REDDING RIDERS READ! Private land owner seeks our help to keep a riding area open!!

[andrewrwc]

Ok, this is forwarded from norcalmx.com: Please read this and do as asked if you ride in the Redding area or we will be looking forward to more OHV areas being closed.

We bought the property formerly known as the Coyote Ridge Motocross Park in Redding in April 2006. The park was permanently closed at that time and has been a working cattle and horse ranch ever since.

We were pretty understanding last summer when people showed up 'cause we knew the place was closed pretty suddenly. But it has been nearly a year and it is getting old. My husband has helped more than one belligerent rider off our property at the end of a shotgun.

We are not MX people but we respect the rights of everyone to enjoy the sport they choose. But we want the same respect and people are trespassing on our land, crashing through gates, driving on public roads on bikes that are not street-legal, littering, and causing a lot of problems.

The OHV park is our neighbor to the north and people are riding across non-motorized trails to trespass on our land. BLM is now gating off all southern access from the OHV parking lot and the sheriff will be sending patrols up the road more frequently to look for dirtbikes on the paved roads. All because some people just can't follow the rules.

I am a horsewoman and I ride competitively....just as it would totally tick any of you off if a semi drove through the track as you were about to hit a jump, it is the same for me. And it is totally dangerous when you are on a 1,000 lb horse who gets freaked out just as you are about to jump a fence....and dirtbikes scare horses. The only thing that is worse is when it is my 9 year old whose life is put in danger because some yahoo races up where he doesn't belong.

There are 200 miles of dirtbike trails to the north of us....there is no reason to come south onto our property. Property owners all along those trails are complaining to the BLM and we've been approached about signing a petition to shut the place down. We don't want to do that...there is plenty of space for us all to use and enjoy.

I wanted to post here to ask those of you who do ride responsibly to put the word out to the others that they are the reason that those of us outside your community don't like the sport. They are ruining it for everyone else and they are the reason no one wants an MX Park in their neighborhood.

Thanks,

Bridgette

[andrewrwc]

Please people, do not attack this land owner, she has been corresponding with us on norcalmx website and they are VERY willing to work with us, they DO NOT want the OHV shut down, they just want to enjoy their rights as homeowners/landowners so please do whatever you can to pass the word on to people to just stay away of the south part of Shasta-Chappie OHV (I think thats what its called) because it leads you onto their property which they are in the process of fencing off AT BLM REQUEST. Please help out, this affects ALL of us and the future of our riding areas!!!!!!!

[ktmcasey]

Ok, this is forwarded from norcalmx.com: Please read this and do as asked if you ride in the Redding area or we will be looking forward to more OHV areas being closed.

We bought the property formerly known as the Coyote Ridge Motocross Park in Redding in April 2006. The park was permanently closed at that time and has been a working cattle and horse ranch ever since.

We were pretty understanding last summer when people showed up 'cause we knew the place was closed pretty suddenly. But it has been nearly a year and it is getting old. My husband has helped more than one belligerent rider off our property at the end of a shotgun.

We are not MX people but we respect the rights of everyone to enjoy the sport they choose. But we want the same respect and people are trespassing on our land, crashing through gates, driving on public roads on bikes that are not street-legal, littering, and causing a lot of problems.

The OHV park is our neighbor to the north and people are riding across non-motorized trails to trespass on our land. BLM is now gating off all southern access from the OHV parking lot and the sheriff will be sending patrols up the road more frequently to look for dirtbikes on the paved roads. All because some people just can't follow the rules.

I am a horsewoman and I ride competitively....just as it would totally tick any of you off if a semi drove through the track as you were about to hit a jump, it is the same for me. And it is totally dangerous when you are on a 1,000 lb horse who gets freaked out just as you are about to jump a fence....and dirtbikes scare horses. The only thing that is worse is when it is my 9 year old whose life is put in danger because some yahoo races up where he doesn't belong.

There are 200 miles of dirtbike trails to the north of us....there is no reason to come south onto our property. Property owners all along those trails are complaining to the BLM and we've been approached about signing a petition to shut the place down. We don't want to do that...there is plenty of space for us all to use and enjoy.

I wanted to post here to ask those of you who do ride responsibly to put the word out to the others that they are the reason that those of us outside your community don't like the sport. They are ruining it for everyone else and they are the reason no one wants an MX Park in their neighborhood.

Thanks,

Bridgette

Bridgette,

Thank you for your your common sense approach to a serious problem. I dont blame you for being upset as this could be a serious problem for you and your family. 99% of the off road community are solid people. It's the other 1% that are a pain in the a--. I am sure you properly posted the properety with no tresspassing signs. The more and obvious the better.I know it is a pain but you might also place a flyer with the information at some of the local bike shops. If you are able to catch one of the beligerent bastards:bonk: PROSECUTE HIM !!!!!! If more people had your common sense attitude the horse, off road, mtb communitys would all get along a whole lot better. I truly hope that the off roaders will respect your property and the LAW and knock this crap off. Thanks again for the way you are handling this situation.

