VORA News Letter - Cycle Conservation Club of Vermont

Ve r m o n t O f f - H i g h wa y Ve h i c l e Re c r e a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
Fall 2011
The purpose of VORA is to work cooperatively to create and sustain environmentally compatible land-use opportunities
for off-highway recreation vehicles, and to promote responsible recreation for all generations.
Jericho Mountain State Park
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Jericho Mtn. State Park
1
Public Lands in Vermont
3
Hardwick-Woodbury RT
3
RTP Grant Program
3
Trail News
4
The endless debate and
speculation is finally over.
An environmentally compatible and sustainable OHV
recreation park can be and
already has been established
in northern New England.
The State of New Hampshire,
Bureau of Trails has created a
7,500 acre OHV Park in Berlin, NH. Currently there are
over 60 miles of trails open
to both ATV’s and OHM’s
with plans for adding another
1500 acres and significantly
expanding the parks trail
mileage. VORA’s Pres and
VP had an opportunity to tour
the park with NH Trails Bureau Chief, Chris Gamache
and his staff this fall. This
park is an excellent example
of how OHV recreation can
have a successful partnership
between state, local, and
OHV user groups.
The trails provide endless
loops through forest, over
streams, and past Jericho
Lake, with many scenic outlooks and mountaintop picnic
pavilions. Park guests can
also enjoy swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking or
picnicking at Jericho Lake.
Open to the public, but still in
development, this integrated
recreation complex is designed to become the offhighway recreational vehicle
(OHRV) hub in the North
Country. Over the next several years, more miles will be
added to the trail network
towards a planned total of
136 miles and more facilities
will be added, as well. Future
development plans for the park
include a ride-in/ride-out
campground, several remote
tent sites, group picnic pavilions, administrative offices
with visitor welcome center
and education/training facilities, and improved beach facilities. The trails are a mix of
green, blue and black trails.
Green trails (20% of the total
to be developed) have been
established for the most part
on existing gravel roads that
run through most sections of
the Park. These trails are considered very easy to ride and
recommended for all users.
Blue trails (70% of the total to
not pass. These trails will
wind through wooded areas
and through old logging
yards following existing logging trials. They will connect
at the ends of green trails to
create continuous riding
throughout the ATV Park.
Black trails are to be constructed with natural or manmade obstacles for the more
aggressive riders. Obstacles
such as rock climbs, boulder
fields, stumps and sharp
turns, often times in combination with steep slopes, will
be used to create these trails.
Planned special use trails
include a Jeep/4 wheel drive
loop (that may be used by
ATVs, too), gravel pits, a
junior trail (limited to 90 CC
ATVs or trail bikes), an educational/training area, and
mountain biking (nonmotorized with access to
White Mountain National
F o r e s t
l a n d ) .
New mountain top warming hut
and picnic area.
be developed) are designed
and constructed in areas where
a standard road vehicle could
Nice to be a permitted use in a
State Park for once.
TRAIL NEWS
Page 2
Jericho Mtn.
State Park
continued
Trail signs really do say it all.
The City of Berlin has been
very supportive of the park
concept and fully understands
and supports the positive regional economic impacts of
the project. A City Connector
Trail was established to allow
safe and convenient OHV
access from the parks trails to
restaurants, lodging and other
amenities. They have also
modified their local road ordinances to allow ATV’s to
ride in the traveled portion of
the road and access the downtown area. Jericho Motorsports is located on the
trail system and provides
sales and service of motorcycles, snowmobiles and
ATV’s. They also rent snowmobiles and ATV’s. The City
through zoning, rejected a bid
from the White Mountain
National Forest to purchase
the land. They had the foresight to recognize that there
was sufficient non-motorized
recreation in the area and that
PUBLIC
LAND
ACCESS IN
a motorized recreation park
had the potential to provide
much more economic vitality
to the region. The parallels
with the vision and development of the park and the private/public partnerships are
very similar to the infamous
Hatfield McCoy riding area in
West Virginia. Another successful OHV park model and
hopefully one that the State of
Vermont will notice.
An OHV vacation destination
only a few hours away! This
is what we have been waiting
for and a perfect place to take
the family and camp out, ride
the trails, take a swim in Jericho Lake afterwards and enjoy
the hospitality of the North
Country. Put it on the list of
“must rides” for next season.
New Park Visitors Center and Administrative
Offices are under construction.
Outstanding panoramic views of the North
Country and the White Mountains.
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
For more information about
the park or accommodations in
the area:
www.berlinnh.gov
www.nhstateparks.org
www.avatvclub.org
VT
Ever wonder why Vermont is
unable to allow managed motorized recreation on public
lands like our neighbor next
door? Vermont is one of only
several states across the country that does not allow responsible motorized recreation on
public lands. Rhode Island and
Hawaii are the other two states
that come to mind and understandably, both of those states
don’t have a lot of public land
available. Vermont however
has tens of thousands of acres
of public lands. Is it really the
potential environmental issues
(that we’re all lead to believe)
that prevents responsible motorized recreation? Does Vermont have a specific soil type
that is more fragile and susceptible to erosion and the degradation of our water quality
than any other place in the
country? Do we have more
rare and endangered plant
communities and animal species that requires additional
protection than any other state
in the country? Do our motorcycles and ATV’s produce
more emissions and actually
sound louder here than any
other state in the country? The
answers to these questions is
of course, no. If 47 other states
have found a way to mitigate
any potential environmental
issues then certainly Vermont
could also. If it’s not the environmental issues, then what
could it be, our management
policies?
