KINGS BEACH, Calif. – The California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Commission met at the North Tahoe Events Center on Thursday, June 12, where the commission provided a number of key updates and reports, highlighted project progress and heard from the public on important topics.

A day prior to the meeting, the Commission provided a public tour of significant OHV recreation locations on Tahoe National Forest, including Boca Reservoir, Donner Summit SNO-Park, and Indian Springs campground.

“Tahoe’s unique and vibrant environment is both a treasure and a big responsibility,” Sarah Miggins said, Deputy Director of the OHMVR Division. “Yesterday on the tour, we saw how OHV recreation brings partners and families together, supports rural economies and creates lifelong memories, but it must be managed with care.”

In his report, Chair Roger Salazar recognized the single-track trails near Boca, honoring the work of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management there.

Commissioner Patricia Ureña acknowledged the Truckee Dirt Riders and the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, which were part of the tour, recognizing the partnerships that make trails usable and feasible.

The commission reported its 2025 grant cycle closed on June 2, bringing in 137 applications requesting a total of $31.5 million. The intent to award will be posted on August 4, followed by a 30-day appeal process.

The commission will announce final awards on September 4, pending the resolution of any appeals it receives.

The Commission shared that it is actively enhancing its budget and financial oversight through new digital tools aimed at increasing transparency, accountability and operational efficiency. One example is the OHV position tracking application, which would track staff assignments across State Vehicular Recreation Areas (SVRAs) in collaboration with field and headquarter units.

Over the next fiscal year, the department plans on conducting site visits across the OHV field districts to evaluate funding needs and current expenditures, implement and refine budget tracking tools, gather input to enhance functionality, and identify additional needs.

The Commission approved its 2025 Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission Program Report. The report tracks program funding, accomplishments, and resource protection and restoration programs encompassing 2022-2024. It also reports on all aspects of the OHV Grants Program, from expenditures, grantees, and progress towards meeting the OHMVR Program mission and strategic plan. The report gets submitted to the Governor and legislature every three years.

Scott Soares, the senior environmental scientist with the OHMVR Division, provided the Natural Resources Update on the Soil Conservation Plan. It is a required document developed and used by SVRA staff to outline a monitoring and management program that focuses on assessing and preventing erosion from OHV roads and trails.

Commission representatives provided an update on its Strategic Planning and Recreational Services, particularly regarding Senate Bill 155, which directs California State Parks to explore expanding OHV access in new and existing facilities throughout the state. The divisions is looking at a wide variety of opportunities, including potential acquisitions, partnerships, and ways to expand connectivity between different properties.

The division is now undergoing phase two of the process after phase one conducted community engagement and identified regions for OHV opportunities. A preliminary report is on the OHMVR Commission webpage.

The Commission also provided an update on Oceano Dunes, a SVRA in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., its current projects, and conservation programs in the area. The Commission’s closed session involved pending litigation on the site.

U.S. Forest Service-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Forest Supervisor, Erick Walker offered an update at the meeting. Walker touched on recent staffing changes and said the national office is implementing interim structures and plans to maintain key priorities and critical services. Although there is an Executive Order limiting hiring, the service has been able to hire fire staff.

He highlighted partner collaborations focusing on the Rubicon Trail with trailhead access improvements over the last decade, including reconstruction of the parking area with extensive input from users, a brand new kiosk with a map of the entire Rubicon Trail and adjoining opportunities, and collaboration with partners to ensure there is education for trail etiquette as well as facility cleaning. He said there are plans for a reroute of a portion of the Rubicon Trail. Construction is estimated for 2026 to ensure the trail remains open to the public, given the concern of an imminent landslide.

Walker also noted a basin-wide trails analysis project that proposes expanding motorized opportunities at locations such as the Corral Trail and Twin Peaks.

Walker also offered updates on the Tahoe National Forest, where for over a decade, the service has been actively enhancing OHV opportunities while reducing impacts to the environment. The goal has included constructing new OHV trails to increase accessibility and meet growing demand, such as the expansion of the Burlington Trail System, currently in phase one of building 70 miles of new trails near Truckee.

The entire meeting is available to watch on cal-span.org.