[ZEKEDAWG]

Sign it properly, gate it off. Go through the proper channels. Prosecute offenders.

I personally have never heard of the place.

but I have a few questions.

Why should we stay away from the southern end of a state run ohv park??

Isn't that a legal riding area??

If people are riding in legal areas and that scares the horses, how should the situation be rectified? They bought property adjacent to a well used ohv area, Kinda like buying a house next to an airport and then complaining about noise!?!?!?

I may be off base a bit, just trying to get a clear picture.

[andrewrwc]

Sorry for any confusion, I should have said something like be careful where you go on the south end of the ohv park because what used to be open gated fences now have gates that are locked and people are still breaking through them and hitting them because they dont realize what the signs say and what not. She has had people going onto what is their signed and fenced property which is a horse ranch and not a private MX park like it used to be. People ignore the signs thinking that they can still just romp right through to get to the land that the mx park was on, her husband is the local ER doctor and he treated the guy who hit the gate and broke it, also breaking his hand in the process. We dont know the reason he hit it, purposeful as to damage or didnt know it was there 'now' but it happened and they want to prevent stuff like that because of insurance purposes as they now run a business that is legal and licensed on that property. They have never once complained about the bikes IN the OHV area, but as soon as they cross into their property they get to areas where you can hear the bikes plainly and beligerantly which is the issues due to their horses. They are very eagerly working with the local channels and they are 100% in compliance, but it is the few incidents in the past 6 months or so(since they have owned it) that is the reason for them reaching out to us this way, they want to help everyone out, not just to keep their land quiet. Trust me, compared to 99% of the property owner issues, she is almost on our side but she just needs help getting the word out to us riders to correct the problem, the local government cant do that. The area is very northern cali, in Redding and it is one of the only local actual OHV areas and that is where the crowd comes from. She has been very open to questions and everything, she states over and over that she has never had an issue with anyone riding within the OHV boundaries. Hope that helps clarify the cause some.

[Wayne_Nosala]

Bridgette, I applaud your efforts to work with the OHV community

rather in some cases, some would downright go hostile on us.

Sounds to me you have a few rouge stubborn folks who will

say "I have been riding here for 20 years...and blah blah"

I think you really need to keep the pressure on the law enforcement

in your area BLM and Sheriff and stress fines and seizures

if people continue to trespass on your property.

You bring up a touchy senerio that is happening all around

the state and even the country...that is as folks buy property

for investment, development and resident, other poeple who have

been using such property for recreation find out the hard way that

such property IS private and the owners are taking notice who have

been using it.

If im reading this correctly, there is another OHV park near

your property and we would hate to see it shut down if enough

local opposition arises.

A couple of CORVA folks who work the northern California

area may want to hear the situation, maybe they can offer

some more input and advise. maybe they even have some

contacts in the area that can help and offer creative solutions.

Lois Silvernail Lois@CORVA.org

Lynn Stokes Lynn@CORVA.org

Wayne Nosala

CORVA

Friends of Jawbone

[mr meat]

We ALL ,OHV, Mountain Bikers,Equestrians,aaaaaaaaaaand Hikers,have to join forces and help each other because Land Closures effect us ALL.When Dirt Bikes Jeeps etc are a thing of the past next it will be Mountain Bikes, then Horses etc.etc,etc. The people who really push Land closure are Not for "Responsible land Use" they promote 100% Closure,with No access except a select few who are selected by them.Listen up Everybody who uses ANY Public Land for Any activity.........after all Some, albiet few,Hikers leave plastic bags and Starbucks cups on the side of trails, there are bad apples in All walks of Life, so it is our Responsibility as Riders of all types and Hikers to report that Fraction of a percent that will be our ruin. After all it is a fraction of a percent that really makes themselvs stand out that leaves people with the Wrong Perception of the entire Community,.......Greenies included.

[ZEKEDAWG]

I viewed goggle earth last night and I could plainly see the old coyote ridge MX track. It appears as if there were a couple trails that lead from the copley mtn stage area to the mx track. In terms of distance it couldn't be more than a quarter mile. Unfortunately, the ones who offend don't read TT. It is a good start no doubt, but talking with the local MX shops would probably be more effective.

It sucks to lose riding areas. There are few legal areas to ride. I for one will be getting a street legal bike as my next bike. Redding is a great place for a dual sport. Many powerlines and other cool areas to explore.

