In the past months, it has been interesting to see the changes that are underway within the ATV industry as a whole. Many areas for improvement have been identified, State, Local and National leaders are getting involved, and thankfully, there has been some progress in our battles with the various groups intent on limiting our rights to access various public and wilderness areas. Many clubs and other interest groups have been successfull in getting the message out that ATV riders are not all hooligans.. and are preaching responsible riding.

Many industry leaders are returning profits back into the sport by way of creation of riding areas, setting up riding schools, sponsoring safety training and providing assistance and expert testimony in courtroom and in public hearings around our great land.

In short, people are taking charge of the situation and are making a positive difference. This is not to say that the war has been won. It hasn't. What all these little advances are doing is make the opposition go back and do even more planning for the next round. That means that we must also do the same.

We must continue to turn out the numbers of people when the venue is a public forum. We must also police ourselves, and promote responsible actions all the time. Not when it suits us. We must also support and assist local law enforcement authorities as they attempt to enforce the laws. We must not turn the blind eye to activities that would project a negative vision of our sport, and we cannot continue to give our competition any additional ammunition to use against us.

Lastly, we must as one body, embrace the concept that knowledge is power, and only through proper education will we continue the momentum that we have started, and make a change in the public perception of our sport. We must strive even harder to get the different organisations to sit down and work out a compromise that is beneficial to all. We have to retreat from the various radical all or nothing mentality and work towards the middle ground where compromise and coexistance can occur.

Dragginbutt