West Mojave Plan FEIR/S - Desert Managers Group

3.4.4.4 Economic Contribution of OHV RecreationOff highway vehicle recreationists, whether they use OHVs as a means to access otherforms of recreation, or find recreation opportunities in the driving of the OHV itself, willcontribute to the local economies of the planning area in a variety of ways. These depend on thelevel of use in areas surrounding desert towns, and the future significance of that contributiondepends on the nature of ongoing recreation use trends. Table 3-55 addresses the various waysby which recreation contributes dollars to local economies.REGIONORCITYInyo County(PearsonvilleLittle Lake)KernCountyCaliforniaCityMojavePRINCIPALRECREATIONALACTIVITIESON ADJOININGPUBLIC LANDSCommercial filmingMotorcycle touringLarge range ofvehicle dependentrecreational activitiesOHV touring in theRand and El Pasomountains – off roadmotor cycle playSUV touring, Off-Road Events for 4 X4 and motorcycle andall desert playvehiclesTable 3-55Recreation Economic ContributionOHV USEINNEARBYAREASSOURCES OFECONOMICCONTRIBUTIONTRENDSINGROWTHLow Fuel, food Increasingas the LABasingrowsCummalativelyHighModerateHighLodging, meals,supplies, vehiclerepairs, fuel.Fuel, campingsupplies, and foodVehicle repairsand vehicle parts,fuel, campingsupplies, motels,and foodIncreasingHas beenincreasingwith thegrowth ofthe LABasin.Increasingsignificantlywithgrowth inLA Basinand theincreasingpopularityof desert.COMMENTSMost visitors to the areawill acquire supplies inlarger communities furthersouthGiven the close proximityof this portion of KernCounty to the LA Basin andthat it serves as the“Gateway” to the Sierrasand the Desert growth ishigh and is expected toincrease.Visitors coming over theTehachapi and headed to theRands and El Pasomountains will likely stop inCalifornia City. In spite ofrecent closures in theRands, the level of useoutside of California Cityhas not diminished. Theclosures have in factincreased demands on locallaw enforcement due toincreased private propertytrespass.The Tehachapi pass carriesa significant load ofRecreation Traffic from theSan Joaquin valley headedto the Mojave Region.Certainly any increase inrecreation activity has apotential for economic gainfor Mojave.Chapter 3 3-250