Pacific
Northwest 4-Wheel Drive
Association
4X4 Trail Symposium
Yakima,
Washington
September 26, 2003
Moderator – Stan Humann,
Pacific
NW 4 Wheel Drive
Association
Introduced Symposium Participants -
Sam Bissell - USFS
-Wenatchee/Okanogan Nat.
Forest
–
Naches District
Jon Byerly - Dept.
of Nat. Resources – So.
Puget Sound
Region
Susan Emley - Volunteer Coordinator –
Dept. of Nat. Resources
Merrick Graves
– Pacific
NW 4 Wheel Drive
Association
Cary
Henning - ORV Program – Naches District
USFS – Wenatchee/Okanogan Nat.
Forest
Ken Irwin -
Yakima
County
Sheriff’s Office
Don&Carol Jensen Pacific
NW 4 Wheel Drive
Association
Steve Johnson - USFS –
Snoqualmie/White River Districts – Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest
Greg Lovelady - Interagency Committee for
Outdoor Recreation
Brad Martin - ORV Program – Yakima Co.
Sheriff’s Office
Bob Pacific
- USFS – Snoqualmie/White River Districts –
Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National
Forest
Steve Sutliff - ORV
Program – Yakima Co. Sheriff’s Office
Presenters:
Greg Lovelady - Interagency
Committee for Outdoor Recreation
Describe
the state’s two major ORV grant programs;
Provide
an update on related current events.
Discuss
availability of grant dollars in 2004;
NOVA fuel
use study and status of NOVA
recommendations to the 2004 Legislature.
Susan Emley - Volunteer
Coordinator – Dept. of Nat. Resources
Legacy Trust –
Recreations Future
Ken Irwin -
Yakima
County
Sheriff’s Office
Jon Byerly -
DNR –
South Puget Sound
Region Office
Merrick Graves
– Safety - Education Coordinator – PNW4WDA
Winch Demonstration – “What
you always wanted to know …but were afraid to ask”
Steve Sutliff & Brad Martin –
Yakima Co. Sheriff’s Office
ORV Education and Enforcement
Don & Carol Jensen
-Inter-Associations Directors – PNW4WDA
Heath and Safety Concerns
Vladimir Steblina- USFS
–Wenatchee/Okanogan National Forest
Presentations -
My name is
Stan Humann and I will be
moderating the presentations. I have been a member of the PNW4WDA and the
Wandering Willy's Jeep Club since 1977. I am also a Certified Forester, with a
background in forest land management. I retired one year ago after a
professional career that spanned over forty years in the northwestern
United States.
The PNW4WDA came into existence over 4 decades ago. As an Association of four
wheel drive clubs it recognized, early on, an opportunity in organizing four
wheel drive recreation. Over the decades, this organization, which represents
clubs and individuals engaged in recreational four wheel driving, has grown and
then shrunk in membership. However, its members, who truly represent every age
group from children to long-retired seniors, still believe in their contribution
to this form of recreation. That contribution is manifested in tremendous hours
of volunteer assistance to land owners and managers to assist in developing the
policies and management practices that augment recreational four wheel driving.
Countless hours of volunteer assistance in trail and facility maintenance is the
norm. Education of trail users has, and does continue to represent a major
component of PNW4WDA programs.
The PNW is organized into 8 Regions, which encompass the entire
Pacific Northwest. Each
Region maintains its own meeting schedule and conducts events through its member
clubs. Most of the Regions have persons assigned the responsibility for Land
Matters; these are the folks that many of you interact with in the field.
Management of the PNW is delegated to a Board, which is made up of several
elected officers, plus the Regional Directors. This is the business arm of the
PNW.
Almost fifteen years ago the PNW, with assistance from the Washington State
Department of Natural Resources, the US Forest Service and the Interagency
Committee for Outdoor Recreation, sponsored its last management symposium. That
event drew a large number of land managers to an educational forum that began in
the classroom and concluded with four days visiting specific 4x4 trail
facilities. The primary purpose of that event was to show managers specifically
what the Association believed represented the desired attributes of 4x4 trail
facilities. It also was intended to strengthen the communication between users
and managers, by demonstrating what many of the ideas that come from users
actually mean in land use and management terms. The symposium closed with the
acknowledgment that time would have to tell whether the objectives were
achieved. Users sought more consistency and enjoyable facilities. Land
managers sought better resource protection and utilization. Concluding remarks
said, and I quote: "If the symposium achieved its objective, in time more trail
miles of four wheel drive trail will become available, and resource managers
will be comfortable in having provided it."
