LA Times reporter David Kelly has contacted Ken Peil to get some background on Phil Klasky. Ken being the good fellow he is, CC’ed the email to me to see if I had anything to contribute. The following email was sent last night.
Dear Dave,
I understand that you are looking for background on Philip M. Klasky. I’m thrilled to help.
My name is Dan O’Brien, I am a 58 year old resident of Twentynine Palms. I am a Vietnam Era Vet. A 27 year resident. I am proud of my town and the Morongo Basin. I am also a responsible off-road vehicle enthusiast.
I became aware of Mr. Klasky right before San Bernardino County Ordinence 3973 was passed. His group, Community OHV Watch was instrumental in its passage. Many of us in the off road community have since banded together in an attempt to nullify or at least soften the more draconian and unconstitutional aspects of the ordinance. We have struggled to the point where we are today on the threshold of making a fair and equitable change to the ordinance that will bring it into line with the Right of the People to Peacefully Assemble on their own property. Klasky is using any and every issue he can exploit to prevent this fair and equitable change to Ordinance 3973.
Klasky is an extreme environmental activist and social provocateur. His wackiness often blends right into the desert, as do those that chase UFOs and talk to their imaginary friends. He has taken it upon himself to rid the Mojave Desert of Recreational Off-roading at the expense of the truth. See info here and here
I run a community blog that has been on line since 2001. I have posted scores of articles concerning Phil Klasky. I keep a close tab on his activities and often report them to my readers.
The legal BLM riding trail that leads to and transects the Hog Ranch
There is no such thing as the “Poste Homestead,” there is a “Chadwick Hog Ranch.” Yes the fabled “Poste Homestead” is in reality an abandoned Commercial Hog Farm used to feed pigs garbage from the Military bases that were here during the 1950s and up until 1970s, when Garbage feeding of hogs became illegal. The area surrounding the abandoned hog farm is a legal “Limited Use” OHV Area and is crisscrossed with legal OHV Trails See Here.
Mr. Klasky would have you believe that he is saving a “Natural and Cultural” area when in fact it is not, never has been and the BLM themselves refuse to officially recognize it as such. Thousands of hogs, dropping millions of tons of hog manure over the area for 20 plus years has obliterated any “natural” or for that matter “cultural” significance, unless of course he plans to make a monument to desert horticulture. In that case the failed Jaboba Farms 10 miles to the west of the property would better serve the purpose and be in an area protected from Off Road riding.
Long before 2005 when Mr. Klasky bought his weekend cabin (as he does not live in the area and in fact lives in the Bay Area) the area we are talking about was a legal riding area. And before that was the stomping grounds of General Patton. Even before Patton the land was throughly sifted by Depression Era Miners looking for the pot of gold. Trails abound and any pristine desert was long ago obliterated. At the East edge of the area is an active salt mine to the West is the community of Wonder Valley.
Mr. Klasky is using the Los Angeles Times as he always does, when he is in a political bind. He must have powerful friends there. As he always seems to get someone to print a puff piece supporting his fabrications. A vote is coming up at the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors that is not going to go his way and wants you to strum the heart strings of old ladies and others who have no idea that this guy is selling snake oil.
Klasky and his core group of Bay Area intelligentsia came to our area in 2005 and from the very beginning have tried to change the area to suit their idea of Utopia. They have infiltrated our community boards and social clubs and have wrecked havoc on the Social structure of our community. They knew what they were buying into from the beginning. It is sort of like the guy who buys a house near an airport and complains about the Jet Noise.
The area is a remote rough and tumble community of 2nd, 3rd and even 4th generation desert folk that have used the dirt roads and trails as modes of transportation since the model “T”. Off Roading is a way of life.
A reminder of who Phil Klasky really is.
Mr. Klasky has a long history of protesting Nuclear power, the UC Regents, Livermore Labs and yes even stomps on the flag when it suits him. He is just never satisfied unless he has some corporation or group to vilify for his own twisted sense of purpose, He is a publicity Whore. Never seen a camera he wouldn’t force his way in front of, or a reporter he wouldn’t corner until he got the guy to quote him.
He forced us to organize ourselves to fight him. And fight we have.
To help the reporter flesh out the story, I figured I would let my readers have a chance at letting David Kelly know how they feel about Mr. Klasky. You can contact David Kelly here.
Here is a reminder. If you have not filled out our “Lend your voice to support the Right To Assemble” letter, Click Here.
You might be interested
Oh quit your blood clot crying, Phil
Two ways of life collide in Wonder Valley
Holy Cow! Phil’s at it again
Big Clean Up For Poste Homestead, Tuesday March 23rd
Public Forum on ORV Law Enforcement | Desert Protective Council
Calling Klasky’s latest Screed What it is… B.S.
