Slowin Down

Despite the fact that I haven't been able to sit and actually write something in about two weeks, there isn't a whole lot of stuff taking place.

I've been out wheeling a couple of times and hiking in northern VT. Tis the season.. when most weekends I'll be gone, which means that getting my blog out will be hit or miss in terms of schedule.

So... what DO we have happening?

Regional:

The road/trail known as Undisclosed is in the news. Previously thought to be closed, it took awhile for anyone who really knew the area to get in and check out the situation. A few weeks ago, I was able to get up there and do some scouting. The only signage were two signs. One read," Road Closed, Pass at own risk". The other: "OHV/ATV prohibited from roads. " There were two symbols, one of a bike and one of a quad with the typical "NO" symbols over them.
Seeing as we drive registered and insured, passenger vehicles, we ARE allowed on the roads within a state forest.
Undisclosed is OPEN.

Old Chester
OCR, in western MA was the center of some concern recently. A landowner at the end of the road emailed Steve Alhiem to complain that a "Jeep club" (which he named) had trespassed across his land. The landowner has signs up and his phone number is rather easy to read. He has asked that if any club needs to cross his land that they contact him. Technically the road does legally cross his property. However, in the past, we had always turned around before reaching that point so as to not disturb the elderly couple that lived in the house at the end. This will continue to be the case,as the new landowner has kids and pets. We will install an unlocked chain gate just past the point where we have always turned around along with a sturdy sign with the landowner's name and number. So, things have not changed, just please, if one needs to cross the property, please contact the owner via the numbers listed on the signs present.



In CT, our ATV bill has made it through the Environment Committee, the Finance Committee and is now in Transportation. It seems as though there was some language that was attempted at being added that was credited to a representative who did NOT add the language. He is making sure the language will not be added. There is still the matter of universal registration. If that language ends up in the bill, we will be forced to kill it.
Still, we'd like everyone to write their senators/reps and tell them to support bill# 5602
Find your congresscritters at: http://www.cga.ct.gov/


SIGNING

We have begun posting signs on the town and state forest roads on which we travel. So far, we have signed Pain Hill/Bear Den Rds , Tunnel Rd, Old Dodge Rd. and Old Florida Rd. There are several different signs available. Large yellow ones that read: "Stay on the Trail or Stay Home" These have the NEA and EC4WDA logo/web addies on them as well. We also have red one that read: "Respect Landowner Stay on Trail" There are also white arrow signs available. These were handed out at the most recent EC4WDA Northeast Region D meeting.





Recreation on private land in the Northern Forest region of New England.

Several months ago, many of us rec'd and filled out a survey RE recreation on private lands in the Northern Forest regions of Vermont, NH and NY.
The stats were published a couple of months ago. They have been holding round-table discussions and the next one is in VT, May 8th.
You can see all of the above, plus some by visiting their site : http://www.privatelandaccess.org.
If you able to attend, please let me know.


OHIO/OMTA

Here is the most recent news from Bill Keappner.

OHIO MOTORIZED TRAILS TODAY

This has been a busy year for OMTA and off pavement recreation. OMTA scans the “legal sections” of 6 southern Ohio newspapers. We put out the alert last month when Vinton County posted vacating notices for 3 roads we use. OMTA was the only motorized organization or club to show up. No organization except OMTA testified for our use at the Vinton County Commissioner hearing April 23rd.

The parts of the property that are “not the road” will be closed off by what ever way the owner can. If you ride the area be aware. Trespassing will not be tolerated! I would not be surprised to see some private security in the area. Anyone trespassing will be dealt with to the limits of the law to set an example.

As of April 23 commissioners’ hearing the roads are still open. There is a follow up commissioner meeting April 28th. Check www.ohiotrails.org for status before you ride the Richland Furnace area.

Legislative issues

“Reciprocity” OMTA with the help of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources had language added to a bill to restore reciprocity. The bill has passed and has been signed by Governor Ted Strickland. Your ATV “tag” will soon be honored by states with like registration. Pennsylvania is an example where it will be honored.

