Let's hope we stay on top of things down here, so it doesn't get to this level. Please help our Northern neighbors if you can. -Tom

This happens March 25, at noon at the Capital Campus, Olympia, WA!
=================
From: Dirt Rider [mailto:active-offroader@lycos.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 1:15 AM

"If not there, where?" is a slogan that we hope will soon be heard in
Olympia from hundreds of motorized off road users on March 25, 2005 if
the Northwest Outdoor Coalition (NOC) a coalition of dedicated off road
vehicle users of every type, has its way.

That is the date that was picked tonight for a Rally/Demonstration in
Olympia by this dedicated core group representing motorized users of
ATV, 4WD, Rally Car, Motorcycle, Sports Car,

Motocross, Enduro, Poker Run, Play Riders, Trail Riders, Off Road
Racers, etc.

These people are fed up with what is happening in Olympia and want to
draw attention to it in the mainstream press!

Some of the current things that are going on in Olympia -

Will virtually eliminate your right for you and your kids to operate
your motorized off road vehicles on your own private property!

Require special "rider's licensing" to operate your off road vehicle on
public land.

Eliminate any chance of re-opening the only motorized sports park in
Western WA (Thurston County ORV).

Steal $1.6 million of your NOVA funds to pay the thief so the thief can
repay the victim (YOU).

And Much More!

It will take everyone that this email is addressed to and many more to
bring this about. The go-no-go decision date is March 9, 2005.

Enough people will have to step up and promise to attend before March 9,
2005 or this event will not happen and the Legislature will know they
can do as they damn well please and continue to trample the off road
motorized users as an insignificant minority. You can bet they will
know about this attempt in short order!

Volunteers are sorely needed to actively work the various committees
RIGHT NOW! This event will require volunteers to step up and staff
committees for signage, funding, sign-up, permits, group co-ordination,
press release generation, designated spokespeople, etc. and DO IT NOW!

1) Just hit REPLY TO this email now and tell us you will ATTEND this
Rally driving your vehicle with your motorized off road vehicle in the
back or on the trailer behind, so we can create a list of attendees.

2) FORWARD this email to ALL of your motorized off road user FRIENDS!

3) Send an email to active-offroader@lycos.com to volunteer to help
with one of these committees!

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

Your Northwest Outdoor Coalition

More details on the rally here.

From the BRC, here are the important issues at stake...

Washington State Legislative Update

For more information about the Washington legislature, or for an easy way to find contact information for your representative, please visit www1.leg.wa.gov/legislature


ISSUE: OHV USE ON PRIVATE LAND:
Senate Bill 5089 and the companion House Bill 1455 would restrict all unlicensed vehicle use on private property by requiring a minimum 600 ft. setback from the property line. This could have the effect of ending your ability to ride on your own property unless you have at least 5 acres of unimproved land, and might put a stop to much of the casual use on private property now enjoyed by the OHV community.

This bill would also impose a 96dB sound standard, which BRC generally supports; however, the legislation unwisely puts no provision for older vehicles. Even California’s noise limit allows a “grandfather” clause that allows and exemption for older machines.

##########

ISSUE: OHV USERS ROBBED OF OHV FUNDS VIA BUDGET PROPOSAL
In our opinion, the most outrageous issue to come out of the 2005 legislative season in Washington State concerns a lawsuit between State and County officials regarding the closure of the Thurston County ORV Park.

Thurston and Grays Harbor Counties entered into a legally binding agreement when they accepted $1.6 million dollars from the Non-highway and Off-road Vehicle Activity Fund (NOVA). Washington State law requires those funds to be paid back if facilities that utilize these funds are closed. When the Thurston County ORV Park was closed, that law came into effect and the $1.6 million dollars of OHV funds must be paid back or the Park must be re opened.

In what can only be called an outrageous theft of OHV user’s good will, State Senator Karen Fraser, D-22nd District, and chair of the Capitol Budget Committee actually proposed allocating another $1.6 million dollars directly out of the motorized NOVA funds to cover all costs associated with the lawsuit!

Washington State OHV users deserve to be treated fairly and honestly, and this type of double dipping goes against all standards of common sense and fair play.

##########

ISSUE: ATV SAFETY BILL MORE ABOUT RESTRICTION THAN SAFETY
WA Senate Bill 5031 and the companion House Bill 1029 would require all riders of ATV’s to undergo safety training. This is an excellent concept in states like Utah, the OHV training program is highly successful.

Indeed, BRC strongly supports successful ATV education program especially for riders up to age 16. Upon review, however, these bills don’t provide for an effective safety training program. Additionally, they unwisely restrict riders under 16 to 90 cc machines or smaller. It would also completely ban all riding under the age of 12 on public lands.

Safety is a major concern of BRC members, but legislation must be written that actually gets the job done. The Washington legislature should review Utah’s OHV youth certification program as a model that is not unfairly punitive, and has shown a decrease in injury rates.

