342 New Members This Year! Welcome! ATVAM Newsletter - September 6, 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: -Please Pre-Register For ATVAM Ride & Rally -Register For One Of 12 Saturday Rides -Thanks To All Our Sponsors Big & Small -ATVAM Members To Vote On Bylaw Changes -Section Of Taconite Trail Opens To ATVs -New Bridge Trail Connects Iron Range Cities -Nonresident Riders Need New Decal In AZ -Please Support These New Trail Proposals -Welcome New DNR Conservation Officers -Racing Classes Added For Youth RZRs -Fun ATV Club Rides Coming Up -Invite Friends To Join ATVAM Correction in August newsletter: Myles Hogenson is trail administrator, not president, of the Northstar Alliance. Please Pre-Register For The ATVAM Ride & Rally This year, instead of registering the day of the ATVAM Annual Convention (Ride & Rally), please pre-register. That will be of great help to the host club -- Voyageur Country ATV -- as they prepare for this fun 3-day event, which includes the official opening of a 185-ft single- span bridge, being set in place today across the Vermilion River. From Voyageur Country ATV: "How exciting is this!? Bridge is almost done! This is going to be so amazing for our area! What a beautiful area this will be for everyone to enjoy. Can't wait to go for a ride!" See more photos on the club's Facebook page. Get all the Ride & Rally details, and please pre-register today for the Friday and/or Saturday rides and banquet at atvam.org. Thanks! You Can Also Preview & Register Your Group For One Of 12 Saturday Rides From Voyageur Country ATV: On the ATVAM website (and our Club website also) you will find a complete itinerary for the weekend. For Saturday, we have put together 12 different routes to choose from for ATV rides. This will spread riders out more safely around the community, and allow folks to enjoy different lunch stops. We would also like you to review these rides and sign your group up for the ride of your choice! Click here to sign up for one of the rides below: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKnt- ANwvIgDI_XNB0qWlVX0zEhNS6T1tyzjcq44PW3ypfDA/viewform?usp=s f_link Thank you to these businesses, tourism bureaus and clubs for being major sponsors of the 2019 ATVAM Ride & Rally: Donating $1,000 Polaris Donating $500 Poseidon Barge Company RVS Performance South Metro ATV Cub Voyagaire Lodge & Houseboats FWR Professional Auctioneers Donating $250 Crane Lake Bar and Grill Benchmark Engineering Iron Range Tourism Bureau Northern Traxx ATV Club Evergreen PAC ATV Club White Pine Riders Woodtick Wheelers ATV Club Hand-Done T-Shirts Inc. Northern Pine Riders Snowmobile Club Quad Cities ATV Club Britt Lounge Bar and Grill LLC (and more coming!) And thank you to everyone who has made cash donations! Smaller cash donations received so far = $1,725.00 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! 17.5 Mile Section of Taconite State Trail Opens to ATVs (Creates great trail connections) An Overview of this trail project by Joe Majerus, Parks and Trails Area Supervisor This project opens 17.5 miles of the Taconite State Trail to ATVs (Class 1 and 2) and OHMs, creating a valuable trail connection from the Big Aspen trails in the Britt/Virginia area to Side Lake and other communities to the west. The western terminus of the project connects through county and forest roads to the Chisholm Grant-in-Aid ATV trail, and the eastern terminus connects to county and forest roads as well as to the ongoing Quad Cities ATV Club trail development project. The project was made possible through partnerships with the US Forest Service, The Quad Cities and Northern Traxx ATV clubs, and State Forestry. Joe Majerus Area Supervisor | Division of Parks and Trails Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 650 Hwy 169, Tower, MN 55790 Phone: 218-300-7842 Email: [email protected] New Bridge Trail Connects Iron Range Cities, Will Boost Ridership & Tourism From the Iron Range Resources And Rehabilitation Newsletter A new ATV trail connector opened last week that connects the cities of Virginia, Eveleth and Gilbert accessing the Tom Rukavina Memorial Bridge on Highway 53. The connector is 550 feet of trail and provides a crucial link to the Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area in Gilbert. "With this key trail connection and the completion of other area trail systems in the region, we hope to see a measurable increase in ATVs at area hotels, resorts and campgrounds," said Beth Pierce, Iron Range Tourism director. In anticipation of opening a new expansion in 2020 that will double the existing OHV park's size, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) completed substantial work in the park this year. In 2018 more than 5,000 machines visited the park between May and October. Pierce believes this number could dramatically increase with the new trail connector along the bridge. According to Pierce, trail development around the state has shown that the ATV market is recognized as enthusiastic trail explorers who are able and willing to spend money in communities. They are likely to be repeat visitors in areas where they enjoy established trail systems. Pierce said that the region's campgrounds and lodging properties can attest to increased ATV traffic in recent years with the statewide growth of the sport. There are an estimated 268,000 registered ATVs in Minnesota. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation provided a Regional Trails grant which helped pay for construction, signage and a culvert for the new connector. Other project partners included Minnesota DNR, the city of Virginia, Iron Range Tourism Bureau and Quad Cities ATV Club. "Trails can have important economic impacts to a rural region," said Mark Phillips, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation commissioner. "They attract tourism spending and auxiliary startup businesses such as rental and repair shops. Trails can also be a business recruiting tool for health care and other large industries." =========================================================== ====== This was an awesome partnership of many groups, agencies and elected officials. A few more details from Beth Pierce, Iron Range Tourism Bureau: "The cities of Virginia, Eveleth and Gilbert are now connected! The trail was made possible with City of Virginia support (Mayor Larry Cuffe is shown), a grant from the Iron Range Resources (commissioner Mark Phillips is shown) , and support of our legislators, particularly Rep Dave Lislegard, DFL-Aurora, Sen Dave Tomassoni, DFL- Chisholm, and Rep. Rob Ecklund, DFL-I-Falls. Snowbirds Heading To AZ Need Nonresident OHV Decal Out-of-state residents wishing to legally ride their off-highway vehicle and support OHV trail maintenance, education and law enforcement efforts in Arizona can purchase a nonresident OHV decal beginning Sunday, Sept. 1. The new decal was supported and pushed by the OHV riding community during the 2019 legislative session and was signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey. The law requires nonresident OHV owners to purchase a decal to operate the machines within the state. All OHVs designed by the manufacturer primarily for use over unimproved terrain and that weigh 2,500 pounds or less are required by law to display a valid OHV decal to operate on public and state trust lands. This includes "street legal" OHVs that meet these two requirements. Before the law was passed, nonresident OHV owners could ride their machines within the state for up to 30 days only if their state had a similar in-state resident decal program. There is no longer a grace period allowing nonresidents to operate without an Arizona decal and owners are now required to purchase a decal before operating their machines within the state. Those caught riding without a current decal can be fined. Both resident and nonresident OHV decals cost $25 (plus a processing fee) and are good for one year from the purchase date. While the resident OHV decal can be purchased at any Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division office or at www.servicearizona.com, the nonresident OHV decal can only be purchased online through an Arizona Game and Fish Department portal account, which can be created at www.azgfd.gov by clicking "My Account." After registering for a new account, users should click on "view details" under My AZGFD Dashboard to purchase the nonresident OHV decal.