Our land management policies
were founded on the principals
of Gifford Pinchot (the father
of American Forestry). For
well over one hundred years
those policies have successfully served our public lands
across the country. Those three
guiding principals are; sustainable silviculture, the greatest
good for the greatest number,
Page 3
and multiple use. Currently, we
are seeing those successful
policies being replaced by endless litigation and very, very
questionable science to a point
where our land managers job
descriptions in some cases,
more closely resemble those of
museum curators rather than
active land management.
When urban philosophy moves
to the rural landscape we are
lead to believe that breaking
sticks is bad for the environment. Apparently, applied silviculture, best forestry management practices and the working
knowledge that we have acquired for the past two hundred
years is to be replaced with
new “science”.
When representatives of national environmental organizations tell us that they “only
want us walking quietly in the
woods” or that “someone has to
speak for the environment”
we’re to believe that these are
valid land management policies… seriously?! With a few
notable exceptions, the vast
majority of our public lands
have been a working landscape
for well over 250 years. At one
time over 75% of Vermont’s
landscape was converted from
forestland to active agricultural
production. Prohibiting environmentally compatible and
sustainable motorized recreation on public lands is not
based on science, it is simply
the unwillingness to share our
resources.
Education is also a key component to any land management
policy. Just as educating the
errant rider on inappropriate
behavior, so is educating the
non-motorized community on
how an environmentally compatible and sustainable OHV
trail system is a responsible use
of our public lands. The refusal
to even acknowledge that OHV
recreation is a historical land
use activity as well as a contemporary family activity that
is deserving of legal opportun-
TRAIL NEWS
nity and can be accomplished
in a sustainable manner certainly doesn’t appear to be a
balanced approach to sharing
our resources.
Every user group who has access to public lands has impacts to the landscape, period.
Whether it is motorized or
non-motorized, without a
maintenance and management
policy for each specific use the
impacts eventually become
unacceptable. By telling the
motorized recreational community that our impacts are too
great for public lands without
even giving us an opportunity
to finally prove one way or the
other and ignoring the successful OHV programs in 47 other
states, clearly demonstrates
...yet again, the unwillingness
to share our resources in a responsible manner.
Unfortunately the future for all
recreational uses on public
lands in Vermont is in jeopardy. Well funded and politically connected, state and national environmental advocacy
groups are imposing their own
specific philosophy on our
local land management policies. Until such time as we are
able to promote and defend the
responsible policies that are a
balance of everyone’s interests
and not just one elitist viewpoint, we can expect to see
future closures and limitations
on all the uses of our public
lands. It’s all about sharing our
public lands responsibly and
unfortunately some people just
don’t want to...or perhaps
don’t even know what it means
to share.
Please consider, joining a club,
participating and become involved .
Doug Weber
President VORA
V
. ORA RECEIVES
RTP GRANT FOR
THE HARDWICK
WOODBURY
RAIL TRAIL
VORA was successful in
applying for an RTP
(Recreational Trails Program) grant to implement
an Access Management
Plan for the HardwickWoodbury Rail Trail. This
seven mile multi-use trail is
open to motorized recreation and is situated on an
abandoned, narrow gauge
rail line that connects the
Towns of Woodbury and
Hardwick. We expect to
begin construction in early
Spring and will be looking
for volunteers to assist in
the implementation.
TRAIL PROJECTS
NEEDED
Our Class IV road system
and legal town trails through
out the entire state are in
dire need of maintenance,
especially this year after the
effects of Hurricane Irene.
Why not try and save these
wonderful riding opportunities? Adopt a section in your
town, speak with your local
select board, planning or
conservation commission
and develop a work plan to
help repair and maintain
these public rights of way.
Maintenance and management is the key to keeping
these public ROW’s open.
Page 3
RECREATIONAL
TRAILS
PROGRAM
The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is a matching
grant program that provides
funding for the acquisition
and/or development of multiuse recreational trail projects.
Both motorized and nonmotorized projects may qualify for assistance. The program in administered at the
state level through the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Forests Parks and Recreation, in
cooperation with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, and federally through
the Federal Highway Administration. The RTP is predominately funded in Vermont with federal RTP funds
generated from the federal
motor fuel excise tax paid by
off-road recreational vehicles
such as snowmobiles, off
highway motorcycles, allterrain vehicles, and offhighway light trucks. RTP
rules require federal funds to
be allocated to trail projects
so that 30% are distributed to
motorized recreational use,
30% are for non-motorized
use, and 40% for multiple use
recreational trails. Only municipalities and non-profit
organizations may receive a
grant for up to 80% of the
total cost of a recreational
trail project. However donated or in-kind services and
materials can be used toward
the local match. Types of
eligible projects include:
- Construction, reconstruction, and/or re-alignment of
multi-use trails and trail linkages.
- Maintenance and restoration
of existing trails.
- Construction of small
bridge, railings, ramps and
retaining structures.
-Bank stabilization, revegetation and erosion con-
Page 4
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
RECREATIONAL
TRAILS
PROGRAM
CONTINUED
control.
- Development and/or rehabilitation of trailside amenities and
trailhead facilities.
-Operation of educational programs to promote safety, responsible trail use, environmental protection and sustainability related trail use.
