County to fine trespassing OHVs

Photo by Michael Woodward

BLIGHT BEGETS BLIGHT: Aside from the ripped-up topsoil and dust clouds caused by off-roaders, Telephone Gulch has become a dumping ground for appliances and abandoned vehicles.

Photo by Michael Woodward

VIOLATION NOTICE: Shasta County Fish and Game Warden Daniel Fehr holds a new Violation Notice where one was recently torn down. The notice alerts those in Telephone Gulch that off-road vehicles are forbidden in the area due to erosion.

The hills of Telephone Gulch (aka Peter Pan Gulch) off Olinda Road just west of the Anderson City limits are streaked bald with trails from recreational off-highway vehicles (OHVs). Homeowners have complained to the county of OHV activity and of the dust clouds they kick up in the summertime. The area has also become an illegal dumping ground for appliances and abandoned vehicles.

County agencies are working together to shut down illegal OHV activity in Shasta County, and they have now set their sights on Telephone Gulch. The area has been a popular off-roading site for the past decade, according to county documents.

“We are slowly but surely shutting down unlawful OHV areas,” Fehr said. “People are looking for places to ride. As more places are getting shut down, the few places left are getting more popular. That’s what’s happening here.”

When the OHV tracks are rained on, the soil slides off the hillside. This happens because OHV tires destroy grass roots, which hold the soil together. The gulch leads to Olinda Creek and Anderson Creek, which empties into the Sacramento River.

“They destroy the top surface, so water can erode it away,” said Fish and Game Warden Daniel Fehr. “When it rains, it’s like a blanket of material coming off. It produces a lot of sediment, which makes it difficult for fish to breathe, breed and feed.”

The county has posted violation notices that promptly get torn down. Fehr said the beginning stage of combating illegal OHV use is usually difficult. The county will soon shift away from education (posting notices, contacting schools) to enforcement, when citations would be written.

Bail amount for causing environmental damage with an off-road vehicle costs $905, according to Fehr. He said a trespassing charge generally costs another $315.

It’s when the offenders receive citations that, as Fehr stated, the county can “convince people that it’s not worth their while.”

Fehr said that when the county stopped illegal OHV use at Highway 44 and Airport Road five years ago, $40,000 worth of citations were issued. Twelve illegal OHV sites have been shut down in Shasta County.

Those agencies involved with stopping illegal OHV use in Shasta County include California Department of Fish and Game, Resource Management, Regional Water Quality Control Board and Shasta County Roads Division (SCRD).

OHV riders access the land in Telephone Gulch from Olinda Road. Fehr said that aside from new fencing and signs, SCRD will dig a ditch along the road to help prevent access.

The cost of securing the land from trespassers, involving the fencing and signage, would be borne by the landowners. Two of the three landowners involved reside in the Bay Area. The third lives in Redding.

Approximately 10 miles northwest of Redding, the Chappie-Shasta OHV Area offers over 200 miles of trails for OHV use. For information about the park, call 224-2100. According to the BLM Web site (http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/redding.html), the only other nearby areas with OHV parks include BLM Fort Sage near Susanville, BLM Samoa Dunes near Arcata and Mendocino National Forest near Willows.