Some really great news from ATVAM!

Governor Pawlenty has accepted our invitation to the Fall Convention in Roseau. Second year in a row he as attended and we are very proud of the fact he has chosen to do his weekly radio show from our convention headquarters. After the radio show, the Executive Board will ride with the Governor for a little while during the day. With a tight schedule the Governor will only be able to attend the first part of the convention but we are very pleased he wants to attend our convention and ride with our organization.

What a great summer it has been, if only it could have lasted a few more weeks with a few more warm days. Lots of activities took place over the summer and we are very proud of the local clubs that had successful turn outs at their local events such as ATV Pulls, Mud Runs, and other events throughout the summer. These activities put our sport in a positive image and increased our positive publicity as a result of these events. Keep up the good work.

We’d like to welcome our new clubs and members over the last few months. It’s very rewarding to see the efforts of concerned riders and local clubs bringing in more members and clubs into ATVAM. Membership is vital to our sport, and with over 10,000 members in ATVAM we are a voice for motorized recreation. Keep your membership up to date, save an envelope and .37 cents, renew on-line anytime.

Couple of other items took place over the summer as well. Polaris Industries had a great summer of celebration for their 50th Anniversary both Roseau and the State Fairgrounds. We hope you had a chance to attend one or both of the events and wish them continued success for the next 50 years.

Appleton OHV Park opened this summer. What a great effort to get places to ride on the ground. We are extremely happy for Appleton and all those that made it possible! For more information go to this site and click on the County Parks Link.

Youth safety continues to be impressive with many more kids certified and even more people becoming instructors on a monthly basis. Currently there are over 3000 kids that have participated in training and over 400 instructors that help make it happen. Those are very impressive education numbers for our sport. Hats off to those that make it happen!

Continue to check the list of ATV Classes being offered if there’s not one in your area, become and instructor and make it happen.

A couple of issues and concerns have come up during the summer months as well. The delayed use of a segment of the North Shore State Trail (NSST) was a set back for all of us. Many people and clubs are putting time and efforts into this and to have the decision to use a segment of NSST was very frustrating to say the least. Let’s stay professional and keep at it, it was not a denial it was a delay. The National Forest plan documents were released this past month giving us lots of reading and research to accomplish. If you did not receive a copy or wish to review the documents go to www.fs.fed.us/r9/superior or www.fs.fed.us/r9/chippewa for additional information. We continue to see counties concerned about ditch issues and have seen many people step up to the plate with our ditch kits of information and address the issues as needed. If you’d like to know more about ditch issues in your area, you can contact our office administrator, Cheryle Young for additional information as needed.

So with a small recap of summer, here comes fall. This should also be a great fall season for riding, the one season we all wish would last forever. Fall riding is one of the best times to enjoy the trails. The days are crisp and sunny, or cloudy and calm, the ride is great. Almost seems the trails take on another sense of adventure. Take the camera and get some great shots of color before the snow flies. Getting out there with friends makes it all worth while to be an ATV rider in our State. Don’t forget to check the DNR website for up-to-date information regarding trails, and most importantly, keep an eye on the weather

Hunters, before you head out, make sure your ATV’s are registered. Pulling the ATV’s out late in the season you may have forgotten to renew the tabs. Purchase them on-line and displayed before you head out. No sense pulling a ticket for the oversight.

Keep checking the ACTION ALERT notice toward the top of our homepage. Although we like to keep you up to date on issues that effect your riding privileges, we’d also like to keep you informed of other events you may be interested in. John Warren has done a great job keeping the data up-to-date when it mattered and lots of the membership became very active in responding to alerts as well. Great Job!

ATVAM continues to be a very pro-active organization for motorized recreation. Without a doubt, our trails are valuable, and anti-access groups would like nothing better than to have them taken away, (they are working on it every day). Continue to make 2004 a great year by making a difference. You do more by riding correctly in the eyes of a non-rider then any laws will.

Remember: Show a non-rider a ride, a rider a club, a club to ATVAM.

ATVAM Executive Board

PS, See you at the convention in Roseau!