- Assessment of the current
condition of existing trails for
improving accessibility and
future maintenance.
- Acquisition of easement and
fee simple title to property for
trails.
- Trail signage.
RTP grants are due January
15th each year. This is a grant
program that exists because of
the taxes collected on the fuel
of our OHM’s, ATV’s snow
machines and light duty 4X4’s.
We provide the funding for the
entire program. If your club is
interested in applying for an
RTP grant for a trail project,
VORA offers assistance in trail
assessments, cost estimates and
grant writing services. Please
feel free to contact us @
[email protected]
You really do meet the nicest
people riding off-road.
Can the end of the riding season be here already? The GMP
club has had a great year as
they have continued to build
on their Vermont Mini-Series
local trials event schedule,
having had 8 successful events
in Vermont this year. Many of
the members compete in the
New England Trials Association Regional Trials Championship Series very successfully as well. In 2011, Mike
Leonard took 2nd place in the
Expert class, Denver Wilson
1st place in the Sportsman
Class and our upcoming youth
star Joey McKenna 1st place in
the Rookie Class.
If you would like to know
more about the GMP club or
the sport of Trials, checkout
greenmountainplonkers.org
or contact Scott Armstrong at
motoconnectionvt.com
GMP Mini-Series Labor Day
Week. At this past Labor Day
weekend's Mini-Series Event
in Highgate, we had a record
number of riders and spectators, and from all reports everyone had a great time. Some
folks, families were riding an
event for the first time and it
was great to see the smiles on
their faces. We had the unique
experience of sharing the riding area with some of the
Fortin family cows and to everyone's delight, they just
joined right in the fun. Dan &
Karen Fortin, our wonderful
land owners, and several, other
family members stopped by to
visit, they were pleased to
meet with the Green Mountain
Plonkers, their families and
guests. All & All an exciting
weekend. Please think about
joining us at one or more of
our events of the season in
2012. Details about upcoming events are posted on our
website.
WHAT IS OBSERVED
MOTORCYCLE TRIALS
Motorcycle trials, also
termed observed trials, and
most recently at the National
Level Moto Trials, is a nonspeed event on specialized
motorcycles. The sport is
most popular in the United
Kingdom and Spain, though
there are participants around
the globe. Trials motorcycles are distinctive in that
they are extremely lightweight, lack seating (they
are designed to be ridden
standing up) and have suspension travel that is short,
relative to a motocross or
enduro
motorcycle.
Motorcycle trials is often
utilized by competitors of
other motorcycle sports
(such as motocross, single
track or street racers) as a
way to cross-train, as trials
teaches great throttle, balance, and machine control.
The event is split into sections where a competitor
rides through an obstacle
course while attempting to
avoid touching the ground
with the feet. The obstacles
in the course may be of
natural or constructed elements. In all sections, regardless of content, the designated route is carefully
contrived to test the skill of
the rider. In many local observed trials events, the sections are divided into separate courses to accommodate the different skill level
of riders, who compete in
skill-rated
classes.
In every section, the competitor is scored by an observer (hence the sport's
name) who counts how
many times the competitor
touches the ground with the
foot (or any other part of the
body). Each time a competi-
tor touches the ground with a
foot (commonly called "dabs"
or "prods"), the penalty is one
point. The possible scores in
each section consist of 0, 1, 2,
3, or 5. If a competitor makes
their way through the section
without touching the ground
with a foot, they earn a score
of 0 (which is called "cleaning
the section"). If they touch the
ground once, they receive a
score of 1. If they touch down
twice, they receive a score of
2. If they touch the ground
three or more times, they earn
a score of 3—as long as they
complete the section without
stalling the motor, dismounting, going out of bounds, or
going backward. If the competitor fails to complete the
section a score of 5 is earned.
The winner is the competitor
with the fewest points at the
end of the event.
Tom Butland
Secretary, GMP
VORA DONATES
SERVICES TO VT
TRAILS & GREENWAYS ANNUAL
SYMPOSIUM RAFFLE
VORA donated trail consultation services for the raffle at
the 5th Annual Trail Symposium on October 15, 2011. As
part of these services, VORA
will conduct a site visit, make
recommendations for improvements, generate a construction
cost estimate, provide loaner
machines and lunch. To qualify the trail project must be
either be motorized, multi-use
or converting from nonmotorized to motorized. This
year the Hinesburg Trails
Committee won the raffle and
VORA will be working with
the town to investigate potential OHV improvements in
their Town Forest.
Page 5
The Cycle Conservation Club
of Vermont wants to thank all
its members and those involved with the activities and
events we’ve participated in
during 2011. For 2011 we
hosted at least one ride a
month with 6 events and logging over 1000 miles including the optional big-bike
routes and over 800 miles of
traditional CCC/Class IV terrain; however, the year did not
go without some challenges.
Besides our rides the
CCCofVT has participated
with the Annual Swap meet at
Green Mountain Harley
Davidson, donated $500 to the
American Red Cross, and most
recently assisted with a Bolton
Benefit Dance and Silent Auction to benefit victims of hurricane Irene. We’ve also transitioned to online memberships
and now have a Facebook
presence.
