Friday, June 4, 2010

Help clean up Ohio Gulch track

Volunteers sought to clean trash at motocross site


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

Local motocross enthusiast Randy Van Dyke is hoping to attract volunteers to a cleanup effort this weekend at the mid-valley Ohio Gulch motocross track.

The project, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, June 5, will take place at the popular motorized recreation spot behind the Ohio Gulch Solid Waste Transfer Station on the east side of the valley between Ketchum and Hailey. The dirt track is located on land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Van Dyke said the site has not been taken care of properly in recent years and has been used for illegal dumping, among other things. He said he hopes to scour the site for trash that's accumulated there. He's seeking volunteers to help with the effort.

"It's a world-class motocross track, but it has not been maintained properly," he said.

In addition to the cleanup, Van Dyke also hopes to discuss future plans for the track with local motocross enthusiasts.

Blaine County officials are negotiating with the BLM to take over 80 to 100 acres of federal land adjacent to the waste transfer site as part of an official land transfer. Some of the site would allow for expansion of the landfill portion of the Ohio Gulch site, but the transfer could also allow creation of a kids' track adjacent to the main track as well as a proper parking lot, Van Dyke said.

He recently applied unsuccessfully for a $74,000 grant from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation's off-road motor vehicle registration fund. He said he's hoping to get advice from other local riders on Saturday on how to make his next application stronger.

The grant would help pay for repair work on the main track and work on the new kids' track that's envisioned. Van Dyke said an improved site has the potential to draw motocross riders from all over the Western United States to train.

Jason Kauffman: jkauffman@mtexpress.com




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