Halloween Update

 

Welcome all new members! -- A dozen people joined the club at the Hackensack Chainsaw

Event. And our newest Business Member is the Soo Line Saloon in Remer. Thanks for joining!

 

ATV Youth Safety Class went great!

25 kids ages12-15 were certified at our class at the WACC on Oct 22.

Thanks to all our club’s Safety Instructors and the Sheriff’s Deputies for helping, and a big thank you to Lloyd Solarz for heading up the effort again this year.

 

Thanks to everyone who rode with us this year! We had a lot of great club rides, including the latest from Emily to Outing with lunch at the Pickled Loon Saloon, and in the Danbury, Wisconsin area riding among the fall colors. We passed out over 30 gift cards purchased from our Business

Members as prizes playing poker on the trails. And we ate many dozens of brats cooked up on the club grill after the rides.

 

Where should we ride next year? Want to keep riding? Most ATV State Trails close on October 31 or November 1. The Soo Line North Trail is open through November 30 (with restrictions during deer season). Trails in our area open year-round are: Moose River Trail; Chisholm Trail; Spider Lake Trail (except on Snoway 1 snowmobile trail). See the DNR Trail Atlas or website for others.

 

New Axtell Technical Riding Area -- Here is a link to an article in

the Aitkin newspaper with more information about the new

Challenge Course near McGregor, right off the Soo Line. It was

designed by Ron Potter, retired from the DNR and a member of

the Woodtick Wheelers! We’ll have a club ride there next year!

http://www.messagemedia.co/…/article_7fe04c06-84db-11e6-aaf…

 

Woodtick Wheelers ride in Great Falls, MT. Dave Halsey and Ron Potter attended the 2016 conference of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council. Each year it includes a group ride - 90 people rode dirt bikes, ATVs and SxSs at the Bull Run Guest Ranch. See a full report on the NOHVCC conference and sign up for the free NOHVCC newsletter -- with

ATV success stories from around the country -- at: www.NOHVCC.org

 

Trail Ambassadors Fulfilled 2016 Grant. Our club’s TAs rode 1,000 miles this summer, monitoring ATV trails, passing out maps and reg books, and removing or reporting trail

hazards. All their expenses are reimbursed through our DNR TA Grant. Thanks to all our TAs and to Ed Anderson, our TA Grant Manager this year, for all their dedication to this

outstanding volunteer program.

 

Interested in joining our team of ATV Safety Class Instructors or volunteer Trail Ambassadors? It’s a great way to get out there and ride new trail systems. Here are classes coming up. To be a TA, you must also take the Instructor Certification class. November 17, 2016: DNR ATV and Snowmobile Safety Instructor Certification, 6-9pm, Long Prairie, MN; December 6, 2016:DNR ATV and Snowmobile Safety Instructor Certification, 6-9pm, Spring Park, MN; January 7, 2017: Volunteer Trail Ambassador Training Class 10am, Forest Lake, MN; March 4, 2017:

Volunteer Trail Ambassador Training Class, 10am, Camp Ripley, Little Falls. For details and to

register, visit this website: http://dnr.state.mn.us/safety/instructors/training.html

 

Some ATV Clubs Are Building Bridges! National Forests (150 of them in the U.S.) vary in their attitudes toward motorized recreation and ATV clubs. The Western Slope ATV Association in Colorado has such a great relationship with their National Forest, that they have built many bridges over streams. Their latest one -- part of a presentation at the NOHVCC conference -- is a 60 ft. bridge designed and installed by engineers in their club, including building the

bridge abutments. It’s used by ATVers, hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. By contrast, our club hasn’t been able to get the Chippewa National Forest to re-open even one mile of the Woodtick Trail, after lobbying the Forest for 7 years! It’s very frustrating. But we’ll keep trying!

 

RideCommand (formerly RiderX) is the free Polaris mobile app that shows your location on OHV and Snow trails anywhere in the U.S. It now includes “Group Ride” to track the location of everyone riding with you, right on your smartphone or tablet. Download it from your app store. And go to RideCommand.com on your computer to plan rides anywhere in the country.

 

Help Us Connect Two Trail Systems! The Over The Hills Gang ATV Club in Outing is trying to connect the south end of the Emily Trail to the south end of the Blind Lake Trail. This new 14-mile route will connect two trail systems, creating a huge trail loop. The project is now in the public comment period. You can help make this trail a reality. Crow Wing County counts the pro and con comments. Please take a minute and send a short comment to Crow Wing County

on the proposed Emily to Blind Lake Trail. Deadline is November 17th. “We encourage all citizens interested in this trail proposal to submit written comments,” said Land Services Director Mark Liedl.” You can say simply “I support this trail project” or add your reasons to

the comment. Written comments may be: 1) Emailed to landservices@crowwing.us (Include “Emily to Blind Lake Trail” in the subject line), 2) Mailed to Crow Wing County Land Services Department, Attn: Emily to Blind Lake Trail, Land Services Building, 322 Laurel Street, Suite #15, Brainerd, MN 56401; or 3) Faxed to (218) 824-1126. Include your name, address and phone number. Thanks!

 

Please give our Business Members your business! They include home & cabin services!

New! Soo Line Saloon in Remer • The One Stop • Tranquility Acres • Lakes Area Powersports

• Ray’s Sport & Cycle • Southside Fuel Plus • Birch Lake Small Engine • Lucette’s Pizza •

North Lakes Marine & Auto • Huddle’s Resort • Mark’s Market • North Country Tire •

Hackensack Auto Value • Hackensack Lumber • American Legion Post 202 • 1st National Bank

of Walker • Birchwood Char House • Kevin Larson Construction • Stompin’ Grounds Camping

& Lodge • Lone Rock Trophy • Abe’s Plumbing & Heating • Ace Hardware & Lumber •

Arrowhead Builders Supply • Bear Pause Theater • Big Dipper • Booth Office Supply •

Due North Foam • Gallery of New Creations • Hartmann Recycling • Hound Heater •

Lori’s Luvs • Milo Film Productions • Electrical Builders • Oakwood Insurance Agency •

Pickled Loon Saloon • Trosen Electric • Ultimate Trails Consulting

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