Hello Trail Blazers,
I was waiting for some more good news today, but I will share what I have so far.
Our OHV Specialty License Bill passed and is ready for the Gov’s signature! See attached. It was lumped into the Omnibus LP Bill, see paragraph 19 & 20. We will need to get 1000 TN OHV’ers to purchase the Specialty Plates within one year of becoming a law before they will go into production. The cost will be $35 ($70 for personalized OHV plates). This cost is separate from your license plate renewal fee and the first year will be collected by TOHVA and submitted when 1000 plates have been purchased. 50% of that cost will go to TOHVA to further the creation of a statewide system of trails and OHV educational programs. As far as I am concerned, the funnest (is that a word?) part of the equation is coming up with the new design…attn all OHV loving graphic designers! More details to follow once TOHVA comes up with gameplan. If you have a moment, send a shout out to Sen. Stewart (sen.eric.stewart@capitol.tn.gov) and Rep. Matheny (rep.judd.matheny@capitol.tn.gov) and say THANKS!
HB2109/SB2102 OHV Liability Tort Reform (see attached) snuck under the radar and made it thru both legislative bodies and ended up on Calendar today. The Senate and House sponsors could not agree on Amendment #2 (www.capitol.tn.gov HB2109 for details), so it has been assigned to Conference Committee for them to duke it out. On the House side Rep. Floyd, Fincher and McCord have been appointed. I don’t have the Senate appointees. Once they figure it out, it will be sent to the Governor to be signed and made a law. This Liability Bill is not exactly what we wanted with our initial bill, but it takes a liability load off the land owner for OHV activities. A definite step in the right direction!! Rep. Floyd and Sen. Watson were the Prime sponsors (both from Chattanooga area). Many thanks for all their hard work (rep.richard.floyd@capitol.tn.gov and sen.bo.watson@capitol.tn.gov for thank you notes!).
OTHER
Hope everyone is preparing for 4th of July activities and will be riding in this year’s parades!
Most Elections are next year, hope many of y’all are looking to run for local offices!!
Take a look at this link and see what a bunch of local people did with their Vision. Why not make your county an OHV mecca? http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-0517-paducahmay17,0,2703025.story?page=2
Onward Ho!
M
Iva Michelle Russell
Exec. Director, OHV4TN
A Citizen Lobbyist Organization
931-924-7877
iva@ivamichellerussell.com
www.ohv4tn.org
www.facebook.com/ohv4tn
www.ohv4tn.blogspot.com
The mission of the OHV4TN organization is to be the legislative advocate for the 880,000+ Off-Highway Vehicle users in the state of Tennessee. OHV4TN is dedicated to the creation of a diverse statewide system of sustainable OHV trails in Tennessee for current and future generations of OHV users.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Broke California keeps OHV Parks
Being an Off-Highway Vehicle advocate, I found it interesting that a very broke California won't be closing OHV Parks because they are self-funded. That is how the OHV Program in TN is supposed to work if government and public officials would do their job and quit playing politics.
May 28, 2009 - The Sacremento Bee
Details are still being worked out, but early indications are that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to defund state parks would be particularly bad news for day hikers and birdwatchers.
Schwarzenegger's Department of Finance is predicting that around 80 percent of California's 279 state parks could close because they don't take in enough user fees to be self-sustaining. The ones that would survive fall into three general categories, according to Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer.
The first category that would stay open would be Off-Highway Vehicle parks popular among off-road motorcyclists and users of ATVs and 4x4s. Those parks have their own dedicated funding stream separate from the state's general fund.
The second category would be state reservoirs, which receive funding from watercraft users and gas tax revenues. Folsom Lake likely would be spared under this category, according to State Parks spokesman Roy Stearns.
And the final category would be state beaches and any other park popular enough to generate more revenue than it costs to operate. Seven of the top 10 state parks by attendance in 2005-06 were beaches, while two of them were for off-road users.
The San Francisco Chronicle compiled its own list today of Bay Area parks that could close. That list includes some of the most popular parks for hikers, like Mount Tamalpais and Henry W. Coe.
Now, you might ask, couldn't hikers just venture onto state park property through a trailhead? They would do so at their own risk, it seems. Park access would be prohibited for most of those properties, according to Palmer.
In the end, this might be another version of the Washington Monument strategy, as incoming Assembly Republican leader Sam Blakeslee outlined on Flash Report during Schwarzenegger's 2008 proposal to close 48 state parks. The closures would save only $70 million in 2009-10 and $143 million in 2010-11.
Then again, the summer of 2009 makes 2008 look like an easy walk in the park.
