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Important Info.
We feel that some articles and information are so important that they should always be accessible. We've listed them below and hope that everyone will read them.

Tellico ORV Area Under Attack

MOAB Under Attack!

US Forest Service Abusing programs and we're losing land use!

Editorial Article about the misuse of Recreation Site Facility Master Planning (RSFMP) program

National Forests Could See Large Closures - enough said!

California OHV Funding At Risk!

Informative Article About The US Government and the Recreation Site Facility Master Plan (RSFMP) program. - a must read!

Articles of Interest To The Off Road Community

November 20, 2007
MOAB Travel Plan Comment Period Deadline is November 30th!
There are exactly 10 days left to comment on the Moab Travel Plan! Get involved and make your voices heard. We have been told through various sources that there will be no extension of the comment period for this plan. to read this alert and begin today to write your comment letter. The environmentalists are out in full force on this one.

These jackals are trying to take the majority of this wheeling Mecca away from us! The plan that is adopted will be a far-reaching set of regulations that will profoundly affect this area for off-roaders for decades. The BLM is asking for public comment on the four alternatives until Nov. 30, and they say they are encouraging all offroaders to study it and voice their opinions.

They' have actually drawn up 4 different proposals for the appearance sake of supposedly being fair and reasonable to all involved. Well, let me tell you that just isn't the case!

The alternatives are:

  • Alternative A:- Keeps the OHV trail system the same. 5,062 acres closed to motorized vehicles, 1,196,920 acres with limited motorized access, 4,673 miles of designated trails, and 620,212 acres with open motorized travel.
  • Alternative B: 347,424 acres closed to motorized vehicles, 1,475,074 acres with limited motorized access, 2,144 miles of designated trails, and 0 acres with open motorized travel.
  • Alternative C: 339,928 acres closed to motorized vehicles, 1,481,334 acres with limited motorized access, 2,519 miles of designated trails, and 1,866 acres with open motorized travel.
  • Alternative D: 57,351 acres closed to motorized vehicles, 1,762,083 acres with limited motorized access, 2,671 miles of designated trails, and 3,064 acres with open motorized travel.

The US Forest Service is proposing Alternative C where we will lose over 2,100 miles of designated trails and 618,000 acres of open motorized use! None of the three new proposals seem reasonable to us! Its ridiculous. You can't let us keep all of the designated trails when you are virtually taking all open motorized areas? You can read the full screw-job, I mean MOAB travel management plan here.

You can send your comments concerning your outrage over the proposed changes by snail mail to :

BLM Moab Field Office
82 East Dogwood
Moab, UT 84532

or call 435-259-2100.

or Submit Your Comments Electronically

Please send your comments and get involved so we can save as much of this historical wheeling place as possible!

Kisatchie National Forest (LA) Eleminates Cross Country Travel by OHVs
The Kisatchie National Forest has finalized their decision to restrict motorized travel to designated routes.Anyone leaving a designated road or trail and traveling cross-country by motor vehicle will be in violation of national forest regulations, and will be fined. The decision will not be enforced until motorized vehicle use maps are available.This decision eliminates cross-country travel by ATVs and OHVs. In this decision we off roaders have lost hundreds of miles of trails once again!

Willamette National Forest Tail Public Comment Period Closes November 25th
Get your opinion in now. The deadline for public comment on the Willamette National Forest’s study to identify roads, trails, and other areas that will remain open to motorized use, was extended to November 25th. The review involves three phases which are 1)an inventory of the roads, trails and areas the public currently uses, 2)an environmental assessment and decision (this means we get shafted!), and 3)implementation (when the shafting takes place). As part of the first phase, the Willamette Forest staffers are in the process of inventorying known motorized routes, areas and motorized vehicle access routes to undeveloped campsites. To help in that review, the public is being asked to help identify their most frequently visited OHV and motor vehicle travel routes and recreation spots. According to Judy McHugh, Willamette Public Affairs Officer, “Those comments will help the Forest determine where OHV use is occurring and how recreation sites are accessed.” Yeah right. That is why we are always listened to in every other of these comment periods for other Forests! (Note ton of sarcasm). In spite of this, we still believe that we need to make our voices heard during this farce open comment periods.

The maps detailing the current status of the transportation system are on display in Willamette National Forest offices located in Eugene, McKenzie River, Detroit, Sweet Home, and Westfir. They are accessible during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A comment form is available on the web at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/manage/travel-mgmt/comment-wil01-form.html . According to the U.S. Forest Service at Williamette, the maps are too large to effectively post on the web (even though other Forests's maps were posted and readable on the Web). According to the Forest Service, people who are unable to come in during business hours can call the Ryan Brown at 541-782-5211 (and do what? We have no idea).

