Should we Self-Fund?

Hello Trailblazers,

Although I have moved most of my communication to our OHV4TN Facebook page, I thought I would send out this email to all my "old school" OHV'ers who haven't taken the Facebook plunge.  We have been together in this process a long, long time and I appreciate y'all more than you know.  Facebook be damned.

Recap:

2007 to Today:

2007: Brought back OHV4TN to move the 2004 TN OHV Act forward.  

2008: Created the Tennessee Off-Highway Vehicle Association (TOHVA)

2010:  MOA between TWRA and TDEC to create an OHV grant-in-aid program. $1 million in RTP monies dedicated for three test projects in each grand division.

2012:  Doe Mountain in East Tennessee was bought by the state for an "Adventure Tourism" park.

2013:  Self-fund OHV program in Tennessee?

Update:

TDEC: Since getting the $1 million wrestled away from TWRA to TDEC in 2010  to create 3 prototype OHV projects in East, Middle and West and a grant-in-aid program for auxiliary projects....we have found that TDEC is probably not the best place for an OHV program.  There is only one project that made it thru the TDEC process, in Middle TN, and two years after the initial project was gift-wrapped for them, they have managed to completely screw it up before it has even started.  We are in damage control right now, but two years have been completely wasted in what should have been a relatively quick start-up. Another component of this puzzle is that the federal RTP dollars that currently fund trail programs in TN will always be in jeopardy, especially now...and the OHV segment of those dollars is mostly spoken for in TN.  Love it or hate it, that is a fact.

Doe Mountain: In the meantime, thru a very aggressive effort by an awesome county mayor and an OHV club in East TN, an entire mountain was bought by the state for an "Adventure Tourism" project.  Although not completely OHV oriented, we are relying on this project to blaze the trail on future projects, both organizationally and economically. Many kudos go to my NOHVCC Associate Partner Mike Farmer for his shear dogged determination and diplomacy in getting this project moving forward "correctly".  It is his OHV club that has stepped up to the plate to partner with the county on this project.  Kudo's especially go to Mayor Larry Potter, for his vision and cajones to serve his people.  Elections do matter folks, don't ever forget that.

TWRA: This past year, we were dealing with another closure of OHV riding land on Aetna Mountain near Chattanooga.  After awhile, this stuff gets you numb.  I am sure you know what I am talking about.  Can we hit rock bottom any harder.  Thru these OHV sagas, I meet some really great people, and thru one of these great warriors for the cause, I met a recently retired TWRA officer of great character and passion.  He is also a military veteran and lover of OHV fun.  As we were going round and round with possible solutions for keeping Aetna open, I gained a great deal of knowledge about the true role of TWRA (not the bastardized version we have learned to hate with equal passion).  TWRA was the original choice for the OHV program by all the agency braniacs and user groups reps who were on the Guv's blue ribbon study committee back in the day (1999-2002), and with this new input, after all these years, this fella made me see that TWRA is still the logical choice for the OHV program right now.  Life is real funny like that sometimes.

Politics: And yes, everything comes down to politics.  In 2010, Tennessee became a 100% Republican state effectively ending 150+ years of Democrat control.  Both the TN House and Senate won a Republican majority, we elected a Republican Governor and by caveat, all constitutionally appointed offices are now held by Republicans.  In 2012, we elected a Republican supermajority in both our state legislatures, which gives them a walk-out proof majority. In 2011, the Republicans started taking a long look at ineffective government bureaucracy. One of the first targets was the Democrat stronghold TWRA governing board, TWRC.  In 2012, the TWRC was reconfigured and renamed TFWC. 6 out of 13 of the current commissioners are new, with the rest being staggered out. How does that affect us? TWRA is the home of the 2004 TN OHV Act. That cracks the door wide open for opportunity to move OHV forward...if we self-fund.

Self-fund:  With conservatives in firm control of Tennessee and now in TWRA, government hand-outs are just not an option, nor should they ever be.  The original TN OHV Act presented in 2002 had the self-funding component in it.  Two years and alot of hands in the mix later, the funding part of the legislation was gutted and then passed in 2004.  The six million dollar question...are we, the TN OHV community, willing to step back up to the plate after all these years of bs and self-fund the TN OHV program as envisioned? Are we willing to bring ourselves back to the table and partner with TWRA to create a statewide, sustainable system of OHV trails?

Time for a Decision:  Because we are all in this together, I need to know where you stand on the self-funding issue. This is not a "bitching and moaning about it six months from now but said nothing about it now when asked" kinda thing.  This is it folks.  Yea or Nay.  The devil is always in the details, but we won't get a chance to beat the devil if we don't agree to the first dance.  Some say the heaven gates open for those who take chances.  I only know that the status quo is killing us slowly and painfully.

Action Plan:  This is real simple and quick feedback.  If you are all in for self-funding, click on this online petition, sign it, and pass it on to your friends.  Deadline January 15, 2013.  If you belong to a TN OHV club or organization, send me a letter of support for self-funding. iva@ivamichellerussell.com If you are a dealership or have a business that depends on OHV related purchases, send me a letter of support for self-funding.  Obviously, a statewide system of OHV trails would greatly benefit your bottom line.  Deadline January 15, 2013.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/we-want-to-self-fund-an-ohv-program-in-tennessee.html  (copy and paste this link into your browser if the link above doesn't work in your email). 

Thanks for the opportunity to serve you all these years, let make the next ones count big!  

Onward Ho!

IMR

Iva Michelle Russell

NOHVCC State Partner - Tennessee

2011 Partner of the Year

2011 OHV $$ in Tennessee

Success...and a first step in getting a statewide system of sustainable OHV trails in Tennessee.

TDEC offers 2011 Motorized Trail Grant

http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/6415

Shoot me an email if you have a county mayor or city mayor who is interested in pursuing this money. Partnerships with local OHV clubs will be a HUGE component!

Iva Michelle Russell
NOHVCC State Partner, Tennessee
OHV4TN, TOHVA
iva@ivamichellerussell.com

TN OHV Action Alert 2/1/10

So much going on…

TWRA has officially released the OHV Program! In the agreement, the North Cumberland OHV project will continue to be funded with RTP motorized funds. Legislation is currently in committee to finally move the OHV Program to TDEC after three long years of negotiations. Now if the legislators would just move it thru committee and onto the floor for a vote…we can all move on!

TOHVA has new leadership. Steve Melton, Damn Locals 4x4 Club, has stepped up to the plate as the new TOHVA President. Steve is a 25+ year OHV user, local organization past president and a veteran of several tours of duty for our country, so I think he is ready (and armed :) for the task ahead. I will send on the entire list of Executive officers in the next email. Many thanks to David Bebout, outgoing President, for his start-up leadership role. David will remain a warrior for the cause and will share his OHV passion as a new national board member for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization. Congrats David!

Action Alerts:

****TOHVA will be looking for OHM, ATV, 4x4 and OHV Industry Leadership in each grand division of our state. Send me an email of intent if you are interested. Pass the word on.

****If you haven’t done so already, join OHV4TN on Facebook. Pass the word on.

****Send me a list of OHV Forums that you belong to. Pass the word on.

****Are you running for office yet? Pass the word on.

Last Word:

Congrats to West Tennessean Dr. Bruce Lewis on his appointment to TDEC’s Greenways and Trails Council. Dr. Lewis has been featured in many OHV magazines as both a user and event organizer. He will be a huge advocate for our sport/hobby on the Council.

Until next time…stay safe and tread lightly!
M

TN OHV Legislative Update 6/18/09

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.

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.

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.

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.