May 28, 2009 - The Sacremento Bee
Details are still being worked out, but early indications are that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to defund state parks would be particularly bad news for day hikers and birdwatchers.
Schwarzenegger's Department of Finance is predicting that around 80 percent of California's 279 state parks could close because they don't take in enough user fees to be self-sustaining. The ones that would survive fall into three general categories, according to Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer.
The first category that would stay open would be Off-Highway Vehicle parks popular among off-road motorcyclists and users of ATVs and 4x4s. Those parks have their own dedicated funding stream separate from the state's general fund.
The second category would be state reservoirs, which receive funding from watercraft users and gas tax revenues. Folsom Lake likely would be spared under this category, according to State Parks spokesman Roy Stearns.
And the final category would be state beaches and any other park popular enough to generate more revenue than it costs to operate. Seven of the top 10 state parks by attendance in 2005-06 were beaches, while two of them were for off-road users.
The San Francisco Chronicle compiled its own list today of Bay Area parks that could close. That list includes some of the most popular parks for hikers, like Mount Tamalpais and Henry W. Coe.
Now, you might ask, couldn't hikers just venture onto state park property through a trailhead? They would do so at their own risk, it seems. Park access would be prohibited for most of those properties, according to Palmer.
In the end, this might be another version of the Washington Monument strategy, as incoming Assembly Republican leader Sam Blakeslee outlined on Flash Report during Schwarzenegger's 2008 proposal to close 48 state parks. The closures would save only $70 million in 2009-10 and $143 million in 2010-11.
Then again, the summer of 2009 makes 2008 look like an easy walk in the park.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
TN OHV Action Alert 5/27/09
A couple of quick items.
· We had some issues with the Tennessee Highway Patrol during an OHV event held in Tracy City this weekend. Local government and police were very supportive of the event (brings in $$), but THP superseded their efforts and created a “ghost town” for the local businesses. This incident brings up a very valid point in our larger puzzle. Once you create the trails, how do you make the Trailhead towns “user-friendly”?
· If you had an event, let me know some $$ figures or economic impact to the local economy. The above scenario certainly hurt Tracy City, hopefully it didn’t happen to your town.
· Still looking for Pilot programs in Middle and West TN. Components will include an active OHV Club, city/county govt land, local govt partnership or active OHV Club and State Forest land. Ideally, we want to start hammering out details this summer!
· TDEC is closing their long range recreational plan survey THIS FRIDAY, May 29 (see explanation below) . Click on the link and follow the directions. http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/recreation/plan/ OHV is still on the state’s “critical unmet need” category list; let’s make sure they hear our voices for this measurement process too!
· The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation prepares a new state recreation plan every five years, because the recreation and conservation needs of Tennesseans are always changing. This year the department is updating the 2003-2008 Tennessee State Recreation Plan and developing a new long-range vision plan to guide policies for the next decade.The more we're able to learn from the folks who use and care about recreational parklands, rivers, facilities and programs, the more accurate and effective the planning process will be. That's why we've created an online survey that, for the first time, will allow anyone, anywhere in Tennessee to share their opinions with us.
· If you had a fun OHV weekend, send me cool pics! I took some of our local police leading a long train of 4x4 rigs to one of the trail heads, loved it! Remember, local buy-in is key to our long term success!
· Fourth of July parades are coming up! Make a statement!
As always, your fellow warrior for the cause.
M
Iva Michelle Russell
Exec. Director, OHV4TN
A Citizen Lobbyist Organization
931-924-7877
iva@ivamichellerussell.com
www.ohv4tn.org
www.facebook.com/ohv4tn
The mission of the OHV4TN organization is to be the legislative advocate for the 880,000+ Off-Highway Vehicle users in the state of Tennessee. OHV4TN is dedicated to the creation of a diverse statewide system of sustainable OHV trails in Tennessee for current and future generations of OHV users.
· We had some issues with the Tennessee Highway Patrol during an OHV event held in Tracy City this weekend. Local government and police were very supportive of the event (brings in $$), but THP superseded their efforts and created a “ghost town” for the local businesses. This incident brings up a very valid point in our larger puzzle. Once you create the trails, how do you make the Trailhead towns “user-friendly”?
· If you had an event, let me know some $$ figures or economic impact to the local economy. The above scenario certainly hurt Tracy City, hopefully it didn’t happen to your town.
· Still looking for Pilot programs in Middle and West TN. Components will include an active OHV Club, city/county govt land, local govt partnership or active OHV Club and State Forest land. Ideally, we want to start hammering out details this summer!
