342 New Members This Year! Welcome! ATVAM Newsletter - August 20, 2019 Newsletter of the ATV Association of Minnesota (Est. 1983) "Your Voice for ATV Recreation In Minnesota" -Send your comments, club news, photos and article ideas to: [email protected]. -Forward this email to club partners and business sponsors if they aren't ATVAM members already. -All members should receive this newsletter and MN OffRoad magazine. Let us know if you're not. -Please note: Send member renewals to new mailing address: ATVAM, PO Box 300, Stacy, MN 55079 E-newsletters are now archived on atvam.org to refer back to on topics. In This e-Newsletter: -Major Ride & Rally Sponsors Rolling In -ATVAM Members To Vote On Bylaws Amendments -Let's Make Ride & Rally The Best It Can Be -A New Flyer: "ATV Rider Resources In Minnesota" -ATV Clubs Give Back To Communities -ATVAM Attends Polaris 65th Anniversary Party -Action Alerts: Please Support These Trail Proposals -Fun ATV Club Rides Coming Up -Invite Friends To Join ATVAM Major Sponsors Rolling In, Supporting The ATVAM Annual Convention This year, ATVAM is inviting businesses, clubs and individuals to be major sponsors of the ATVAM Annual Convention (Ride & Rally). Donations can be mailed in or paid on the ATVAM website. See the flyer below for more details. And register for Ride & Rally today (banquet limited to 400). Thank you to these businesses, tourism bureaus and clubs for being the first major sponsors of the 2019 ATVAM Ride & Rally: Donating $250 Scott's Resort, Bar and Grill Benchmark Engineering Iron Range Tourism Bureau Northern Traxx ATV Club Evergreen PAC ATV Club White Pine Riders Woodtick Wheelers ATV Club Donating $500 Poseidon Barge Company Donating $1,000 Polaris And thank you to everyone who has made cash donations! Smaller cash donations received so far = $1,500.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please share this flyer with your club, its business sponsors and other local businesses that may be interested in being a major sponsor of the ATVAM Annual Convention. It is also posted at atvam.org . Thanks! ATVAM Members to Vote on Proposed Amendments to Bylaws During The Annual Convention The Bylaws Committee and the State Board of Directors are proposing various amendments to the ATVAM Bylaws, many of which are related to the recently adopted ATVAM Strategic Plan. The Bylaws are rules enacted by the ATVAM membership to provide a framework for the operation and management of the organization. The proposed amendments will be voted on by ATVAM members at the annual convention (Ride & Rally), in Crane Lake, Minnesota, during the General Membership Meeting on Saturday, September 21, 2019. A copy of the amendments to the Bylaws appeared in the August/September issue of Minnesota OffRoad magazine. They are also available on the ATVAM website, on the Strategic Plan page, at this link: http://www.atvam.org/Strategic_Plan.html. Please review the amendments prior to the scheduled vote at Ride & Rally. Thanks! The 2019 Ride & Rally Is One Month Away: "Let's All Pitch In To Make It The Best It Can Be" A message to all ATVAM clubs from ATVAM President Ron Potter (Reprinted from an earlier newsletter, and mailed to club presidents) Dear Club Presidents and Boards, As we continue to make plans for our 2019 ATV Minnesota Annual Convention, also called our Ride and Rally, it is important that we understand this is the Annual Convention for our State Association. Although it is hosted by a specific club each year, it is all of our responsibility to make this event a success and participate. It is understood that not everyone can physically attend the event every year, but to make it a success we must all be involved. This is our one major fund raiser for the year, and our success with that effort each year determines how active the Association can be the next year in helping clubs and providing leadership where it is needed. Because this is an ATV Minnesota event, we are asking that every club contribute to this event by making a donation to the auction, or a cash donation that will be used to generate funds to support the State Association. This can be from business members of the club, businesses in the community, other connections or contacts the clubs may have, or by the club purchasing items for the auction and providing them. These can be items for the sport of ATVing or items like hunting or fishing trips or trips to resorts with riding opportunities. We are asking for 100% involvement this year, and we are asking our Regional Directors to work with clubs to make this happen. You will be contacted by one of the ATVAM