According to Doris Tai, Forest Recreation Officer, “Our goal is to provide motorized opportunities that match our visitor use....so public feedback is important. At the same time, we need to also consider public safety, resource protection and maintenance costs.” So lets pound them with our opinions on this!

Polaris Leads The Way With It's T.R.A.I.L. Program
Polaris Industries has recently announced the completion of its second year of T.R.A.I.L.S. grants. In two years, the Polaris T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Program has granted $591,657 in funds to local, state and National ATV Clubs. This is a fantastic program and is a model for all ATV manufacturers and supplers to emulate. All companies that make a living off of these trails should have a similar program to support the sport.

In this latets round of giving Polaris granted $91,199 to 10 groups in 7 states. Polaris reports that it has assisted 69 ATV organizations in 37 states across the U.S. The first of its kind in the ATV industry, the 'T.R.A.I.L.S.' grant program was launched in January 2006 for ATV clubs, associations and grassroots groups. The T.R.A.I.L.S. program makes funds available to not-for-profit national, state and local organizations in the United States to ensure the future of ATV riding. T.R.A.I.L.S. stands for:

  • T = Trail Development
  • R = Responsible Riding
  • A = Access
  • I = Initiatives
  • L = Lobbying
  • S = Safety

The grant program has s two main objectives - promoting safe and responsible riding, and preserving access. Funds can be used by organizations for trail development and maintenance projects, safety and education initiatives, lobbying and other projects to increase and maintain land access. The recent grants ranged from $5,000 to the maximum $10,000 and will be applied toward trail developments, expansions, improvements and connections, youth safety courses, trail patrols, lobbying efforts to re-open state forests for ORV use, and support the first Sand Park to open in the U.S. in 50 years.

For more information on the 'T.R.A.I.L.S.' grant program and an application form, visit the Polaris Web site at www.polarisindustries.com and click on "Riders," then select "Right to Ride."

Kudos and Thak You to Polaris for this wonderful program!

Children Injured by ATVs is at an All-Time High (in PA)
Title of this article says it all! According to the article "With two months left in the year, more children have been admitted to the hospital for medical care this year than ever before because of injuries caused by all-terrain vehicles, ATVs according to a recent press release from the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. With the holidays approaching, many people unwittingly get an ATV as a present for a loved one, without realizing the dangers that ATVs present. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said that Pennsylvania has the second highest number of deaths caused by ATVs in the nation. From 1982 - 1999, 214 people died as a result of injuries caused by an ATV accident. Across the United States, it is estimated that 65,000 injuries and 250 deaths are caused by ATVs. Nearly half, 40 percent, of these injuries and deaths happen to children who are younger than 16 years old."

Folks we can fix this ourselves by monitoring our kids and protecting them better or the legislators will pass a ton of laws that we don't want or need to try to get the job done. But something has to and will change because the politicians are not going to sit by while this problem continues to grow. All we're doing by not getting it done ourselves is setting up future problems that we'll have to live with.

A Voice of Reason In The Midst of the Utah Land Battles
As this opinion article states "Responsible off-roading has been a great tool for people to see nature that would otherwise be out of reach. Some of the most awe-inspiring places are the most remote, requiring days of hiking. Off-road vehicles allow these areas to be reached within a few hours. People who would be unable to access these sites -- such as the elderly or children -- are able to experience these majestic sites with the help of a four-wheeler. Unaware of the consequences of their actions, some riders have disrespected the land by riding off designated paths....This erosion impacts us all. It kills the sensitive vegetation and the runoff washes directly into our water. Although only a few riders have abused their privilege and have failed to handle themselves properly, we are being punished. For 50 years, the trails outdoor enthusiasts have been enjoying might soon be closed to public. Recently, 468 miles of BLM land was closed to motorized vehicles. We are being punished for the actions of a select group of a few idiots who don't know how to ride. These paternalistic laws have go too far and do no good. The restrictions are going too far to protect the land. Public land should be available for use by the public. Who is to say these laws will help the problem? Closing established trails will not solve erosion problems. Unused trails will remain for decades. The people causing problems were not following the rules in the first place. Uneducated riders will continue to disrespect the unenforced laws..."

We say here, here! This opinion piece by Janice Kopaunik hits the nail on the head - "Don't punish all of us for the actions of a few!" Environmentalists have broken the law before but were all of them puniched? No! And neither should we!