· TDEC is closing their long range recreational plan survey THIS FRIDAY, May 29 (see explanation below) . Click on the link and follow the directions. http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/recreation/plan/ OHV is still on the state’s “critical unmet need” category list; let’s make sure they hear our voices for this measurement process too!
· The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation prepares a new state recreation plan every five years, because the recreation and conservation needs of Tennesseans are always changing. This year the department is updating the 2003-2008 Tennessee State Recreation Plan and developing a new long-range vision plan to guide policies for the next decade.The more we're able to learn from the folks who use and care about recreational parklands, rivers, facilities and programs, the more accurate and effective the planning process will be. That's why we've created an online survey that, for the first time, will allow anyone, anywhere in Tennessee to share their opinions with us.
· If you had a fun OHV weekend, send me cool pics! I took some of our local police leading a long train of 4x4 rigs to one of the trail heads, loved it! Remember, local buy-in is key to our long term success!
· Fourth of July parades are coming up! Make a statement!
As always, your fellow warrior for the cause.
M
Iva Michelle Russell
Exec. Director, OHV4TN
A Citizen Lobbyist Organization
931-924-7877
iva@ivamichellerussell.com
www.ohv4tn.org
www.facebook.com/ohv4tn
The mission of the OHV4TN organization is to be the legislative advocate for the 880,000+ Off-Highway Vehicle users in the state of Tennessee. OHV4TN is dedicated to the creation of a diverse statewide system of sustainable OHV trails in Tennessee for current and future generations of OHV users.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
TN OHV Legislative Update 5/6/09
Hello Trailblazers,
Okay, I have taken a deep breath since my last communication…now it is time to move forward. (May have to add “building an Ark” to my to-do list if this rain keeps up.) I have attached an article I was asked to write for Blue Ribbon magazine that I think summarizes everything we have talked about over the legislative year. It always helps to have a recap at your fingertips. Knowledge is power.
First, some relative good news about our OHV Liability reform issue. As feared, the lawyers on the judiciary committee were none too thrilled with the prospects of OHV liability reform, but our House sponsor was able to get an agreement with the Chairman to put our bill into a summer Study committee. Normally, I hate those committees, but in our case I think that we have enough logical legal arguments that we may be able to make headway with the committee members who will vote on our bill next year. We have a seat at the table, and that is one step further than we were before on the issue. I will need the best OHV legal minds on this project, so let me know if you are interested or know someone who should be on our side of the table.
The OHV Specialty License Plate bill is apart of an Omnibus bill that should pass the House relatively soon. The Senate has already passed our bill.
While we are waiting for TWRA to do the right thing this year (or the wrong thing, however you want to look at it), there are several things that you can be doing to help the OHV cause. We are at war folks, and we are on the offense now.
Action: Fill out the Tennessee State Recreation Plan Survey! It is time the “tyranny of the minority” felt the voice of the majority. http://tn.gov/environment/recreation/plan
Action: We are still looking for an applicable OHV trail project in Middle and West Tennessee. If you are an OHV club that has a willing local, county or state forest land partner…let’s talk!
Action: Build our ranks. Get OHV-minded people signed up for OHV4TN updates either thru the www.ohv4tn.org website or thru www.facebook.com/ohv4tn. These updates can also be found on our new blog. www.ohv4tn.blogspot.com
Finally, a repeat…
TOP 10 WAYS YOU CAN HELP THE OHV CAUSE
1). Join a Club and get involved! Get on a committee, help organize a trail ride, recruit new members. The more the merrier!
2). No Club in your area? Start one! www.nohvcc.org has new club start-up kits available to all who ask.
3). Already in a Club? Become a leader, teach trail etiquette, preach tread lightly, and educate the youth! And for goodness sakes, STAY OUT OF THE WATER.
4). Spread the Gospel. If you don't have a PR Chairman already, get one! Build your media list and everytime your club does something for the community, tell them about it! Everytime your club does something for the kids, tell them about it! Everytime your club does something for the environment, tell them about it!
5). Parades, Parades, Parades. Y'all look so cool in them!! Be proud and raise that flag high!!
6). Be a Role Model. Know the rules, walk the walk and be the person a child can look up to. They are our future.
7). Get Political. Elect Local Leaders who are sympathetic to the OHV Cause. Heck, run for office! Y'all are a huge voting bloc, organize and use it!
8). Support your local business community. Find ways to increase revenue for them during your trail rides and events. Quantify and document the results.
9). Join larger Organizations that fight for the OHV Cause. TOHVA, SFWDA, NOHVCC and Blue Ribbon Coalition are great ones to consider! These organizations also help you keep up-to-date on local, state and federal Land Use issues. Knowledge is Power.
