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November Quad of the Month

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November Picture Of The Month

A Shot from the WORCS Taft race

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Just a Note.............................

News...........

BLM drops garbage pickup in the dunes!!
The more than 1 million annual visitors who come to the Imperial Sand Dunes will no longer be provided with trash service by the end of January and instead will be encouraged to 'pack it home.' Many, however, are concerned visitors will not take Bureau of Land Management’s advice and pack their trash home, instead leaving it in the desert or dropping it off at local businesses on their way home. Now, I don't know about your but hmmm.. lets see. You remove the trash containers from the dunes. (irrespective of the fact we pay for usage and ohv funds) People pile the trash where they were so you have more enforcement to stop that..... then you start shutting it down due to habitat destruction because of the trash. What a bunch of idiots.

Grand opening of the El Mirage Visitor Center!
The grand opening of the El Mirage Visitor Center took place on Oct 25, 2008. The ceremony, organized by the Friends of El Mirage and the BLM's Barstow Field Office, was attended by almost 300 people who enjoyed a fajita lunch and a firsthand look at the new facility. The El Mirage Off-Highway Vehicle Area is located in the Mojave Desert on the western edge of San Bernardino County near the Los Angeles County Line. Receiving more than 83,000 visitors last year, the area provides for a variety of activities. This was my main area when I lived in Rancho Cucamonga and I still remember when they closed it. Haven't been there in a long time but it always was a wonderful place to ride. Check out the story here. For a 360 view go to this link.

BLM Bishop proposes hill-climb area restoration project
The Bureau of Land Management's Bishop Field Office is requesting comments by Nov. 21 on a proposed rehabilitation project in Mono County. BLM proposes to decommission and rehabilitate a motorized hill-climb area to restore important upland sage habitat and reduce a visual scar in Long Valley. Currently, the hill-climb accesses the south side of Doe Ridge. There are several other routes that can be used to access this area once the rehabilitation is complete. Read this and determine for yourself if this is just another closure veiled as "restoration". It's right here.

Did You Know?.......

Obama administration will protect public lands, pursue green energy
"Western Democrats and environmentalists will have more influence on federal land decisions in Idaho and the West under President Barack Obama ... But there is a tension between environmentalists who want him to reverse decisions made by the Bush administration and Western Democrats who hope Obama's pledge to govern in a 'post-partisan' manner means he will bring a collaborative approach to public land issues. 'He's not going to make some of the mistakes of the past,' said Cecil Andrus, former Idaho governor and Jimmy Carter's interior secretary. 'He knows his history'." Catch the full version here.

Manufacturer news. 

Yamaha Unveiled it's all newly redesigned YFZ450R to much anticipated fanfare. With its 50in. wheelbase and fully adjustable shocks this makes Yamaha's already formidable quad that much more competitive. Aluminum frame, fuel injection and a newly re-designed frame bottom that lets the engine sit lower for excellent mass centralization adds to the stability and cornering characteristics of this already potent quad. And for all you serious Yamaha diehards you will be pleased to note that the new throttle lever requires less effort, and it’s very comfortable to use. That means less fatigue during all-day riding. With a MSRP of $7999.00 I can already imagine I will be seeing quite a few of these at the track in the coming year and kudo's to Yamaha for bringing out the long awaited re-design to the YFZ!

Yamaha's Bill Ballance wins his 9th consecutive GNCC ATV XC1 Pro Championship. The long cross-country course at Ohio’s Powerline Park was wide open and fast, with plenty of dusty fields and hill-climbs, and the occasional mud-hole to stymie the riders. With the XC1 Pro championship his for the claiming, Ballance was on a mission, firing his YFZ450 quickly to the front, swapping the lead with Ockerman early in the almost two-hour race, and then checking out from the pack to win by 50 seconds over Ockerman, who strongly maintained second on another YFZ450. “Bill and his YFZ have truly added another new chapter in the GNCC history books,” said Yamaha Off Road Coordinator Donnie Luce.

Suzuki unveils the 2009 z400 Quadsport!! Starting to look a lot more like the ltr 450 with its body style and fuel injection, the z400 still is a great machine for those that are going for the trails. With the new fuel injection, that should even make it better!! Check it out here.

Can-Am finally got its site done. With the team riders all listed and their bio's, check out our local friend Sage Bakers page, by going here. Can-Am also is introducing an all new 50in wide mx version ATV soon to enliven the competition between manufacturers for the MX dollar. With too many specs to list, go to Atv Riders.com for the full listing.

One Year Ago.....

Yes one year ago, we were here. Take a look at the news from then and who was the QOTM by going here.

My thoughts....

Well, as time goes by, we keep plugging along here trying to keep abreast of any news, events or changes that relate to us as a sport. Looking forward, There is good news with the AMA moving forward with hopefully a bigger and better PRO ATV tour and event schedule. With the continued involvement of the AMA  and promotion I, personally, am hoping that this will expose our sport more to the people and get more people involved. In other areas the fight continues to keep riding areas accessible and enjoyable for everyone and prevent future closures. With our sport growing yearly, hopefully with more involvement we can stem the tide of closure. Looking back it has been a year full of surprises for me. This year we became more involved with the WORCS series and it was super fun but we ended up breaking a few things in the process. Next year we intend to do more so stay tuned and try one. They are fun!! But it has been an exciting year for  us anyway, keeping the flame burning and trying to get new people to come on board. So if you know anyone, let them know about our efforts here and join up!!

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