Ying and Yang

Someone told me the planets must be aligned based on the news item where we have worked out a deal to gain access to certain state forest roads here in CT. Unfortunately, the same day, we were told that Lakeview is CLOSED. Without getting into many details, the fact of the matter is that what we have been driving is mostly designated enduro motorcycle course. Please stay away and pass the word to other forums, clubs, etc. Lakeview is CLOSED.
The good news of the whole issue is that Aili will be sitting with the Unit Manager within the next couple of months to pour over maps and designate at least one if not more 4x4 roads. This is totally due to our great working relationship with the forest personnel.

More bad news: Northfield/Erving should be considered CLOSED as well. It is a powerline trail that has been run without too many issues for many years, however, our thought is that before we end up with another Coy Hill, we should get our permissions lined up before we head back. I have asked the NTC step to the fore and make contacts with the landowners. We will keep everyone posted as to what comes of this.

The ATV Bill in CT has PASSED the Environment Committee. This is BIG news as it has never made it out of this committee over the last 3 years of trying. Granted, it appears as though the Environ Com has edited the language a bit to possibly include universal registration. If this is the case, we will end up having to kill our own bill. We are waiting to find out the edited language.

I sure am glad Steve got me writing these blogs every week. With so much taking place, if I was waiting till the end of each month to put these together, I'd have a book or I'd simply be missing items. There is a lot of activity happening and there is obviously enough to write about every week!

As Steve mentioned, the signs are here. Thanx to Scott from NEA and their sign contact, we have 400 white with black arrow signs and about 100 signs that recommend that people Stay the Trail. These will be hung along our public roads to inform the JQ Public of what is legal and what isn't and to direct them in the correct direction. I will be handing them out to clubs at the region mtg in April.

Our second summit meeting between EC4WDA Northeast Region and NEA took place on Saturday, March 15th. Three plus hours of communication is difficult to condense into a sentence or two. Suffice to say that between the two organizations, there will be an definite increase in available places to wheel over the next couple of years. I would even venture a guess that by 2010 we may have been able to double what we currently have available.

Lots of NATIONAL NEWS:

Out in Ohio, our compatriots at OMTA have finally passed their reciprocity bill. This will enable Ohio residents to ride with their OH registrations in neighboring states and vice/versa. They are also in the process of proposing more ATV related legislation.



TELLICO TEAM to the Rescue!

NATIONAL RECREATION ATTORNEYS TEAM UP FOR RESCUE TELLICO

BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) and United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA) are teaming up with their nationally recognized attorneys in the fight for project "Rescue Tellico." This alliance amongst the groups and their attorneys, in cooperation with Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, is an historic undertaking. The groups will consolidate their efforts, bringing together their collective expertise, resources, and other strengths derived from their grassroots memberships. Collectively BRC and UFWDA represent over half a million recreationists committed to responsible and sustainable vehicle-based recreation on public lands.

"BRC and UFWDA have worked together on other access protection lawsuits in the past, but this effort combines our attorneys and resources into a single litigation team", stated Greg Mumm, BRC's Executive Director. "Unlike past efforts to support each other in various endeavors, this new alliance actually unifies the work of both law offices and the organizations of BRC and UFWDA into a single presence", stated Wayne Groom, President of UFWDA.

Rescue Tellico is a program to protect off-highway vehicle (OHV) access in the Upper Tellico OHV Area located in North Carolina, a premiere OHV destination throughout the Eastern Seaboard and Southern U.S.

Better guidance, enforcement needed for ORV use, experts say (03/14/2008)

Eric Bontrager, E&E Daily reporter

Critics of off-road vehicle use said yesterday that Congress must take a larger role in preventing destructive use that is threatening some of the West's most valuable natural resources.

While administration officials said they are working hard to keep public lands protected, witnesses told the House National Parks Subcommittee yesterday that federal land agencies' inability to enforce rules on ORV use was coming at a great cost.

Unmanaged ORV use can take a great toll on natural resources, destroying vegetation and disturbing wildlife. ORVs can threaten private, historical and cultural lands often without retribution because of overburdened land agencies that cannot manage the problem, critics say.