Illinois Governor Awards OHV Trail Grants
Governor Rod Blagojevich has recently awarded $1.4+ million in grants for the state’s Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreational Trails Program to pay for improvements at OHV facilities in Illinois. The grants will help fund improvements to existing facilities and develop additional trails. Governor Blagojevich was quoted as syaing, “These trails are used by thousands of riders throughout the year and these grants will help make sure these facilities are maintained and safe for all riders.” The OHV Recreational Trails Program is funded through title fees on ATVs and off-highway motorcycles, and the sale of public access stickers that must be displayed on all OHVs using grant-assisted facilities. The program provides up to 100 percent reimbursement for approved project costs, which can include land purchases, construction of new trails, maintenance of existing OHV trails and facilities, restoration of areas damaged by OHV use, and for OHV safety and education programs.

The following grants were awarded from this recent action:

  • $5,000 to train eight people to serve as instructors for off-road motorcycle safety courses throughout Illinois.
  • $210,000 to further develop the 718-acre Little Egypt Off-Road Public OHV Recreational Area near the Village of Crab Orchard. The project is to include construction of a shower and bathroom building, a picnic shelter with 20 picnic tables, the purchase of two utility ATVs for trail maintenance/security/rescue operations, the development of 12 additional miles of OHV trails, and funds for advertising the park.
  • $557,200 for the acquisition of 171 acres of an existing 216-acre OHV park west of Casey that has been in operation since 1974. The portion of the site being acquired with grant assistance contains approximately 25 miles of recreational trail riding.
  • $484,700 for the development of a new OHV park on a 206-acre site located 30 miles east of the Quad Cities near Atkinson. The project includes the construction of an office, restroom/shower building, a septic system, a gravel entrance road, a parking area, site perimeter fencing, and the purchase of a utility ATV for site maintenance/rescue purposes, site liability insurance, and engineering fees.
  • $188,700 for improvements to an existing 220-acre OHV park located south of Harrisburg near Rudement. Funds will be used for improvements to the showers, widen and upgrade the entrance and interior road, install a water line to the welcome center/shower building, and funds for advertising the site.

A Letter To The Editor From A Close-Minded Fool
With people like this placing pressure on our officials, its no wonder we have an uphill battle. The close and feable-minded person wrote-"The OHV community has no regard for anything or anybody but themselves, and when they get off-road they drive as if they were in a race, going as fast as they can and all else be damned. The creatures whose home they are invading are no doubt terrified." How do you like that? This jerk writes "The OHV community has o no regard for anbody but themselves...", and of course, the paper prints it! We do a lot of good sir, and for people not even closely involved in our sport. Please become more knowledgeable or shut up.

ATV deaths are on the rise in Minnesota According to this Article

Greenie Journalist Hammering OHV Use In Utah
The press is not our friends! They are alomost all in the corner of the environmentalists. According to this hack "After decades of escalating off-road vehicle abuse and damage to fragile and scenic public lands, the Bureau of Land Management in Utah is finally starting to develop comprehensive plans that will restrict all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles to designated trails. But BLM needs to do the job right and observe public-interest laws that require that trail plans "minimize" both harm to the environment and conflicts with other public land users. Soil erosion and scarring, wildlife and native plant loss, wildfire threat, stream pollution and looting of archaeological sites have all been linked to off-road vehicle use. Unfortunately, recent plans released by BLM for Moab, Kanab and other areas indicate that the agency is unethically shortcutting the environmental and public review processes by blindly adopting thousands of miles of trails simply on the say-so of ORV lobbyists and rural counties, who've demanded from BLM - successfully - a massive tangle of trails. BLM's current unwise approach promotes ORV excess, not access, and a single land use, off-roading, over multiple uses." Read the article and learn more about our enemies.

Another Legal Shot Fired By Wacko Greenies!
On November 1, 2007 The Center for Biological Diversity Tuesday sued the California Department of Parks and Recreation for issuing a multi-year approval of an off-road vehicle race through the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Accordign to tthe fanatics suit, they charge that State Parks failed to conduct any meaningful analysis of the race's effects on California's delicate coastal ecosystem. According to these dolts, Oceano Dunes is a biologically diverse coastal ecosystem that suffers abuse from off-road vehicles improperly managed by the state's Parks Department. Hello! Oceano Dunes is an OHV Park!!! The lawsuit seeks a court order that invalidates the Parks Department multi-year approval, requires the agency to conduct proper environmental review prior to allowing future motorized events at Oceano Dunes, and prevents improperly permitted races from occurring without environmental review. It should now be extremely apparent to the most dense off-road enthusiast, the environmentalists are going to sue us over and over again! They have the money to spend and every once in a while they'll get a liberal judge who will agree with them and give them what they want. More and more of these suits are to come.

