Public feedback OHV access meeting TOMORROW 1/21/20

[Voodoo Chile]

there is a meeting tomorrow night I just fond out about to try and open trails in MA for 4x4 funded by the OHV stickers we have been paying for the last 4 / 5 years. If you are in the Auburn area it may be worth checking it out... I think its a little too far for me as I am overscheduled lately but if someone has the time and is nearby it would be a good chance to make our voice heard. This is for jeeps, and side by sides and motorcycles and sleds so most of those groups are really good at lobbying...
Im guessing someone like Mike White may know about this but I stumbled across it on facebook today...

Hopefully someone from the NEA knows about this and can represent..


https://facebook.com/events/s/want-ridi ... 66/?ti=icl

[joe98tj]

This is actually the second step MA is asking to help get trails opened. These next meetings only pertain to forming clubs. When sending our club information to Karen she said if your club is already a nonprofit and working well there is no reason to attend.

[Voodoo Chile]

This is actually the second step MA is asking to help get trails opened. These next meetings only pertain to forming clubs. When sending our club information to Karen she said if your club is already a nonprofit and working well there is no reason to attend.

thanks it would be nice if more of that info was posted on the facebook announcement I saw...

[joe98tj]

This is listed in the description in the event you linked.

"Next Step for Riding Areas:
Form or Join a Club

We Need Your Help!

A club is the smallest unit with which a government agency can work. It also allows the ability to more quickly communicate with the riders when the word needs to spread for immediate action. The next workshop will help riders form a club and can assist new or Facebook clubs work through the steps to formalize."

[Voodoo Chile]

This is listed in the description in the event you linked.

"Next Step for Riding Areas:
Form or Join a Club

We Need Your Help!

A club is the smallest unit with which a government agency can work. It also allows the ability to more quickly communicate with the riders when the word needs to spread for immediate action. The next workshop will help riders form a club and can assist new or Facebook clubs work through the steps to formalize."

Damn the google is not strong in me today... It took me a few minutes to find what you pasted above. I did not scroll down far enough to see the blurb in the "discussion tab". It looked like it was blank to me the way the page is formatted on my phone... Thanks!

[Eric]

Representatives from several member clubs attended the first round of meetings. The main takeaway was that MA is not going to open any existing state land to create 4x4 trails. Best case scenario is we will have to acquire our own land . . . which we are already doing anyway . . .

IMO, the only way state land will be opened to 4x4s is massive pressure brought upon elected representatives to pass legislation requiring that state land be set aside for 4x4 trails.

[Voodoo Chile]

I was there representing Crawling Offroad and unofficially as a member of BSJ. I would actually beg to differ with that take away Eric. One thing Karen stressed was self advocacy and contacting the state reps. If five people call their state rep it rings a bell and gets some attention. If fify people call is more or less a movement. If we can get enough people to contact the various state reps in their district we can get on their radar.

I'm sure Im naive in thinking we can make a difference and I know Mike White has been plugging away at this for a long time.

Give me a week or so to think about this at a background level and I can spit ball some easy talking points and figure out phone and email for the various reps in MA. I don't think Elizabeth Warren is going to pay attention to us at the moment but I bet we can get the attention of the freshmen reps.

We should make sure we invite a number of them to Offroading For Acreage or Fall Crawl. someone will show up, see the numbers of enthusiast and want to get our votes. The big thing is we need a lobbyist and to get even better organized but that is a down the road goal. There seems to be no central organization that is tying together snowmobiles, riders and us but it looks like someone is starting on that already.

I'm more than happy to lead a trail at Offroad For Acreage and invite my rep Lori Trahan as a co-pilot for part of the day at Brookridge. If she sees what we have done ourselves in purchasing that land and we make a good impression perhaps she can file for legislation to release funds we are banking to pay for opening public land from the OHV sticker program that has been in place for a while... Gremlin may be a good option too as its a milder place and in MA but we dont own it.

Maybe after riding in my JKU we can get someone with a safe buggy like Kurt or Mark to take her on some fun stuff as there are a couple of climbs at Brookridge that were hard in my old TJ that a well built rig can climb up and she can get a E ticket thrill ride (helmet and 5 point harness not optional) and make her a fan if she shows up...

There are a few other senators that are new but I don't know what district they are in. We can take this offline or continue here if there is a desire to move something like this forward. I'm happy to lead or follow Mike or someone else here. but lets get something done (not that we haven't ) but this can be a gateway to more access in state forests which would be good for everyone if we are not blowing half a tank of gas going out of state to NH and VT to spend money on not to mention meals out after and the sandwich or bag of chips when you get gas or coffee etc. Someone has data collected on this we can draw from when we meet with her. Let's make this a good start to a new chapter in MA.

Full disclosure I can do this a BSJ member and rep for the NEA or I can do this as Crawling Offorad, but I don't expect Crawling to be applying for NEA membership in 2020. I'm trying to slowly build the club up and make it sustainable before we get too deep in the weeds with NEA or NOVA dues and such. I don't intend for the club to fail or flounder and want to be in this for the long haul. The advocacy for land use is in line with making the club sustainable and having some places to go instate, so I'm happy to do the work but can not do this alone, so if anyone wants to help or advise I am all ears, also very happy to hand this idea off to anyone that wants to run with the ball and help from the sidelines...

[Eric]

I was there representing Crawling Offroad and unofficially as a member of BSJ. I would actually beg to differ with that take away Eric. One thing Karen stressed was self advocacy and contacting the state reps. . . .

Sounds I just said exactly the same thing Karen said . . .

[Voodoo Chile]

I was there representing Crawling Offroad and unofficially as a member of BSJ. I would actually beg to differ with that take away Eric. One thing Karen stressed was self advocacy and contacting the state reps. . . .

Sounds I just said exactly the same thing Karen said . . .

and I'm saying lets crack some nuts and put some pressure on... so you are right you did say the same thing...

[Eric]

6-8 years ago several of us in OSJ approached the RI DEM about access to existing state property. There was one excuse after another why it couldn't work; state is too small, noise, deed restrictions, oil spills, other user groups will complain, crushing plants, scaring animals, blah, blah, blah.

So we started contacting state legislators. Several dozen members from across the state personalized a form letter and sent it to their representative and senator. Most responded and quite a few contacted the DEM with questions. One submitted legislation on our behalf. Within a couple months the DEM contacted us to set up a meeting. Turns out there were some state owned properties that we could use. The only requirement was to request a special use permit then they give us the gate key on event day.

The 4x4 community deserves access to a fair share of public land and seeking access to public land is the right thing to do. That said, compared to private properties and land acquisition, the ROI is small.

[mrfreakinwhite]

I'll try to summarize my opinion of public land access in Massachusetts for 4x4s.

The state will turn to protect access to roads that are unmaintained and fall under Ch90b enforcement. It will require culverts, drainage, etc. and my biggest anti 4x4 access fear is snowmobile clubs and S.A.M. Right now, there are people looking at what laws need to be changed to fund maintenance by users on 'roads' and how to we make them 'trails' and, 'alternative transportation corridors' and combining mileage to trails that exist within enclosed boundaries to make a case that there's, 'connectivity'.

The state will and specifically DCR is being compelled to unlock and open gates on roads. This would be an increase in available 4x4 routes.

Gaining access where access has never been lost on unutilized property, like Winchendon State Forest. WSF and several in north central MA are PRIME candidates for NEW 4x4 Trails.

In my head when I go to meetings and workshops and all that crap, I kind of keep the NEA4WD 3 prong approach in mind.