2011 will be a year for the
record books being one of the
wettest summers on file and
reminds me of what Travis
Pastrana said after one of his
wild crashes, “it was a hell of
a ride”. This spring started
with heavy April/May rains
with major flooding in the
Champlain Valley and Lake
Champlain basin. Add the
heavy snowmelt from other
parts of the state and the
ground was saturated for most
of the summer. For that reason
our first ride out of Johnson
lends itself as with typically
dryer firmer terrain with less
challenged class IV roads. It
also served as a beautiful fall
ride to finish the season with
impressive foliage, scenic
views, and little damage to
TRAIL NEWS
deal with from Hurricane
Irene.
Our second ride of the year
was held in southern VT and
it’s sad to say some trails and
bridges are lost and will never
be the same. I want to especially thank Skip Wareham,
Ken Rackowski, and the Pilgrim Sands Trail Riders. This
group exemplifies the mission
of the CCCofVT and is what
makes this club so great and
I’m glad to be a part of.
While the officers of the club
currently reside in northern
VT and generally meet in Bolton the club represents all of
Vermont and it’s this group of
individuals that make the
CCCofVT presence for the
southern part of the state.
There are a number of members from this area we’re glad
to have you all as part of our
club. Everyone is timechallenged and its efforts like
this that keep this club alive
and add valuable content to the
club both with quality members and hosted rides. We
can’t thank you enough! July I
hosted the So. Royalton ride
out of Lucky’s. Its unfortunate
the Motorsports portion has
closed and we want to thank
Lucky’s for their continued
support allowing us to ride out
their location. We couldn’t
have asked for better weather
and with about 60 riders a record turnout for 2011. It
seemed for a while we were
losing enthusiasm with only
15 riders showing up but I
have to say that was not the
case for 2011. It’s great to see
all the new faces and renewed
interest.
August was our 2-day ride and
club picnic. Special thanks to
Dick Mitchel for hosting this
event on his property and being trail boss. Dick had countless hours rerouting the rides,
creating new route sheets and
pre-riding the loops. Unfortu-
nately Rochester has
reclassified some Class IV
roads to “Legal Trail” and for
the town of Rochester that
means “non-motorized”. It
was quite obvious after the
sequence of events after
Hurricane Irene it’s more
important than ever to allow
“motorized OHV” use. This is
one of the challenges we plan
to take on for 2012. This ride
and BBQ was well attended
and again we welcomed some
new riders from both genders.
We were lucky to get these
rides in as it was only a week
later that Hurricane Irene
struck and left it’s deadly
wrath upon this area of our
lovely state. VORA, VASA,
VAST, and a variety of clubs,
individuals and towns are all
working hard to restore access
to many of the roads and trails
affected by Irene. October 22nd
was Vermont’s statewide
“clean-up” after Irene and I
hope many of you were able to
participate in some fashion.
The CCCofVT is looking to
improve our online offering
and is now on Facebook.
Besides helping with the
Pittsfield ride and BBQ Jessica
Booth has offered to help with
our Facebook group. This will
allow members to easily share
comments and experiences
with other members and help
grow our sport. This is a great
tool while we rework our
CCCofVT.org website. The 3rd
party software that allows us
to have an online ecommerce
and memberships was not
compatible with our existing
Word Press templates.
Presently the site is stripped
down and we hope to re-add
new content in the coming
months. If you have something
to share that you’d like to see
posted please pass it along to
myself or Ben our webmaster.
We want to thank all those that
turned out to help Ray Atwood
at his shop. Ray is one of the
founding members of the club
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 1
and still plays a significant
role. I was in awe with both
the devastation and support
Ray and his family received.
I saw a large number of
CCC members assisting
after the flood and makes
me feel good to be a part of
this community.
Again, the CCCofVT meets
the 2nd Tuesday of the
month typically in Bolton at
Rays but please check the
website (www.cccofvt.org)
and your email for the most
up to date information. As a
reminder we will be having
our annual dinner meeting
February 18th, 2012 at the
Steak House Restaurant on
the Barre-Montpelier Road.
We will be sending out a
RSVP reminder so please
mark your calendars and we
hope that you can attend.
Thanks,
Ron Arms
President, CCCofVT
[email protected]
NATIONAL RIFLE
ASSOCIATION
FULLY INVOLVED
IN PUBLIC LAND
ACCESS ISSUES
The NRA has gotten heavily
involved in helping to keep
lands open to motorized and
non-motorized access for
hunters, very much like the
BlueRibbon Coalition and
other motorized recreation
groups. While this is certainly helpful, in my estimation, more NRA members
need to join up with Blue
Ribbon Coalition because
the myth that hunters are not
OHVers has come to an end.
If you use a quad, dirt bike,
tote goat, jeep or 4x4 to get
around in the back country,
retrieve game and get to
your favorite hunting spot,
you ARE in fact an OHVer
in the eyes of many.
Page 6
NRA INVOLVED
IN PUBLIC LAND
ACCESS ISSUES
CONTINUED
Travel Management Plans are
closing roads and changing the
way we can access and hunt
our public lands all over the
USA. Every Forest in America
is going through this, and most
BLM areas are doing similar
things (designating routes and
closing others).
This is not just about hunting,
and hunters, it's about guns
and shooting as well. Roads
are being closed -- period. It
affects us all. We all need to
fight this and be part of this
from many different perspectives and angles.
BlueRibbon (BRC) leads the
charge nationally from a grassroots perspective to champion
responsible access to public
lands. It is my hope that more
NRA members will see this
and become part of BRC so
we can magnify our efforts
and increase our access Army.
Together we can do so much
more.
