I was there as well, parked up front by mcdowell because I didn't know where the building was & ended up circumnavigating the whole fairground on foot.

It seemed like a lot of the people in attendance didn't grasp the fact that since driving off-trail is automatically illegal, that means that when a route is open it is specifically guaranteed by the managing agency to not cause harm to anything just by existing.

In other words on normal paved roads you have an expectation that corners are safe to drive around, bridges don't just end without warning, the crews that built the road didn't stab spotted owls in the genitalia, and all that such stuff. Designated BLM routes are real roads (because driving off roads is prohibited) and as such have to meet real road guidelines.

I am disappointed that the answer to Martinez is flat out closure. That's waging war on the good people in hopes of disrupting the bad. I think clear unmistakable signage could help, "IF YOU VANDALIZE THE DESERT, THE STATE CLOSES THE DESERT. F%^KING DEAL WITH IT" - no joke, those words exactly - except I'd be in favor of leaving out the censorship on the real signs. I also think if they cut entrance routes to the area down to two, put a large staging area with good, behind plexiglas, large and vivid maps, and gatekeepers right at the staging area - with routes for licensed, and unlicensed vehicles and loosely enforced law keeping such vehicle types off each others' routes entirely. The fines could be steep (this is a real safety issue) and if we're lucky NOT be enough to back-fund the trailheads, but more likely it'll be plenty.