HELLO WOODTICK WHEELERS!

Here is an update on the club for February, 2011:

Membership:

We are 205 members strong and still growing. We are in the process of contacting members whose memberships are up for renewal. Virtually all members are renewing so far, which is great. We have 4 Business Members and 1 Business Sponsor. Please give them your business when you’re in the area and thank them for their support: Walker Power, The One-Stop, Theisen Construction, Southside Self-Servce, and Birch Lake Small Engine. Please encourage other businesses you visit to join the club! Membership details are at our web site: WoodtickWheelers.com.

Meetings & Rides:

We are planning meetings and rides for the coming season. Mark your calendar for our Spring Meeting -- Saturday, May 7th. More details to come.

Brainerd Ice Fishing Extravaganza:

A big thank-you to Marv Hartneck, Sheldon Hunt, Chuck Andrews and his friend for working on their ATVs during the contest in sub-zero temps and earning our club $400. Photo attached, see more at the WW Facebook page.

Big News On The Woodtick Trail!

Open The Woodtick! That has been our rally cry since day one. It’s on our banners, hoodies and T-shirts. It’s the reason we started the club, why we named the club, and why we have over 200 members. Our top priority is getting it re-opened. And we have good news! Last summer, the Chippewa National Forest asked our club for input on the road management section of their South Leech Lake 2 Project (SLL2). At the top of our list of proposals was to re-open the Woodtick Trail from the Moccasin Lake parking lot west 6 miles to Cub Lake (the intersection to the road that goes to Diamond Lake). This would re-create 3 loops and re-establish access to the Chippewa NF by ATV to hundreds of residents and cabin owners on lakes along the Woodtick, while meeting the Chip’s criteria to not encroach on the North Country Trail (NCT) or the Goose Lake Hiking Area.

Here is the big news: On their Scoping Letter and Map for this project -- the first step in their process and released January 19th -- the Chippewa NF included our proposal to change that section of the Woodtick Trail from “Open to Highway Licensed Vehicles Only” to “Open to All Vehicles” (including ATVs and OHMs).

This is great news, but it’s not a done deal yet. First there was a 30-day comment period. All comments on the SLL2 Scoping Project were due Feb. 18th. Our club commented on this change, with solid rationale for it, and commented in support of or against proposed changes on about 20 other Forest Roads in our riding area.

The NCT, Sierra Club and other anti-ATV groups will be pushing to defeat this proposal in their comments. But we are optimistic that it will go through, as our proposal meets all the criteria the Chip gave us regarding opening roads to ATVs and OHMs.

The Chip also included our second proposal -- to open the Woodtick Trail to ATVs from Cub Lake west to Forest Road #3759 (just east of Hwy. 371). That would create another loop and allow people who trailer their ATVs to that parking area by Hwy 371 and ride up Forest Road 3759 (re-opened to ATVs last year) or take the Woodtick Trail. So that’s another 3 miles of the Woodtick that may be re-opened.

The Chip’s Scoping Letter proposes to re-open a total of 18 miles of roads to ATVs.

To see the full map, click here “Chip Map.” If you can’t open it on your computer, you can also see it by going to the Chippewa National Forest home page on their web site, click on “Land & Resources Management,” then click on “Projects” and you’ll see the South Leech Lake 2 project files you can open.

The thick blue lines on the map are those proposed to be opened to ATVs. The long one at the bottom, Forest Road 2107, is the Woodtick Trail.

Important: If there are road changes that negatively impact your access or riding ability, please let the club know, as there will be one more opportunity to comment.

Next steps on SLL2:

-The Environmental Assessment is due out by the Chippewa NF in a few months, followed by another 30-day period when everyone can comment on the alternatives presented.
-Then, a few months after that, the Chip will release its Decision Notice.
-Based on our partnership with the Chippewa NF, and our strong rationale that ATVs are a legitimate use of the public forest roads, we are optimistic that part of the Woodtick Trail will be re-opened by Fall of 2011 or Spring of 2012.