Remember when we told you the Farm Bureau and the Railroad Association sought to have a law to mandate registration and allow confiscation of all off road vehicles. OMTA headed that off. OMTA with co-operation from the Ohio Snowmobile Association are working on model legislation. It is in legislative services now. Legislative service takes the bill and turns it into “Legal Speak”. The new bill will give us control of our tag money. Increase the tag fee return from $1 a year to $10. Provide for safety training. The bill will rework the temporary registration process. It will allow corridor leasing. Corridor leasing would allow leasing a “trail” from private land owners to create destination trail systems. Michigan “CCC” trails are an example of a destination trail system.

Are you a grant writer? We are actively looking for grant writers. We could have a lot more opportunity to ride. If you have a talent OMTA can use it for the sport please help.

From legislation to advocacy to protecting our members from unjust law enforcement, OMTA is working for off pavement recreation everyday! There is NO OTHER organization in Ohio that is working for wheeled recreation in Ohio. There is no other organization working on legislation for wheeled recreation. Only OMTA members showed up for the Vinton County hearing.

Get involved, join OMTA as a club and as an individual, help our legal defense fund. The suit now open has cost $5000 so far and will cost at least $6000 more. If we have to appeal in the Richland Furnace area it will cost too. If you want to keep our X roads you have to be involved. If you do not care about them then who will?

OMTA is building a state wide member club association to provide state wide riding opportunities for all members. E-mail Matt Mesarchik OMTA’s Club Chairman at Muddyrabbit @ RideTheRed.net

Bill Kaeppner

OMTA

NATIONAL ISSUES


Pirate 4x4 takes aim at the Tellico issues. Online Rally Planned
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=676594

House clears wilderness bills, Earth Day resolutions (04/23/2008)

Eric Bontrager, E&E Daily reporter

The House passed four land-use bills yesterday, including two to designate wilderness areas in Oregon and West Virginia, along with three resolutions in honor of Earth Day.

H.R. 5151, from Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), would add about 37,000 acres of wilderness West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest through expansions of the Dolly Sods, Cranberry and Otter Creek wilderness areas as well as protecting three new wilderness areas across the forest.

The bill cleared the House 368-17.

H.R. 831, from Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), would transfer 12 acres of Tongass National Forest land that sits within the city of Coffman Cove, Alaska. The land, once used as an administrative site by the Forest Service, now lies vacant and adjacent to a parcel of land planned for a new ferry terminal.

Young's bill passed 382-0.

By voice vote, the House approved Rep. Peter DeFazio's (D-Ore.) H.R. 3513, which would protect about 13,700 acres of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, in an effort to protect the watershed for rivers used by coastal salmon and steelhead. It also designates 10.8 miles of rives as wild and scenic.

H.R. 3734, which would rename the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho as the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, was also approved by voice vote.

Earth Day bills

The House also cleared three resolutions in celebration of Earth Day.

H.Res. 1117, authored by Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), declares the support of the House for the goals and ideals of Earth Day and the technology needed to achieve it. It encouraged the Energy Department to increase its efforts on developing renewable energy and energy conservation technologies.

H.Res. 1112, introduced by Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), recognized the International Year of the Coral Reef and the work of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to preserve coral reefs around the world.

H.Res. 891, sponsored by Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), celebrates 35 years of space-based observations of the Earth by the Landsat spacecraft that have helped further the study of climate change.

Lastly, an article from Del Albright:

The “Collaborative Process” for Access Issues

Do we need more group hugs, and will they solve anything?

Or will motorheads be having espresso with the enemy? –

By Del Albright, BlueRibbon Ambassador

Collaboration (the collaborative process) is getting more and more popular with government agencies stuck with tough political decisions involving public lands. Rather than unnecessarily ending up in court, or wading through countless repetitive hours of NEPA meetings, the collaborative process seeks to find cooperation where competition has previously existed.