"Congress must step up to the plate," said Jack Gregory, a former Forest Service official and member of Rangers for Responsible Recreation. "The agencies have demonstrated time and time again their inability to address the problem."

Irresponsible use can also threaten public safety, Gregory added, citing a gathering of ORV enthusiasts at Little Sahara Recreation Area in Utah last Easter weekend that produced more than 37 injuries and more than 300 arrests and citations.

The Forest Service's fiscal 2009 budget proposal calls for a $17 million decrease for its law enforcement activities, further threatening the agency's ability to police ORV use. The Bureau of Land Management's resource protection and law enforcement budget faces a net decrease of $365 million in the president's budget.

Joel Holtrop, deputy chief of the National Forest System, said the explosive growth in ORV use in recent years has put a strain on land managers' ability to enforce proper use.

With 64 million acres of national forest open to vehicle use, Holtrop said the key is increased cooperation with local ORV groups so they understand the costs of irresponsible use.

"We believe most ORV users want to do the right thing," he said.

Russ Ehnes of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council said the BLM and the Forest Service management plans have shown how active management can be effective against abusive ORV use.

In San Bernardino National Forest, for example, the National Forest Association trains volunteers and organizes patrols to encourage ORV users to use designated routes in the forest so as to minimize their impact.

More from the "What we're up against" file.

KEY WITNESS AT OFF-ROAD CONGRESSIONAL HEARING PULLED — Deputy Sheriff Testimony Blocked as Anxiety Rises in Off-Roading Groups

Washington, DC — In a surprise last-minute move, a key witness will not deliver his testimony at the first congressional hearing on the threats to public safety posed by burgeoning off-road vehicle (ORV) damage to public lands. A deputy sheriff from New Mexico was slated to tell Congress about extensive damage caused by a growing “outlaw” element, according to testimony released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

Deputy Sheriff Alan Franzoy of Doña Ana County was not allowed to board a plane to attend today’s hearing before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, chaired by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ). His office offered no explanation for his abrupt withdrawal but off-road lobby groups have mounted a vigorous effort aimed at the first ever congressional oversight hearing on the topic, entitled “The Impacts of Unmanaged Off-Road Vehicles on Federal Land.”

In his un-delivered testimony, Deputy Franzoy, who is himself an ORV rider and instructor and chairs New Mexico’s Off-Highway Vehicle Safety Board, would have sounded this alarm:

“I’ve seen first hand that an outlaw contingent of ORV riders are destroying our land and endangering private property, livestock, wildlife, and other public land users.”

Doña Ana County covers an area nearly twice the size of Rhode Island and sits less than 50 miles from the Mexican border. In his testimony, Deputy Franzoy cited the use of ORVs “by illegal alien and drug smugglers to circumvent Border Patrol checkpoints…” His testimony details other dangers, including –

• “There is absolutely no protection of the remnants of our prehistoric settlers of the Rio Grande Valley” from the ravages of irresponsible off-roading;
• Huge assemblages of off-roaders in unofficial “party areas” which fuel “a variety of criminal activity beginning with underage drinking and drug abuse all the way to violent rapes and murders”; and
• Extensive damage to landscapes. “The scars of misuse will be visible until the end of time.”

“There is no real mystery why this voice was stilled,” commented PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, pointing to a history of intimidation and threats from the off-road community that has caused some agencies to cancel public hearings on ORV issues. “No citizen should ever be afraid to testify before the United States Congress.”

In one off-road lobby alert, the fact that “a sheriff from New Mexico” would testify was known even before the witness list was published. The Blue Ribbon Coalition message urges off-roaders to directly reach out because while their lobbyists “talk to the media often, it's just that most of them are biased against OHV [Off Highway Vehicles] users and rarely print what we say.”

More "get you ticked off" pages from the same site: Testimony

PEER is the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Yeah, it does seem sort of an oxymoron doesn't it? They work for us, paid by OUR tax dollars. Can they have their own personal thoughts and ideas? Of course. Should they be allowed to take those biases and use them to shape legislative processes or "bring them to work"? I don't think so. Something just gets me a bit ticked over it. I don't know.


