The reason we had to join the CCC in order to perform trail maintenace is because as a young club,we could not afford our OWN exclusive insurance that was mandidtory in order to do trail maintenance,so we had to umbrella under the CCC or NOT do trail maintenance at all.

I think you might be suprized with the amount of riders that are sick and tired of these widening Bills being swept away because of folks like the AMA and other cycle groups. The trouble we face is getting these same folks INVOLVED!

 

[quote]
Originally posted by: MUDDY4LIFE
"...The reason we had to join the CCC in order to perform trail maintenace is because as a young club,we could not afford our OWN exclusive insurance that was mandidtory in order to do trail maintenance,so we had to umbrella under the CCC or NOT do trail maintenance at all..."

If you recall, I was there the day we were told that full-fledge membership in a motorcycle group was our "only way" to get involved in Michigan orv trail programs.
Again, my very pointed question at that time, involved the following:
How <u>far</u> does this extra membership money <u>go</u> in convincing the same people receiving it...that they've all got their head up their ***** regarding the creation of a multi-use trail system?
The answer?...'why, uhhhh...oh no!....we would NEVER allow their way of thinking to <u>influence</u> ours...in any way, shape, or form!'

Flash forward to 2005?...atv riders are now begging these <u>same</u> <u>people</u> to become a sub-chapter...<u>under</u> <u>the</u> <u>same</u> <u>damn</u> <u>organization!</u>.(while cheering the fact that both groups are represented behind closed doors and by anonymous individuals).

"...I think you might be suprised with the amount of riders that are sick and tired of these widening Bills being swept away because of folks like the AMA and other cycle groups. The trouble we face is getting these same folks INVOLVED!..."

No argument there, Muddy....yet these same atvers <u>first</u> have one heck of a job ahead of them convincing the rest of this community just why they sat on the sidelines for this long. You're right, there are a lot of people sick and tired of these cyclists and their red-headed-step-child atving "yes-men".

Yet there isn't a one of them willing to waste the same time I did for all these years...if nobody in this community (as evidenced by the complete silence from them during this long thread) has the stones to stand up like a man and simply state the difference between right and wrong.

7 years of these guys hiding underneath their leader's <u>skirt</u>; didn't do a damn thing for this country's largest trail system held hostage and under complete control by a bunch of motorcyclists.
Let's see what the 'next' 7 brings for those you claim to be damn embarrased of being "exposed"....when the <u>facts</u> brought forward in this thread effectively 'blow that skirt <u>up</u>'..like a Marilyn Monroe pin-up.

 

Nobody EVER told our club the ONLY way to get involved in trail maintenence was to join THEIR club.If they did, I was not present and I assure you that we would NOT have bought into any BS statement like that in the first place. As I said in my earlier post, as a young ATV club, we could not afford the costs of insurance for our club to get into trail maintenance,so our only other option was to join the CCC and be covered under their policy.My membership ends in March with the CCC and I dont expect that I'll be renewing with a club who's best interests is not that of a mulit-use trail system.

 

Blackballed wrote:

Yet there isn't a one of them willing to waste the same time I did for all these years...

Is that a surprise?

 

Flip flop it any way you'd like...the end result is still the same (namely, the only place in America where orv users are forced to shell out cash each year for two clubs...to do one job). [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

Tell me this, Muddy....if every atv leader at your super-secret MMRC meeting didn't so much as even question why <u>single</u> <u>track</u> <u>only</u> trails were being railroaded through as we speak in the Hiawatha Forest...why would they then advise the same people you speak of above afterwards, concerning this very matter?

Did these guys with bags over their heads who continually brag about representing "22,000" of us anonymously...even "bring up" this ugly land grab issue in this "we represent everybody" secret meeting that you just (supposedly) recently attended?

And did these arrogant cylists give you the DATE and TIME of this public's <u>next</u> meeting concerning this ground-breaking issue on our public land....so that the "sick and tired" atvers you speak of above...could at the very least go on up and fight these bastards...face-to-face?

Yeah, I'd be "surprised" all right...<u>surprised</u> that any of the above actually happened or that my legislator was "lying" to me...CONCERNING THE VERY SAME NEW MASSIVE MILEAGE THESE SAME GUYS REFUSE TO TALK ABOUT...yet have no problem single-use lobbying for...behind the rest of this Michigan orv community's back. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

I have no knowledge of any new cycle trails thru the Hiawatha National Forests in the UP or anywhere else in this State. I thank you and further ask you where you are getting your information from regarding this before I embarrass myself trying to investigate and request the same answers to questions you just did.If these cyclists are going behind closed doors to get this done, we need to know about it before we can attempt to stop it.

The 725 miles of new trail were discussed in the MMRC as mentioned in an earlier post of mine. If we need to organize a coalition of ATVers to argue/fight against cycle only trail widths,than so be it. It does'nt appear to me that the leadership of ANY ATV club in the State of Michigan seems concerned over this because they dont know about it. If thats the case, than as I mentioned, we will need to spearhead a coalition of users who's purpose is not that of hot dogs, rides, and t-shirts,but to actually fight for EQUAL riding opportunites as well.

 

I would be more than happy to give you this legislator's name (off-line) and am sending it to you now.
For doing so, would you please confirm...that not a damn thing <u>was</u> revealed at this last MMRC meeting concerning the <u>fact</u> that these motorcyclists <u>were</u> pursuing this single-track only mileage <u>during</u> the conduction of this last 22,000 user "representative" behind-the-scenes get-together.
I'm getting the feeling that either our atv leaders are hoping to play really "dumb" regarding somebody in the peon public orving community talking in public (what a concept) regarding this selfish effort....or they've been back-door dealing with these cycle guys regarding where these 750 miles will go and what this massive mileage will consist of...<u>from</u> <u>day</u> <u>one</u>(which stands to reason why neither the cyclists on this thread nor the atver leaders mentioned above will even so much as comment on this historic mileage; other than to insist that we all "wait and see what the DNR says" concerning the <u>disposition</u> of same). [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

Again, you shouldn't be getting this information from a guy who spent 7 years knocking on these doors from the outside...force these damn "yes men" in this Michigan atv community to bust their own secretive club leader's door down... and for pete's sake shine the light of day on in there.

 

I will speak with this legislators office and I further let you know that I will bring any issues of this exclusive 24 inch trail to the leaders of other ATV groups that I know of. I will also let our own ATV club be aware of the BEHIND THE SCENE's cycle efforts,if this turns out out be truthful.My bet is that Dick Reeney is not even aware of this either.

We did discuss the 725 miles of additional trail and when it was my turn to speak, I requested that not ONE inch of this new trail be for cycle only exclusive use. There were a few others who also felt the same way.

 

Hello

As a fairly new member and poster, but a long time atv and mx rider in Michigan I never realized that there was such a division between motorcycles and atv's. I have freinds with both and we always rode together and got along. Is there any thing that the average guy can do to help get this moving? I have 3 kids who are all just getting started in atv riding along with myself getting back into it, and would like to see it continue to be available to us. Especialy if the trails that we ride are paid for by our money for orv stickers and such. I would really like to see more trails available in the south eastern part of Michigan, because around the area between lansing and the Ohio border there isn't anywhere for anybody to ride, unless it's private land. There is very little of that available any more. I'm just intersted in seeing what the general public can do, and how to go about it

Thanks Steve
aka LumberDude