Enjoy the desert on your bike - responsibly Published Nov. 10, 2014 By 412th Civil Engineering Group EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Fall is a great time to get out and enjoy the desert on the back of a motorbike or mountain bike. To allow for residents' and workers' recreational use while protecting native species and their habitat, Edwards AFB has two motorized off-road vehicle areas and one mountain bike area. Per Edwards Air Force Base Instruction 31-218, Motor Vehicle Traffic Supervision, all recreational off-roading must take place in one of these three areas or on specific access routes from housing areas and the dormitories. Users can pick up maps at Outdoor Recreation at 1100 Kincheloe Ave., Bldg. 7211 in the Housing Area, or at Environmental Management, 12 Laboratory Road, Bldg.4231 at North Base. Use Designated Off Road Vehicle Areas Riders of dirt bikes, off-highway motorcycles (street legal) and three- or four-wheel all-terrain vehicles are authorized to operate in ORV areas 1 and 2. Area 1 is the Desert Wheels Motorcycle Club, located at the corner of Forbes Avenue and Lancaster Boulevard. It features a track with various jumps for aerial enthusiasts. Users of this area must belong to the club. For information on joining, contact club president Bill Hickok at 760-677-9078 or e-mail william.hickok.1@us.af.mil. West of the base housing area, ORV Area 2 is 8,275 acres with miles of authorized marked trails. It is also open for use by bicyclists, pedestrians and horse riders. The specially designated Mountain Bike Area 3 is a 1,972-acre site between Forbes Ave., Lancaster Blvd., and north Rosamond Blvd. reserved for bicyclists and hikers. Motorized vehicles are not allowed. Drivers of motorized vehicles will be cited by security forces if found on the trails in Area 3. Balancing Recreation Needs While Preserving Natural and Cultural Resources While ORV users visit these areas, the land is the permanent home for native species like the desert tortoise. The desert tortoise is a federally threatened species protected by the Endangered Species Act. Tortoises can be found almost anywhere on the installation. Irresponsible ORV area use could damage important habitat for the desert tortoise and many other desert species. Going off designated trails can kill animals and destroy their habitat -- their homes and plants they need in order to survive. It is important for users to stay on existing trails and remain within the boundaries of Areas 2 and 3. Failure to follow the rules could result in closure of these areas. Under environmental laws, anyone who harasses, harms or kills a protected species is subject to civil and criminal penalties. In the case of the desert tortoise, the criminal penalties can be up to $50,000 and one year in jail (per count). Archaeological sites are found in these portions of the installation. When the original routes within ORV Area 2 and the Mountain Bike Area 3 were mapped out, they avoided culturally sensitive areas. Cutting new trails could cause damage to cultural sites or artifacts, resulting in the closure of the area for ORV use. Historic, military and prehistoric archaeological sites are often identifiable by artifacts such as cans, bottles, bullet casings, stone tools, as well as features such as hearths, cairns, privies, etc. Some sites are far more subtle and recognizable only by trained experts. In either case, it is the association between artifacts and features both on and in the ground that is important because it provides the context in which to study and manage these resources. Crushing, burying, exposing, or stealing artifacts affects context, and ultimately without the proper context, the interpretation and our understanding of the people that lived in this area in the past is lost. Theft of archaeological resources is a punishable offense and covered under various Air Force instructions as well as civil regulations. Training To help protect the desert tortoise, all ORV area users are required to take desert tortoise training. Attendees receive a wallet card that is valid for five years. Security forces personnel can stop area users and ask to see current desert tortoise training cards. In addition, base safety officials require all motorized off road vehicle operators to satisfactorily complete an approved Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA) safety training course. The Air Force does not provide SVIA training. To find an off-base SVIA-approved training course, please visit www.atvsafety.org. Alan Lederman from the Edwards Ground Safety office can answer questions regarding base requirements. His number is 661-277-5049. Finally, ORV drivers must respect other users of ORV Area 2: horses and their riders, joggers and hikers all use trails in ORV Area 2. Environmental Management will conduct desert tortoise training sessions for base ORV drivers and mountain bike riders on Dec. 3 from 4 to 5 p.m., and Thursday, Dec. 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the downstairs conference room at Building 3000 (immediately south of the elevator). Register for either session by calling 661-277-1417, or e-mailing mark.bratton.ctr@us.af.mil. For more information on desert tortoise training, contact Environmental Management at 661-277-1417.