National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council March Newsletter

Utah To Honor State’s Fallen Peace Officers At OHV Trailhead

by Dave Halsey, NOHVCC Contributing Writer

“The Fallen Peace Officer Trail is dedicated to the Utah men and women of law enforcement who lost their lives in the line of duty and to those officers seriously wounded, but who survived. In cooperation with the Utah Peace Officers Association, Ride With Respect, and Utah State Parks, this 14 mile trail is dedicated to those who sacrificed while serving and protecting the citizens of Utah.We invite you to ride with respect and honor these officers.” That is the inscription on a plaque honoring fallen peace officers that will be commemorated next month at a ceremony in Utah.read more

University Study Shows Even Small OHV Parks Have Positive Impact

by Dave Halsey, NOHVCC Contributing Writer

The Appleton Area Recreational OHV Park is the only designated riding area in southwest Minnesota. That, and the fact that it’s open year-round to all types of off-highway vehicles, helps it draw families from hundreds of miles. It also brings the small town of Appleton, Minnesota, much welcomed tourism activity.read more

In Colorado, Smart Phones Make It Easier To Stay The Trail

by Dave Halsey, NOHVCC Contributing Writer and Drew Stoll, Great Outdoor Consulting

NOHVCC has an incredible network of State Partners, Associate State Partners, as well as many long-time, experienced professionals who plan, design and build OHV trails across the U.S. and Canada. They provide us with regular updates on all things OHV-related.

One of those incredibly experienced pros is Drew Stoll, outdoor recreation planner and landscape architect; and owner of Great Outdoors Consultants, Fort Collins, CO. Here is a report from Drew that will be of great interest to anyone with a smart phone who rides or plans to ride the Forest Roads open to off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in Colorado. read more

More Fun Ideas To Keep Your Members Smiling, Laughing And Riding!

by Dave Halsey, NOHVCC Contributing Writer

Recently, we asked clubs to send us ideas for fun events and activities they hold to keep members smiling and riding. See the December and February NOHVCC newsletters for the first two rounds of ideas sent to us by clubs from around the country. Below are more, submitted by OHV groups of all kinds. read more

Know A Successful OHV Project? Let It Be Known Across the Country!

by Dave Halsey, NOHVCC Contributing Writer

Across the country, there are outstanding OHV trail projects that deserve recognition. If you know of one, consider nominating it for an Annual Achievement Award from the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT). read more

Mixed Gear Bag

You know we have to be creative in our titles. Miscellaneous is too normal and potpourri doesn’t sound very rider like. Below are up-coming events and other assorted items of interest.

ARRA sent out a new alert regarding a new bill making massive wilderness areas in five states. You can also get their alerts on Twitter and Facebook.

The Coalition for Recreational Trails is seeking nominations for its annual RTP awards. The deadline for awards is March 29th. It is our goal to have nominations for motorized trails and initiatives included. See http://www.americantrails.org/rtp/crtawards.html for more details and to get the nomination form.

American Trails International Trails Symposium – April 14-17, 2013
For this Symposium, attend the sessions and go for a ride or two. Show the general public that motorized recreators also enjoy and protect the environment.

Annual NOHVCC and INOHVAA conference to be held in Orlando, FL in October 13 – 16, 2013. More details will be coming soon!

We Love to hear from you, especially when you write to saw how wonderful we are. Below are a couple of notes we got back regarding Joanne Spivak’s article in the February article. Thanks for sending us the content, Joanne!

NOHVCC,

I loved the feb, 2013 article from Joanne Spivack regarding the stats of access to our public lands. I would love to know what the total footprint is of multiple use trails current is. 4 years ago, I believe the total footprint of all multiple use trails on USFS lands was 0.04%. After TMP implementation, I would guess that number is less than 0.01%. This is stark contrast to the total area open for hiking and (the mandated) “solitude” being nearly 100% of public land.

Thank you for all the hard work that you do. I consider you all to be one of our best resources regarding federal OHV issues.

Ethan Lodwig
Emerald Trail Riders Association, Inc.
Eugene, OR

NOHVCC,

High praise for Joanne Spivak’s excellent report! This goes on the wall of fame.

Alex Ernst
NY