California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, Inc.
8120 36th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95824-2304
916-381-8300

PRESS RELEASE FROM CA4WDC

Contact: Jack Raudy
530/389-9154

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAMOA DUNES RECREATION AREA

It may be only 300 acres in size, but for Carl Brandt of Eureka and hundreds of other off-highway vehicle enthusiasts in California’s northern coastal area, the Samoa Dunes Recreation Area is a crown jewel they never want to lose.

"We have lost many popular riding areas up here over the last decade," said Brandt, president of the Lost Coast 4X4 Club, who has been recreating at the Samoa Dunes for the past 50 years. "Naturally, we would all love to have 50 miles of coastline for motorized recreation, but that day is long gone, so we must do everything possible to preserve this small recreational site in our back yard."

The Samoa Dunes Recreation Area, once a seasonal food-gathering site for the Wiyot Indians and later, during World War II, a Coast Guard surveillance outpost, is now a multi-recreational park that attracts not only OHV enthusiasts, but also hikers, surfers, beachcombers and fishing enthusiasts from throughout the region.

Today, the Samoa Dunes park is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Bruce Cann, a member of the bureau’s Arcata Field Office, is charged with ensuring that everything runs smoothly within the recreation area.

"Every day is a balancing act and no two days are alike," Cann said. "We make every attempt to provide the best recreation possible for all of our visitors, while we are fully protecting and preserving our environmentally sensitive habitat areas. We have found that the best way to achieve this balance is to ensure we have personal, one-on-one, contact with our visitors."

Cann explained that of the 300 total acres within the park, only 140 acres are open for off-highway vehicle recreation and an additional 70 acres within the Eureka Dunes Riding Area that extends about one mile north of the park. The northeast 40 acres of the Samoa dunes park has been set aside for native plant research and is off limits to all recreation use. In addition, another 120 acres has been declared wetlands and is also closed to all vehicles.

"With the sales of sport ATVs tripling over the last few years and the tremendous increase in sales of SUVs, the BLM must work closely with the entire OHV community to ensure that we all do our part to keep this park open," said Rocky Clark of Eureka, who along with his wife, Donna, and their family, have been volunteering and recreating at Samoa Dunes Recreation Area for many years.

With much needed dollars from the California Off Highway Motor Vehicle Trust Fund, Clark spearheaded an effort to construct a challenging mini-Rubicon Trail for the veteran four-wheelers.

"We moved in as many big boulders as we could," Clark said, "so today, anyone can bring in their rig and see how well it performs on the Samoa Dunes Rubicon Trail."

Sam Allen of Redding, made the long drive to join his longtime riding buddy, Chad Trump of Eureka. Both Allen and Trump are skilled ATV riders and appreciate the opportunity to "catch some air" in the fore dunes.

"I have been coming out here and riding since 1978," said Trump. "It is totally awesome. This is what it is all about. We are lucky this morning with virtually no other riders and we can pick and choose where we want to ride."

Bill Erickson, also of Redding, a relative newcomer to riding a sport ATV, said, "this is my first year and I can tell you we are having a great time. We now come over here from Redding at least once a month and my entire family now has an ATV and we thoroughly enjoy the sport."

"I think much of the success at the Samoa Dunes can be attributed to education," said Cann, the BLM field office’s recreation planner. "We have been very successful in keeping vehicles out of the sensitive plant and wildlife areas and minimizing any user conflicts to the bare minimum."

The 40-acre endangered plant protection area and three enclosures at Eureka Dunes provide habitat for two endangered plant species, the Humboldt Bay wallflower and beach layia. Cann said the second largest population of wallflowers in the world is found in this 40-acre area.

The Samoa Dunes park attracted approximately 175,000 visitors last year and there were fewer than ten registered complaints. Beachcombers make up about 50 percent of all visitors, while off-highway vehicle enthusiasts comprise approximately 20 percent of the total.

"For the OHV enthusiasts, we have developed a staging area that includes an unloading ramp, new restrooms, picnic tables, and cooking grills," Cann said. "From the staging area, riders have easy access to all of the open terrain containing many trails and the beach strand."

"I lived in this area for 28 years and Samoa Dunes became my home away from home," said Steve Towns, who has since moved to Vancouver, Washington. "I remember coming down here as a kid and riding my ATV from daylight until dark."

Jim Boyett, a member of the Lost Coast 4X4 Club, has been going to the Samoa Dunes for many years and now his grandchildren join him. "My grandkids love to ride around on the dunes and play in the sand," said Boyett. "Our club has helped in setting up two rock areas for four-wheel drive vehicles and we regularly volunteer for weed pulling projects and beach patrol."

For more information on the Samoa Dunes Recreation Area, contact Bruce Cann at (707) 825-2322 or e-mail bcann@ca.blm.gov .

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