Local off-roaders have their fingers crossed -- waiting for approval of the environmental report on the proposed "Bakersfield State Recreation Vehicle Park."

The project has been in the works for several years, and supporters have their hearts set on 11,000 acres north of Bakersfield. The property is optioned through November.

Kern Off-Highway Vehicle Association President Dick Taylor says a home of their own is important. "The population of off-roaders has grown tremedously, the amount of vehicles in Kern County since 2001 has almost doubled," Taylor told Eyewitness News.

Local riders used to roar up the hillsides northeast of Bakersfield and around Hart Park. But new housing developments now dot those areas -- so there's no more off-roading.

Riders can use a couple state off-road vehicle recreation parks, but that means a trip to Red Rock Canyon out in the desert -- or a drive down to Hungry Valley Off-Road Recreation Area near Gorman.

Kern County off-roaders love those parks, they just want something like them closer to home. That's what Taylor and others envision on the 11,000 acres off Round Mountain and Granite Roads.

It's an expanse of remote, rolling hills about 25 minutes' drive northeast of Bakersfield. Taylor says the proposed location has room for 130 miles of specially-designed trails and tracks.

They want trails for various skill-levels and different uses. There would be areas just for kids and special motorcross tracks.

"It will actually be the first of its kind," says Taylor. "Developed from the ground up, and designed from the ground up -- putting trails exactly where we want them to be."

Taylor says that will be best for the environment, and the safest place for off-roaders to ride. Riders Eyewitness News talked to at Hungry Valley agree state rec parks have lots of benefits.

"To me, it's very important because we need to have designated areas in order to ride safely," Santa Clarita resident John Kessler says.
"There's open trails, there's difficulty ratings," adds teen-age rider Mikey Bitton.

Taylor says the Bakersfield off-road park would have only designated trails and tracks -- plus lots of space left open for things like buffer areas.

Taylor says if Bakersfield gets its off-road park, it'll be the first built in over 25 years. These special parks are paid for by the riders.

"It's funded by money that's in what's called the off-highway vehicle trust fund -- paid into by off-highway vehicle registration," says Taylor. "And a portion of the excise taxes of fuel consumed by these vehicles at the pump."

These special state-collected funds would pay to buy the property and make the improvements. The cost of the Bakersfield park is estimated at about $11-million.

If it's built, the off-road park would be operated by the State Park Department. That means the area is patrolled by Park Rangers -- and off-roaders say that's another safety benefit.

After off-roaders lost use of foothills close to town, Bakersfield officials led the drive to find another spot for the riders. City Planner Marc Gauthier says city planners picked the proposed site and designed the project.

City Councilman Mike Maggard worked to get various groups on board. One of the next hurdles is getting land to use for access roads into the site. But, next the proposal goes through several steps at the county level.

July 24th is the last day for comment on the draft Environmental Impact Report. Next, the proposal is heard by the County Planning Commission on September 14th. Then the project goes to Kern County Supervisors on October 10th.

County and Bakersfield planners expect the proposal will be controversial. They may get questions about noise, dust, endangered species and air pollution impacts.

Off-roaders say a specially-designed place for riders is a benefit for the environment. They also say the spot they've picked for the Bakersfield park will be a good local home for riders -- and keep them clear of new housing development.

"You'll have an area that's very remote," says Taylor. "We're out in the middle of nowhere, trying to get an area set aside before it becomes housing also."