2017 New Year Update

 Happy New Year!

 

Looking Back On 2016, our club:

-Welcomed many new members and Business Sponsors

-Had 9 club rides and two big meetings

-Kept members informed on ATV news and issues

-Certified 25 youth riders at our ATV Safety Class in Walker

-Rode 1000 miles as Trail Ambassadors

-Recognized Dick Nytes as Member of the Year

-Held a pork chop feed, pancake breakfast & benefit chili feed

-Created an ATV Search & Rescue Team

-Donated a rescue insert and cab to the Sheriff’s Ranger,

   for S&R, using Polaris TRAILS grants

-Visited with 100s of riders at National Night Out and the

  Hackensack Chainsaw Event

-Rode with Woodrow the Woodtick in 2 parades; won the

  prize for innovative entry

-Put 250 kids on the ATV Simulator at the MN State Fair,

   and talked to their parents about ATV safety

-Attended many ATVAM and DNR meetings, and a NOHVCC

  Great Trails Workshop in Akeley

-Promoted and thanked our Business Members year-round,

  and bought many $25 gift cards from them, for use as prizes

  to members

-Sold lots of cool club gear to members

-Donated gear and funds to other clubs and non-profits for

  their silent auctions and trail work

  ...and more!

 

The MN DNR reports that, during 2016:

-4,460 kids, teens and adults took their Online ATV Safety Training Course

-DNR Conservation Officers wrote over 3,700 ATV violations and warnings. From Jan 1 to Dec 8, COs wrote 911 citations, and 2790 warnings. There are 25 violation categories. Of the ATV tickets, the top 3 are “License/Registration/Permit Not inPossession or Displayed” (286), “No Valid License/Registration/Permit” (167), “Youth Operate w/o Helmet” (117). Most of the violations are $125 or more (including surcharges). By comparison, COs wrote 339 tickets to snowmobilers, 80 to dirt bike riders and 16 to 4WD truck drivers. If you’d like to receive the complete list, reply to this email and we’ll send you the DNR table. 

 

Two New County ATV Parks opened last year

1) The Axtel Technical Riding Area, off the Soo Line Trail near MacGregor, is a big hit. It was built by Aitkin County. We’ll do a club ride there in 2017. A map of the obstacles is shown here: http://www.co.aitkin.mn.us/departments/land/recreation/

AxtellPitMap.jpg

 

2) If you live in or near Grant County, the county built a new ATV Park, complete with a youth training area and 2 mile trail complete with lots of cool obstacles. There is a picnic area for parents to watch their kids as they ride. If you want to check it out this spring, it’s near

Elbow Lake. Here’s a link to the county website for details: http://www.co.grant.mn.us/582/ATV-Park

 

Did you know? -- The Grant County ATV Park was built with RTP funds. Across the country, many ATV trails -- as well as hiking, bicycle and horse trails -- are funded by gas taxes paid by ATV, snowmobile and truck owners. It’s called the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). This month is the 25th anniversary of this important federal program that directs gas tax money back to the states for motorized and non-motorized trail projects in all 50 states. You can read about

the Grant County ATV Park and the RTP 25th Anniversary in the December NOHVCC newsletter, at this link: http://nohvcc.org/Materials/Newsletter/December-2016.

 

Woodtick Wheelers Featured in “The Source 2017”

The Pilot newspaper just published its 115-page resource guide for Central Cass and Eastern Hubbard Counties. It was delivered with the Pilot paper last week. A full-page article with photos on the Woodtick Wheelers is on page 104. Watch for it!

 

Trail Ambassador programs featured in magazine.

Minnesota is one of only 4 states with a Trail Ambassador program. The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) wrote an article on them a while back, and recently sent us a pdf of it.

You can read it in the attachment to this email.

 

For those interested in becoming a Trail Ambassador, here are DNR class dates:

-Saturday January 7, 2017 @ 10:00 a.m.

Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area Headquarters

5463 West Broadway Ave, Forest Lake, MN 55025

Contact: Bruce Lawrence @ 763-267-8534 or bruce.lawrence@state.mn.us

 

-Saturday March 4, 2017@ 10:00 a.m.

Nelson Hall - Camp Ripley, 15011 Hwy 115, Little Falls, MN 56345

Contact: Bruce Lawrence @ 763-267-8534 or bruce.lawrence@state.mn.us

 

-Saturday April 1, 2017

Midwest Interagency Fire Center (MIFC)

402 SE 11th St., Grand Rapids, MN 55744

Contact: Mike Lee @ mike.lee@state.mn.us or 218-963-7343

 

-Saturday April 22, 2017

Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area

7196 Pettit Rd, Gilbert, MN 55741

Contact: Bruce Lawrence @ bruce.lawrence@state.mn.us or 763-267-8534

 

Thanks for supporting the club! ‘Like’ us on Facebook and visit WoodtickWheelers.com.

Send us your ideas, places you’d like to ride next year, and other comments!

 

Your Woodtick Wheelers Board:

Dave Halsey, President dvhalsey@gmail.com, 612-723-1987; Andy Becker, Vice President,

hackbilly1@gmail.com; Mike Ebinger, Treasurer, Membership mebinger48@gmail.com;

Sherrie Gayken, Secretary; Ed Anderson, Dick Buche, Sue Buche, Scott Meyers, Dave Shaw

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Woodtick Wheelers ATV Club

P.O. Box 83

Hackensack, MN 56452

 

Thanks to a Polaris Trails grant, the Woodtick Wheelers were able to purchase a Polaris Sportsman 110 EFI to be used for youth safety training. 

Our club's ATV Safety Education Trailer was purchased with a $10,000 grant from the Polaris TRAILS program. Thousands of people have visited it at community events, where we passed out over 5,000 ATV maps, reg books and safety handouts. Thanks Polaris!
Our club's ATV Safety Education Trailer was purchased with a $10,000 grant from the Polaris TRAILS program. Thousands of people have visited it at community events, where we passed out over 5,000 ATV maps, reg books and safety handouts. Thanks Polaris!
Every new member gets free club logo stickers for their ATVs and off-highway motorcycles.  Extra logos: $1  Also available in an embroidered patch to sew on your favorite gear. $3 each.
Every new member gets free club logo stickers for their ATVs and off-highway motorcycles. Extra logos: $1 Also available in an embroidered patch to sew on your favorite gear. $3 each.