Spring 2016 - AZ State Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs

SPRING 2016
VOLUME 45—ISSUE 1
JEEP TRACKS
Becky Antle, ASA4WDC President, 2014—2016
ASA4WDC WEBSITE
http://www.asa4wdc.org/
Congratulations!
The iconic Jeep is
75 years old this year.
Our love affair with
these amazing
machines is
never ending!
1941—2016
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The Wheel Dust
ASA4WDC 2015 OFFICERS
President
Becky Antle—520-682-0273
[email protected]
Vice-President
Ted Nunez—520-705-9070
[email protected]
Treasurer
Ray Jenkins—480-834-0517
[email protected]
Secretary
Joan Beck—928-565-2811
[email protected]
ASA4WDC BOARD MEMBERS
Adopt-a-Trail
Doug Larson
[email protected]
Environmental/Legislative Advocate
Becky Antle
[email protected]
Four Wheel Safety &Awareness
OPEN
Historian & Event Coordinator
Chari Ainsworth
[email protected]
Insurance Chair
Allan Connor—480-308-1498
[email protected]
Membership Chair
Wayne Ash
[email protected]
Website/Internet Services
Becky Antle
[email protected]
Wheeldust Editor
Joan Beck
[email protected]
ASA4WDC DIRECTORS
Region I
Chari Ainsworth
[email protected]
Region II
Phil Strittmatter
[email protected]
Region III
OPEN
Region IV
Rheal Tetreault
Email: [email protected]
FEBRUARY 20, 2016 ASA4WDC QUARTERLY MINUTES
EDGEWATER CASINO, LAUGHLIN, NV.
Called to order 1:30 p.m. by Pres. Becky Antle
Roll Call – Quorum met.
Pledge to the Flag Phil Strittmatter.
Guests and ASA4WDC members introduced themselves.
Insurance: Becky changed the agenda to accommodate Allan Connor,
ASA4WDC Insurance agent, who had to leave early.
Allan explained the insurance policy to the Bullhead 4 Wheelers and ASA
members present.
One event per club per year is covered by the policy, i.e. Spook Rally,
Trail Dust Days, Desert Splash.
Briefly, the 100% liability policy covers us for meetings, runs and
events—a million dollars per occurrence. Medical coverage for staff people if,
during an event, somebody gets hurt, it depends on the situation.
If on a club run the driver rolls his vehicle or is injured the vehicle operator is
usually at fault and carries his own insurance.
If someone gets hurt or loses an arm, it depends on the situation. The
spotter could be at fault for a bad call, or, the driver could have ignored the spotter
and chosen his own path. The policy hires an attorney for us to help stop a lawsuit. The policy is in place to protect us. This is when written reports, witnesses,
photographs all come into play. Contact insurance companies with details immediately and keep a record of everything you send to the insurance company.
Someone could have a minor injury on a trail then turn in a claim up to
two years after the incident – keep documentation, time, date, incident and photos.
Allan said there’s a lot of cheating going on with attorneys, etc.
Bill Hammond wants to see the policy - claims it's the law. Gavin Van
Hook and Joyce Hammond requested a certificate of insurance for the club showing that we are covered. Lengthy discussion after which, Allan stated he will provide a Ceritificate of Insurance to the clubs.
Club waivers discussed. Allan has provided the waiver information that
must be written on the run sign-in sheets and sign-ins at club meetings and for any
motorized event that occurs related to the insurance policy. The B4W will make
sure that takes place. Becky will send a copy of Allan’s waiver. Additionally,
each person on a run must sign it (husbands and wives). Parents must sign the
waiver for their children/grandchildren and any guest that is a minor.
Becky thanked Allan for his efforts and for providing his time and information.
How ASA4WDC money is spent. Becky provided a breakdown to members and
guests of the yearly budget and how every dime is spent. Also explained was how
the lobbyist receives his money. ASA4WDC can not afford, nor is the sole fiscal
provider for, his services – the amount he receives from motorized recreationists
comes mainly from other groups such as Family Motor Coach; the AZ Off Highway Vehicle Coalition; a few car dealers in the Phoenix area and donations from
the proceeds from club events; i.e. the Spook Rally.
AGENDA
Committees:
Secretary: Joan Beck. Nothing to report. Becky asked for a motion to approve the
minutes as printed in the Fall 2015 Wheel Dust. Motion made. Seconded. Approved as written.
Treasurer’s report: Ray Jenkins – Becky asked for a motion to accept the report
as read. Motion seconded. Treasurer’s report accepted as read.
Budget: Becky - discussed the budget. The new budget will be presented at the
upcoming May Quarterly.
