Desert Messenger

February 1, 2017 www.DesertMessenger.com 29 La Paz Regional Hospital & Clinics www.lapazhospital.org Dr. Edmund Mitchell is scheduling appointments Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments with Maureen Walker, CNFP and Philip Clark, CNFP are also still be available! Schedule an appointment with Dr. Adam Caton at his Parker Office or at La Paz Medical Services on Mondays. Make sure to have a referral before making an appointment! Primary Care Podiatry (928) 669-3033 La Paz Regional La Paz Regional www.lapazhospital.org La Paz Medical Services Quartzsite Imaging 928-927-8747 928-927-5067 Located at 150 E. Tyson Rd. in Quartzsite Available at QUALITY RV 70 E. Main St. • Quartzsite The BIG YELLOW BUILDING! 928-927-3490 • 360-531-0257 cell Arizona OHV Action Plan Meeting at Quartzsite Community Center Janu- ary 25, 2017 By: Mark Goldberg, Quartzsite Off-Road The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management has em- barked on the development of a Nation- al Motorized Recreation Action Plan. The goal is to create: ... a national motorized recreation plan which will enhance community and landscape-level coordination to plan for, and manage motorized rec- reation-specifi c settings, services and facilities. The strategic identifi cation of these opportunities will assist with the prioritization of motorized recre- ation areas that provide the most sig- nifi cant public benefi ts, and leverage resources through community part- ners to ensure that high-priority sites, services and activities are provided. BLM is taking a fresh, new approach to recreation strategies - "Connecting with Communities." Public input in this process is facilitated by partnering with The National Off-Highway Vehi- cle Conservation Council [NOHCVCC, a 501c3 non-profi t organization] to conduct public meetings throughout the nation on behalf of BLM, to glean "grass roots" information through - a community-driven strategy. There are fi ve meetings planned in Arizona: Kingman, Quartzsite, Tuc- son, Wickenburg, and Phoenix. The meeting in Quartzsite was attended by about 25 people representing a wide range of interests, including: The Arizona Peace Trail, Quartzsite Off-Road, The local OHV clubs in Quartzsite, Bouse, Salome, Winter Visitors who enjoy off-road recre- ation, and other interested parties. Representatives from NOHVCC and Great Outdoors Consultants (special- izing in OHV Maps and Trail Prod- ucts) presented a brief visual program outlining the purpose of the meeting, highlighting: "How can the BLM im- prove access to high quality OHV rec- reation experiences in Arizona," and, providing a questionnaire to par- ticipants asking, "What OHV activi- ties are you participating in on BLM managed land?" "What experiences are you looking for on BLM managed lands?" and, "What could BLM do better to enhance your recreation ex- perience." Each attendee was asked to relate the key items they noted on the questionnaire. BLM representa- tives in attendance noted the current status of the Recreation Management Plans in our region, and stressed the importance of these public meetings toward future plan development. Comments included the importance of good maps, both for safety, ease of navigation, and defi ning clear paths of travel for resource preservation; defi n- ing diffi culty levels of trails; coopera- tion and networking with local clubs and local jurisdictions; the importance of a variety of trail widths and usage; the importance of keeping the OHV trail to Dripping Springs open, based on many OHV users who are not ca- pable of hiking long distances and use their OHV as their "wheelchair" to ac- cess off-road areas (note: this last link of the trail to Dripping Springs is open to foot-traffi c only by AZDF&G be- cause of the sensitivity of the resource; it was not limited by BLM); Placing pit toilets in some areas; Information kiosk placement; trail maintenance; vandalism reporting; and, many other areas of local importance. The meeting was well-run, and the input and dialog was constructive. It is nice to see BLM step back and partner with a non-profi t organiza- tion like NOHVCC to take the lead for public input to create a 'community- driven' plan for OHV Recreation. Arizona OHV Action Plan meeting recap "A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results." ~ Wade Boggs

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