Extended Off-Highway Recreation Bill Signed - CA
The Governor of CA as signed bill S.B. 742 extending the OHMVR program for ten years. It was negotiated by both the environmentalists and offroad advocates. Grant funding will be decided upon by the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation division. This is a great improvement. Prior to this law the OHMVR Commission approved grants, and only approved $365,000 out of $18 million allotted. With the Commision no longer holding majority funding power the hopes of more grant money greatly increases for the coming years. Fines have increased for those caught in areas not allowing OHV. This will help protect the wilderness we all enjoy. Existing inventoried trails(before Jan 1, 2009) will be protected as legitimate intended routes, making them open to state funding. The percent of funds transferred to the OHV Trust Fund will equal those in 2007. This should be looked upon as a victory for everyone enjoying the open wilderness. We hope more improvements for Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation follows. To read the complete bill click here.
JERICHO LAKE ATV PARK - NH
Trails are now open for limited riding at the Jericho Lake ATV Park in New Hampshire. Whether these trails are all ATV/dirt bike or 4x4 we do not know yet. We have contacted the New Hampshire Off Highway Vehicle Association and are waiting for their response. When we know what trails are open we will post it here for you. If you would like more information you can visit their website at www.NHOHVA.org
PARAGON IS OPEN!
That's right. Paragon is operating "Paragon Proving Grounds" in Zion Grove. The park is close by to Hazelton hotels and a campground. So far group SUVs and 4x4s are admitted with reservations required. The property has levels ranging from 1 through 5 and is mainly trail riding. It is said this will not replace the Oak Ridge Rd location. For more information regarding operation hours and fees visit them at www.ParagonAP.com
JERICHO MOUNTAIN STATE PARK
The State of New Hampshire has drawn up a plan to develop an ATV park. This park is supposed to have an area designated for four wheelers like jeeps, trucks and other OHVs. The plan's details are covered in over 50 pages (including charts and graphs) and was found at http://www.nhstateparks.org. A recent check of there website shows their link to information about this park has been removed or broken. I have condensed the highlights for you in this article. New Hampshire's Dept of Resources and Economic Development purchased approx. 7200 acres of land around Berlin in 2006. They also have agreed to buy 300 acres in an area at Jericho Lake. They estimate requiring 350 miles of new trails in a five year period to keep up with the demand .Horizons Engineering of Littleton, NH has been awarded the contract to develop the riding area. The services of Ted Burns of the North Country ATV Club are also being used. The park will have camping areas, motorized and non-motorized trails, facilities and an ATV wash area. They are expecting, at this time, to have a 4.5 mile 4x4 trail, 5 miles for bikes, many miles for ATVS, a training area and even a gravel pit. The trails will be based on difficulty and color coded. Opinionated costs are around 6.6 million and will be spread across five years of development. While many believe the campgrounds will generate the most income, the 4x4's access to this park will bring in substantial revenue to be directed back into the trails. While it is still expected to focus on ATVs, many other compatible groups will be able to take advantage of some of the opportunities made available to them. Statute 215-1:43.IV restricts vehicle size to 50 inches wide and 1000 pounds, but an exeption should be approved for the park. Once completed it is estimated 136 miles of trails, for one use or another, will exist within the park. So far, only 4.5 miles in a loop are earmarked for jeeps and similar 4x4 vehicles. Androscoggin Valley ATV Club will act as the host club for the park system under a three year renewable contract. With regards to fees, the park is expected to run on a day-use fee basis with a suggested day fee of $25/vehicle. Along with everyday use the park hopes to attract special events such as offroad rock crawling, ATV races and even snowmobiles. This is an exciting plan to come to New England. Let's hope the off-road 4x4 trail system is extended much further then their original numbers suggest!
Source: http://www.nhstateparks.org/ParksPages/Berlin Property/ATVDraftPlan/ATVParkDraftReportDec06..pdf
PARAGON STILL FIGHTING
It is well known throughout the offroading world Paragon Adventure Park is being evicted from land they lease. PCA Corp, the land owner, is accepting an offer from Gladstone to sell their land for use in building a cargo airport. Paragon has a 25 year lease with PCA Corp and is only into their third year. The Knosp's, owners of Paragon AP , are appealing the judgment that sides with the land owners in hopes of receiving a fair decision. They maintain their lease agreement has in no way been breached and are working diligently to receive fair treatment from PCA Corp and the judicial system. Paragon provides a much needed place for four wheelers to enjoy the sport they love. We wish them the best in their fight to preserve their rights to operate and hope the outcome is fair to Paragon.
OFF ROADING GROWTH CONTINUE
Four wheeling and OHV use are growing with every passing year as more people discover the sport. The USDA Forest Service did a research study and determined 1 in 5 Americans, 16 and older, were involved with off-roading in 2004. This amounts to an estimated 39.7 million people participating in the sport we love, offroading.
Approximately 51 million visits were made to our National Forests by wheelers for off roading during 2005. Back in 1975 this number was around 5 million. This amounts to an overall increase of 92%.
The 1990's showed an estimated 400,000 offroad vehicles while in 2003 this number grew to more than 8 million.
Off-roading is growing and here to stay. Expect to see these numbers jump considerably in the coming years as the sport becomes open and accessible to more outdoor adventurers.
STATE LAND AND WHEELING
Below is a list showing each state and their position on off-roading on state land. We are looking into every state's four wheeling policies and will post them in this list over the coming weeks. Our goal is to make this a complete and accurate listing of every state in the US, posting their rules for four wheeling on State Land.
NOTE: OHV REPRESENTS 4-WHEEL VEHICLES SUCH AS TRUCKS,JEEPS,SUVs, etc...
| STATE | OHV ACCESS ON STATE LAND | WEBSITES FOR MORE INFORMATION |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | None at this time | PA State Parks www.dcnr.state.pa.us/state parks State Game Lands www.pgc.state.pa.us PA Off-Highway Vehicle Association www.paohv.org |
| Rhode Island | Limited |
RI State Parks www.riparks.com |
| Massachusetts | Limited over sand access in specified areas |
State of MA Dept of Conservation www.mass.gov/dcr Cape Cod National Seashore Oversand Beach Access www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/oversand.htm |
WHEELERS STAND TOGETHER
As four wheelers we need to stand together and maintain our rights to use public land for offroading activities. The majority of us are responsible wheelers having fun with family and friends. It is important to make this point and help others who are uninformed know the truth. We do not destroy the environment for it is what allows us to enjoy our sport. Basing opinions are the minority of wheelers who do not follow the rules is one sided and close minded. But we can live with these opinions. It is those who use their opinions to create unfair laws that we cannot tolerate. This is why we feel this section will be an important attribute to our website and viewers.
We will update this section with information and news articles related to offroading. Everything from public land rights issues to rules and regulations applied to offroading events will be here.
We encourage all our visitors to inform us of any issues affecting four wheeling and offroad use by emailing comments@rabidoffroad.com.