Today, if I must hazard a prediction, it would be that users and managers alike
will respond to the above statement that the symposium did not achieve its
objective. Do we have more trail miles? No! Are managers more comfortable in
having provided facilities? No! At best, my hazardous guess would be that
managers are no more comfortable than they were in 1989 and many are clearly
less comfortable. Do we have more miles of trail? No, we have less. Are the
facilities in better condition? No, they are showing substantial wear and
tear. Is this due to lack of attention? Hardly; many more effective hours of
sweat equity are devoted now than then. So why are the facilities not in better
condition? In simple terms, the growth in recreational four wheel driving has
outdistanced the realistic capacity of most systems and little can be shown that
represents development of new opportunity.
So why are we here today? This Association still believes that land managers
can step to the plate and provide more recreational 4x4 opportunities. There
are still just as many places to look for new 4x4 trail options in the forests
of the northwest today as there were in 1989. There is still a dedicated user
membership that will undertake the location work to develop new trails in
concert with managers. There are still funds available to do this through our
partnership with the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation. So what is
missing?
That is essentially what we are here to discuss and hopefully, when we adjourn
we will have collectively developed an initial strategy to move forward.
*****
Greg
Lovelady, Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC)
described the NOVA (Non-Highway and Off Road Vehicle Activities) Program and the
National Recreational Trails Fund Program (NRTP).
Washington
State’s
NRTP goal is to provide funds to rehabilitate and maintain recreational trails
that provide a backcountry experience. Non-profit organizations are eligible to
apply for funds for NRTP projects. These are the two programs, which provide
funding for off highway vehicle activities in
Washington
State.
The State Legislature authorized a new Fuel Tax Study
with the results to determine the amount of funds available per use group.
A total of 43,000 owners of
Washington’s 5.1 million registered vehicles
and stickered ORVs were selected at random to receive questionnaires.
This means that about one vehicle owner out of every 120 was chosen to
participate. The outcome of the survey
determines the percentage of the NOVA funds that will go to each user group.
The legislation proposed in 2003/2004 will have a direct affect on the funds
available for motorized recreation, as the funds will be reallocated according
to the survey results. If the motorized category loses NOVA funds for projects
the NRTP funds will be impacted because of more motorized project requests.
****
Susan
Emley, Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
explained legislation introduced at the request of Doug Sutherland, Commissioner
of Public Lands on the Legacy Trust. The Legacy Trust begins with legislative
authority to acquire revenue-producing lands. Funds generated would be
dedicated to supporting specific functions, similar to how other state trust
lands support specific beneficiaries, like schools. For the Legacy Trust,
public recreation access and conservation stewardship would be the
beneficiaries. Funds would pay for public access on state-owned forests and
rangelands, shorelines and stewardship of state conservation areas and
preserves.
****
Ken Irwin,
Yakima County
Sheriff gave a brief history of
Yakima
County’s
involvement in the education and enforcement program. Irwin was the first
Yakima County ORV Deputy; stressing four wheeling can have a good future if we
learn from the past. The ORV deputy program in
Yakima
County
has evolved from the “Ole Trail Boss” to “Press Hard 4 Copies.” As
recreationists—keep you ear to the ground. GET INVOLVED. Get involved with
your association.
Yakima
County
has worked hard to provide a top-notch education program. Irwin pledged to
continue the program.
****
Jon Byerly, Department
of Natural Resources, South Puget Sound Office, has been involved with the clubs
in the Tahyua area. Four to five years ago there was not a lot of activity in
the area but that has changed. Jon met with some of the local clubs expressing
a need to save some of the trails. The response from the clubs was positive.
Three miles of new trail—the
South Loop- just opened.
The South Puget Sound
Region foresters are very committed to recreation and working with the
community. Jon is working with other DNR regions to work in
that same commitment in the other regions. Those areas include
Capital
Forest,
Walker
Valley, and Reiter Trails.
The budget is not promising—there are lots of challenges ahead.
