COMMISSION

trespass on adjacent private lands. Before the acquisition, OHV users accessed
BLM trails using private landowners’ access roads and trespassed to access this
area. This acquisition solves this trespass issue by providing secured access for
recreational uses.
Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area Law Enforcement Grants
Since 2008, the El Centro Field Office of BLM applied for and received $2.8 million in
OHV law enforcement grants. These funds went towards providing visitor services to OHV
recreationists in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, Superstition Mountains, Plaster
City, and the Yuha Desert, located in Imperial County. Grants funded ATV safety training,
outreach, and safety education materials, and increased law enforcement patrols to ensure
visitor safety, resource protection, and as a deterrent to unauthorized OHV trespass.
OHV grants assist in funding increased patrols during busy holiday weekends such as
Thanksgiving, New Years, and President’s Day. According to the BLM El Centro Field
Office, since 2013, total visitor contacts and warnings issued increased while total citations
and arrests decreased. BLM law enforcement staff indicated anecdotally that the decrease
in arrests and citations were the results of the increase in law enforcement patrols and
visitor outreach during peak visitation periods.
Kern County Sheriff’s Office Update on the Pacific Crest Trail
OHV Trespass Investigation
The PCT is a 2,660-mile long hiking and equestrian trail that follows the Sierra and
Cascade mountains on the West Coast of the United States. The trail begins at the Mexican
border in California and ends at the Canadian border in Washington State. The USFS is
the lead agency responsible for managing the PCT and receives assistance from partner
agencies such as State Parks, BLM, and County Sheriff’s Offices. Law enforcement staff
from these agencies patrol the trail to assist hikers and monitor resources and trail use
(United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service n.d.).
On occasion, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office receives reports of unauthorized OHV use
on the 150-mile stretch of PCT that runs through Kern County. In April 2014, a community
group reported widespread OHV use on parts of the trail. According to the complaint,
unauthorized OHV use was causing damage and unsafe conditions on sections of the PCT.
The community group provided locations of alleged violations and a photograph showing
four motorcycle riders posing with their vehicles on the PCT. In response, the Kern County
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California State Parks, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission