NCATV Club Newsletter

Stratford, NH www.northcountryatv.com May 2006, No. 2

SAFETY FIRST

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n April 29, 2006, the NCATV Club sponsored another OHRV Safety Course under the leadership of Ted Burns. Students ranged in age from 11 to 55. Certified OHRV Instructors Ted Burns and George Heald lead students in their study of OHRV Safety Education with materials provided by the NH Fish & Game Department. Topics of discussion included Riding Skills (ATVs Reducing the Risk, Protective Clothing, Parts of the ATV, Before You Ride, Starting Up, Riding Skills, Different Terrains, and Sport and the Environment); Other Important Skills (Facing the Unexpected and Responsibility). In addition to classroom instruction, the students viewed relative videos, inspected ATV parts hands on, took a written test and a field test to demonstrate their knowledge about and ability to ride an ATV in order to qualify for a green card. They also received instruction from Chris Egan from NH Fish & Game regarding the laws affecting the use of ATVs and rights and responsibilities when riding an ATV. Assisting Ted and George were John Atwood, Steven Allen, Josh Berry, Wayne Hall, Edwina Adair, and Mariann Bagley. The students enjoyed hot chocolate and donuts during break. They were joined for pizza lunch (Soda donated by White Mt. Distributors) by the NCATV Club and the Stratford Nighthawks Snowmobile Club work crew that was rebuilding the Burns Bridge. All students passed the testing to qualify for their green card and Michael Chappell received a free year’s membership in the Club for scoring 100 percent on the written test.

APPRECIATION DAY

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n Saturday, May 13, 2006, the NCATV Club sponsored its 8^th annual Landowner Appreciation Day with about 45 volunteers reporting to scout the trail system for trash despite the threatening weather. The rain held off and riders came back with dusty clothing a dirty faces.

The results for the day showed that 44 volunteers covered a total of 844.1 miles, cleaned 787 miles, and worked for 162 total hours. The trails were found to be in good condition despite one bridge that needs work and a couple of mud holes that need work. Brush was trimmed, trees moved out of the trail, and signs were repaired, in addition to picking up the trash. Speaking of the trash that was brought back to be disposed of – several tires that were not for ATVs, but for cars, old squashed cans that might have been used by foresters, a bed spring that was too big to be carried back, and a 55 gallon drum. As ATVers, we try to show respect for the land that we are allowed to ride on; that does not seem to be the case for others.

Edwina Adair headed the lunch team that served hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, drinks, and desserts for the volunteers. Edwina and Mariann were on hand to serve up burgers and dogs from 11:30 to 3:00.

Thank you, Landowners!!! We really appreciate the opportunity to share the use of your property. Our motto for riders is “Carry it in, carry it out.” Trail Patrol is on the lookout throughout the season to maintain a clean trail system.

MIS-JUSTICE

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he ATV folks still lack representation needed in Concord to get fair treatment when it comes to registration. I had legislation introduced last fall HB1423, to prorate registrations so that people purchasing ATVs would only be charged for the amount of time remaining before the new registrations come out, and it is a fair law and also a no brainer. To give credit where it is due, we should say thanks to Representatives Fred King, Eric Stohl, Herb Richardson, and Senator John Gallus for introducing the bill. We also should say shame on Fish & Game because that is where the committee declared the bill INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. What a bunch of bullshit. You don’t have to have a college degree to see that Fish and Game are just worried about loosing out on a few dollars that isn’t rightfully theirs to begin with. They are charging folks for many months that they are not getting to use their ATVs. Every legislator I talked to said it should be passed. However, when it got to the fair city of Concord, something strange happened. For some reason it got side tracked and lost. Do we need more horsepower? Maybe more of you should call your local representatives and ask about it before you purchase an ATV in May or June next year and find out that you have to register for the whole previous year to ride your new machine for a few weeks.

Just for example, let’s say you purchase your ATV on June 20^th. When you get to the registration desk, they will tell you that if you want to ride your machine, assuming you are a resident, you have to pay $54 to ride for ten days, then you will have to go back and pay $54 again to register it for this coming year. It is just plain wrong the way it is now and it needs changing. The time to change this is now. Please call your representative and ask them to look into this and ask why it was not passed.

Ted Burns

Join the Club

that gives you trails!

PRESIDENT’S VIEW

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he trails are now open, and we had our first event on Saturday, May 13^th. It looked like it would be rained out, but Coos County didn’t get the rain that the southern part of the state received.