We should be fully prepared when our chance comes to participate in the collaborative process. But here are some things to consider carefully before you invest your time.

Read and download article here (Word or Adobe .pdf):

http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/collaboration.html

2 Weeks... well, maybe 3

Its been three weeks since the last blog. I have been very busy at work and haven't been able to get on this confounded machine as often as I usually am. As I mentioned last time we met, once the season really kicks in, I may even be harder pressed to get these out every week. I will try my damnedest to make them happen though.

Several of things right off the top of the bat:
CFPA ANNUAL TRAIL MAINTAINER WORKSHOP, April 26th, 2008
Coy Hill Rd Clean up: May 10th
Land Use Seminar, Cape Cod Jeep Club, May 17th.
National Trails Day Clean Up, Nipmuck State Forest CT. Sat. June 7th.

Trail Maintainer Workshop

Join Connecticut Forest & Park Association at our annual trail maintainer spring workshop. The date for the workshop will be Saturday, April 26, 2008 and it will be held in Chester, CT on the Cockaponset State Forest property. Learn the basics of trail design and maintenance of pedestrian/hiking trails while working side-by-side with seasoned trail volunteers. Projects will include bridge building, water bar construction, side-hilling, brushing, blazing and safe tool usage. Construction of handicap access trails will be included this year.

Everyone is welcome. Meet at 8:30 am at Cockaponset State Forest. From Route 9 take exit 6 and head west on Route 148. Turn right on Cedar Lake Road. At 1.7 miles turn left to sign for Pattaconk Reservoir Parking. Bring water, lunch, work gloves and dress appropriately for outdoor work. Tools will be provided. Rain date is Sunday, April 27. To register, or for further information contact workshop leader George Arthur by calling 860-871-0137 or email trailsarthur2@comcast.net. Or call CFPA at 860-346-2372 or email info@ctwoodlands.org.

COY HILL Clean Up:

Saturday, May 10th.
Info as per Joe Ostrenga, Team Leader for the Friends of Coy Hill:
Ok everyone! The time you were waiting for has arrived. We are putting together a clean up day in the Coy Hill area on May 10th, 2008. The maintenance portion will be scheduled at a later date due to environmental concerns. Details are still being worked out, but we will need shovels, hoes, rakes, gloves, and plenty of manpower to help pick up trash. If you have a camera, bring that too, as this is our chance to show the towns we are the good guys and want to make things right. We also anticipate media coverage. The meeting time will be 9am and the meeting place is TBD until we finalize details with the dumpster/transfer location. Also, we will need trucks and vehicles with trailers for rubbish removal, but I would like to try and keep vehicle impact on the roads to a minimum and carpool where we can (The dumpster location will hopefully have plenty of room for this).

In order to keep this as coordinated as possible, please reply to Zaedock@msn.com with the following info:


Name

Club

Vehicle type (Jeep, truck, etc.)

Trailer Y/N

Number of open seats



With this list, I will be able to assign cleanup teams. Trouble areas will be identified soon and maps will be assigned to every group.
Thank you all for your patience this past winter. It is greatly appreciated. I hope that we can make a difference in this troubled area.



Take care,
Joe


Joe Ostrenga
Team Leader
Friends Of Coy Hill



Baystate Jeepers Inc.
North East Jeep Organization, Inc.
North East Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs.



Land Use Seminar May 17th.
Hosted by Cape Cod Jeep Club.

This was originally planned as an event for Cape Cod Jeep club, however, they have chosen to open it up for any EC4WDA member.

Cost is $25 per person.

Here is the info from the CCJC site.

The CCJC has the pleasure of introducing Dave Brill from EC4WDA. Dave is extremely active in the ORV world his resume speaks for itself.....

Land Use Chair, EC4WDA
VP and LU Chair Region D Northeast, EC4WDA
Pres. Eastern 4 Wheelers
Blue Ribbon Coalition NLUAC Northeast Rep.
SEMA/SAN State action leader
CTU/COALT
NOHVCC
Tread Lightly! Trainer
North American Motorized Recreation Council BOD

He has agreed to put on a "Land Use Seminar" for us and the community. This is a great event that you should attend to get the feel of the region in regards to our beloved sport.