I'm going to finish off with our need to become politically involved. I've already written on this, but its so important, I'm going to reiterate it as often as I can. When I say politically involved, I mean just being in touch with your legislators.
Let me give you some examples:

Here in CT, we have been working with CTU and OHM and ATV riders. Due to this, we have become more involved with our state forests and have met with several of our legislators. This allowed Aili to pose/answer questions at a legislative hearing that she wouldn't have been able to do normally. We have established new contacts with a couple of state forest unit managers. This all leads to more areas for us to play.

OMTA got their reciprocity bill passed, due to being politically involved.

NEA has developed a secure hold on getting 4x4 designations and changes to their OHV laws in New Hampshire, due to being politically involved.

The planner in Glans Falls has rec'd a whole bunch of emails requesting they include motorized use in the Waterfront Brownfield site planning, due to Steve showing up at a meeting/hearing and speaking.

We will NEED everyone to take a moment at some point and write a letter, email, make a phone call, etc. Know that in doing so, you will be assisting us to better our OHV options here in New England and association wide.

Thats all I can remember right now...

Talk soon,

ALERT!

I have two VERY important items that need to be addressed right off the bat.

The first is the "Waterfront Plan" for northeastern NY state.

Steve Alheim attended the meeting the other night and found out that several municipalities in his neck of the woods are producing a plan for the use of Brownfield sites. He also found out that no where in their plan did they mention motorized recreation. What better place for us to use than what everyone else doesn't want. Even the antis can't get too upset about us using previously contaminated earth.
He stood up and asked "what about us?" They didn't even realize that there was a need for us to have a place to recreate.
This is what we need:

Please, this needs to be done before Mar 21st. Send an email to the Waterfront Planner at

planner@queensbury.net

Put Waterfront Plan in the subject.

and this is what to say:

Please include motorized recreation in your planning, specifically full size 4x4 use of existing Brownfield sites.
For more information on Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) use, please contact East Coast 4 Wheel Drive Association at 1-800-ECST4WD or email to ec4wda@ec4wda.org.
Thank you for the opportunity to address my concerns.

Sincerely,


Of course, if you'd like to add to it a bit and make it your own, please feel free. This is what I wrote:

Hello, my name is David Brill. I represent nearly 5000 full size, registered, insured, 4WD vehicle enthusiasts from the northeast section of the country. I am from CT and and can speak for many of those 5000 when I say that if NY state offered legal off pavement roads/trails or in this case, an OHV park of some sort located on the Brownfield sites, we would travel there to enjoy them. We would also spend a good deal of money while visiting the wonderful state of NY. Please consider that in the small geographic area of New England, it is not uncommon for residents to travel from state to state to recreate.
Please include full size 4WD recreation in your plan.

If you have any questions, you can contact me directly as I am the Land Use Chairman for the East Coast 4WD Association. E4WBrill@aol.com, or 203-676-1286.

Thank you,

David Brill
Land Use Chair: East Coast 4WD Assoc.
V.Chair/Land Use Chr. Region D/Northeast of EC4WDA
President, Eastern 4 Wheelers
Tread Lightly! Master Trainer
Blue Ribbon Coalition
NAMRC
NOHVCC
SEMA/SAN
Guilford, CT

PLEASE DO THIS ASAP. Thank you!

NEXT ONE:

ATV Bill 5602

From Aili:

Here's this year's ATV bill:
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2008/TOB/H/2008HB-05602-R00-HB.htm
Read it over and then voice your opinions to your legislators. Calling is best, letters are second-best, either way, please do it.

Check http://www.cga.ct.gov/ to see who your legislators are.

If your legislators are not on the list, choose one in a district near you. Right now, only Environment Committee members need to be contacted. Other legislators can be contacted when the bill leaves committee.