Join both groups today if
you are a hunter and if you
believe in public land access.
www.nrahuntersrights.org
www.sharetrails.org
Del Albright
proud member of both
(and many other groups)
THE BIG THREE
ADVOCACY
GROUPS
MAKING SENSE OF
THE ATVA, BRC,
AND NOHVCC
Three major off-highway vehicle organizations are dedicated
to the advancement of the
sport of ATV and dirt bike
riding. Rather than having
similar agendas, each one of
the three organizations serves
a different purpose for the
recreational ATV rider. The
All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) is a direct branch
of the longer-established
American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). The ATVA
and AMA’s primary focus is at
the competition and legislative
end of our sport. In addition to
sanctioning thousands of professional and amateur races
every year, the ATVA and
AMA busy themselves with
impending legislation at the
local, state, and federal levels
regarding OHV recreation.
They fight for the laws, rules,
and regulations that they feel
will most benefit their members and the industry as a
whole. Contact the AMA at
13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, Ohio 43147, or call
(800) AMA-JOIN, or check
the organization’s website:
www.ama-cycle.org.
The BlueRibbon Coalition
(BRC) is a membership-based
organization dedicated to recreational land-access issues
throughout the country. The
group has often been described
as the “pitbull” branch of
OHV advocacy groups as it
regularly engages in lawsuits
against the anti-recreation access groups, which attempt to
shut down and impede public
motorized trail systems. The
BRC also serves an educational role, its most recent being a program to quiet noisy
dirt bikes and ATVs. BRC
depends on the money derived
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
from individual memberships to be able to fight its
land-use battles. To join,
contact the group at Blue
Ribbon Membership, 4555
Burley Drive, Suite A, Pocatello, Idaho 83202, or call 1800-BLUE-RIB (1-800-2583742) or check out its website: www.sharetrails.org.
The National Off-Highway
Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) is a multifaceted organization that
focuses primarily on
“creating a positive future
for off-highway vehicle recreation” by offering resources, documents, and
educational materials to
OHV enthusiasts and
groups. One of the organization’s initial goals was to
form strong OHV state associations throughout the
country so as to give it a
unified voice in all political
OHV matters. The organization also conducts workshops where land managers
can communicate with OHV
trail experts and enthusiasts.
In addition, NOHVCC is
dedicated to educational
programs that deal primarily
with the safety and ethics of
OHV trail riding. NOHVCC
is a non-membership-based
group that encourages riders
to join an OHV club in their
area. You can contact
NOHVCC by calling (800)
348-6487, emailing [email protected], or writing to 427 Central Ave.
West, Great Falls, MT
59404. You can also find
more about the organization’s many services at this
website: www.nohvcc.org.
ARRA
AMERICANS FOR
RESPONSIBLE
RECREATIONAL
ACCESS
Americans for Responsible
Recreational Access (ARRA)
was formed to ensure that
Americans are not arbitrarily
denied the right to responsibly
experience and enjoy the public lands that belong to the
citizens of the United States.
The members of ARRA,
which include horseback riders, personal watercraft users,
off-highway vehicle and snowmobile riders, and vacationing
families, have joined together
to provide input on decisions
regarding land use designation, recreation opportunities,
and preservation. Its members
seek responsible consideration
of competing activities, which
are based on sound environmental principles. No alliance
member believes that recreation enthusiasts have the right
to exclusive, unregulated use
of our national heritage, but all
oppose land closure or extreme regulation, which denies
responsible citizens access to
public lands for multifaceted
recreational pursuits. ARRA
focuses on the entire spectrum
of issues surrounding the Crisis of Closure. We work with
the Administration and its
agencies, Congress, local governmental representatives and
most importantly, the citizens
who care about maintaining
access to public lands and waterways for outdoor recreational activities. ARRA also
serves as a central clearinghouse for the many likeminded initiatives and individuals who fight for fundamental fairness in public land
designation and recreation
opportunity.
www.arra-access.com
Page 7
IRENE’S NASTY
KNOBBIES
During the weekend of
August 20-21, my riding
buddy and I participated in
one of the regularlyscheduled
Cycle
Conservation Club of VT’s
(CCC of VT) dual sport
motorcycle ride/loops
through the Vermont hamlets
of Stockbridge, Pittsfield,
Bridgewater, and Woodstock,
just to name a few. If you
ever have the opportunity to
ride one of these clearlyrouted rides, please do so!
The CCC of VT has recently
noticed a strong up-tick in the
participation of out-of-state
riders because of the pastoral
beauty and varied riding
terrain that Vermont has to
offer (VT Department of
Tourism and Marketing take
notice).
While riding the class III and
IV roads along with the
nicely dispersed single track
trails, I couldn’t get over the
beauty and majesty the state
of Vermont has to offer. We
stopped at the Bridgewater
General Store for gas and
lunch. Many of our fellow
riders convened at the same
time to recount the first half
of the ride, complete minor
bike and human repairs, and
look forward to the 2nd half of
the ride. In the end, we had
an AWESOME day with
many unforgettable fond
memories. I will most
certainly look forward to this
ride again next summer!
But wait, not so fast… Fast
forward only 1 week to
Sunday, August 28! After
traveling up the eastern
seaboard and veering west
over Vermont, tropical storm,
Irene leaves torrential rains
and massive flooding in her
wake throughout much of
North central, Central, and
Southern regions of our state.