Regional Directors within the next few weeks. If you will not be attending the Convention this year, the Regional Director will help you get your items delivered to the Convention in time. We are asking that each club provide items worth at least $100 for the auction, or a cash donation of equal value. If you need ideas please feel free to contact your Regional Director or one of the Executive Board members. If your club is sending cash (checks made out to ATVAM), please make sure it is delivered to the Voyageur Country ATV club prior to September 1st, 2019, providing adequate time for this donation to be converted to an auction item(s). Visa cards or gift cards are fine and can be delivered just prior to the event. Please deliver these items to a Regional Director or Executive Board member prior to September 1st if you want them to deliver your items for the auction. Or you can mail the items directly to Voyageur Country ATV club at this address; Voyageur Country ATV, c/o Voyagaire Lodge, 7576 Gold Coast Road, Crane Lake, MN 55725. Include a note that the donation is for the Ride & Rally. Any alerts/questions/comments about donations, please contact Gretchen Janssen at (218) 993-2266 or email her at [email protected] . After September 1, 2019, all items must be mailed directly to Voyageur Country ATV club at this address. If you plan on attending the State Convention and will bring your auction items with you, please let Gretchen know what you have so they can plan for it. This is our State Convention. Let's make it the best it can be. With this approach, the sponsoring club can focus on the physical event, while the remainder of the clubs across the state make sure the fund raising part of the event is a great success as well. Thank you for your assistance with our State Convention. Any questions, please let me know or contact one of the Executive Board members. Best regards. Ron Potter ATVAM President (218) 235-0382 [email protected] New! A One-Page Flyer Of ATV Rider Resources In Minnesota We heard that the 2019 DNR OHV Atlas isn't printed yet, and won't be available for clubs to hand out at the Minnesota State Fair. So we decided to put together a one-page flyer with contact information riders can use to get an Atlas, and other helpful rider resources. If you are working at the ATV booth in the DNR building during the Fair, there will be copies of it to pass out to people with questions about ATV trails, regulations, ATVAM and more. (They may run out fast, so think about printing some for your club's use at the Fair.) It will also make a great flyer for ATV clubs to give to their members and to the riding public at county fairs, and local community events. And to add to your club's website. Drag it to your computer screen, or copy it as a screen shot, and print it out. ATV Clubs Give Back To Their Communities Across Minnesota, ATV clubs give generously to all kinds of local charities, non-profit organizations and fund-raisers for groups and people in need. Here are two efforts held last month. Be sure to have your club send in their donation projects to be recognized in this newsletter. From Red Rock Riders: We would like to pass along this info! On July 13th, the Red Rock Riders ATV Club held their Annual Club Ride. The proceeds from this year were to be donated to Access North for their Accessible Deer Hunt. All money raised during the ride as well as donations from the club and their Trail Ambassadors totaled $1065.00! The picture shows Club President Jesse Radika (L) and Club Treasurer Patty Hongo (R) handing over the check to Club Secretary and Access North Representative, Trina Arnesen. From Roseau/Lake of the Woods Sportsman Club: Marty Howes from the Roseau County Veterans Service office accepts a check for $3,101.50 to help our local Veterans in need. The money was raised at the 2019 Veterans ATV Run in July. Presenting the check is Roseau/Lake of the Woods Sportsman Club President Loren Arveson and Treasurer/Co-Chair Jodi Milford. Not pictured is Co- Chair Chris Reed. ATVAM Attends Polaris 65th Anniversary Party By Perry May ATVAM President Ron Potter, and 1st Vice-President Perry May, joined members from the Roseau/Lake of the Woods Sportsman Club, and the Fourtown/Grygla Sportsmans Club in Roseau on Saturday August 17th, to celebrate Polaris Industries 65-year Anniversary. We appreciated the opportunity to be part of the celebration, meet some of the ATV riders from the area and talk about ATVAM. We also brought along a Polaris Sportsman and the Virtual Realty googles and were able to have riders both young and old try out this new training technique.