Environment Committee Legislators:

119 - Roy, Richard Milford
S12 - Meyer, Edward Durham Branford No. Branford Guilford Killingworth Madison
117 - Davis, Paul Milford Orange West Haven
S28 - McKinney, John Easton Fairfield Newtown Weston
067 - Chapin, Clark J. New Milford
S21 - Debicella, Dan Monroe Seymour Shelton Stratford
S06 - DeFronzo, Donald J. New Britain Berlin Farmington
S18 - Maynard, Andrew M. Griswold No. Stonington Plainfield Preston Sterling Voluntown Stonington
121 - Backer, Terry Stratford
134 - Christiano, Tom F. Fairfield Trumbull
105 - Greene, Leonard C. Beacon Falls Seymour
127 - Hennessy, Jack F. Bridgeport
053 - Hurlburt, Bryan Ashford Tolland Willington
037 - Jutila, Ed East Lyme Salem
100 - Kalinowski, Raymond C. Middletown Middlefield Durham
097 - Megna, Robert W. New Haven
122 - Miller, Lawrence G. Shelton Stratford
066 - Miner, Craig A. Warren Morris Litchfield Bethlehem Woodbury
028 - Morin, Russell A. Wethersfield
040 - Moukawsher, Edward E. Groton New London
085 - Mushinsky, Mary M. Wallingford
032 - O'Rourke, James A. Cromwell Middletown Portland
113 - Perillo, Jason Shelton
137 - Perone, Chris Norwalk
076 - Piscopo, John E. Litchfield Thomaston Harwinton Burlington
036 - Spallone, James Field Chester Deep River Haddam
043 - Urban, Diana S. Stonington North Stonington
063 - Wilber, George M. Barkhamsted Canaan North Canaan Colebrook Hartland Norfolk Winchester
064 - Willis, Roberta B. Cornwall Goshen Salisbury Sharon Torrington
041 - Wright, Elissa T. Groton

Some towns have more than one House District. Senate Districts are larger and often more than one town.

If you are from CT, please find your Senator and email or call them.
If you are not, please contact Ed Meyer, he is the Committee Chair.

Put very simply:

I am your constituent, I support Bill 5602. I would ask that you support it as well. There is already a law for registering ATVs in CT. There is no need for verbiage in this bill to address registration.


Thank you,

(your name, address, etc)

If your senator/rep is not listed, please contact Senator Ed Meyer.

Dear Senator Meyer,

My senator/representative is not on the Environment Committee, however, I would like to voice my pinion on ATV Bil 5602. I support the bill. I feel that there is no need for registration to be attached to this bill as there already exists a law for ATV registration. My senator is_______ and my respresentative is_______.


Thank You,

(your name, address, etc)

If you are from out of state contact Senator Ed Meyer.

Dear Senator Meyer,
I am not a state of CT resident However, I would like to voice my opinion on the ATV Bill 5602. I support this bill and would travel to CT if there were lands/trails/roads available for OHV use. I would spend tourism dollars in CT while visiting.


Thank You,


(your name, address, etc)



WHAT ELSE:

Some more very cool news coming out of CT.
Upon contacting the forest ranger for a state forest in CT about doing a national Trails Day clean up of roads that are already used legally, I asked about some that have been closed for years but could they be accessed somehow, seeing as they aren't gated or signed.

His response caught me totally off guard. He owns a Jeep and wants to join a club and is totally into allowing us access. It would be via permission through him. I would act as the liaison and would forward dates to him for him to approve. The dates would have to be submitted about a month in advance. The forest is in northeast CT.
We already have a date scheduled for May 3rd, he will attend with us.




Trail and Road Scouting
This is going well. Several groups have gone out and are posting back their results. We have crossed off many roads but have one in southeastern CT that looks promising, so far.

NH Trails Bureau:
From Scott Hatch, NEA VP of Environmental Affairs

This was a very positive meeting and one that I feel very confident will have positive results. IMHO NH Trails Bureau is willing and eager to see 4x4s become the next official motorized recreational sport in NH. Below are the items we worked on and are to be submitted for the 2009 legislative session. All amendments are being made in cooperation and support of NH Trails Bureau and NH FIsh and Game.