Date and Information:

May 17th

Mass Maritime Academy, Nantucket room (Bay State Conference Center)

10am Seminar Start

Coffee, Pastry, Fruit Starting 9am

Ending around 2pm

If we take a lunch break around 11:30 or 12

Brunch can be purchased from Chartwells (our sponsor) for $6.00. Brown bagging is ok to....

Please RSVP to Dan Stepnick and to make arrangements for payment at

danstep@capecodjeepclub.org


National Trails Day Clean Up, Saturday, June 7th

This is still in the planning stages but is a definite go.
We will be cleaning up the Pain Hill and Bear Den Rd sections and the new/old Breakneck section.
There are two vehicles that will need to be removed plus other sundry debris and garbage.
I am working with the Unit Manager to finalize where we'll meet, where we'll put the garbage, etc.


Local stuff:

The scouting is still going well. Members from ADK Jeeps have now stepped to the fore to help with some western MA and NY roads.
We will also be setting some dates to get onto pieces of private but open to the public lands to do some work. Keep your eyes peeled for more info on that as it happens.

During our (Eastern 4 Wheelers) club ride this weekend at Pain Hill, we hung signs at all the trouble spots, directing people to Stay on the Trail, Respect the Landowners and the arrow signs. I have had requests for these signs. I will have them for distribution at the Northeast Region D Mtg coming up within a couple of weeks, April 20th, GolfQuest, Brookfield, CT.


ATV BILL

The changes have been posted and include universal registration. This is bad because universal registration for ALL ATVs means that if you never plan on taking your snowplow ATV on state land, you'll still need to register it. Like registering your John Deer Lawn tractor.
Also, it will give law enforcement the ability to simply write citations for even having an unregistered ATV in the back of your truck or on a trailer.

The bill has now moved to the Transportation Committee. We are attempting to get the wording changed there to avoid the UR deal.

More word as it comes out. We may need to work quickly and en mas to either kill it if they refuse to work the wording or to make sure it passes if they do reword.


NATIONAL NEWS:

SUWA (Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance) BOD members convicted of stock swindling.

Federal authorities have said that the group, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, commonly called SUWA, was not involved in the cases, which led to the convictions of its treasurer, Mark Ristow, and another board member, Bert Fingerhut, who was once SUWA’s chairman. Each man pleaded guilty last year to using stock conversion schemes to swindle banks across the country of a total of more than $15 million.

But a letter signed by 45 Utah state legislators, most of them Republicans, asked SUWA to disclose details of its finances, meeting-minutes correspondence and other transactions involving Mr. Fingerhut and Mr. Ristow or occurring during the period of their criminal activities.

To read the entire article: New York Times

The questions raised by the UT legislators of course include how the stolen money was used. Was it used to support any SUWA actions? Was any SUWA money used in the conversion schemes?

To read the letter sent to SUWA from the UT legislators: LETTER

Hopefully, others will catch word of this have the cohenes to publish it and keep up on it and let JQ Public know that these mega greenie, ant access groups are BIG money and just maybe some of their money has come from not so kosher means.

PUBLIC LANDS: Many proposals, one roadblock face Senate land-use package (04/03/2008)

Eric Bontrager, E&E Daily reporter

In terms of controversy, most public lands bills don't make a big splash.

Proposals for a new wilderness area, authorizing conservation studies and approving small land transfers make up a large portion of the bills that pass through the Senate every year, most going unnoticed to all but a few.

But dozens of such proposals cleared by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during the 110th Congress have found themselves in a holding pattern for months, sidelined time and time again by other bills that required the Senate's more immediate attention.

Senate leaders have made several failed attempts to bring the proposals, consolidated into a single bill, to the floor, and each time the package is growing larger and larger as more public lands proposals are added.