Keep your fingers crossed. If and when this happens, there will be a club party!

People I’ve talked with at the DNR and NOHVCC are amazed at our progress in getting roads and trails opened in a National Forest. Our club has made a huge difference for its members and for all ATV owners in the area, and we’ll continue to work hard to make sure the Chippewa NF is kept “for the public” and not “from the public.”

Grant-In-Aid ATV Travel Route

The GIA ATV Travel Route we are proposing is included in the above SLL2 Project, so the public can comment on it as well. Our club commented on behalf of all its members, which the Chip prefers.

We have held 15 meetings since June on our proposed GIA ATV Trail. Over a dozen WW members have participated in them. That’s huge, thanks to everyone for attending!

The project would create an official DNR trail from Hackensack to Whipholt and Longville. The club would sign it and maintain it, and get reimbursed by the DNR for up to 90% of our expenses, through the OHV gas tax program. No general taxes are used for GIA Trails.

We now have signed resolutions supporting our proposal from the City of Longville, City of Hackensack, Kego Township, Pine Lake Township and Turtle Lake Township, and letters of support from the Longville Snowmobile Club and the Leech Lake Riders. We still need a resolution from Birch Lake Township, which is having trouble getting on board with the idea. We’ll keep working with them to try and move this forward. We need their resolution before we can go before the Cass County board for their approval, request that they be the funding sponsor for the trail, and move from Step 0 to Step 1 of the DNR's 7- Step Process. (No one said this was going to be easy!)

Also, the Longville city council is working on an ordinance that would allow ATVs into town. We presented our case at a public hearing at the Longville city hall last fall and it went great. Our members in Longville are moving this effort forward. When it happens, it will be another victory for our club, a boost to the Longville economy and a fun new destination for ATVs in the area. It will also give those visiting the Chippewa NF on their ATVs a place to get food, fuel and lodging. The Walker Ranger District is in favor of this, because it promotes tourism and positively impacts the local economy.

Chippewa NF Resource Advisory Council

The club is submitting proposals to the RAC to obtain part of $800K in funding that’s available for all kinds of resource improvements in the Chip. We would use the money for road maintenance, much-needed ATV signs, improving parking areas for ATVs, and building informational kiosks with maps and information for riders and visitors in our riding area. Mitch Bouchonville estimates we may be able to get about $30K in funding, if the RAC board approves our proposals. We’ll find out this summer.

Meetings Attended

The Woodtick Wheelers were represented at the following meetings this winter: ATVAM Board Meeting (Halsey), ATVAM Legislative Summit (Chuck and Julie Andrews), MMTC Quarterly Meeting with DNR (Halsey), Trail Ambassadors Meeting (Roscoe). Best Trail Worker Dave Halsey was named Minnesota’s “Best Trails Worker” by American Trails at their 2010 Conference in Tennessee.

Merchandise

There are still 15 hoodies available and lots of new T-shirts in a variety of colors. Email Dave Halsey to arrange to buy a few for yourself and your family.

Remember

All roads open to OHVs in the Chippewa NF are closed during the spring break-up period between March 15 and May. (Which is kind of ridiculous because they are still open to trucks, which do far more damage than ATVs.)

Opportunities To Get Involved

-Become a Trail Ambassador, ride and monitor trails and earn our club money. TA training is May 24th at Camp Ripley. Prerequisite: take ATV Youth Safety Instructor Training. Contact Dave Halsey for more information.

-Become a Youth ATV Safety Instructor. -Spread the word to your neighbors! Help us get more family and business members.

-Help planning and organizing meetings and rides.

-Join a team and help with cleanup projects, membership drives, publicity, youth training, grant funding, ATVAM meetings, youth training, Trail Ambassadors.

Watch for more news at our Facebook Page!

Thanks for your time reading another one of my super long emails!

Send us your comments and ideas for the club. See you on the Loop!

Dave Halsey c: 612-723-1987 email: dvhalsey@aol.com