#########

ISSUE: CALIFORNIA RED STICKER PROGRAM PROPOSED FOR WASHINGTON STATE
Senate Bill 5099, which will affect all vehicles sold in the state and could in fact result in a red/green sticker type registration system for OHV’s, similar to the current system in California. This system severely limits the riding season for many popular OHV models to approx. ½ the year, and would most likely create a two tiered riding season in Western Washington and parts of Eastern Washington as well.

BRC notes that new federal off-road standards were developed with input from our organization, the AMA, the Motorcycle Industry Council, and many other user groups, while the CARB standards include no such provision for public input and have in the past severely restricted the types of vehicles available for purchase by the general public for both on and off-road use.

##########

ISSUE: LEGISLATION ALLOWS OHV USERS TO “MAKE THE LOOP”.
As you know, the “loop trail” system is a great way to manage OHV trails. Unfortunately, many “loops” are cut because of laws that limit unlicensed vehicles on certain roads. House Bill 1003, would allow use of non-highway roads by unlicensed vehicles in specific areas. This would grant local authorities the flexibility necessary to designate specific roads as OHV routes, and would allow riders to connect separate riding areas by using roads currently limited to street legal vehicles only.

***** BRC ALERT ***** BRC ALERT ***** BRC ALERT ***** BRC ALERT *****

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

It looks like the Pro-OHV Rally at the Capitol in Olympia, Washington, this
coming
Friday, March 25, 2005, is shaping up to be one of the biggest events this
year. After
running an alert earlier last week, we received numerous emails from folks
wanting more
information.

So...you asked for it...you got it!

But first, we want the folks in Washington State to know how much BRC
appreciates the
fact that people are getting involved and want to help stop anti-access
agendas and
educate the public about legislation that curtails legal OHV use.

IF YOU LIVE IN WASHINGTON STATE DO THIS:
Attend the rally to help stop public lands from being closed to vehicle based
recreation.
We hope that the question of "how much is enough?" continues to be asked and
for
good reason!

Thanks,
Brian Hawthorne
Public Lands Director
BlueRibbon Coalition

RALLY INFORMATION:
You can get more information, maps, directions, etc. on the rally at Pacific
Northwest 4
Wheel Drive Association (PNW4WDA) website <http://www.pnw4wda.org/> or
Northwest
Motorcycle Association (NMA) website <http://www.nmaoffroad.org/

If you still have questions feel free to contact: Ed Bushnell @ 425-931-3332
or Tory
Briggs @ 425-418-1943.


 Tens of thousands of Off Road recreation enthusiasts are not being served!
This is a
family activity, enjoyed by all walks of life. Hundreds of clubs bring
families and
enthusiasts together in positive activities that contribute to the healthy
enjoyment of our
Great Northwest, and to the state economy.

 Opportunity is shrinking! ORV Parks have been closed. Current funding
source have
been raided by groups with far greater funding and stated anti-Off Road
agendas.
Legislation is continually introduced to curtail valid recreational
activities.

 Demand is growing! Sales of Off-Road vehicles and the vehicles used to
transport
them continue to grow. This is a segment of the buying public that should not
be ignored.

 Demand must be served! Demand and opportunity moving in opposite directions
is a
recipe for sure disaster. Current opportunities for the public to access
public lands are
over-stressed. Demand will find new opportunities - but the creation of
appropriate
opportunity effectively managed is critical.

 Billions of dollars of Washington's economy are at stake! Off Road
enthusiasts not only
purchase vehicles, they buy RV's to camp in, trailers to tow their vehicles,
aftermarket
equipment, clothing, etc. They bring vital economic input to small
communities adjacent
to recreation opportunities - communities that rely on Off Road enthusiasts
for their
economic and civic survival.

 Off Road Vehicle recreation is self-funded! License tab fees, site fees,
and refunds of
taxes paid on fuel consumed fund the creation, management and maintenance of
opportunities. A very high percentage of maintenance is performed by
volunteers.
Properly managed ORV parks are proven positive cash flow generators.

 It is time to renew a spirit of cooperation! The Off Road vehicle community
wants to
work with the Legislature and State Agencies to reverse dangerous trends
threatening
thousands of families and businesses in this state, replacing them with
cooperation
dedicated to what is right for families, businesses, and the great state of
Washington.


***** END ALERT ***** END ALERT ***** END ALERT ***** END ALERT *****

The rally went well in Olympia yesterday. I don't have an offical count but I'd guess there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,500 ORV enthusiests on the Capitol steps yesterday, for the rally. Traffic was backed-up clear out onto I-5 and there were as many who couldn't park and get in as there were in the capitol campus. Coverage on the Seattle TV stations was very breif, but at least it was there. Here is a link to an article in today's Olympian about the rally. http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20050326/southsound/113203.shtml

Thanks for the update, Kevin. Is Monte a relation?
-Tom

Yes, Monte is my son.