The latest package, S. 2739, which combines 62 smaller bills, is tentatively scheduled to be considered after the Senate finishes consideration of housing legislation.

Included in the bill are dozens of proposals for new heritage areas, water projects, National Park Service authorizations and wilderness designations.

"It's kind of a virtual kaleidoscope of proposals aimed at protecting and preserving our public lands," said Leslie Jones of the Wilderness Society.

Wild Sky and other designations

Among the most noteworthy of former bills now part of the public lands bundle is a proposal to create the Wild Sky Wilderness area in Washington state. The bill designates approximately 106,000 acres of low-elevation, old-growth forest in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest as wilderness, one of the highest levels of protection Congress can bestow to public lands.

When the House passed the bill last year, it came as a victory for Wild Sky sponsor Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and environmentalists, who for more than six years could not convince the GOP-controlled House to approve the measure.

The Senate approved the measure in three previous sessions of Congress, but the bill never got past former House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.). Pombo argued that about 13,000 acres did not meet the requirements of the 1964 Wilderness Act and should be removed from the final bill.

While Wild Sky is the only wilderness designation, the package contains more than a dozen National Park Service proposals. Most are minor housekeeping bills that propose boundary adjustments or a couple extra acres of land for a national park, but some proposals call for new historical areas, monuments and museums across the country.

Most of these proposals were generally well-received, with the Bush administration supporting, among others, a study of extending the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail to include additional sites associated with the preparation and return phases of the expedition.

The administration also supports a study on whether to establish memorials at areas in Texas where large remains of the space shuttle Columbia landed after it disintegrated during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003, and another study on sites in Arizona, California and other states that are significant to the life of Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement.

But support for the assorted national proposals is not universal. In fact, administration officials told the Senate Energy Committee that they could not back many of the bills, including a proposal to designate the Wolf House -- the oldest public structure in Arkansas -- as a unit of the National Park System and name the library at Ellis Island after Bob Hope.

Heritage areas and water projects

The Bush administration has also been lukewarm on the designation of new heritage areas. The package includes three new heritage area proposals, considered by some to be a public-lands equivalent of pork lawmakers can bring home to their constituents, as well as a feasibility study on designating another heritage area along the coastal areas of Oregon.

National heritage areas are locations "where natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography," according to the National Park Service, which helps oversee the program. There are currently 37 national heritage areas or corridors, including the entire state of Tennessee.

The administration has urged lawmakers to hold off on any new heritage areas until they create a legislative framework to organize and manage the heritage area system before approving new sites, but it has not stopped lawmakers in either the House or Senate to propose new areas.

Heritage areas in the Senate package include the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania; the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area in New York; and the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area in Illinois. All three proposals were cleared by the House last October.

The package also includes multiple water-related proposals, including one for the management of the Platte River that would authorize the Interior Department to resolve disputes over the recovery of several endangered species -- the whooping crane, interior least tern, piping plover and pallid sturgeon -- and still allow irrigators to use the river.

The effort, first offered by Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), is expected to cost about $317 million over 13 years. Interior would pick up half the tab, while the states would pay the rest. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) offered a companion measure that includes $157 million to carry out the Platte River recovery plan.

LEGISLATIVE QUICK HITS from SEMA

Sticker Shock!
Proposals Seek to Add Additional Taxes and Fees on the Purchase/Use of Trucks and SUVs

With gas prices on the rise, the last thing consumers want is additional fees for purchasing and operating a vehicle that meets their needs. However, some lawmakers are seeking to penalize consumers for purchasing and driving trucks, SUVs and other vehicles through increased taxes or surcharges.

This has become an ongoing trend as legislators in Hawaii, New York and Vermont are considering proposals that would limit consumer choice by making popular performance and luxury cars, as well as SUVs, light trucks and minivans, substantially more expensive to own and operate. California and Washington are among the states that have recently rejected these “gas guzzler” bills, based on high constituent opposition. The SAN continues to educate lawmakers that additional taxes unfairly threaten consumer safety, choice and jobs, and that a new federal energy law will provide market-based solutions.

