99500scrambler,

Just what are you willing to bet? Got a V-Force???? I do not ride illegally. Ever. You are right, I have in the past before I was educated. After seeing how hard people work to make legal riding areas I no longer ride where I am not supposed to. Those landowners you are talking about that don't care....have you talked to all of them?? Do you think they would care if you died on their land??? They don't want your liability on their hands. And I can guarantee they don't want you publicizing on the internet or anywhere else that "No one cares if YOU ride on THEIR land." If you are so upset that there are no riding areas, why aren't you doing something about it instead of making it worse? You didn't get it. The mills don't want to hand over land because they are upset that there are so many disrespectful OHVers that just ride all over creation. If we can show them that should they hand the land over, we will respect the fence boundaries and not illegally ride on their land that they are liable for. Understand??? Maybe I'm not explaining myself very well, but here: IF YOU AND EVERY ONE ELSE CONTINUES TO RIDE ON THAT GROUND ILLEGALLY AND ALSO PUBLICIZE IT, THERE WILL NEVER BE A PARK THERE! There are meetings at least once a month, and behind the scenes work every single day to make that a park. You have no idea how many people it involves. If you are upset, go join the Iowa OHV Association and make legal riding places. Help all these people you are talking to instead of hindering them. I have seen where you ride in Fort Dodge. I want it so bad to be a park that I am not riding there until it is.

As Polarigirl said, we ride at legal parks or on private ground where we have FACE TO FACE permission with the owners to ride. We didn't just hear it on the internet. Between those two types of ground we have a LOT of ground to ride on. You could, too, if you did something about it.

 

The Webster County Wheelers and The Iowa OHV Association request that both dirt bikers and ATVers refrain from riding what is commonly known as the South Woods or the quarries in Fort Dodge, IA. We are very close to getting land donated for the biggest OHV Park in the Midwest; however, tresspassing is an issue we MUST prove to them can be controled - even before we get the park. So for know we request that riders do not tresspass on any gypsum company properties and help us make this park a reality. Trust me guys and gals, we are talking a park that could easily be over 2,000 acres or we could be looking at 2,000 acres of previous riding area get bull dozed flat. It's a delicate situation and I hope everyone will work with us in making sure we get this land turned into a OHV Park. Those of you who live in Central Iowa are more then welcome to join the Webster County Wheelers. We fortunately, do have some members with private land who are allowing us to ride in the mean time. Thanks for your support.

 

Also a little note to those of you who ride illegally in the Ft Dodge area, since the unfortunate death in the quarries there is a good chance that if you are caught riding there you WILL loose you machine, they will take your machine and you can also be fined upwards to $1000.00 plus! You are trespassing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soooo,, is it really worth it?????? It will also put a damper on the mills turning over the land so we can have the park we are working soooooo hard to get!

 

What Prairiewrench is referring to is an increase patrol by the DNR and the Webster County Sheriff. Most roads that riders use to park on and take off from have been posted and your vehicles will be towed. The DNR has also been taking pictures with very powerful cameras so they can identify a machine and what the rider is wearing. It is a coordinated effort between the authorities with the blessing of the Webster County Wheelers and the Iowa OHV Association. We believe this action is necessary to insure that our kids and grandkids have a place to ride.

And while we are on the subject of the future of ATVing everyone should take a minute to go to www.atvonline.com and print out a partition to mail in to show the Federal Safety Commission who is working diligently and quietly behind the scenes to band ATV’s just like they did three wheelers in the 70’s. We need to make sure that the ATVA, who is representing our interest, receives 100’s of 1,000’s of partitions. These partitions are our only way to fight back so please take a minute and fill one out and mail it in and forward the information to every ATVer you know.

 

I have been reading about this area in the Ft. Dodge area and am also familiar with the legislation that was just passed limiting liabilty of land owners. Forgive me for being lazy, but what part of the state are we talking about? I could just get a map out, but I always seem to forget.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

I am always happy to hear of new ATV parks anywhere, especially in my neighboring state. I only wish that Nebraska would go in the same direction as almost every other state. We helped in the construction and opening of the Council Bluffs ATV park. I find it very satisfing that we have contributed in some way to a sport we love. I agree with the discussion of the Ft Dodge area, we all need to work together to ensure the future of our sport. I think at times people take it for granted! Hell, my own father is against us.....!!!!

I still to this this day think how ironic it is that I am from Nebraska and our machines are registered in Iowa because they are illegal and non-licensable in Nebraska. Yet, you can license a snowmobile in this state and they are legal even though we do NOT have 1 mile of trail system in this entire state!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There will always be more against us than those with us.