Membership Committee: Wayne Ash thanked everyone for being members of
ASA. He asked the clubs to please update their rosters.
Request: B4Wers asked Joan to send Emails in pdf.
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Event Coordinator: Chari Ainsworth, has reserved the Rec. Room in Wickenburg May 14th. The Fat Olive Restaurant in Flagstaff for August 13th. The Copperstate 4 Wheelers Four Peaks Cleanup will be Nov. 5 – the Quarterly will
take place Sunday the 6th at Four Peaks.
The G&F Expo 1st weekend in April.
Safety & Awareness: Chad Chaney had to resign for personal reasons. He will be sorely missed.
Environmental Legislative: AZ St. Parks OHVAG (Off highway vehicle advisory group). The Kingman BLM received grants in 2015 from St. Parks for adopt-a-road trails for the B4W – BLM is just waiting for ADOT to kick in
and approve the trails.
Legislature has an upcoming Bill re: Motor Fuel Taxes. They want to repeal taxes that go to motorized recreation its a significant chunk of money.
A proposed bill to enforce the wearing of motorcycle helmets for everyone. $500.00 fine if found without one.
G&F Exposition takes place the first weekend in April at the Ben Avery shooting facility. There is a rock crawl
area, gun shooting area and much more – a great family weekend event.
Calendar is on Website. If you want access to add runs, etc, ask Becky for the password.
Region I Chari Ainsworth - no director's meeting. Perhaps next quarter. Will go to TRR March meeting.
Region II Phil Strittmatter – Re: Adopt-a-trails, BLM waiting for ADOT approval – St. Parks grant received. Discussed new club in Prescott - may possibly join ASA4WDC.
Region III – Need a director
Region IV Rheal Tetreault. Saddlebrook 4 Wheelers - asked about joining. Questioned the amount of dues.
Old Business
Jamboree on hold.
T-shirts – Becky stated it’s about $400 for 40 shirts. Will get more estimates.
Property. Ray let the clubs know about upcoming work groups. Summer's almost here and it will be rough working in
the heat. Can probably camp on the property. Will have to work on culverts for the dips in the roads. Perhaps the end
of April. Getting surveyor out ASAP. Chari knows an engineer who can do it. A drawing and estimate from PVB Fabrications, Inc. for two gates on the property – looks good. He will do it for cost. Will check more estimates. Becky will
put out to the property committee.
By-laws: Phil Strittmatter’s amendment re: property disposal should the ASA disband.
Motion to pass by-laws written by Phil as published in the Wheeldust. Discussion. Seconded. Passed.
Chari - By-law corrections as mentioned by Joan at the last quarterly. They were last updated in 2009 and need to
be updated. Must go to By-laws committee. Chari, Ted, Phil, Becky, Wayne Ash volunteered to be on the committee.
Suggestions: Move 4 Wheeler of the year to SOPs. Ref: to United. Remove from by-laws.
SOPs. Take out locations of quarterly meetings. Say four meetings a year in Feb. May. Aug. Nov. Have membership cards only, not plaques. Webmaster. That may change. Convention Chair. Leave as necessary.
G&F Expo. Chari’s booth. She has table, banner, looking for other items. We can have a raffle. Perhaps a couple of
RC Cars - about $40.00 each - very popular with children. Chari already has raffle tickets. Becky is trying to get a
trailer.Chari has $50.00 to spend, wants to get plastic totes. Get business cards w/website information. Maybe St. Trust
Land rec. permits. FS brochures. Becky will bring awning.
New Business
Becky’s Survey re: asking for suggestions on how to improve the association – it worked well, now Becky wants to do
a followup.
Announcements
Apr 2-3 Game & Fish Expo
Mar 19-20 AZ Classic Bronco’s Stampede
May 14 ASA4WDC Quarterly Wickenburg Rec Center
Aug 13 ASA4WDC Quarterly Fat Olive Flagstaff
Sep 23-25 TRR Trail Dust Days
Oct 28-30 Spook Rally
Nov 5 Four Peaks Cleanup Copperstate 4x4
Nov 6 Quarterly at Four Peaks
Nov 12-13 Desert Splash Parker
50/50 Joe Eisensee won the pot.
Motion to adjourn - seconded 4:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Joan Beck, Secretary
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The Wheel Dust
MESA 4 WHEELERS PLAYDAY IN THE SNOW AT FOUR PEAKS
January 16th...brrr! Thanks to Mike Drawsky for sharing the photos, the report and his great newsletter.
8:30 AM and we are all lined up at the 4-Peaks Staging Area ready to go play in the snow!
Left: Just as we were nearing the summit, the shaded areas of roadway were
icy, time to lock in all 4’s!
