The California Association of 4WD Clubs
THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF 4 WHEEL DRIVE CLUBS (CA4WDC) WANTS YOU TO JOIN! And there are several good reasons to do it.
First of all, the CA4WDC is an association of member clubs, individuals, and families founded in 1959 when a group of Jeep clubs got together and formed a statewide organization to enhance recreation opportunities.
Basically, the CA4WDC is dedicated to fighting to keep public lands open for our use. Funds from memberships and monies earned at our special events are used for carrying on the battle. And the special events are very special indeed. They go on year ‘round in different parts of the state. For each event, CA4WDC rents the facilities if necessary, serves several meals, leads trail rides, games, and many times provides activities for the young four-wheelers in the family. The rides are planned for different skill levels, starting with novice, then intermediate, and going into extreme. The only catch is that you must be a member.
Events for the year begin with the Winter Fun Festival, held in January in Grass Valley, east of San Francisco. The Molina Ghost Run comes in April in the Clear Creek Management Area near Coalinga. In May, on Memorial Day Weekend, is the High Desert Round Up in the Stoddard Valley OHV area. Then in August, to cool down, we head for Sierra Trek, one of our biggest events, in the mountains north west of Truckee. September features the High Sierra Poker Run on the Swamp Lake Trail in Central California. In October we go south for Operation Desert Fun, in Ocotillo Wells east of San Diego, and November is time for the Panamint Valley Days, west of Death Valley. Prices differ for these events, depending upon whether the CA4WDC will be providing meals. You can learn more and register for the events by checking our website, www.cal4wheel.com. And, while checking the data about the special events, you should explore the website to learn more about the ways we’re working to preserve public lands for the public.
In effect, the events all serve as fundraisers for the association, and monies earned help us to continue our work on land use issues. In part it pays for our full-time office and office manager, and for two natural resource consultants; people who know land use issues, land use laws, and have a good understanding of the workings of agencies like the BLM, Fish and Wildlife, and the Forest Service. These consultants, one from northern California and one from the southern California area, are on many mailing lists and subscribe to all the mailings put out by the BLM and Forest Service. They read everything, attend meetings, talk to the BLM, and then report to the board of directors of the CA4WDC. They tell the board what’s up in the area of land use problems and keep them alert to new issues.
Another way the association works for the off-roader is to make sure that the agencies making rules about land use consider the recreational user. They don’t always remember to keep them in mind, and the needs of other interests overwhelm the recreational uses of a piece of public land. In addition they check the various agencies’ plans to be sure that good environmental science is being used.
An issue that CA4WDC is currently involved with is the route inventory project. Bob Reed, former CA4WDC president, comments, “We are at a crossroads. If we do not get our routes inventoried and documented, we are simply going to lose them.”
The association has partnered with several off-highway organizations to hire a lobbyist in Washington, DC to represent OHV interests at the national level.
The organization has grown steadily over the years and now numbers about 4,000 dues-paying members, amounting to roughly 10,000 people, thanks to the family memberships. It’s a volunteer run group for the most part, though, in addition to the natural resource consultants, there is also a contractor who publishes a monthly newsletter, In Gear, and another paid individual who maintains the website.
In order to keep our lands open we need YOU! Join today at www.cal4wheel.com!