Too bad the current owners couldn't open the area on certain days to Motocycles, and other days to Horse traffic. They could easily charge the moto riders, and it would probably cover the costs and defray some of the horse ranch costs.

Have they considered dual usage of the area? I am sure many of the riders would be happy to pay to ride the MX track and then the mystique of "sneeking in" would be lessened and they would probably go else where.

[brewster]

Have they considered dual usage of the area? I am sure many of the riders would be happy to pay to ride the MX track and then the mystique of "sneeking in" would be lessened and they would probably go else where.

Law suits, lawyers, insurance.............afterall, this is Kalifornia!

Ride on

Brewster

[ZEKEDAWG]

Can't be any worse than horse jumping which I believe they already do there.

here is a link to the old track

http://mxtracks.us/mx/phpCalifornia/template.php?id=57

[yzwiley]

Someone needs to stand in the bushes with a baseball bat.

[damone]

Someone needs to stand in the bushes with a baseball bat.

I agree.

There is no liability if a weaiver is signed by not only the riders, but the spectators. I would think they need insurance for whatever they currently are doing.

[Cavi]

As much as i enjoied riding there, I do not think the lady wants any part of having riders on her property. Keep in mind that the reason that it did close last year was partly because the old owner could not get a correct permit for the usage approved.

[damone]

As much as i enjoied riding there, I do not think the lady wants any part of having riders on her property. Keep in mind that the reason that it did close last year was partly because the old owner could not get a correct permit for the usage approved.

Hows it going lurker. What you been up to? Hope all is good.

Later,

D

[IronMountainRanch]

Hello to all of you on TT and thanks for taking the time to read this thread.

Here's some quick background: this is a VAST area of mostly BLM land. There is private property here, and much of it has been here since the late 1800's (old miner's homesteads....some people who live in this area live on land their grandparents homesteaded.)

When the OHV park was being created, it received A LOT of hostitlity from many of the property owners in various areas along its path....it is a huge OHV park, covers some 200 miles of trails.

Our property is 124 acres on Iron Mountain Rd. just south of the Copley staging area of this OHV park (Chappie-Shasta OHV.) In 2000, a man bought it and tried to turn it into an MX park (commercial) he found out that the zoning here doesn't allow that and that the property owners in the area wouldn't support it (noise, traffic, etc.) The county wouldn't give him a zoning variance for the track, so he sold the property. The people who bought it from him in 2005 were told by this guy that they could run a track here (he even advertised it in Cycle News as a commercial track for sale.)

They are the people who named it Coyote Ridge and opened it for business in May of 2005. They got into trouble with the county right away, but they kept at it and even held a race here in August of 2005. However, they did all this without permits and it got REALLY messy for them pretty fast. The track was shut down in March of 2006, and we bought the place in April 2006. Keep in mind, the commercial MX track was here for less than a year....this is not a place people have been coming to ride for 20 years or anything.

We DO NOT mind the OHV park, AT ALL. We are outdoor people.....we enjoy lots of outdoor sports and we love it that we live in the middle of a recreational area. We do not hear people riding at the OHV AT ALL. The only time we ever hear a dirtbike is if they cross the hills between us and the OHV (which have trails that are non-motorized) and enter our property.

The previous owners trespassed on federal land in a couple of places to create trails that would allow people to ride between this property and the OHV. But that was done in the recent past and BLM busted them (private property owners) for doing it.

We have been working with BLM to fix those problems and to gate/fence off access points....but it has remained a problem. BLM was out here this past Monday and told me that the OHV park is having problems "everywhere" especially out in the French Gulch area and that is where the petition we were given came from....50 property owners have already signed it. BLM doesn't want the OHV shut down, so they are jumping through hoops to make the property owners happy.

We didn't sign the petition and we don't want the park shut down. I do not ride my horse in the OHV park....I've got 5,000 acres of open space to the south to enjoy and am happy to leave that land to the north to you guys.

We will be putting flyers out on cars at Copley today and tomorrow, and also at the bike shops in town.

I just wanted to get the word out everywhere....and let those of you who ride responsibly know how big this problem is (not just with our 124 acres) so that you can help keep the punks in line.

Last note, if you google earth this property (someone on this thread did) you will still see the old MX park. That image is from just a couple of months after we bought it....the MX park has been completely graded out and is no longer there. "Nothing to see here" comes to mind. Just dirt (which I know you all love:thumbsup: ) but no jumps/tables are there and access to the "big hill" is gated off. That area will all be replanted this spring (we don't have any choice....the grading was illegal.)

Thanks for reading and thanks for understanding. We want you guys to continue to have legal areas to ride and I know it ticks me off when horsemen out there ignore private property owners requests (many of whom allow us to ride on their property and only ask that we close the friggin gates behind us.) Or those who ignore private property that is closed off and ride through, anyway. It just ruins it for the majority who play by the rules.