And last but certainly not least...
10). Build an OHV Trail System in your County! Start looking for city or county land that is not being utilized. We should have OHV Trail BMP's in place this year as well as Tools to help you get the job done. Grab the Brass Ring and go for it!
Onward Ho!
Michelle
Iva Michelle Russell
Exec. Director, OHV4TN
A Citizen Lobbyist Organization
931-924-7877
iva@ivamichellerussell.com
www.ohv4tn.org
www.facebook.com/ohv4tn
The mission of the OHV4TN organization is to be the legislative advocate for the 880,000+ Off-Highway Vehicle users in the state of Tennessee. OHV4TN is dedicated to the creation of a diverse statewide system of sustainable OHV trails in Tennessee for current and future generations of OHV users.
Okay, I have taken a deep breath since my last communication…now it is time to move forward. (May have to add “building an Ark” to my to-do list if this rain keeps up.) I have attached an article I was asked to write for Blue Ribbon magazine that I think summarizes everything we have talked about over the legislative year. It always helps to have a recap at your fingertips. Knowledge is power.
First, some relative good news about our OHV Liability reform issue. As feared, the lawyers on the judiciary committee were none too thrilled with the prospects of OHV liability reform, but our House sponsor was able to get an agreement with the Chairman to put our bill into a summer Study committee. Normally, I hate those committees, but in our case I think that we have enough logical legal arguments that we may be able to make headway with the committee members who will vote on our bill next year. We have a seat at the table, and that is one step further than we were before on the issue. I will need the best OHV legal minds on this project, so let me know if you are interested or know someone who should be on our side of the table.
The OHV Specialty License Plate bill is apart of an Omnibus bill that should pass the House relatively soon. The Senate has already passed our bill.
While we are waiting for TWRA to do the right thing this year (or the wrong thing, however you want to look at it), there are several things that you can be doing to help the OHV cause. We are at war folks, and we are on the offense now.
Action: Fill out the Tennessee State Recreation Plan Survey! It is time the “tyranny of the minority” felt the voice of the majority. http://tn.gov/environment/recreation/plan
Action: We are still looking for an applicable OHV trail project in Middle and West Tennessee. If you are an OHV club that has a willing local, county or state forest land partner…let’s talk!
Action: Build our ranks. Get OHV-minded people signed up for OHV4TN updates either thru the www.ohv4tn.org website or thru www.facebook.com/ohv4tn. These updates can also be found on our new blog. www.ohv4tn.blogspot.com
Finally, a repeat…
TOP 10 WAYS YOU CAN HELP THE OHV CAUSE
1). Join a Club and get involved! Get on a committee, help organize a trail ride, recruit new members. The more the merrier!
2). No Club in your area? Start one! www.nohvcc.org has new club start-up kits available to all who ask.
3). Already in a Club? Become a leader, teach trail etiquette, preach tread lightly, and educate the youth! And for goodness sakes, STAY OUT OF THE WATER.
4). Spread the Gospel. If you don't have a PR Chairman already, get one! Build your media list and everytime your club does something for the community, tell them about it! Everytime your club does something for the kids, tell them about it! Everytime your club does something for the environment, tell them about it!
5). Parades, Parades, Parades. Y'all look so cool in them!! Be proud and raise that flag high!!
6). Be a Role Model. Know the rules, walk the walk and be the person a child can look up to. They are our future.
7). Get Political. Elect Local Leaders who are sympathetic to the OHV Cause. Heck, run for office! Y'all are a huge voting bloc, organize and use it!
8). Support your local business community. Find ways to increase revenue for them during your trail rides and events. Quantify and document the results.
9). Join larger Organizations that fight for the OHV Cause. TOHVA, SFWDA, NOHVCC and Blue Ribbon Coalition are great ones to consider! These organizations also help you keep up-to-date on local, state and federal Land Use issues. Knowledge is Power.
And last but certainly not least...
10). Build an OHV Trail System in your County! Start looking for city or county land that is not being utilized. We should have OHV Trail BMP's in place this year as well as Tools to help you get the job done. Grab the Brass Ring and go for it!
Onward Ho!
Michelle
Iva Michelle Russell
Exec. Director, OHV4TN
A Citizen Lobbyist Organization
931-924-7877
iva@ivamichellerussell.com
www.ohv4tn.org
www.facebook.com/ohv4tn
The mission of the OHV4TN organization is to be the legislative advocate for the 880,000+ Off-Highway Vehicle users in the state of Tennessee. OHV4TN is dedicated to the creation of a diverse statewide system of sustainable OHV trails in Tennessee for current and future generations of OHV users.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
TN OHV Legislative Update 4/21/09
I write this blog post with a heavy heart. SB280/HB365 is dead in the water this year.
