Doug's Thoughts On Mammoth Bar OHV

Many years ago now the river rafters were successful in closing down the park to the current days it’s opened. This was a compromise; they wanted it shut down completely. They complained about the noise as they drifted by the short distance where the park is. This park has been under attack by various groups for many years. The Mammoth Bar area has been used by motorcyclists for probably well over sixty years. I’m not sure when it became part of Auburn Recreational Dist.

Because it’s a State run OHV park someone, not sure if it’s Auburn Recreational Dist receive funds from the State OHV fund to operate Mammoth Bar. I was told by a very reliable source they (Someone) receive well over four hundred thousand a year to operate Mammoth Bar. In the last three years alone all I’ve seen done is they have put up fences and gates to make sure riders can’t use some of the trails and pile up dirt from where the old track was. The trails that are left consist mostly of a lower two track road that goes about two miles and currently dead ends so you have to turn around and ride back the same way. A very rocky road that goes up and meets a single track trail that goes about another two miles and dead ends and you have to turn around and ride back against riders coming the other way, you get the picture. 

The OHV money is supposed to be used for Mammoth Bar only and I’d like to know what all that money (Well over a million dollars) has been spent on the past three years alone, certainly not to improve the experience there.

As I said there are a number of well organized groups in the area who have their own agenda’s which do not include the motorcyclist’s interests.

Sadly, I would be very surprised if anything every moves forward there, I think there are enough other influences to keep anything of any real substance from ever happening there. Problem is if they shut it down completely there goes the money they (someone) receive from the State OHV fund.

So the real question is what is all that OHV money being spent on?

I, along with my fellow motorcyclists don’t know how to get our voices really heard, don’t know if you would be interested in investigating this for those of us who have no voice at all?

Doug McCaleb

PS you have my permission to print this if you wish.