Right: Jim’s TJ begins to slide off the
road while trying to squeeze by this
Razor. With the aid of his winch and
Mike’s Jeep as leverage, Jim was back
on the road in no time!
A Chevy pickup slid off the road into
a ditch and an SUV had lost traction
while trying to pass, causing about a
10 vehicle backup. Fortunately, the
jam up was just about 300 hundred
yards from the summit. What made it
challenging was the grade and the
bends in the road. The only way to
clear the road was to get the stranded
vehicles to the top. To accomplish
this Mike had to either back down to
them or drive down and then find
enough roadway to get turned
around. Either option was not going
to be easy when there’s ice involved.
Trying to avoid becoming another
casualty, Mike decided to drive down
as close as possible then work at getting his Jeep turned around. The plan
worked and within an hour Mike with
some help from others had both the
SUV and the Chevy pickup unstuck
and to the top.
Below: Just as we were about to depart, two
gentleman showed up with a radio controlled
drone. They offered to take aerial photos and
video of us, so we delayed our departure time.
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WILLOW SPRINGS ADVENTURE
January 23rd—from the Mesa 4 Wheelers Horn—February 2016 Issue. Thanks you Mike Drawsky
Kurt Loga starts the climb over “the boulder.”
We all made it safely through this challenge.
Oh no! A broken rear driveline.
Everyone jumps in to help.
This is what makes our club unique. Everyone pitched in to
help. Kurt steps right in to winch him up! Kurt stayed with
Jim for the return trip back to pavement assisting his crippled
front-wheel drive TJ through the remainder of the trail.
The last person on this challenge made it look easy.
Jim showing the
Driveshaft.
The end of another wonderful day with the M4Wers.
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The Wheel Dust
Tucson Rough Riders Adobe/Hog Canyons—Larry Narcus
Pics by: Tim Naylor—February 2016 Issue of The Rough Rider—Thanks to Dave Peterson, Editor
Well, there was quite a turnout for this run. The meeting place at Houghton and I10 was just packed and we had to
pick up more vehicles at Sahuarita Road and SR83 as well as Sonoita Center. We started with 35 4-wheel-drive vehicles. I was really sweating the large group because I told the Crown C Ranch that 15-20 vehicles would be crossing
their property on Saturday Feb 6th. Had to get their permission. Not that they would be counting that morning. And
then, our first stop at the “Bathtub” Tank could only accommodate about 20 vehicles.
But with the expert guidance of Stan Fetherman, Paul Siskind and Phil David (our tail gunner) we were able to
send some vehicles up to a turnaround about 0.2 miles up to the dead end of the trail and have them come back down
to the Tank. What a relief - we got everyone parked! I swear that at one point I, as trail leader, was in Pima County
and Phil David was still in Santa Cruz County. We really had a string of vehicles going.
The Tank proved very interesting and with water running did not disappoint. This was a man-modified natural
“falls” that was used by ranch hands and miners to take baths “as necessary”, especially if they did not want to spend
the 25 cents on a proper bath in one of the towns. Very picturesque spot. Little bit of a hike, but well worth the effort.
We headed out of Adobe Canyon and made our way up on a ridge overlooking the canyon on the left. Very picturesque indeed. With Mts Wrightson and Hopkins to the left (snow-covered no less), there was indeed a very postcard
type of a scene.
We then made our way south through Hog Canyon to our lunch spot which had tons of room for everyone to easily
park. Great lunch spot and after lunch I gave a detailed review of the starting episodes of the Indian Wars of 18611886. Many people do not realize that the catalyst for these “misunderstandings” was centered on a small ranch in the
Patagonia area. The whole affair grew very much out of proportion and led to years of mutual hostility with the
Apache. Two abandoned “Forts” just south of Hog Canyon at SR82 are no longer there - they were Fort Buchanan
and Fort Crittenden. They were really encampments.
After lunch, we again headed north along another ridge line with similar great views and ended up going east to
Gardner Canyon Road to our exit point onto SR83.
On the way out, we would bump into a camper or hunter or two, and I would inform them that I had 30 plus Jeeps
behind me. They all looked very puzzled by my proclamation - one fellow even told me jokingly that he couldn’t believe that there were that many Jeeps in all of Southern Arizona. I assured him there was and most of them were behind me. He was soon to realize I was not joking.
A great day was had by all and the weather was absolutely perfect. Great day on the trails.