TRAIL NEWS
Within 24 hours, this
monumentally devastating
storm left many Vermonters’
homes leveled and their
livelihoods ruined with
historical proportions. It will
take some time to account for
the final assessment, but early
estimates suggest close to a $2
billion dollar price tag for the
short and long-term rebuilding
process.
Wait a minute!
Wasn’t it barely a week ago
and it seems like another
world away, that we were
riding the very roads and
crossing the very bridges that
are now gone?!!!
More
importantly was the negative
impact to our fellow riding
buddies’ and local business
owners’ lives who were
impacted in the worse way. I
was heartened, but certainly
not surprised to see how
quickly the off-highway
vehicle (OHV) riding
community sprang into action
to help their fellow
Vermonters. The email and
phone traffic erupted with
pleas and help for others.
Specifically, from the off
highway motorcycle (OHM)
community, the club
membership of the CCC of VT,
the Green Mountain Riders,
and the Montshire Trail Riders
all jumped into immediate
action to help-out wherever
necessary. I know the same
activity occurred with all the
Vermont ATV and 4X4 clubs
as well. As members of the
OHV community, that’s just
what we do!!!
Here’s an ironic observation.
Isn’t it interesting how the
OHV community consistently
receives undue negative
attention surrounding Vermont
land use issues, but who were
the very first responders to the
Vermonters isolated and
stranded by the storm?
It was us! It was the pilots of
ATVs, Jeeps, and dirt bikes
who first reached and
delivered needed water and
other supplies to our
Vermonter neighbors who
were cut-off from civilization
by the numerous washed-out
bridges and roads. Isn’t it
sad that it took a natural
disaster like Irene to illustrate
to the general public the kindhearted and giving nature of
our riding community?
Maybe there is a silver lining
somewhere in that Irene
storm cloud???
There are many private,
State, and Federal programs
designed to help rebuild
citizens’ homes and
municipal infrastructure, but
it will be up to our club
members to help rebuild
many of the riding areas we
all love. Moving forward, it’s
important that the OHV
community helps to rebuild
our class IV roads and trails
that were so hugely affected.
Please get in touch with your
local OHV club to offer your
support so we can continue to
enjoy the endless riding
experiences in our Green
Mountain State.
Tom Myers
VP GMR
CCC of VT
Montshire Trail Riders
VORA
Professor of Management
Champlain College
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
We at the Vermont Jeep
Association (www.vtjeep.org)
would like to thank VORA for
the role it has played in the
State this year. We are
wrapping up another great
wheeling season in Vermont,
and our continued access to
Class IV roads is an important
part of our trail network.
Vermont was subject to a
widespread disaster this year
as Hurricane Irene simply
washed away much of the
state. The VJA was fortunate
to be in a unique situation
where we could aid first
responders and help in the
disaster relief effort. Called by
a member who also happens to
be a State Trooper in Bethel,
VT, the Vermont Jeep
Association, alongside Green
Mountain Crawlers, and
volunteers from the Killington
Jeep Jamboree sprang into
action. With only hours of
preparation time, a fleet of
over a dozen off-road vehicles
amassed at the State Police
barracks in Bethel all eager to
ferry in personnel and
supplies, and bring out needy
victims of the disaster. Our
frequent use of the Class IV
road network allowed us to
quickly and efficiently bypass
areas of the paved road that
were washed away by the
storm. We found routes into
the hardest hit areas and at one
time carried in over 150
gallons of gasoline to feed the
few generators that were still
running in the affected area.
Looking forward to the 2012
Jeeping season, we welcome
new officers to our
organization, and look to find
new opportunities to be good
TRAIL NEWS
Page 8
VERMONT JEEP
ASSOCIATION
CONTINUED
stewards of the land. We will
continue our trail clean-up
efforts, and continue to promote Jeeping as a safe and
family-friendly sport in Vermont.
To learn more about Jeeping in
Vermont, please see us online
at www.vtjeep.org
Brian Carpenter, President
Vermont Jeep Association
ATVERS
CONTINUE THE
FIGHT FOR
STATE LANDS
ACCESS
Starting in late January, the
leadership of the Vermont
ATV Sportsman’s Association
(VASA) and activists from
VASA’s twenty-one local
clubs have mounted a relentless campaign to educate the
public on why ATVers deserve access to state land.