I'm not going to reprint all that was discussed. It centered around changing verbiage and definitions to include full size 4x4s in their planning.
Some other important points that were hit on:

Development of a state-sponsored 4x4 trail network using Class VI Roads
Long term, first step will be sticker program, will need towns on board.

Site specific permitted access on Trails Bureau properties

Long term, after amendment to NH RSA 215A:43 IV. Also see rest of NH RSA 215A:43 as this is used for course and fine filters for trail development.

Trail marking "colors" for 4x4s

Item for agenda at next NH STAC, clarify what color ?blazes? are used for which user group

Training with NH Trails Bureau & EPA for submission of proper paperwork for trail and bridge work

Follow up with Vanessa Burnes at NH DES, can and will offer courses.

NEA inclusion on Trails Bureau website

New website in testing phase, new site will have NEA listed


Some NATIONAL NEWS:

Pirate to hold Virtual Rally to support The Hammer Trails in Southern Cali.

This is the official thread of the Johnson Valley "Virtual Protest" which will take place on March 12th @ 2:00PM.

The simple link to this thread is - http://www.pirate4x4.com/jv

This thread will be opened up at 2:00PM PST March 12. Mark your calendars, and let everyone you know to logon and participate in the biggest online protest in off roading history!!!

National Park System attendance rises in 2007

WASHINGTON – More than 275 million visits were recorded in America’s national park system in 2007, an increase of three million visits from the previous year.

“Despite rising gas prices and the lure of electronic entertainment, this is great news,” said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar. “With all the recreation choices available, national parks still draw more visits than Major League Baseball, the National Football League, professional basketball, soccer and NASCAR combined.” Bomar credited growing interest in the National Park Service Centennial as a big reason for the upswing in the number of visits to America’s national parks and monuments, national recreation areas and battlefields, national wild and scenic rivers and national seashores – 20 different park categories in all.

If you'd like to read the rest of the article, please email me and I'll send it to you.


Weather Channel Founder Blasts Network; Claims It Is 'Telling Us What to Think'
TWC founder and global warming skeptic advocates suing Al Gore to expose 'the fraud of global warming.'

For the whole article, go HERE


Thats a whole lot digest to this week.

There is more I could post on but most of you didn't get this far.

Talk soon,

Still Winter

Yes, its still winter.

The season is nearly upon us however. Is your truck ready?

Are YOU ready?

Its my weekly time to ramble on about Land Use. Every week I think.. "what the heck am I going to say this week?" and yet, I end up with something.

"Ya gotta work to play" as the saying goes. Steve spoke a bit about Volunteers in his blog this week, I'd like to touch on the same for a bit before I hit on news items. In our sport of choice, 4 Wheeling, we have special circumstances unlike many other recreationists out there.

If you fish, for instance, you simply take your poles, bait and possibly boat down to your favorite hole and cast away. Sure, you have to purchase a license but when was the last time you heard of fishermen in a battle with anti's over where they fish? Yeah, they do happen, but MOST fisherman don't worry about them or are even aware of them.

What about golf? Take your clubs, head on out to the course and swing away. Membership dues, greens fees, etc. When was the last time you heard of golfers rising up and protesting on the steps of their congressmen over unfair home-course rules and regs?

In both of those, however, in order to do either, you DO need money. We often get money by working.

Now, how about 4 wheeling? Well, yes, of course we need money.. probably more than many other recreations.
Here's the BIG difference. Our choice of recreational pastime is under constant attack from those who simply feel we should not be in the woods.

Below is an excerpt from a recent article:

The Moronic Sport

ORVs on Public Land

By GEORGE WUERTHNER

I do not accept the premise that abuse of our lands is something that we must tolerate as inevitable. It is our land. It is our children's land, and their children's land. We have a responsibility to pass these lands on to the next generation in better condition than we found them. And we have a collective responsibility to protect our national heritage against the thrillcraft menace.