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CANDY A$$—WILD AND MILD—2/21/16
Great photos by Wayne Jack
hey kept coming and coming and coming! What a turn out for this lovely, but windy spring day. Doug Ohm did a
terrific job leading his followers with Gavin Van Hook bouncing all over the place spotting most of the middle
section. Bob Smith did an equally great job as tail-gunner; they successfully maneuvered everyone through the
gnarly canyon with no damage to anyone’s pride or vehicle—nothing shameful about a little tug from a strap. We were
joined by some from the ASA4WDC the day after the quarterly. All had a great time.
T
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The Wheel Dust
COORDINATING NATIONAL MONUMENT PLANS
Posted on February 29, 2016 by admin
American Stewards of Liberty
624 S. Austin Avenue – Suite 101
Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 591-7843—[email protected]
On February 12, 2016, President Obama withdrew another 1.8 million acres for permanent protection under the Antiquities Act. He created three new National Monuments in California: the Mojave Trails National Monument, Sand to Snow National Monument, and the Castle Mountains National Monument. This brings the President’s current total acres of land withdrawn under the Antiquities Act to 265 million acres – more than any other President to date.
There are three key steps you need to take if you are impacted by a National Monument: (1) Know
what the Proclamation Protects, (2) Update Local Land Use Plans, (3) Coordinate the development
of the Monument Plan.
The Antiquities Act (16 USC 431), passed into law in 1906, gives the President the authority to
withdraw by proclamation lands for historic and scientific interests.
The Congressional intent of
the Act was to give the President the power to protect objects of historic significance, such as the
burial site of past Presidents. It was not for the purpose of withdrawing millions of acres with the
stroke of a pen. In fact, the Act limits the President’s power by requiring that the area to be withdrawn is the “smallest area” necessary to protect the objects.
Section 2 of the Act provides the President’s authority:
“That the President of the United States is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to declare by public
proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or
scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the
United States to be national monuments, and may reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the
limits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and
management of the objects to be protected: Provided, that when such objects are situated upon a
tract covered by a bona fide unperfected claim or held in private ownership, the tract, or so much
thereof as may be necessary for the proper care and management of the object, may be relinquished to the Government, and the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to accept the relinquishment of such tracts in behalf of the Government of the United States.”
Once an area is withdrawn, there are several key things landowners and local governments need
to do to ensure the continued use of the land, to the extent allowable under the new law.
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Understand what the Proclamation Protects and Restricts
The language of the Proclamation identifies the objects to be protected, the uses to be eliminated
or restricted, and activities that are excluded from protection of the Monument. An example of this
is the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Proclamation, which has an exclusionary
clause requiring livestock grazing to continue at the level of use when the Monument was created,
managed by existing grazing laws and regulations. Landowners and local governments need to
understand what the Proclamation does and does not protect, and not rely on the federal agencies
interpretation.
Update Local Land Use Plans
The Federal agency with management responsibility will need to prepare a management plan for
the Monument. The development of this should be coordinated with the plans and policies of local
governments. For this reason, it is critically important that the counties, cities, conservation districts and other special districts impacted by the Monument, update their natural resource plans
and policies to acknowledge the creation of the Monument and set forth those activities that must
continue in order for the local government to carry out its charge. Under coordination, the agency
is charged with resolving the conflicts with local plans.
Coordinate the Monument Plan
Local governments need to initiate coordination with the federal agency early in the process. It is
critical that your local entities get involved in this process prior to the development of the Monument Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. It is never too early to begin advocating your position, and coordination is the only process that allows local governments to have this early input. This is where you publicly disclose the conflicts and advocate the needs on behalf of your local citizens. It is also the early opportunity for the agency to ensure the Monument plan is consistent with local land use plans.
ASL has been working with Kane and Garfield County in Utah on a plan amendment to the Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We have also been working with a coalition of local governments in the Las Cruces, New Mexico area, spearheaded by the Dona Ana Soil and Water
Conservation District on the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Their use of the
coordination process on these issues has already proven to be a game changer in their ability to
protect the economy, people and way of life.
If you are impacted by a national monument, give us a call and we will help you work through
these issues.
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14-Club Partnership Working To Create 750-Mile Arizona Peace Trail
By Dave Halsey, NOHVCC Contributing Writer
The Arizona Peace Trail, when completed, will be one of the longest signed and mapped trail systems in the country
for off-highway vehicles (OHVs). It’s a work in progress. But considering its scope, and the fact that 14 OHV clubs have
been working on it for just 2 years, the key word is “progress.”
“The clubs are going to be the glue that keeps this project together and makes it work,” said John Strong, a member of
the Arizona Peace Trail Committee, and past president of the Lake Havasu 4 Wheelers. “It’s going to take time. We
formed a 501(c)(3) group last year. Our next grant will go toward a Master Plan for the whole trail system, so that we can
work with the city, county, State and Federal agencies.”