Off-Roaders: Do it better, longer and look better doing it.
Incoming search terms:
- phil klasky
Hi David my name is Ken Peil the owner of http://www.wondervalley92277.com and http://www.friendsof29trails.com I have shared your letter with others in the off-highway vehicle community that share the same concerns of Phil Klasky’s hatred for off-road vehicles. No one condones illegal riding, trespass, destruction or intimidation. The environmental movement has now become an environmental lobby. It’s a political advocacy movement today, as evidenced by their stacking the commission in 29 Palms, as they attempt to do on every agency advisory board concerning land use, project approval, and resource use, among others. Protection of species is now only a tool to use for them to control political processes, and guilt other people into handing them control. I can help you by phone xxx-xxx-xxxx
I can help with:
Information on the City of 29 Palms OHV tourism trails and how property owners can still create trails legally within the City if the City decides not to put trails in:
The old hog ranch that they call a poste homestead the BLM is wasting taxpayer dollars on. It is in the middle of a off- highway vehicle use area and received no damage. Phil wants this use area closed down to OHV: http://vote29.com/newmyblog/?p=796
Phil and his Community ORV Watch complained so much to state officials about OHV abuse there was an investigation earlier this year in Wonder Valley. They found…well you read it…no problems: http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1140/files/wonder%20valley%20update.pdf
Protecting rural desert neighborhoods from the dynamic changes that can happen when Phil Klasky/Community ORV Watch adopt a neighborhood to protect from the very people that live there. I took this video on 2-14-2009 to prove there are no problems with ORV abuse even on a Presidents Day Weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzNEWu4kgjE
Why unlicensed vehicles may use the dirt roads in Wonder Valley and in the City of 29 palms if they are signed properly: (see above link to what the highway patrol quoted on the roads)
Phil Klasky and his Community ORV Watch running neighbors out of our community of Wonder Valley:
Phil’s ties to Earth First an eco terrorist group:
http://www.poetryflash.org/WS99.html
See the 1:00 Program Schedule
• Phil Klasky: Bay Area Nuclear Waste Coalition
• Lewis MacAdams: Friends of the LA River
• Earth First! Campfire Poets: Dennis Fritzinger, Karen Pickett & Kirk Lumpkin
http://global-security.suite101.com/article.cfm/ecoterrorism_threat_increasing_in_200809
Phil Klasky spreading his OHV hatred from Wonder Valley http://www.orvwatch.com to Kern County http://www.orvwatchkerncounty.com and to Pismo Beach:
The people of 29 Palms protesting him because he encourages communist students to disrupt 9/11 memorials: http://vote29.com/protest3.html
I called into a blog talk radio at the end of the show https://www.blogtalkradio.com/crpodcast/2007/11/08/the-college-republican-podcast and received threats and intimidation afterwards including damage to my property from Phil’s cronies. Listen to it here: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/crpodcast/2007/11/15/college-republican-podcast
Any thing that has to do with the unconstitutional San Bernardino County Ordinance 3973:
Phil Klasky on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmS5t_XfrM4 and anti- American Propaganda http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otuOQGSMR04
Who are the propagandists who put out such blatant lies? Well, they call themselves “Environmentalists Against War” and THEIR NAMES ARE……..Phil Klasky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G97UBIHoCWQ
Thank you for your interest
Ken Peil
Yes, be careful what you wish for
Unfortunately I was not with the group of folks the created the SB County ordinance 3973 furthermore five anti OHV members and two businessmen paid to be their does not make a stakeholder committee. The two meeting held to create this travesty was not long and hard enough. When a highly vocal small group get together and undermine my American constitutional right to assemble on my own property I must raise an objection. Basically the ordinance says 4 things: 1 you can’t ride on a private property without written permission, this is problematic for property owners but OK no sweat. 2. You can’t create a nuisance by disturbing the peace of another, no problem. 3 You can’t operate any vehicle that exceeds the legal decibel level for noise, again no problem. 4. You can’t invite your family or friends to you desert property with obtaining a $155 permit from the county, BIG PROBLEM. The reasons are obvious; so far we still have property rights, an invasion of privacy, taxation without representation and simply in over three years of being on the books it hasn’t helped a bit. What helped is education and enforcement – Now we are getting somewhere, the loss of code enforcement visibility in the field the education they provided, and fewer officers to cite true violators is a problem. If you really want to help petition the county to put the code enforcement and sheriff department back in the field. If you are like me and value you property right and want to continue to ride off road vehicles in a responsible manner then write your county supervisor and support the proposed change to eliminate staging permit.