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P.L.A.Y Newsletter Summer 2010 Public Land Access Year-round MOTORIZED RECREATION Excerpt from Back Country ATV Association July 2010 Newsletter Earlier this year President Obama held a conference on America's Great Outdoors and established the America's Great Outdoors Initiative to be led by the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Chair of the Council of Environmental Quality. The initiative is tasked with reconnecting Americans, especially children, to the outdoors and they have asked for public input and ideas. It is vitally important that the Administration hear from you about how you recreate on and enjoy public lands. We can be sure that they are hearing from those who would support limiting or ending access for motorized recreation, but we have an opportunity to tell our side of the story as well. Please visit www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/ sign-up and weigh in. Now is the time to make it clear that OHV recreation is a family oriented activity that allows for father and son and mother and daughter to spend quality time outdoors. Too often OHV recreation is defined by the renegade few who behave irresponsibly. Please take this opportunity to make it clear that millions of Americans responsibly enjoy motorized recreation on public lands. Here are a few talking points:
Please take the time to have your voice heard, go to the above mentioned website. Trail Maintenance Schedule May 15, 2010 Fun Run Report The weather couldn't have been more perfect for the eighty-seven participants and spectators. Thanks to Lisa Gunter for coming up with a novel contest for collecting litter and trash. It was the ideal way to clean up the trail of over 200 pounds of trash with Dale Cox the winner for collecting the most trash. In addition to trash, riders also picked up mushrooms. It was amazing to see what some of the riders brought back. The winner of the chainsaw was Jeff Turcott, congratulations. Deanna Hamilton, Secretary June 19, 2010 Rally Report Mother Nature cooperated by providing perfect weather again for the sixty riders and five spectators. We were honored to have Sheryl Nuxoll, Republican candidate for Idaho Senate and her family participate in her first ATV event. Thank you to all of the members who canvassed businesses in Orofino, Lewiston, Moscow, Grangeville & Cottonwood. There were two tables loaded with raffle prizes from twenty-one businesses. The next time you are in any of the following business, please let them know how much we all appreciated their support of our event and organization:
The winner of the chainsaw was Tyson Watts, congratulations. There were seven memberships renewed and quite a few t-shirts and hats were sold. Thank you to all of the members who helped collect raffle prizes, distribute posters, set up the trail, set out the direction signs, take care of all the paperwork involved in putting on this event, Julie Irby & Roz Dennler who helped with selling t-shirts, Alex in registration, Dave G for the raffle & my husband Marion for your moral support and putting up with the chatter of three ladies for the day. A very special thank you to Heather for allowing us to take some of the load off your shoulders. This event is a major undertaking and with the help of so many people it shows that we can all contribute to PLAY's success. Deanna Hamilton, Secretary Below is a letter that Marion & I received from Idaho State Parks & Recreation. June 1, 2010 Legislation introduced in Idaho during the 2010 legislative session would have required all OHV operators without a driver's license to participate in an OHV safety class in order to ride on non-local jurisdiction roads (i.e. Forest Service, BLM). While this bill (HB 706) ultimately did not pass, it's expected to be introduced again during the 2011 legislative session. Although the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) isn't the sponsor of the legislation, we believe that it is important that you understand its purpose and the potential effects it could have on you. The motivation of HB 706 was actually in response to the passage of Senate Bill 1098 during the 2009 legislative session. Senate Bull 1098 gave all OHV users (including unlicensed children) the ability to ride on non-local jurisdiction roads, as long as they were supervised by a licensed adult. The bill was well intentioned, as it was passed with the intent of giving families the opportunity to recreate together. Without SB 1098, families were often unable to ride short sections of USFS/BLM roads necessary to connect trails. After SB 1098 was passed into law however, concerns were immediately expressed by USFS and law enforcement officials. They were specifically concerned with the safety of children operating OHVs on shared use roads with full sized vehicles without some type of training. The USFS communicated that unless steps were taken to mitigate for this risk, they would be forced to close many of the USFS roads to all OHV travel. As a result, the Idaho Recreation Council (IRC) began working with the Forest Service to try and address their concerns. The USFS agreed they would be willing to continue to allow unlicensed OHV operators to travel on forest roads if operators (children) took an IDPR approved OHV safety course. As a result, the IRC took the initiative and drafted the previously mentioned HB 706. In anticipation of the distinct possibility of this bill being passed during the 2011 legislative session, IDPR has developed an aggressive OHV safety training schedule for the coming summer months. While there is certainly the possibility a new bill won't pass, if it does, there could very easily be a rush to attend the classes from across the state. We encourage you to consider taking one of our voluntary classes now to help minimize any future scheduling conflicts. In addition, the information presented in these classes will help younger riders become better, more knowledgeable, and safer riders. Our classes are 100% free and only require 4 hours of your time to complete. More information about these classes can be viewed at the following link: http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/recreation/ohveducation.aspx This website contains all the information necessary to sign up for one of our classes, as well as what to expect of someone in attendance. Respectfully, This is an article from The Salt Lake Tribune. ATV - related head & spine injuries on rise, studies show. By Kirsten Stewart - July 2010 Three years ago on a deer hunting trip in Vernal, Dave Smith flipped his all-terrain vehicle, puncturing his right lung, cracking a few ribs and shattering his back. The 47-year old West Jordan man wears a pain medication pump. Two steel rods, 12 bolts and a protective cage guard for his surgically reconstructed spine. But the skilled motocross racer and avid outdoorsman hasn't sworn off riding, putting him at risk of