looks like the OHV park in Crockett County is going to happen
TPWD News Release
20060130d

[ Media Contact: Tom Harvey, (512) 389-4453,
tom.harvey@tpwd.state.tx.us ] [TH]
Jan. 30, 2006
Crockett County Motorized Trail Grant Approved
AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission on Jan. 26 approved a $1,359,500 grant to the Texas Motorized Trails Coalition,
a not for profit organization, to acquire 3,323 acres in Crockett County for the purpose of developing a managed off-highway vehicle
recreation area.
After hearing public testimony for and against the grant proposal, the commission voted to approve land acquisition for the project,
with the understanding that before the site is open to the public the state agency staff would come back to the commission for approval of a plan to develop and operate the motor vehicle park.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grants staff committed to work with all parties involved to plan site development to try to
accommodate concerns of neighboring landowners. The property is being purchased from a willing seller. Local officials and business
owners -- including the local chamber of commerce -- from nearby Ozona also are supportive. Several nearby property owners have
voiced strong opposition.
"It's important to understand that the Texas Motorized Trails Coalition won't just buy this property and open the gate in a free-
for-all," said Walt Dabney, director of the TPWD State Parks Division, which includes the department's Recreational Grants Branch. "They have strict rules of conduct. You have to stay on designated trails, and if your conduct is unacceptable, you're out of there. They pride themselves on doing a good job of managing a
site, and they've demonstrated that with Barnwell Mountain."
The Texas Motorized Trails Coalition has operated the 1,800-acre Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area near Gilmer in Upshur County in
Northeast Texas since 2000. Facilities include showers, restrooms, an air station, pavilion, office and campsites with R/V hookups and
electricity.
"The Texas Motorized Trails Coalition has a safe and successful operation near Gilmer," said John Parker, TPW commissioner from Lufkin. "The local community there loves it, because it brings in a
ton of business."
Coalition secretary and research chemist Dick Stuart told commissioners about preliminary results of a university research study contracted by the coalition. He said this shows that visitors to the Barnwell Mountain area in a six month period spent an average of about $20,000 per weekend in Upshur County and surrounding communities on lodging, food, supplies and other expenses. He said
this is estimated to generate more than $1 million per year in out-of-county visitor spending.
The department held two public meetings in Ozona in September and October last year to get community input on the proposed Crockett
County project and has also done an initial natural and cultural resource survey. The grants program staff presented the proposal to
the TPW Commission on Nov. 8. Because of landowner concerns expressed then, commissioners directed the staff to continue to study the proposal and seek additional public comment.
Concerns about the project include the possibility of increased traffic, noise pollution, grass fires and erosion. The TPWD staff believes these concerns can be addressed by controlling site development to make sure there are adequate visual and noise buffer
zones along the perimeter, plus good fences to control traffic and prevent trespass onto neighboring land.
The site includes a canyon approximately 300 feet below the main landscape level, and planners believe noise can be minimized if most
activity takes place down in the canyon. The trails coalition said the property has two water wells with 20,000-gallon storage, and the
group intends to create a fire substation on site. Regarding erosion, the site contains no running streams or springs. The project calls for silt retention structures to minimize off-site erosion run-off during storms.
The site was chosen because of its remoteness, good paved access and low likelihood to impact natural or cultural resources. All necessary natural and cultural resource clearances and permits would be obtained prior to construction.
Two recently enacted state laws are driving the creation of new off-highway vehicle recreation areas in Texas.
The 78th Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 155 several years ago, which closed all navigable stream beds in Texas, except for
some parts of the Canadian and Red Rivers, to motorized recreational vehicles. That law also directed TPWD to "facilitate development of
sites for motor vehicle recreation other than protected freshwater areas."
The more recent 79th Texas Legislature last year enacted Senate Bill 1311, which directed TPWD to establish and maintain a public system
of trails and other recreational areas for use by off-highway vehicles.
The National Recreational Trails Fund (NRTF) is the funding source for the Crockett County grant. This 80-20 matching grant program
requires grant recipients to come up with an additional amount equal to 20 percent of the federal grant.
These funds come from the federal tax generated by gasoline purchases for off-road recreational vehicles, such as off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. The purpose is to create and maintain motorized and non-motorized recreational trails.
A federal requirement is that 30 percent of the funds be spent on motorized recreational trail projects, 30 percent on non-motorized
trail projects, with the remaining 40 percent discretionary.
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On the Net:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/grants/trpa/

Congrats to all you Texans! You guys have done a ton of work to get projects like this done, and we applaud y'all for your efforts. Keep up the hard work!!!