Closed roads are an issue
but working together may gain the users access. If a group
expresses interest in an area, the group is encouraged to “adopt an area” or
“adopt a road.” This strategy will work with the group for
gaining access. There has been progress in the Northwest
Region in
Walker
Valley. Take a
look at what’s happening in the Tahyua.
The DNR does not allow
“exclusive” use nor does the U.S. Forest Service. The agencies may contract out
the administration of road systems during managed time.
The Timber Sales Program
is starting to educate users on timber sales, for example what roads will be
impacted. Jon is attempting to get the users involved in the
timber sale planning with everyone talking so there are no surprises.
Get partnerships/relationships established. Repair of
trails and roads after logging operations needs to be addressed before the
timber sale.
The Permit System for the
Tayhua is unique. All event hosts meet early in the year to
secure their event dates. Before any event is held-the group
must have matching volunteer hours to receive their permit, for example,
500-person event needs 500 volunteer hours. Everyone meets
the requirement and the system is working.
****
Merrick Graves,
PNW4WDA presented a winching education demonstration. The
winch is used for vehicle recovery, getting your vehicle to the top of the hill,
another vehicle to the top of the hill or trail maintenance.
The use of a snatch block allows the winch to pull twice the weight with ½ of
the speed. Safety tips: 1) always use gloves—fingers are
hard to replace, 2) place a blanket on the cable when winching-this will keep
the winch line from snapping back, and 3) keep a first aide kit assessable
anytime the winch line comes out. THINK SAFETY.
****
Steve Sutliff, Yakima County ORV
Deputy, started his career as an Off-Road Vehicle Deputy several years ago, took
a few years off and has returned to the ORV program. “What
was it like then?” There was not as much use, not as much
dust and most of the users were the same every weekend. The
users were from the PNW4WDA, the Dust Dodgers Motorcycle Club and a local ATV
group. “Now.” The 4X4 and motorcycle use
has increased dramatically. There are more SUVs (Sport
Utility Vehicles) and better equipment. With the new
equipment, the use is harder on the trail—with lockers, dirt on the trail is
pushed into the corners.
What are the problems
that the deputies are encountering on the trails?
1)
Spark arresters
2)
Illegal road riding
You can only educate for so long—then you hit
them in the pocketbook. Tickets are fewer because of this
education. The word is getting out.
Sutliff does a radio show explaining what is required by ORVs to legally operate
in
Yakima
County and the state. “One of the
laws recently passed allows a victim to recover 3 times the dollar amount for
damages (civilly) done to resources. “At this time, we are
not sure if the law has been used but it is there and could be used.”
Sutliff suggested taking pictures and write down license numbers if you
witness resource damage. Peer pressure works well in some
areas.
Each area has their set of
problems. Symposiums are helping get all the enforcement
personnel together for a sharing of problems and concerns.
The ORV deputies are here because they don’t want to loose any more trails.
One thing is sure: “There is NO place in the State of
Washington where you can have the 4X4
experience you have in the Little Naches”. All agreed.
How do we get the message
to
King
County residents?
On Memorial weekend the Yakima ORV deputies did a survey setting up at Crow
Creek. They found that 33% of the users were from
Yakima
County but 70% were from out of the
county and most of those were from the Westside. The
deputies are attempting to develop a strategy for communication between user
groups and themselves. But rest assured Sutliff reminded,
“If you come to our county-trash our trails-PRESS HARD 4 COPIES.” (Note:
When Deputy Sutliff issues a ticket, the violator must sign that ticket.
When Sutliff asks the violator to sign the ticket he reminds them they
are signing 4 copies, hence, “Press hard 4 copies.)
****
Don and Carol Jensen, PNW4WDA,
represent the four wheelers in the northwest at National organization meetings
such as NAMRC (North American Motorized Recreation Council), United Four Wheel
Drive Associations and Blue Ribbon Coalition. The Volunteer Trail Patrol program
was established by United Attorney Carla Boucher to assist the US Forest Service
and BLM (Bureau of Land Management) with trail violation reporting.
Four-wheelers can report trail violations in a non-confrontational way
and remain anonymous if they want.
Spill kits are available
and are required in many states and forests for vehicles that use trails.