“For the most part, these bills will restrict ownership of larger cars and trucks to the wealthy who can afford to pay the surcharge,” said Steve McDonald, SEMA vice president of government affairs. “The legislation targets lower- and middle-class individuals who need and depend on these vehicles to transport their family, operate their small business or participate in recreational activities.”

In presenting that message, enthusiasts in Washington state were successful in defeating two bills that sought to tax vehicle owners in an attempt to reduce motor-vehicle emissions. The first bill would have established two separate progressive fees for state motor vehicles based on (1) engine size and (2) calculations of carbon emissions. These fees would have been collected by the state at the time of initial vehicle registration and at subsequent renewals of registration. The second bill sought to establish a progressive annual excise tax for all passenger motor vehicles based on the EPA’s fuel-economy ratings. This tax could have required some vehicle owners to pay up to $240 each year.

In response to constituent correspondence, the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee indicated concerns with the proposals and that the hearings would not be scheduled on the bills.

To provide a comprehensive approach on fuel consumption and climate change, the SAN supported landmark federal legislation in 2007 raising the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars and light trucks by 40%, to an industry average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The SAN worked with the automakers and other industry associations as part of the CAFE Coalition to help negotiate a compromise approach that would allow carmakers to reach a fair and attainable standard. The law spurs new technology while providing time to apply such breakthroughs to mass production. This approach should ensure against unnecessary disruption to the marketplace, businesses and workers. Unlike the state laws under consideration, the new federal law preserves the ability of the consumer—whether a small-business owner or the parent of a growing family—the option afforded by pickups, minivans and SUVs available for cargo room, performance, towing and hauling capacity. The new law will also significantly reduce carbon-dioxide emissions since CO2 is a byproduct of burned fossil fuel. Finally, the federal approach provides a national solution, as opposed to a potential patchwork of state rules.

For more information on this position or other legislative issues, visit the SEMA Action Network website at www.semasan.com.

Caucus Corner

Dear SAN Members:

As chairman of the State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus, I wish to extend my thanks for your continued efforts on behalf of the motor-vehicle hobby. Since assuming the chairmanship a year ago, I have made it my number-one priority to expand the Caucus so that together we can ensure that this hobby is protected for years to come.

As you are aware, the Caucus is a non-partisan group of state legislators whose common thread is simply a love and appreciation for automobiles (from pre-World War II classics to street rods to ’60s-era musclecars to late-model imports and everything in between).

Through the combined recruiting efforts of my fellow Caucus members and enthusiasts like you, the Caucus now has members in all 50 states and more than 240 members nationwide. I am gratified that our coalition of state lawmakers continues to raise the motor-vehicle hobby’s profile in the state legislatures and in the public’s eyes.

While I am extremely pleased at how the membership numbers have increased, our work is far from done. By this letter, I am asking your help in educating your state legislators about the benefits of Caucus membership and encouraging participation by your lawmakers.
There is no specific obligation in joining the Caucus. New members must only agree to list their names among other state legislators around the country who have also agreed to associate themselves with this great American hobby.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,
New York Assemblyman Bill Reilich
Chairman, State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus
New York State Assembly (134th Assembly District)

New York SB 6934: Amends traffic laws to prohibit the use of any device created to block either a radar or laser use by police officers.

Rhode Island HB 7621: Modifies the salvage vehicle code so all salvage vehicles receive the same title. Also changes existing law so that salvage vehicles that can only be used for parts will have “for salvage parts only” stamped on the title.

To comment to your legislators go to www.CONGRESS.org and simply type in your zip code.

You'll be told who your legislators are. Click send an email and then type up a quick note, telling them whether you agree or disagree with these bills. Let them know you are their constituent.

Yeah, I know a lot to digest this week. Mostly due to the fact I haven't published a blog since March 16th. 3 full weeks.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at:

E4WBrill@aol.com