Governor Peter Shumlin
sparked the campaign by announcing on January 20 that
he was revoking the state lands
access project set up by the
administration of Governor
Jim Douglas. The Douglas
ATV Rule authorizing a three
trail trial had just barely been
adopted when Governor
Shumlin announced he was
revoking it. Somewhere aro-
und 2000 ATVers have contributed to the public education campaign in one way or
another. In addition, a wide
assortment of non-ATVers
have joined the effort because
they’ve seen the benefits of
legally managed ATV trails in
their region, and recognize the
simple fairness of giving all
Vermonters reasonable access
to some portions of Vermont
public land. Supporters of state
land access include landowners, businesses, local government leaders, legislators and
other prominent statewide
officials, sporting organizations, business organizations,
trail groups, and landowner
groups. The Shumlin administration has left the door open
to state lands access by promising a “license” process for
the re-location of a highway
crossing near Island Pond that
requires a three-foot strip of
state land for a distance of a
couple of hundred feet. This
highway crossing is a center
piece of the Tri-County ATV
Club’s entire trail system, and
is an example of how important state land can be to connectivity of VASA’s slowly
expanding 600-plus mile statewide trail system. An April 26
Public Hearing on the ATV
Rule revocation and a Written
Public Comment Period that
ended May 3 provided the best
public education opportunity
to date. ATV opponents had
long touted the 2009 margin of
4-1 Written Public Comments
against the Douglas three-trail
trial as proof that the public
did not support state lands
access for ATVs. In the very
first speech at the April 26
hearing VASA unveiled a Petition with over 4000 signatures in support of state lands
access. The Petition should put
to rest the claims of antiATVers that Vermonters overwhelmingly oppose state lands
access. ATV supporters added
an exclamation point to the
surprise Petition announcement
by outnumbering ATV opponents 142-6 at the April 26 hearing!. ATV supporters followed
these dramatic developments by
producing approximately 2,000
written public comments by the
May 3, deadline. As of VASA
Newsletter press time, there has
been no announcement of the
final written comments tally by
ATV supporters or ATV opponents. However, it appears that
ATV supporters either produced
the majority of comments or, at
least held their own. Not only
did ATV supporters turn out in
force on April 26, but the quality
and substance of the commentary was sensational. The
Agency of Natural Resources
representatives who heard the
testimony are part of the
agency’s leadership team, and
they had to be impressed with
who we are and the story our
speakers told. Any time we can
further acquaint decision makers
with who ATVers really are,
why they ATV, and how VASA
and our 21 local clubs manage
ATVing, we come out ahead in
the game. The new leadership at
ANR knows very little about us
or ATV use and management.
VASA activists and our nonATVing supporters seized the
opportunity provided by the Public Hearing and Written Comment Period to demonstrate the
real ATVing story to the agency.
VASA supporters have also
seized the opportunity to tell the
real ATV story to the public.
Letters to the Editor that have
been running every few days for
the last 3½ months are providing
great educational information to
the public that corrects lies and
misinformation spread by our
opponents. Public education is
an ongoing process that never
ends. The more information we
convey to the public in these
letters, the more they understand
why we are good people and
ATVing is good for Vermont.
ATVers Continue the Fight for
State Lands Access. Mostly na-
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
tional preservationist organizations such as the Conservation Law Foundation, Center
For Biological Diversity,
Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, and Vermont Natural
Resources Council, and a
segment of Vermont recreationists have led the opposition to sharing Vermont’s
1000-plus square miles of
public lands with folks who
happen to like ATVs. Many
of these organizations have
put out Alerts throughout the
entire country urging their
supporters to write Official
Written Public Comments
condemning the Douglas
ATV Rule, and supporting
revocation of the rule. They
urge supporters to write letters disparaging organized
ATV usage for supposed
noisiness, pollution, lawlessness, harm to wildlife, massive littering, disturbance of
other recreational groups,
running roughshod over land,
destroying the peacefulness
of the country side, and even
causing global warming,
among other things. Opponents have made these accusations, despite the fact that
ATV clubs already successfully share extensive trail
sections with other groups,
receive landowner permission
from host landowners year
after year, participate in
Greenup Day, help enforce
ATV laws, and cause less
global warming that the National Geographic Magazine’s worldwide travels
studying ecosystems and
wildlife. This letter from
Tami Calliope in the Montpelier Bridge Newspaper is an
example of the gross exaggerations written by many
ATV opponents. Here are
some excerpts:
“ATV noise is intolerable to
the human ear…..and the
sensitive ears of wildlife.
ATV’s gouge at the earth,
leaving huge uprooted
Page 9
expanses of disturbed habitat
in their wake. The black smoke
that belches from these obscene creations poisons the air
we (and wildlife) breathe, and
in seeps into groundwater and
soil. Habitat is ruined and
native wildlife scared off or
killed…..”
…..and on it goes.
These kinds of falsehoods are
what VASA is up against in
the state lands access battle,
and in our fight to overcome
stereotyping our members as
heathens. The more VASA
clubs can interact with the
public at the local level and
the more statewide efforts
VASA continues to undertake,
the more the public will understand the real story. Our opponents’ exaggerations do us a
favor every time they contradict what the public sees on
our trails, in our communities,
and in local and state government circles.
The proposed rule revocation
has been an outstanding opportunity for VASA to get the
real story out to the public.
The more the real story gets
the attention of Governor
Shumlin’s administration, the
better the chance that his administration will provide
VASA a chance to show we
can use and manage state land
trails successfully in subsequent experimental trails besides the Island Pond crossing.
While the entire saga of the
state lands ATV access battle
is giving VASA an outstanding opportunity to show
who organized ATVers really
are to the public, the public
outreach effort must never
stop. As noted above, around
2000 ATV supporters have
participated in the effort to get
Governor Shumlin to allow
one or two more experimental
state lands ATV trails besides
the Island Pond Trail. If you
are an ATVer who rides
VASA trails but does not give
TRAIL NEWS
back to the organization that
makes your favorite trail rides
possible, think about offering a
little help to your local club and
VASA. A little help from a lot
people makes a big difference.
The dozens of letter writers who
have sent letters to Vermont papers have made a big contribution to VASA public education
effort. If you want to write a
letter offering your opinion,
VASA can help you with advice
and distribution of the letter.
Contact the VASA office for
advice and help with distribution. Plus, there are other ways
you can help the cause. Look for
opportunities within your local
club, because the clubs always
need more help with the expanding assortment of projects all
clubs are undertaking. The
VASA Newsletter will carry an
update of the effort to gain state
lands access in the next issue.
