Reporting Deputy: Sergeant Jason Gore
File # N/A
Details:
On behalf of the County of Riverside, Sheriff Chad Bianco is applying for a total of $200,168 from the California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Division Grants & Cooperative Agreements Program funding for Law Enforcement projects.
The Lake Mathews Station is approximately 158 square miles serving the unincorporated communities of Green Rivers, Glen Valley, Horsethief Canyon, Lake Hills, Prado Basin, Spanish Hills, Temescal Valley, northwest Lake Elsinore, Dawson Canyon, Mead Valley, and Woodcrest. The majority of the station’s service area is accessible to OHV enthusiasts. The area is comprised of both State and Federal wildlife areas, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land areas, and Regional Conservation Authority Western Riverside County. There are several approved riding areas in Riverside County, such as the Lake Elsinore Motocross Park, Wildomar Recreation area, Perris Raceway, Starwest Motocross Park (Perris, Ca), Cahuilla Creek Motocross Park (Anza, Ca), Milestone Ranch Motocross Track (Jurupa Valley, Ca), and the San Bernardino National Forest (San Bernardino, Ca). Some legal OHV sites vary in their operational schedules and have a variety of facilities available to users.
Although these sanctioned venues exist, large portions of the OHV enthusiasts decide to operate their vehicle illegally on public and / or private lands. This has resulted in numerous accidents requiring an emergency response and complains from citizens living in or near these areas. From March 1, 2023, through March 1, 2024, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office received approximately 2,570 calls for service regarding OHV related incidents, with approximately 202 calls for service within the Lake Mathews Station’s service area. These number indicate an increase from the year prior.
Many of the designated legal OHV operating areas within Riverside County, as mentioned above, allow the OHV enthusiasts to operate their equipment in a safe and legal manner, while outlining appropriate and defined courses, trails, and mapping. These designated locations offer differing operational service days and times, thus allowing the OHV enthusiasts to be accommodated and varying experiences.
The Lake Mathews Station enforcement and education is conducted on the weekdays and weekends, some holidays during the peak OHV season, and whenever is necessary as dictated by calls for service in the station’s service area. Law enforcement personnel will not solely focus on enforcement action, but will vary their duties on emergency responses, data collection, and public relation events as an additional method to educate the public on legal riding venues and operational needs. The Lake Mathews Station will provide secured locations for all its equipment and supplies, and ensures that all OHVs, trucks, trailers, and necessary equipment will be maintained as to ensure proper working function.
To address these issues, the Lake Mathews Station conducts off-highway enforcement and education throughout the unincorporated areas within the station’s coverage area. The selected personnel are trained, educated, and equipped to meet the needs of the operation.
This Press Release is to ensure the public is aware of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office – Lake Mathews Station’s intent to apply for OHV funding as outlined above. Any comments or questions may be directed to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Lake Mathews Station, Sergeant Jason Gore, at 951-272-5600. The period for application review and public comment will be from March 5, 2024, to May 6, 2024. For more information, please see the California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle website at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov .
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