You hear a lot about "responsible" ORV use and "a few bad apples" from thrillcraft promoters themselves, as well as some government bureaucrats. But these are misleading terms to say the least. What is responsible about tearing up the land? It's like suggesting we ought to promote "responsible wife abuse" or "responsible child abuse." There is no level of violence to our lands that is acceptable. Working with agencies to create designated routes or play areas is just helping to legalize public vandalism. There is no way to use these machines in a responsible manner except to leave them parked in a driveway.

The rest of the article is here: http://www.counterpunch.org/wuerthner01242008.html

That is what we are up against. Have you ever seen an article like that printed about snorkeling or mountain climbing? They only get published with RE to motorized recreation.

We need to work a lot more for what we enjoy then other recreationists.
What does that work entail?

VOLUNTEERING

Whether its VOLUNTEERING to write letters to your congresscritters or attending a hearing on a particular bill. Whether its VOLUNTEERING to help with a clean up or organize a food or toy drive.
Maybe its just VOLUNTEERING to help out on the club level with a BOD position. Helping to layout a flier or passing on a contact for private land.
To coin some ideas from Steve, We all need to shop at the store but what we buy may be totally different each other. We all need to volunteer in order for our sport to survive. Some may be able to help once a year or once every two.. some can work something in every weekend. Whatever your skill, your schedule, etc, we have something you can do to help us all be able to keep wheeling. As Steve mentioned, often, we have to ask instead of hoping people will come to us and offer.. so consider this the question. What can you do to help us all keep wheeling?

News Items:

CT BILL
A bill has been introduced into the CT GA, although right now its in committee. This bill will put a timeline on the state of CT designating land for OHV use.
Aili was a major part of this initiative. She pretty much co-authored the bill. She even attended the hearing just the other day.
It WILL get extreme opposition because of those who feel like the article above.
We will NEED to let our legislators know how we feel EN MAS to make this happen.
As soon as I have the pertinent info, I will forward on to everyone. Be ready!

Some legislative Quick Hits from SEMA.

Associationwide:
New Jersey Historic Vehicles: Hobby-friendly legislation that would amend the state’s current law governing historic motor vehicles to permit their use for pleasure driving one day per week has been introduced in the New Jersey State Assembly. Under current New Jersey law, use of historic vehicles is strictly limited to exhibitions and educational purposes by the owner.

Pennsylvania “Show Car”: A version of SEMA-model legislation to create a vehicle registration classification for “show cars” and provide for special license plates for these vehicles was introduced and referred to the Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee for consideration. The bill would permit show cars to be driven up to 5,000 miles per year and would exempt them from the state’s new enhanced vehicle inspection program.

Vermont Scrappage Program: A SAN-opposed bill has been introduced in the Vermont State Senate that would implement a vehicle scrappage program and finance it with a progressive purchase and use tax and higher registration fees for some new motor vehicles based on fuel-efficiency ratings. Funds collected under the program would be used to dismantle vehicles deemed by the state to be “clunkers,” regardless of their historical value or collector interest. If this effort is successful, purchasing the vehicle of your choice could be significantly more costly. Further, this proposed scrappage program could deny hobbyists the availability of vintage cars and parts for restoration projects.

West Virginia Inoperable Vehicles: For the third time, a bill has been introduced in the West Virginia State Legislature that would further restrict the ability of West Virginia vehicle hobbyists from maintaining inoperable vehicles on private property. The SAN-opposed measure would redefine “abandoned motor vehicles” to include vehicles or vehicle parts which are either unlicensed or inoperable, or both, are not in an enclosed building and have remained on private property for more than 30 days. Under current law, the abandoned vehicle law applies primarily to vehicles on public property. The bill would make a violation a misdemeanor offense punishable by substantial fines, community service and jail.

New Jersey AB 1905: Creates a 50% tax credit for the purchase of a diesel-engine conversion device that allows the vehicle to be powered on fuel other than diesel fuel.

New York AB 9877: Prohibits the sale and use of any product that alerts drivers of photo enforcement equipment.

________________________________

Our scouting of old, discontinued, unimproved town roads is moving ahead. We are working on other parcels as well. If you'd like to be involved with these, please visit the EC4WDA Forum and head over to the Northeast Region D area.

Think thats all folks.... for another week...

Talk soon,