These kits remove spilled materials such as oil; anti-freeze, gas or
other petroleum product spills from the trail. Each
participant was given the information on ordering these kits.
Many forests are also
requiring that ALL waste (including human waste) be “packed out.”
Lightweight, compact (cardboard) toilets were
displayed. As users we are prepared when this becomes a
requirement in our areas. The Forest Service said, “It’s
already here.” Human waste is a problem and it must be
addressed NOW…
****
Vladimir Steblina, USFS
Wenatchee/Okanogan National Forest, asked if we remember the old adage, “Don’t
beat your dog in public” and “You don’t have a dog in this fight.”
Well folks, YOU HAVE a dog in this fight.
When complaints are made
to the District Ranger about employees (i.e. recreation planner, timber sale
manager) and it’s time for a promotion—who gets it? Not the
one receiving the complaints. So don’t beat your dog in
public. Beat your dog in private. Talk to the managers in private, let them know
what they’re doing wrong but PRAISE THEM IN PUBLIC.
In the next few years’
lots of folks will be leaving the Forest Service—mostly through retirement. The
average age of a Forest Service employee is over 50. Start
supporting those folks that are just beginning their career with the Forest
Service. Get your support early on—when he/she is promoted,
you’ll still have your support.
“You are not the image of
four wheel drive that the public has.” The image comes from
commercials, television and the kid coming down the street in a mud covered,
lifted truck. Get to know the “ologists.”
If the soil is not moving—the fish biologist is happy.
Get the ologists out and develop a relationship. When
it comes to the NEPA process, those folks determine the future of your
recreation.
BREAKOUT SESSION
QUESTIONS
1)
What has this (agency) achieved in reaching the 1989
goal?
2)
What opportunities (physical) does the area represented (group)
have?
3)
What are the major obstacles impeding development of new 4X4
opportunities?
4)
Other than money, what are the five (5) highest priorities that
will allow progress in new 4X4 facilities?
5)
What needs to occur first to make this happen?
Department of Natural Resources Group -
Question 1) - What has been achieved in reaching
the 1989 goal?
Not gained much from a user perspective.
Agency felt that the DNR is making strides—there has been a change of
philosophy.
Doug Sutherland (Commission of Public Lands) is making a difference for users.
The last 8-10 year period not getting anywhere but things are changing.
Question 2) - Opportunities
Tillamook
State
Forest (Oregon)
Elbe Hills
Walker Valley-lots of improvements
Gifford
Pinchot
National Forest—still nothing
Naches
Rimrock
First Creek
Tahuya
Burnt Mountain
Yacolt Burn
Question 3) – Obstacles
Fish and Wildlife
Environmentalists
Public perception-especially auto commercials
Question 4) - Priorities
Changing public perception
Communication between groups
Partnerships—different user types for a common goal
Land managers-get together for a common goal
Education-user friendly kiosk providing SUV and 4X4 information – especially at
dealerships
Question 5) - How to make it happen
Yearly or bi-yearly symposium
Jon Byerly will help with problems—contact him
When the agency sees an active volunteer organization like PNW4WDA—they want to
help.
Establish relationships between land managers and users
What are the priorities to
have the group by into this?
Land manager relationships/partnerships
Identify whom you have a relationship with
Identify whom you need a relationship with
Education
Public relations
US Forest Service Group -
Question 1) - What has been achieved in reaching
the 1989 goal?
Buck Meadows Campground
Little Rattlesnake
--- Even
Question 2) – Opportunities
White River –NO new opportunity without changing
enviro laws and rules
Naches
District -Yes tough to deal with existing laws - but doable.
Question 3) – Obstacles
Environmental laws
Question 4) – Priorities
Rangers who are willing to work with us
Education of the ologists
Educating of the public
Streamline enviro rules to be easier to work with
Spare land—where?
Question 5) - How to make it happen
Educating the ologists
Educating the public as to what we really are
Conclusions
Relationships and partnerships must be developed with land managers.
Identify whom you have a relationship with and those with whom you need a
relationship. Other priorities include education and public
relations.
Decent sound proposals
take persistence. Be
Persistent. Have a defined forward movement.
Develop an action plan for Winter Convention
implementation.
Carol Jensen, Recorder
Stan Humann
Arlene Brooks
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