and lifestyle. Our members are interested in any action that may affect their enjoyment of motorcycles. Our mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. However, this submission shall not preclude other individual AMA members, clubs or district organizations from submitting their own additional comments or support letters.
The current General Plan Revision is a culmination of decades of effort by a myriad of interests including State Parks, The Friends of Carnegie, The AMA, AMA District 36, the BlueRibbon Coalition and many other organizations and individual members of the riding community. They all share a single common goal of providing long-term, sustainable, motorized recreation opportunities.
By providing a clear purpose, a vision, and long- and short-term goals and guidelines, the General Plan is envisioned to provide the broadest possible management framework for future program development, while also guiding ongoing management and current public use of the SVRA. We recognize the unique challenge faced by planners when attempting to direct this planning effort and support the state’s ongoing efforts to educate the general public and park visitors about the many important values and resources that exist within the project area.
This plan will help meet the ever increasing regional and statewide demand for well managed off-highway vehicle recreational opportunities, including dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, side x sides, 4-wheel drives, and sport utility vehicles. While the existing 1,575-acre facility has long been enjoyed by the motorcycle community, there were, in fact, few opportunities for the larger OHVs that have recently been gaining in popularity. The expansion area will not only provide many new opportunities for increased motorcycle riding, but also include exciting touring and backcountry-type experiences for ATVs, 4WDs and SxSs in open areas and on sustainable trails. These additional opportunities for OHV recreation at the SVRA enjoy widespread support from the majority of the local population, including the owners of the well over 40,000 OHVs registered within Alameda County. We are confident State Parks will continue its excellent record of stewardship and service to the general public.
Despite claims to the contrary from a few vocal and politically connected OHV opponents, we feel this General Plan does an excellent job of identifying and providing guidance by identifying the necessary issues and planning tools as the facility moves ahead. We especially appreciate the fact it does so without attempting to predetermine specific outcomes or project-level decisions and will, in fact, serve as an excellent basis for developing focused, feasible, site-specific decisions and management plans, as necessary, to properly design and implement the goals outlined within this General Plan. It is equally important to remember that this plan is merely a framework, intended to define and help guide future day-to-day decision-making efforts and, as such, shouldn’t be expected to provide such granularity.
That being stated, we are concerned that some areas within the plan, as identified on the map on page 4-3 and in the subsequent Visitor Experience Areas grid outlined in Table 4-1 on pages 4-6 through 4-8, appear predetermined, mandating a trails-only emphasis in areas that have historically offered a combination of trails and open riding opportunities. We urge the adoption of the broader open designation wherever possible. The open designation can, and often should, include a system of identified trails and areas that are encouraged through appropriate signage, while preserving the important recreational opportunities that are unique to designated open areas. Equally important is the flexibility an open designation provides if a trail re-route or relocation is needed in the future.
Another important issue is a commitment to the creation of a streamlined special-event permitting process. Efforts to expedite the approval of competitive events and other permitted uses, in particular those annual events that consistently use the same routes or areas, will allow for a timely and cost-effective process and should be included within the General Plan.
This can be further simplified through the inclusion of known pre-approved routes or identified areas that have been specifically reviewed and cleared for potential environmental, cultural or historical concerns within the planning document. Identification of said routes and areas from which an event organizer can choose, if they so decide, are critical. Most notably, it will allow smaller clubs to continue to host historically enjoyed events and to do so without fear of undue and costly requirements or excessive fees which might otherwise make them economically impossible.
We believe the included environmental analysis within the DEIR is substantive and thorough and will ensure that future envisioned actions will not cause significant environmental impacts. Measures identified within the Parkwide Goals and Guidelines section of the document are very specific, and staff should be commended for assembling such a thorough and comprehensive list of specific measures.
Likewise, the claims made by some that State Parks hasn’t sufficiently identified or addressed air quality issues, in particular fugitive dust, are without merit. While it is impossible to anticipate every potential air quality issue, identified mitigation efforts, including the use of water trucks, possible entry restrictions to the facility or even the closing of specific trails and areas during spare-the-air days or other extremely dry conditions should alleviate any potential air quality concerns.
The AMA fully supports the continued use of volunteers for everything from general day- to-day operations and maintenance activities to restoration and other, larger projects. Similarly, the continued engagement of citizens for advisory roles, similar to a U.S. Forest Service RAC, would be welcomed. Consultations with local tribes, OHV users, organized clubs and local historical societies will further encourage citizen pride in and ownership of this important facility.
Simply stated, the Carnegie SVRA is and will continue to be an important regional destination where children and adults of all skill levels can ride, play and learn in an outdoor recreational setting. The General Plan will allow the SVRA to continue to provide an affordable, challenging and exhilarating facility where visitors can enjoy a wide variety of OHV recreational experiences. We are confident it will continue to serve as a model, providing both exciting and well-managed OHV recreation, as well as outstanding environmental stewardship. The economic benefits to the surrounding community should not be underestimated. OHV recreationists and their families have long been recognized as an important source of much needed revenue in many areas, welcomed by a variety of service providers.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Haris
Western States Representative

The AMA Comment Letter:
California Department of Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division c/o AECOM, attn. Carnegie SVRA General Plan 2020 L Street, Suite 400
Re: Carnegie DEIR and General Plan
Dear Members of the Planning Team:
The following comments are submitted in reference to the ongoing proposed action for the Carnegie State Vehicle Recreation Area. This important facility has been part of the California State Parks system since 1980 when the site was purchased by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Prior to that, it was run as a private motorcycle park and enjoyed by generations of local residents and visitors.