The proposed route is a 750-mile loop, traveling on city, county, state and federal lands as it crosses Mojave, La Paz
and Yuma Counties. It includes roads and trails between Bullhead City on the north end and Yuma on the south, currently
open to all OHVs, but unsigned. In January, a group of riders gathered near Bouse, AZ, to witness the installation of the
first of what will be hundreds of Arizona Peace Trail signs. “This loop trail will connect to almost endless side trails,”
said J.C. Sanders, 2016 Trail Committee chairman. “Once completed, the trail system will provide the ultimate adventure
recreation system in western Arizona.”
The trail name was chosen by the three counties involved, reports Sanders. “La Paz” is Spanish for “peace.” To date,
La Paz County has applied for and received two grants for the project. One is a Yamaha OHV Access Initiative Grant,
just under $5,000, for signage. A second grant for $74,414 was provided by the Arizona State Parks OHV Advisory
Group (OHVAG), to develop a staging area in Cibola.
The Arizona Peace Trail website shows the impressive progress the Committee has made since it was officially organized in 2014. It features a map of the proposed route, which members have ridden. It lists the 14 “Support Partners” -- 4wheel drive truck, ATV and side-by-side clubs. And it has a clear Mission Statement:
 To develop a loop trail system utilizing existing trails and roads in Western Arizona connecting Bullhead City to
Yuma, and assist the land managers in maintaining the trail system.
 Work with City, County, State and Federal Agencies.
 Keep the desert roads and trails open for public use.
 Work on projects for our community, our highways and our public lands.
 Promote the sport of OHV riding safety, with awareness and respect for the environment.
As they work with government agencies at all levels to turn the proposed route into a designated trail, club members
are using GPS to track the way, as well as Points of Interest (POI) along the way. The Arizona Peace Trail website lists 10
POIs found on the trail -- including petroglyphs, ghost towns, historic mines and scenic stops -- complete with their GPS
coordinates. The trail varies in elevation from 170 ft. to 7070 ft. above sea level, with a wide variety of terrain and picturesque landscapes.
The Arizona Peace Trail Committee is working with the BLM Field Offices as they develop their Travel Management
Plans and designate which roads and trails are open to OHVs. “There’s a Travel Management Plan that has been completed by Lake Havasu BLM, but the rest of them still have to be completed between Yuma and Bullhead City,” said
Strong. “Our guesstimate is the year 2020, to get all the Travel Management Plans completed by the BLM. Hopefully, the
entire trail will be approved after that. But we don’t like to put a timeline on it.”
As the clubs continue to work on the trail designation process, they are also partnering with the BLM and State agencies on cleanup projects. “Havasu 4 Wheelers have been around for about 25 years,” said John Geyer, president of the
Havasu Side-by-Side Trail Association. “They’ve been gracious enough to invite us to one of their desert cleanups that
they put on every year. Our club brought in another 50 members and helped clean up the desert. We collected 11,000 lb.
of trash in one day.”
It only makes sense for all OHV clubs to work together on the Arizona Peace Trail, adds Strong. The plan is for it to
be open to all OHVs. And some side-by-side rock crawlers are larger than his truck. “I have a 2002 (Jeep) TJ with 35inch tires. You look at the Red Dot Engineering Polaris (RZR XP 1000 Rock Crawler), and it’s actually wider and longer
than my vehicle. The industry is changing and they’re blending together.”
Strong, a retired school teacher from Wisconsin, puts the same philosophy to work building the Arizona Peace Trail
that he did teaching, and coaching wrestling, football and track. “When I was a teacher and coach, my message was
‘listen, learn, and serve’. I’m still trying to give that message today. The goals of the Arizona Peace Trail are education,
giving back to the community, keeping the riders safe, and keeping the trails open.”
To learn more about the Arizona Peace Trail, the proposed route and the 14 OHV clubs working on it, visit
www.arizonapeacetrail.com.
The Wheel Dust
ADVERTISING COSTS:
Approx. 3" x 2" business card
1/4 page ad
1/2 page ad
Full page ad
Page 11
$ 50.00/year
$ 75.00/year
$150.00/year
$250.00/year
Above are copies of the volunteer patches you’ll receive
from Doug Larson our Adopt-a-Trail Chairman. The larger of the two is for the first 25 hours of volunteer work
and the smaller patch you’ll receive for each additional
25 hours. They’re slightly larger than shown above,
multi-colored and very attractive. They’ll look great on
jackets or shirts. Be proud. Be a trail volunteer!
ASA4WDC
P.O. Box 23904
Tempe, AZ 85285