Take care....ride safe,

Bridgette

[IronMountainRanch]

Here is the flyer we are putting out:

DON’T LET THE IDIOTS RUIN IT FOR EVERYONE ELSE!

March 2006, the Coyote Ridge Motocross Park was PERMANENTLY closed and the property was sold.

This property is 124 acres immediately south of the Copley staging area of the Chappie-Shasta OHV. It is private property that is used for ranching.

People have been trespassing on this land. People have also been riding dirt bikes on Iron Mountain Rd to access this property….this is also illegal.

BLM has decided to block off all access points from the staging area parking lot to the south. The sheriff has been notified of dirt bikes being ridden on Iron Mountain Rd and they will patrol this area regularly.

It is for the safety of the owners, their livestock, and guests as well as for that of the motorcyclist that you are NOT to trespass on this land. Fencing, which includes BARBED WIRE, is being installed all the way around this property.

IF THE PROBLEM CONTINUES, THE OWNERS WILL SIGN A PETITION WITH OTHER PROPERTY OWNER’S TO CLOSE THIS OHV PARK DOWN.

PLEASE….help spread the word to the few who will ruin it for everyone else….

KEEP RIDING LEGAL!!!

RESPECT PRIVATE LAND!

DO NOT TRESPASS!

[IronMountainRanch]

Bridgette, I applaud your efforts to work with the OHV community

rather in some cases, some would downright go hostile on us.

Sounds to me you have a few rouge stubborn folks who will

say "I have been riding here for 20 years...and blah blah"

I think you really need to keep the pressure on the law enforcement

in your area BLM and Sheriff and stress fines and seizures

if people continue to trespass on your property.

You bring up a touchy senerio that is happening all around

the state and even the country...that is as folks buy property

for investment, development and resident, other poeple who have

been using such property for recreation find out the hard way that

such property IS private and the owners are taking notice who have

been using it.

If im reading this correctly, there is another OHV park near

your property and we would hate to see it shut down if enough

local opposition arises.

A couple of CORVA folks who work the northern California

area may want to hear the situation, maybe they can offer

some more input and advise. maybe they even have some

contacts in the area that can help and offer creative solutions.

Lois Silvernail Lois@CORVA.org

Lynn Stokes Lynn@CORVA.org

Wayne Nosala

CORVA

Friends of Jawbone

Thank you for this info....I will contact the people you've listed. We don't want to see a legal form of recreation for families shut down. I know some guys on Nor Cal MX posted that they ride there and that they've noticed more BLM patrolling the staging areas....it is a pain to have "the law" breathing down your neck, I know, but I hope you guys who ride legal will see them as being on your side....trying to keep the few hooligans who just don't get it in line.

We've been getting 3 or 4 riders per day (more on weekends) since the weather has been nice....but that staging area gets TONS of riders (I see the pickup trucks loaded with bikes driving by all day long on weekends) so I know those few are really just a small, small minority.

BUT....they are a liability for me: if someone gets hurt on my property, I am liable. If a cyclist and a horse-and-rider collide on my property, I am liable. If the county finds out that MX'ers are out here again, I am in trouble. It just gets messy fast.

If the problem goes away.....I will be a property owner (one of the largest landholders in this area) who will support that OHV 100%.....and I'll sign a petition to keep it open.

Thanks, again, for the help and the advice.

Bridgette

[Mike in Fresno]

Bridgette is there a fence between your prop and the OHV area? If not, why not? If there is, how are they getting in? This seems so simple to cure with a fence??

[IronMountainRanch]

There has NEVER been a fence...this is a pretty vast wilderness area...lots of manzanita, pine trees and hills, and the OHV park wasn't always there. We've fenced all other areas (which includes barbed wire fencing due to the cattle) but I was afraid of hurting a rider who wouldn't see the fencing at high speed, coming around a blind curve....we've already had one rider hit a fence on a WIDE PG & E road. Soooo....I was waiting to finish that fence cause I had horrible visions of some guy hung up on barbed wire....

But we've owned it for a year....and I feel pretty confident that all the local riders must know it isn't an MX park....I also informed the bike shops when we first bought it to spread the word. AND....my husband is pretty hard-core military-type and he has "helped" a few riders off our property so we hoped the word would get around.

We will be finishing the fencing this spring. I don't want people getting hurt. Signs are posted, AND BLM has been encouraging us to fence it off so we aren't worried about liability.

I just wanted to give fair warning.

Bridgette

[Mike in Fresno]

good job, thx. I really appreciate you workin with us and understanding the few who screw it up are not the majority. I will probly never ride there, but it is important to all of us. Thank you for understanding our plight too.