becoming yet another statistic. Hospitalizations for ATV-related head and spine injuries in Utah grew 50 percent from 2001 to 2005, according to a study by two University of Utah neurosurgeons, Joel MacDonald and Michael Finn. The research, to be published in the coming months of the journal Neurosurgery, has its weaknesses, said MacDonald. It is based on an analysis of hospitalization and trauma data collected by the Utah Health Department, much of which is voluntarily reported by medical facilities. And researchers couldn't account for increased ridership because that data wasn't available for those years. "It's trend and that's the most we can say. It could be just more people are riding these vehicles. Nonetheless, when you have 180 people severely injured per year, that's something worth noting," Mac Donald said. Nationally, ATV injuries are estimated to cost $3.24 billion annually, he said. MacDonald, who himself rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, said his study is one of the many highlighting the need for mechanical safety upgrades, increased helmet use, and greater efforts to train riders in the safe operation of their vehicles. Rollovers were the most common accident followed by collisions with stationary objects or other vehicles. No age is immune, but riders under 20 are at greater risk, comprising about 42 percent of all head and spine traumas, Mac Donald said. This is largely due, he said, to their underdeveloped motor coordination and physical strength, poorer judgment and lack of instruction. Children could also be at greater risk for rollovers, because they weigh less and aren't strong enough to lean vehicles into a turn, especially when operating an adult-sized vehicle, Mac Donald speculates. Talk about right-sized vehicle restrictions for children is gaining favor even among groups like the All-Terrain Vehicle Association in Pickerington, Ohio. "We're also a strong proponent of rider training," said the group's spokesman, Peter terHorst, who nonetheless would prefer such efforts to be industry driven instead of left to the government to regulate. Michael Swenson, of the Utah Shared Access Alliance, agrees riders disregard safety precautions outlined by the industry. "They jeopardize the ability for everyone to use these vehicles." MacDonald sees increasing recreational ATV use as a public health issue. "I see a lot of ad campaigns about not leaving your baby unattended in the car. But don't see anything targeted at ATV's and it's a pretty popular sport in Utah," he said. Still, even the most practiced, safety-conscious riders like Smith can run into trouble. "I veered off the trail, where I probably shouldn't have been, spotting some deer, and was on a brand new machine and not super familiar with it, Smith said. "I'm more cautious, but I still enjoy riding. It was just a bad decision on my part. It wasn't the machine's fault." The numbers of ATV injuries in Utah 741: Utahans suffered head & spine injuries in ATV accidents between 2001-05 Source: University of Utah's Department of Neurosurgery P.L.A.Y Newsletter Spring 2010  P.L.A.Y Newsletter Winter 2010 Public Land Access Year-round Happy New Year Thank you Alex and Julia Irby for hosting the annual Christmas Party on December 12th in your home. Twenty-eight members braved the falling snow to share delicious food, funny stories and friendship. Members signed up for a special drawing of "tree" prizes provided by Julia & Deanna Hamilton. Maybe this coming year we can get back to a white elephant gift exchange or something similar. Thank you to all of the members who attended I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. PLAY Events for 2010
Future updates on the rides will be posted on the website. A Special Events Coordinator is needed to help plan and organize the Fun Runs & especially the Rally. So if you are that person please let either Heather, Deanna or Shannon know, if not we just might pick someone for this most prestigious position! In advance thank you so much for your help. Disclaimer Secretary's Report Jim Willis informed the members that according to the Idaho Fish & Game statistics wolves kill 10% more elk than hunters! Dave informed the members that Idaho Governor Otter was going to be making his State of The State address on Monday, January 11th. Members were encouraged to watch. OHV funds are a concern and we need to get them back. Alex & Dave reported on a meeting regarding the North-South Trail. Dave has proposed a southern route down to Elk City that has some areas that need to be worked on and changes made. Dave gave a report on the proposed road obliterations in the Waldie Creek area that will get decommissioned and Dave is going to fight to open some of the area. He also stated that it was 11 years ago the first meeting was held regarding the Dworshak Area. Mark Jennings opened the discussion regarding member rides, the spring fun run and rally. After a few minutes of discussion the rides were scheduled. See the Ride Schedule on page one of this newsletter. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30PM Respectfully submitted by Deanna K. Hamilton, Secretary The following information has been provided by Dave Galantuomini. 2010 Changes to OHV Language SECTION 1. That Section 49-302, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby amended to read as follows: 49-302.WHAT PERSONS ARE EXEMPT FROM LICENSE. The following persons are exempt from licensing if driving privileges are not suspended, canceled, revoked, disqualified, denied or refused:
SECTION 2. That Section 49-426, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby amended to read as follows: 49-426.EXEMPTIONS FROM OPERATING FEES. The provisions of this chapter with respect to operating fees shall not apply to:
SECTION 3. That Section 49-666, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby amended to read as follows: 49-666.MOTORCYCLE, MOTORBIKE, UTV AND ATV SAFETY HELMETS -- REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS. No person under eighteen (18) years of age shall ride upon or be permitted to operate a motorcycle, motorbike, utility type vehicle, specialty off-highway vehicle, snowmobile or an all-terrain vehicle unless at all times when so operating or riding upon the vehicle he is wearing, as part of his motorcycle, motorbike, UTV or ATV equipment, a protective safety helmet of a type and quality equal to or better than the standards established for helmets by the director, except the provisions of this section shall not apply when such vehicles are operated or ridden on private property, or when used as an implement of husbandry. SECTION 4. That Section 67-7127, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby amended to read as follows: 67-7127.USE OF MONEYS IN ACCOUNT. The board shall administer the motorbike recreation account. The moneys derived from this account shall be used as follows:
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