VASA does need more trail variety and less trails that dead end
at state land and elsewhere. Vermont’s ATV trail system is less
extensive than surrounding
states, such as Maine, which
boasts 6000 miles of trails. However, over the last dozen years,
VASA’s 21 clubs have developed a significant amount of
single day and multi-day trailing
opportunities. Check this newsletter, VASA’s website and your
local club’s newsletter for ideas
about trail outings.
Steve McLoud
VASA Public Policy
and Outreach
VA S A N E W S
The Vermont ATV Sportsman Association held two
very successful summer
events this year. The first
was in July- our Annual Mt.
Washington Ride. VASA
members from around the
state drove to the beautiful
White Mountains to ride up
Mt. Washington. The
weather was most definitely
on our side- sunny skies and
a warm temperature of 60
degrees greeted us at the top
of the mountain. With visibility of 100 miles, we
couldn’t have asked for a
better day. Over 200 members showed up and participated in this ride. VASA
members, please mark your
calendars in advance for our
2012 Mt. Washington Ride:
July 31, 2012.
August brought our first
ever statewide ATV eventThe VASA BIG EVENT!
This event was the first of
its kind for VASA- members from all over Vermont
came together in Concord,
VT to celebrate our sport.
The BIG EVENT consisted
of three different challenges
including a poker run, mud
bog, and ATV pull. Trophies were awarded for each
size class and challenge.
Again, the weather was on
our side- we had the perfect
summer day for this event.
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
Local dealers displayed their
best machines, our clubs provided all the help needed to
provide the challenges and
some seriously delicious
food, and our members all
had an amazing time. The
event was such a success that
we have decided to definitely
hold it again in 2012. We are
currently working out the
details of setting the date, so
keep
an
eye
on
www.vtvasa.org or VASA’s
facebook page for updates.
Finally, please mark your
calendars for VASA’s Annual Meeting- January 14,
2012 at the Canadian Club in
Barre. Discover and learn
about VASA’s plans for 2012
and celebrate the advances
made in 2011! Meet VASA
directors, staff, and volunteers who work hard to keep
our sport alive. We are determined to further develop
sound ATV management
practices for ourselves, our
children, and our sport. Registered VASA Members are
entitled one vote in the election for 2012 officers.
Dani Cady
VASA Executive Assistant
What is VORA?
Join VORA Today
VORA is the Vermont Off Highway Vehicle Recreation Association.
Our purpose is to work cooperatively to create and sustain environmentally compatible land use opportunities for Off Highway Recreational Vehicles, and to promote responsible recreation for all generations. VORA was formed in 2008 by representatives from motorized
associations in Vermont including VASA, (Vermont All Terrain Vehicle Sportsman’s Association), The CCC of VT, (Cycle Conservation
Club of Vermont), and the VJA (Vermont Jeep Association). These
groups came together with the assistance of NOHVCC, The National Off Highway Vehicle Conservation Council and the American
Motorcyclist Association (AMA) to form a unified group and create a
strong voice to attain legal, and safe riding opportunities for Vermont
families.
Name:_________________________________________
What does VORA do?
Email:__________________________________________
VORA is a volunteer organization that works diligently
on issues such as:
• Access to State and Federal Lands
• Class IV and Ancient Roads
• Assisting towns with allowing motorized access
• Landowner Relations
• Government Relations
• Providing information to interested parties
• Promoting Responsible Recreation
• Partnering with Local, State and Federal Agencies
• Promoting Environmentally friendly recreation and
Positive Land Stewardship
Phone:_________________________________________
How Can You Help?
VORA is a new organization which needs volunteers and funds to
attain our goals. Please join our organization today to support our
efforts. Anyone can join, even if you don’t own an Off Highway Recreational Vehicle. The fee schedule is as follows:
I wish to support VORA in the development of an off-highway
vehicle association and to promote safe and legal motorized
recreation in Vermont by becoming a member.
Enclosed is my check for $_____________
Business:_______________________________________
Address________________________________________
City:___________________________________________
State:____________________Zip:___________________
Member number:________________________________
Preferred Recreational Form: Check all that apply
( ) ATV ( ) Motorcycle ( ) 4x4
Please check one:
( ) New Member ( ) Renewal
Fee Schedule:
Individual Membership: $10.00/ year Business: $25.00/ year
Organization: $25.00/ year
Annual Dues Include:
Right to vote, hold office and access to VORA functions.
Please make checks payable to:
Vermont Off Highway Vehicle Recreation Association
14 Don Camp Road
Barre, VT 05641
www.vtvora.org
1-802-477-5075
President:
Individual: $10.00/year
Doug Weber: [email protected]
Business: $25.00/year
Vice President:
Organization :$25.00/year
Danny Hale: [email protected]
Memberships are good for one calendar year from January 1December 31. Membership in VORA allows you to vote and run for
any position within the organization, access to VORA functions, and
information and updates on the status and success of our goals.
VORA encourages you to get the most out of your membership by
attending meetings and functions.
The More Voices, the More Choices!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Secretary:
Dani Cady: [email protected]
Members At Large:
ATV’s: Anah Tuttle: [email protected]
OHMs: Tom Butland: [email protected]
4x4’s: Bob Cruikshank :[email protected]
VORA Representative Only:
Date____________ Amount Paid
___________Representative Signature: