Protecting Access in California

Prairie City SVRA At Risk

Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) is under direct threat. BlueRibbon Coalition has now joined legal action to stop a solar development proposal that, as approved, puts one of California’s most important OHV parks at serious and lasting risk.

This isn’t just about one project or one park. It’s about whether designated recreation areas are treated as permanent public commitments — or as negotiable land reserves when industrial development shows up.

Solar Development Threating Prairie City’s Future

BRC has joined the California Four Wheel Drive Association (Cal4Wheel) and the American Sand Association (ASA) in filing a lawsuit against Sacramento County over its approval of the Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Ranch solar project. As approved, the project threatens Prairie City SVRA’s long-term ability to operate safely and effectively as a managed OHV recreation area.

Sacramento County advanced this project using an environmental review that failed to meet basic requirements of California law. Equally concerning: required coordination with State Parks and the OHMVR Commission was not completed, even though the project directly affects State Parks land.

When agencies don’t follow the law, the public loses — and access disappears.

Why Prairie City SVRA Matters

For decades, Prairie City SVRA has been a cornerstone of California’s off-highway vehicle system. Located just outside Sacramento, it was intentionally designated and developed to provide a permanent, managed space for OHV recreation near a major population center.

Prairie City supports:

• Daily riding and family recreation
• Safety education and training
• Competitive events and organized use
• Local economic benefits for the surrounding region

California made a clear decision: OHV recreation deserves dedicated space — not leftover land. That commitment is now being tested.

Why This Matters to Every Off-Roader

We’ve seen this pattern before. It’s why we also opposed broad fast-track proposals like the Western Solar Plan, which aimed to accelerate industrial-scale solar development across vast acreage while sidelining recreation concerns.

If Sacramento County gets away with skirting laws and processes, this precedent won’t stop at Prairie City.

Other SVRAs, dune systems, and public recreation areas across California — and throughout the West — will be next. This is how access is lost: not all at once, but one compromised designation at a time.

Prairie City is the line in the sand. If we don’t defend it now, it becomes easier to undermine every other OHV area later.

We Need You With Us

Legal action is the last line of defense when agencies refuse to follow the law. It is also resource-intensive and only works if our members stand behind it.

We have agreed to help raise funds for this lawsuit and make time available from our staff attorney to reduce costs.

We created a promo code for our Custom GasGas EX 300 sweepstakes to support this lawsuit. Use this link to donate, and you will receive double entries, our biggest and final multiplier, to win a custom dirt bike and an all-expense-paid trip to Moab!