Founded in 1924, the AMA is the premier advocate for the motorcycling community and lifestyle. Our members are interested in any action that may affect their enjoyment of motorcycles. Our mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. However, this submission shall not preclude other individual AMA members, clubs or district organizations from submitting their own additional comments or support letters.
The current General Plan Revision is a culmination of decades of effort by a myriad of interests including State Parks, The Friends of Carnegie, The AMA, AMA District 36, the BlueRibbon Coalition and many other organizations and individual members of the riding community. They all share a single common goal of providing long-term, sustainable, motorized recreation opportunities.
By providing a clear purpose, a vision, and long- and short-term goals and guidelines, the General Plan is envisioned to provide the broadest possible management framework for future program development, while also guiding ongoing management and current public use of the SVRA. We recognize the unique challenge faced by planners when attempting to direct this planning effort and support the state’s ongoing efforts to educate the general public and park visitors about the many important values and resources that exist within the project area.
This plan will help meet the ever increasing regional and statewide demand for well managed off-highway vehicle recreational opportunities, including dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, side x sides, 4-wheel drives, and sport utility vehicles. While the existing 1,575-acre facility has long been enjoyed by the motorcycle community, there were, in fact, few opportunities for the larger OHVs that have recently been gaining in popularity. The expansion area will not only provide many new opportunities for increased motorcycle riding, but also include exciting touring and backcountry-type experiences for ATVs, 4WDs and SxSs in open areas and on sustainable trails. These additional opportunities for OHV recreation at the SVRA enjoy widespread support from the majority of the local population, including the owners of the well over 40,000 OHVs registered within Alameda County. We are confident State Parks will continue its excellent record of stewardship and service to the general public.
Despite claims to the contrary from a few vocal and politically connected OHV opponents, we feel this General Plan does an excellent job of identifying and providing guidance by identifying the necessary issues and planning tools as the facility moves ahead. We especially appreciate the fact it does so without attempting to predetermine specific outcomes or project-level decisions and will, in fact, serve as an excellent basis for developing focused, feasible, site-specific decisions and management plans, as necessary, to properly design and implement the goals outlined within this General Plan. It is equally important to remember that this plan is merely a framework, intended to define and help guide future day-to-day decision-making efforts and, as such, shouldn’t be expected to provide such granularity.
That being stated, we are concerned that some areas within the plan, as identified on the map on page 4-3 and in the subsequent Visitor Experience Areas grid outlined in Table 4-1 on pages 4-6 through 4-8, appear predetermined, mandating a trails-only emphasis in areas that have historically offered a combination of trails and open riding opportunities. We urge the adoption of the broader open designation wherever possible. The open designation can, and often should, include a system of identified trails and areas that are encouraged through appropriate signage, while preserving the important recreational opportunities that are unique to designated open areas. Equally important is the flexibility an open designation provides if a trail re-route or relocation is needed in the future.
Another important issue is a commitment to the creation of a streamlined special-event permitting process. Efforts to expedite the approval of competitive events and other permitted uses, in particular those annual events that consistently use the same routes or areas, will allow for a timely and cost-effective process and should be included within the General Plan.
This can be further simplified through the inclusion of known pre-approved routes or identified areas that have been specifically reviewed and cleared for potential environmental, cultural or historical concerns within the planning document. Identification of said routes and areas from which an event organizer can choose, if they so decide, are critical. Most notably, it will allow smaller clubs to continue to host historically enjoyed events and to do so without fear of undue and costly requirements or excessive fees which might otherwise make them economically impossible.
We believe the included environmental analysis within the DEIR is substantive and thorough and will ensure that future envisioned actions will not cause significant environmental impacts. Measures identified within the Parkwide Goals and Guidelines section of the document are very specific, and staff should be commended for assembling such a thorough and comprehensive list of specific measures.
Likewise, the claims made by some that State Parks hasn’t sufficiently identified or addressed air quality issues, in particular fugitive dust, are without merit. While it is impossible to anticipate every potential air quality issue, identified mitigation efforts, including the use of water trucks, possible entry restrictions to the facility or even the closing of specific trails and areas during spare-the-air days or other extremely dry conditions should alleviate any potential air quality concerns.
The AMA fully supports the continued use of volunteers for everything from general day- to-day operations and maintenance activities to restoration and other, larger projects. Similarly, the continued engagement of citizens for advisory roles, similar to a U.S. Forest Service RAC, would be welcomed. Consultations with local tribes, OHV users, organized clubs and local historical societies will further encourage citizen pride in and ownership of this important facility.
Simply stated, the Carnegie SVRA is and will continue to be an important regional destination where children and adults of all skill levels can ride, play and learn in an outdoor recreational setting. The General Plan will allow the SVRA to continue to provide an affordable, challenging and exhilarating facility where visitors can enjoy a wide variety of OHV recreational experiences. We are confident it will continue to serve as a model, providing both exciting and well-managed OHV recreation, as well as outstanding environmental stewardship. The economic benefits to the surrounding community should not be underestimated. OHV recreationists and their families have long been recognized as an important source of much needed revenue in many areas, welcomed by a variety of service providers.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Haris
Western States Representative

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