Members of the House of Representatives Turn ON OHVs
It was only a matter of time before the Libs in Congress banded with the greenies to come after us, and this is the first salvo! A group of House members sent a letter urging the federal government to block off-highway vehicle use in some of Utah's remote lands, citing the cultural and archaeological treasures that "might" be damaged. One out of every five members of the House of Representatives signed the letter sent to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne - but none of them represents Utah. "I don't presume to set transportation policy for Chicago or New York," said Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah. "So I would appreciate my colleagues - none of whom are from Utah - not trying to protect Utah from Utahns." The letter, backed by a number of environmental groups, including the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, is just the latest salvo in the fight over new federal land-use plans nationwide. All but four of the 93 signatories are Democrats (doesn't it figure?! They love telling everyone else what to do!), 27 come from Western states, and 14 of them are on the House Natural Resources Committee, which has oversight over the BLM.

Greenies Want BLM to Deny Kane County (UT) Access
A national coalition of environmentalists charged the Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday with conspiring to "surrender control" of a road that crosses federal land in Kane County. The coalition, comprised of the psychotic groups pf The Wilderness Society, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Wild Utah Project and Center for Biological Diversity, objected to the BLM's preliminary non-binding determination that Bald Knoll Road is a valid R.S. 2477 public right-of-way. I mean only the law says it is after all! "Kane County's application (to designate Bald Knoll Road as an R.S. 2477 route) contains illegible aerial photos, an undated map, and contradictory stories from a few residents," said Greenie wacko spokesman Ted Zukoski of Earthjustice, another environmental group that doesn't care about the law and only wants to force its extremisim on everyone! Kane County Commissioner Mark Habbeshaw said the county has "followed to the letter" what was required of it by the federal government's designation procedure, but of course since they haven't gotten their way, the Greenies are not happy about it and say "it isn't fair, waaah".

MOAB Next For Trail Closures!
The BLM has worked up a new travel management plan for MOAB. They' have actually drawn up 4 different proposals for the appearance sake of supposedly being fair and reasonable to all involved. Well, let me tell you that just isn't the case! These jackals are trying to take the majority of this wheeling Mecca away from us! The plan that is adopted will be a far-reaching set of regulations that will profoundly affect this area for off-roaders for decades. The BLM is asking for public comment on the four alternatives until Nov. 30, and they say they are encouraging all offroaders to study it and voice their opinions.

The alternatives are:

  • Alternative A:- Keeps the OHV trail system the same. 5,062 acres closed to motorized vehicles, 1,196,920 acres with limited motorized access, 4,673 miles of designated trails, and 620,212 acres with open motorized travel.
  • Alternative B: 347,424 acres closed to motorized vehicles, 1,475,074 acres with limited motorized access, 2,144 miles of designated trails, and 0 acres with open motorized travel.
  • Alternative C: 339,928 acres closed to motorized vehicles, 1,481,334 acres with limited motorized access, 2,519 miles of designated trails, and 1,866 acres with open motorized travel.
  • Alternative D: 57,351 acres closed to motorized vehicles, 1,762,083 acres with limited motorized access, 2,671 miles of designated trails, and 3,064 acres with open motorized travel.

The US Forest Service is proposing Alternative C where we will lose over 2,100 miles of designated trails and 618,000 acres of open motorized use! None of the three new proposals seem reasonable to us! Its ridiculous. You can't let us keep all of the designated trails when you are virtually taking all open motorized areas? You can read the full screw-job, I mean MOAB travel management plan here.

You can send your comments concerning your outrage over the proposed changes by snail mail to :

BLM Moab Field Office
82 East Dogwood
Moab, UT 84532

or call 435-259-2100.

or Submit Your Comments Electronically

Please send your comments and get involved so we can save as much of this historical wheeling place as possible!

US Forest Service Seeks Public
Comment On Tellico Plans
The U.S. Forest Service gave notice this week that it will seek public comment on it's plan to close trails in the Tellico Off-Road Recreation Area because of environmental problems. See all the details at Tellico ORV Trails Story.

Email your comments to:

comments-southern-north-carolina-nantahala-tusquitee@fs.fed.us

or mail them to:

Tusquitee District Range
123 Woodland Drive
Murphy, NC 28906

 

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