 

Wacjob, I could agree with you more. As for your first question Ft Dodge is about 3 hours from Blair. I use to live in Omaha and my wife is from Lincoln so we drive it on a regular bases. I would highly recommend that you do three things: 1) find out if the motorcycle dealers in Nebraska have a state organization because it is benificial to them to have legal riding areas, 2) contact the President of NOVACC and they will help you get local and state organizations started if you do no already have one. The President of NOVACC is from Pocahontas, IA so he is a resource that is very close to you and a great person to work with, 3) also, contact the ATVA and get information from them on how to start the process. Doug Morris is awsome to work with and is a major supporter of grass root efforts that come out of local clubs. After that it takes a lot of patients and hard work. Good luck and let me know if I can be of any assistance.

 

In the past couple of years that I have been riding the FD area I have been lead to balive that it is ok and generaly accepted by every one involved, to be riding there. I figured that if everone was riding there and no one was trying to stop it, no one must care. My local sand pit was the same way as FD. It was not a "legal" riding area but the owner did not seem to care. People had been riding there for many years and so long as no one trashed the place, nothing was said. A month ago or so some one had a party out there and shotup all the equipment. Now no one is alowed in for any reason. I do not want to see that happen to FD so untill it becomes a state park I will not ride there and would encourage others to do the same. Aperently this topic has gotten a lot hotter sence my last visit down there. I apologize for " publisizing" an eligal riding area. I figured it was not that big of a deal to state that I rode in an area that I first learned abought on this very forume.

 

You are right 99500Scrambler, some of us have rode there for 40 plus years; however, as we progressed on getting the mined out land turned into a legal riding area, it was strongly "suggested" to us by one of the corporate land owners that if we wanted them to work with us on this project we had to show them that we could control the illegal riding on their land. Unfortunately, it was this same corporate land owner who’s property the young man was fatally injured on. We are delinquently working with this land owner trying to show them that by donating their land towards the OHV Park is in everyone’s best interest because House File 584, which was recently signed by the Governor, totally releases all of the gypsum companies or any other land owner who provides land, of any and all liability from the second they sign over the land to us.

I know you were not aware of the situation as it was difficult at times for me to keep up with everything. The best way to support the building of the OHV Park in Fort Dodge is to join the Webster County Wheelers. Even if you are unable to attend all of the club meetings and functions you will receive a monthly news letter that will keep you up to date on what is going on with the park. All is cool 99500Scrambler and you are more then welcome to join the club but watch out for ATVGirl ‘cause she can ride with the best of them – don’t let her good looks fool ya!!! Thanks again for your support.

 

I have only been there once,I could not belive the size of the place.I'ts a great place to ride. I too would not want to jeopardize this riding area by going back. The quicker we can get this place turned into a ATV park the better, By that I mean if it takes 4 or 5 months to do this I think some people are going to say the heck with it and go back. I hope this never happens ? To my knowledge there are only two places you can park. Maybe someone or some group could put signs up or something asking them not to ride there. I think it would help if somehow we could convince the local people of Ft. Dodge not ride there. Maybe we could have IowaOHV run a ad in the local paper explaning this??

 

Great ideas; however, when you are preparing to introduce a 2,000 plus acre OHV Park, or any special use facility for that matter, you have to be very careful not to give opposition to the such a project any ammunition. Therefore, we have found in the past when we have attempted to get other large OHV projects in place that it is best to keep things as quite as possible. Believe me, once the three required public meetings take place the opposition will come out of the woodwork. That’s why we have attempted to put this project together quietly and with as little fan fare as possible.

The two land owners who allow people to park on their land do have private riding areas, mainly dirt bike MX tracks and most people who go there right now are dirt bikers who primarily ride the MX tracks. However, we are quietly passing the word and it is working but no matter how hard you try and how much you try to reason with people there will always be a small percentage who feel that they can ride there because they have been for 20 years and their Dad’s did for 20 years before that and the land will always be their to ride. What they do not understand is that many of the mining permits begin to expire in the next 2 – 5 years and as they expire the land will be reclaimed and before you know it there will no riding area left. Overall, the illegal riding has been reduce drastically and now that the DNR and the local Sheriff Department is patrolling the area those who still ride there will start finding out the hard way. Fore the most part those who really care are making the sacrifice so that we can turn this great riding area into Iowa’s biggest and best OHV Park. Thanks for your support everyone and especially for understanding our situation.