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NOHVCC

It's no secret that the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council is primarily an American organization, dedicated to providing a positive future for OHV recreation in the 50 states. However, in recent years the NOHVCC Annual Conference in March has begun to have a more international flavor. In the past few years there have been attendees from Canada and Iceland, and the organization has had some historic ties with OHV advocates in Australia.

This past December saw the NOHVCC take the next step when they accepted a contract with the province of Alberta's Sustainable Resource Development Lands Division (Alberta SRD) to conduct an OHV Recreation Management Workshop.

Canadian OHV advocates from the Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association and the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada as well and the Alberta SRD who had previously attended a NOHVCC Conference were impressed by what the organization has been able to accomplish on the ground in the U.S., as well as the educational materials and "tools" that are available. With Canada currently facing many of the same OHV-related issues in their country, such as off-trail travel and trespassing, Canadian land mangers and OHV enthusiasts felt that an OHV Management Workshop would be a perfect fit for the fall meeting of the Alberta SRD where representatives from every Alberta SRD office in the province would be in attendance as well as leadership representatives from the OHV public. The cost of the workshop was absorbed by the Alberta SRD and was delivered by veterans Tom Crimmins, Dana Bell and Jack Terrell.

"Protecting and creating OHV opportunities in Canada is important to the NOHVCC," explains NOHVCC Executive Director Russ Ehnes. "The challenges to OHV recreation are strong on both sides of the border so it's important that we share what we've learned and developed in our country so the Canadians don't have to reinvent the wheel."

The normally three-day workshop was squeezed into two-days to fit into the province-wide workshop schedule. All 55 attendees, along with the NOHVCC staff, roughed it out at the Elbow Creek Ranger Station adjacent to the designated McLean Creek Forest Land Use Zone OHV Area at the base of the Rocky Mountains, about one hour west of Calgary.

"After decades of work focused primarily on resource protection, the Alberta SRD over the past year has realized the critical need for proactive recreation management that will provide sustainable, safe and diversified recreation opportunities in the province," reported NOHVCC Senior Project Coordinator Dana Bell after the workshop. "The energy and interest of the participants in how OHV recreation can be effectively managed made this, what I would call an ideal workshop. Fortunately, the late fall weather also cooperated. The snow-covered ground and subzero temperatures that we arrived to melted and warmed so that our field day was just pleasantly chilly and the ground mostly free of snow. Throughout the field site there were plenty of examples of OHV management issues for spirited and productive discussion."

In addition, the Canadians have been especially eager to utilize the NOHVCC Adventure Trail materials. The Adventure Trail Activity Book and CD-Rom have already been translated into French by the Motorcycle and Moped Industry Council, the Canadian version of the United States Motorcycle Industry Council. Our Iceland partners are also in the process of translating another popular NOHVCC publication, Management Guidelines for OHV Recreation, into their language as well.

The objectives of the Alberta workshop were to:

• Review Canadian sales of off-highway motorcycles, ATVs and full-size 4WD vehicles, rider and driver demographics, and safety training programs;
• Review general and Alberta-specific needs and desires of OHV and other recreation publics;
• Improve the development, planning, design, construction, maintenance and management of OHV trail areas, facilities and systems in order to:
  • Better meet local and Provincial requirements,
  • Minimize impacts and improve conservation of natural and cultural resources,
  • Reduce conflict between recreational, community and environmental interest groups, and
  • Better meet the needs and desires of the OHV and other recreation publics, and
• Expand partnership development between the OHV recreation publics, communities and the Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Lands Division.

Since 2003, the NOHVCC Association Development Workshop program has helped form 15 new OHV state associations. Arkansas's new organization is finalized while Vermont is progressing toward incorporation following a series of workshops in their states. The names of the new organizations are the Arkansas Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Association and the Vermont OHV Recreation Association (proposed).

"It's a pretty simple cause and effect," says NOHVCC Project Coordinator Jack Terrell. "When off-highway motorcycle, ATV and 4WD enthusiasts in a state organize and speak as one, good things tend to happen when it comes to the health and the future of OHV recreation in that state. One of the primary goals of the NOHVCC is to have a strong OHV association in all 50 states and every year we get closer and closer to that goal."