After extensive discussions, TWRA is not backing down from their demands for full RTP funding for Royal Blue. Without funding, the OHV Program cannot begin in another government department. Tennessee is in a black (red) hole due to this economy and nothing will be passed if it is not self-funded. TWRA stated they will be spending the full $1.1 million dollars (current and past grant money) this coming year on new OHV trails at Royal Blue. In January 2010, a progress report is scheduled to assess TWRA’s compliance. The fact still remains that this IS NOT A STATEWIDE OHV TRAIL PROGRAM as mandated by the Tennessee Off-Highway Vehicle Act. Let’s not forget this fact as we go forward this year. There are many ways to skin a cat around here. When my temper cools down, we will start planning the next step.
We are still moving forward with SB281/HB367 OHV Liability Reform. I will keep you posted. HB367 is in committee today.
Action Alert: “Doing my part to piss off the heathen left”
Subject: Misuse of TN recreation survey
The ORV crowd have latched onto a TN DEC survey about recreation needs and are trying to load it with pro-ORV responses. They discuss this on the "pirate4x4" website: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?p=9695129#post9695129
The DEC survey is at: http://tn.gov/environment/recreation/plan
Please take time out of your day to fill out the TDEC Recreation Survey and spread it onto every OHV forum you possibly can! I didn’t realize that citizen involvement was classified as “misuse”…I guess the anti-access crowd is not happy with our efforts. Keep up the great work!
Gameplan for the next step will be forthcoming, in the meantime, join or start an OHV club and become active in your community. If you are starting one, go to http://www.nohvcc.org/ and request a Club Start-up kit. Have your friends sign-up for the OHV4TN updates by going to http://www.ohv4tn.org/ and writing on the guestbook or going to www.facebook.com/ohv4tn and join the organization. Join TOHVA by going to http://www.tohva.org/ and get involved in state OHV issues. Go to http://www.sfwda.org/ if you are interested in regional 4x4 issues, become involved. Go to http://www.sharetrails.org/ if you want to get involved in national OHV issues.
Bottom line…get involved in the process. By working together, any goal can be achieved.
Your fellow warrior for the cause,
Michelle
After extensive discussions, TWRA is not backing down from their demands for full RTP funding for Royal Blue. Without funding, the OHV Program cannot begin in another government department. Tennessee is in a black (red) hole due to this economy and nothing will be passed if it is not self-funded. TWRA stated they will be spending the full $1.1 million dollars (current and past grant money) this coming year on new OHV trails at Royal Blue. In January 2010, a progress report is scheduled to assess TWRA’s compliance. The fact still remains that this IS NOT A STATEWIDE OHV TRAIL PROGRAM as mandated by the Tennessee Off-Highway Vehicle Act. Let’s not forget this fact as we go forward this year. There are many ways to skin a cat around here. When my temper cools down, we will start planning the next step.
We are still moving forward with SB281/HB367 OHV Liability Reform. I will keep you posted. HB367 is in committee today.
Action Alert: “Doing my part to piss off the heathen left”
Subject: Misuse of TN recreation survey
The ORV crowd have latched onto a TN DEC survey about recreation needs and are trying to load it with pro-ORV responses. They discuss this on the "pirate4x4" website: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?p=9695129#post9695129
The DEC survey is at: http://tn.gov/environment/recreation/plan
Please take time out of your day to fill out the TDEC Recreation Survey and spread it onto every OHV forum you possibly can! I didn’t realize that citizen involvement was classified as “misuse”…I guess the anti-access crowd is not happy with our efforts. Keep up the great work!
Gameplan for the next step will be forthcoming, in the meantime, join or start an OHV club and become active in your community. If you are starting one, go to http://www.nohvcc.org/ and request a Club Start-up kit. Have your friends sign-up for the OHV4TN updates by going to http://www.ohv4tn.org/ and writing on the guestbook or going to www.facebook.com/ohv4tn and join the organization. Join TOHVA by going to http://www.tohva.org/ and get involved in state OHV issues. Go to http://www.sfwda.org/ if you are interested in regional 4x4 issues, become involved. Go to http://www.sharetrails.org/ if you want to get involved in national OHV issues.
Bottom line…get involved in the process. By working together, any goal can be achieved.
Your fellow warrior for the cause,
Michelle
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