Todays Dallas paper made a BIG DEAL about our losing another legal place to ride.The antis were screaming enough that they won. It has been open since 1970 for us to legally ride close to home. BUT the authorities gave us a chance to stop it closing by waiting for our side to comment. Almost NO ohvers commented compared to the antis.
It all started with NOISE from atvs and bikes and riders straying out of the boundaries onto private land.
Our ATV club has many aftermarket pipes and jet kits. We like the extra power, BUT we ALL have kept the QUIET CORE in. We also stay on the trails unless it is ok not to. Some riding areas are already have noise limits u must meet or u dont ride there.
YO TROOPS, join a club, join an organization that will fight for us. The antis have tons of money because they have tons of members. This is a NO Brainer!! Heres the math...Just 1 atv plant in the U.S. made its 500 thousandth atv last year.Just $25 from each those who bought them would = $12 million, 500 thousand times all the rest of the atvers and bikers WOW, we win caz MOney Talks.I personally joined the Blue Ribbon Coalition, they fight FOR us. DO SOMETHING OR WE WILL LOSE>

 

Sarge,
Where is the place that we lost this time that has been open since 1970?

 

It to bad that most Offroad Poeple just go to ride and don't care if the areas get closed down. I have ATV Connection Flags for sale where the procededs are split between the Blue Ribbon Coalition and ATV Connection. I figured out of the almost 24,000 members they all would want one. I will be able to write a check the the BRC for $15.00 at this point. They don't seem to want to support the BRC or ATV C.

Smitty

Thanks to the one that did order.

 

We are, quite simply, the largest group of motorized recreational riders to ever completely ignore the consequences of disorganization in the history of our country.

If anyone would like to disagree with that statement, please help me out.

I would also encourage those that DO join a local riding club, to keep a close eye on who is actually bringing the club's message to your state capitol.

Receiving 'non-profit' designation from the state is often more important to 'some' people at the end of the year than the health of the organization or your trail system itself.

Example: Let's say somebody in your club has an 'in' with a corporation. These large land owners agree with your philosophy that the better we clear and maintain the trail system that we have 'presently', the more people will use it, the less riders there will be on their 'other' property and the more opportuities for 'additional' trails there will be in the future by taking care of the 'old' business at hand with modern equipment.

They will want to partner with the state 'moneywise' and create a plan that fixes ALL the trails eventually with this equipment. Members from ALL the clubs that use these trails would follow behind this 'advanced' equipment and the machine doesn't move any further down the trail than what can be cleaned up after it. Eventually, they are carved out to a more 'maintainable' width and each section of trail maintenance grant money is awarded ,for a period of at least two years, to the group that rounds up the most workers per trail completed.

What is wrong with this concept as well as, say, 'prison labor' accomplishing the same objective?

You guessed it; because 'that' money would normally go to a non-profit club who has at least one member who is allowed to 'write off' a number of items and sertvices in our every day lives; along with assorted 'travel expenses'; that could be associated with that club maintenance activity!

Why would anyone enjoying this 'perk'; want: 1) that 'club' money to disappear (along with the associated 'write offs') during the time a trail system is finally being 'fixed' and 2) risk the possibility of a local club closer to the trail in question having a chance of rallying a bunch of locals behind a bulldozer, getting the job done and having the state realize that 'their' nearby club getting the maintenance money regularly makes more sense?

The final area I would ask any club member to keep an eye on is your representative's relationship with other people in the same position.

1) Do they have a vested financial interest such as a 'dealership' that would favor creation and maintenance of trails close to that business and little or no interest in others? How about other representatives and their relationship with dealer's associations?

2) Have they ever publicly brought a question up to their 'cohorts' in motorized recreation that was in direct conflict with your member's interests or simply given your members a 'straight' answer to the same question? This is probably the biggest obstacle in trail 'partnering'. Bending over backwards to cooperate; while still publicly speaking out between the difference of 'right and wrong'; or just plain not caring that your buddy; "aint gonna like what you have to say next"..................THAT'S what I consider a true leader embodies.

Don't EVER let your representative get away with refusing to pass on what goes on between your club and others. Some leaders would like to make their members think that this business is akin to 'saving the world'; is 'immensely complicated' and doesn't lend itself well to directly acccountable, elected representation.........it's 'not'; and it's your dollars and the future of the system itself that are at stake.

Sorry this went on for so long and realize that this probably doesn't aplly to the majority of 'honest' leaders in so many clubs. As for the rest of them?.......we have enough problem fighting the 'other' guys/gals without looking over our shoulder at what 'our own' are up to.

John

 

Lake Lavon OHV area.