Many strong state associations have been in place for some time, but others were non-existent. Since the NOHVCC first started their Association Development Workshop program in 2003, they have held workshops and established state associations in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii (Maui), Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Terrell ads, "There's still plenty of work to be done on this front and I foresee holding many more Association Development Workshops in the coming years. Sometimes there are breakdowns and the primary OHV advocates in that state ask us to come in and assist them in a reorganization effort. And our workshops themselves are constantly evolving as we learn more about what works and what doesn't from our experiences in each state."

The NOHVCC OHV State Association Development Workshop program, subtitled "The Six-Month Plan," includes the process and resources to develop, enhance, or re-establish a recognized, statewide, inclusive association of off-highway vehicle recreation interests within six months.

Program services include advance planning, releases, contact point, agendas, registration, facilitation, and notebooks. The NOHVCC works with a state planning team, including the State NOHVCC Representative, to ensure that the developed association meets specific state needs.

Association Development Workshops may include sessions and material on:

• Identification of the State OHV Community Status
• Mission, Objectives, and Vision Development
• Meeting Management
• Leadership Techniques
• Effective Communication
• Election of Officers
• Committee Development
• Fund Development and Management
• Goal Development and Achievement
• How to Work Effectively with Land Managers
• Understanding the Political Process
• AMA "Ride Into Political Action" Seminars

The following groups were instrumental in the formation of the last two Association Development Workshops;

Arkansas: The American Motorcyclist Association, AR Trail Voyagers, Razorback Riders, River Valley Dirt Riders, Rock Crawlers 4WD, Arkansas Hare Scrambles Championship Series Racing, and the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council.

Vermont: The VT Jeep Association, Cycle Conservation Club of Vermont, Vermont Trials Club, Montshire Trail Riders, VT ATV Sportman's Association, Topsham Trailriders and Green Mountain Plonkers.

Memorandum of Understanding between the NOHVCC and the Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council (COHV) seals the deal

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) is pleased to announce that, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council (COHV) in partnership with the All-Terrain Quad Council of Canada (AQCC) and the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC), will work together to provide a wide spectrum of programs, materials and information to further a positive future for responsible off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation in North America.

"The mission of NOHVCC and the aims and goals of COHV are parallel, and a strong OHV community in both the United States and Canada is mutually beneficial," said Russ Ehnes, Executive Director of the NOHVCC. "Together, the NOHVCC and the COHV and its partners, the AQCC and the MCC, enter into this Memorandum of Understanding to mutually strengthen responsible OHV recreation in both countries."

"The aims and goals of COHV are to promote the safe and responsible use of off-highway vehicles and to develop and expand communication and cooperation among all levels of the OHV community," stated Bob Ramsay, President of the COHV. Ramsay added, "The NOHVCC's expertise in OHV development will contribute greatly to COHV's ongoing endeavours to promote and protect responsible recreational opportunities for OHV riders across Canada and with this partnership, into the United States."

The MOU, signed during the All Terrain Quad Council of Canada's annual general meeting in September, allows the AQCC and the MCC to appoint one "NOHVCC Partner" for each Canadian province and territory who will in turn work with their NOHVCC counterparts, fulfilling those duties agreed upon by the NOHVCC and the COHV.The AQCC, MCC and NOHVCC will work cooperatively to share and distribute existing NOHVCC/COHV information, materials, products, and programs in Canada and the USA, while approaching the development of new information and programs in a manner that is adaptable and useful in both the United States and Canada.

Canadian OHV activists have had an increasing presence at NOHVCCs Annual Conferences over the past several years and that trend is expected to continue following the signing of this agreement. In addition, this past fall the NOHVCC held an OHV Management workshop in Alberta in conjunction with a meeting of Alberta's Sustainable Resource Development Lands Division.

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council is a publicly supported, education foundation organized for the sole purpose of developing and providing a wide spectrum of programs, materials and information, to individuals, clubs, associations and agencies in order to further a positive future for responsible OHV recreation. Find out more at: www.nohvcc.org

The Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council (COHV), originally founded in 1984, is a national, non-profit, trade association representing the responsible interests of Canada's major ATV and off-road motorcycle manufacturers, distributors and retail outlets of ATV and off-road motorcycle related products and services. Find out more at: www.cohv.ca

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