A reminder to all:
The National Recreational Trails Fund is a program that we all could take advantage of. Your tax dollars go toward this fund. Basically, if you (or your club) can come up with 20%, they match 80%. I don't know too much more about this, but I believe you can charge your work off as part of the 20% you need to come up with. I was in an ATV club years ago that used to apply for this every year, and get it. The grant basically bought the club a nice enclosed trailer, chain saws and other tools, and even a couple 6x6 ATVs for trail maintenance on state-run trails. So it doesn't just need to be used for only land purchases....

i hear that bridgeport is getting one as well.

Found this while completing a web search.

A quick update on EDRA.

We have completed the master plan and it was approved by the TPWD Commission last November with the stipulation that we get concurance from US Fish and Game regarding our threatened species and the Texas Historical Commission and our archaeological sites.

Those are still grinding their way through government, but we can see light at the end of the tunnel and I don't think it is a train.

We have a bird survey scheduled for next month and the TMTC annual meeting is scheduled for the site this summer.

We will be open this fall. I made that promise to the Director of State Parks a few weeks ago.

We are actively looking for volunteers to help construct trails. If anyone would like to help, contact me via PM or on the TMTC Forums at http://tmtc.net.

Tony Eeds
TMTC President 2007~2009

good to hear

Larry sent me the following report put together by Bunny. Thanks Bunny for a report and the photos ... I was too tired to even pick up a camera which is VERY unusual for me.

I'm glad y'all had a good time. It was great to see everyone and I look forward to getting together again in the fall when it is cooler to open up some more trail!

Tony

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ESCONDIDO DRAW - JULY 25-27

Thank you Hurricane Dolly! Expecting to be blazing hot for the end of July in Ozona, we were surprised to have very pleasant weather! Overcast skies and a pretty constant breeze blew on Friday and Saturday with Sunday coming around for a more typical west Texas day. Artie and I even slept with just the windows open on Friday night and the cool breeze brought the bigger blanket out by morning! Couldn’t have asked for better weather!

Upon our arrival late Friday afternoon, Larry Lancaster, Mike Zumwalt and son Zach, and several other TMTC members had nearly completed cutting the first trail. Calling it a day, it was back to camp for cooking and comradery. Joining the campout was John Flowers and son Bryce with friends Patrick, Kyle, JB and Sidney.



Saturday’s goal was to finish cutting the first trail, but of course you have to run it to where you left off, right? Doing this, we had some fun before the work began. The last section was cut and cleared, bringing this the first cut trail in Escondido Draw! This trail had been scouted by Larry and Artie way back in April. In truth, this trail still has an easier route section to be cut that is densely covered cedar. When it is completed as planned, it will have the main trail and two alternate "loops" that add some off camber challenges.









The TMTC was holding their meeting in Ozona that afternoon, along with meeting and greeting some of the Ozona locals. The locals furnished hot dogs and hamburgers to those attending. Back at camp the rest of the day was spent just cruising the ranch roads, getting ourselves familiar with the lay of the land. Artie and I went scouting for more trails. After walking up a couple of draws we found another good possibility, flagging it to return again.

Sunday morning saw most everyone leaving out to head home, but Larry and us hadn’t had enough. We went to look at our scouted trail and decided it was worthy of being trail #2 to be cut for next time. This trail will begin easy and work its way up to a category 5 or better. We hope to have a bail out spot for those that do not want to complete the extreme part of the trail. The final elevation gives you 4, yes 4, waterfalls before you top out the ridge! Each waterfall has a platform, so if a rollover does occur, you should just land it there and stop. One waterfall may require a permanent wench point.

Escondido Draw is definitely out yonder, but what it brings to the outdoor enthusiast is just that. The feeling of being absolutely away from all hustle and bustle. Stars shining brightly with no outside lights interrupting their beauty. Silence - ever heard it? What a place to unwind - not completely - cause cell phones do work! Drawbacks at this point is that it has VERY dense vegetation of scrub brush and cedar. It is HARD WORK cutting trails. It is hard to navigate just to scout trails! There are no tall hardwood trees, so camping under the shady spot of an oak tree really doesn’t exist. This is the ground floor – there is MUCH work ahead. For some, this is part of the fun - being part of the pioneer spirit, blazing that trail, being the first to drive over it, just knowing your sweat and hard work got you there. Helping in the formation of a new area is a worthy cause to many. Personally, I think this is going to be a great place to come to for folks in central Texas.

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Thanks again Bunny!