I would like to thank past sponsors that continue to support the Club’s efforts to build and maintain our trail system. This year Blueberry Hill Inn & Café, BigRock Campground, Grand Ole Lodge, Burns Truck Stop Mini-Mart, Trailside Lodge, and Dalton Mountain Motor Sports have increased their support from Gold to Platinum sponsorship. We welcome Osgood Painting and Contracting and The Family of Bev & Gus Dwyer as Platinum sponsors, and the Down Home Motel and Exit 9 Motorsports as new sponsors. Thanks to all of our businesses and individual Silver sponsors.

This year Blueberry Hill B & B has upgraded to an Inn & Café. What this means is that they can now serve food to the public. So as you plan your ride, stop by, relax, and enjoy the family style dining room and good food. They are open from 6am to 2 pm except Sunday from 6 am to Noon.

Our next event is the Stratford Old Home Day parade and buffet. This year’s theme is “The Good Old Days”. The parade starts at 11 am and the buffet is at Noon. If riders would like to join others, there will be groups leaving the Trailhead at Burns Truck Stop in Stratford between 8:30 and 9 am. You can also check BigRock Campground, Blueberry Hill Inn & Café, Connolly Cabins, and Trailside Lodge because they will leave at different times because the trail is closer to the Hollow.

Our Club started the adventure of riding up Mt. Washington Auto Road on an ATV eight years ago. We were the first ATV club to be allowed up the mountain with ATVs. We did this to draw attention to ATVing and to show that ATVing was a new sport and riders could safely ride up the mountain and not damage the trail. We wanted to demonstrate to the public that ATV riders could respect the rules of the road. This is our 9^th year, and I am asking all Clubs to join in this event and make this the Mt. Washington Auto Road ATV Excursion. If your Club would like to join us, I will list your club on our web site. Just email us from our web site or call me at 603-636-2930 or 603-922-3350. Let’s show the public that ATVing is a growing sport. The best way to go up the mountain is on an ATV.

Have you made your plans yet for the 7^th New England ATV Rodeo on August 11 and 12^th. The Cohos Historical Society is planning a supper Friday night at the Stratford Nighthawks Snowmobile Clubhouse. We have more manufacturer’s coming this year, so more brands will be available for test driving and more local dealers are requesting sites. This event is getting bigger every year, so we hope that you can make it.

Enjoy sightseeing our mountain trails in the Town with the Mountains.

Harlan Connary, President

TRAIL ADMINISTRATOR’S CORNER

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ot to the point where I have to deal with some new landowners that are less than good neighbors. I fully respect landowner’s rights and help enforce them whenever I can. We have some new landowners that moved here to enjoy our wonderful recreational opportunities, such as snowmobiling and ATVing. They brought their machines and lifestyles with them expecting great things. They bought land right on the existing trails, because riding on the trails is how they discovered these wonderful parcels of property in the first place. Now, they have decided that they want it all to themselves, and like I said before, that is all right with us because it is after all, their property. HOWEVER, the problem is that now they want to use our land to ride on for their enjoyment, because after all, you can only ride your own land for so long before you get tired of the same old trails. This is where we start having a problem. Would we be bad neighbors to put up signs at selected spots just off their land stating something like this “My land is your land, use it wisely, But if your land is posted stay to h--- off mine.” . Another idea is to find all of their NO ATV signs and NO SNOWMOBILE signs and just make them double faced. In other words, if there is no ATVing or no snowmobiling onto their property, than there is no ATVing and no snowmobiling from their property. Why would this not be fair? I want to be a good neighbor, but it takes willingness on both sides of the fence.

There are trails that come too close to residences where noise, dust, and just overall disturbance generates tolerance problems with folks and that sometimes is unnecessary. In locations where it is at all possible, we try to relocate the trail or post it with a reduced speed limit to keep the annoyance problems to a minimum. Then comes the machines with the idiots that “seem” to have no idea in the world that not everyone loves their dust or modified exhaust or just their incredible talent for handling an airborne machine. Instead of reading the multiple signs telling them to slow down around residences, they gain speed to impress someone. I can tell you this, They do impress folks, more than they think.

Every time I have attended a legislative hearing or any public meeting regarding ATVs or snowmachines, the words noise and speed are brought up first. There is a lot of anti-sentiment out there that lawmakers listen to and succumb to. That is when we get hit with new restrictions and regulations that are aimed at the irresponsible riders, but these regulations do not discriminate, they regulate all. That is why we have lawmakers putting in bills to try to take children off ATVs and snowmachines, new speed limits, or what protective gear we all must wear, such as helmets. We are fortunate that not all lawmakers are idiots. In the not to distant future some lawmaker or special interest group will protect us to the point of making it illegal for anyone to give their child or spouse a ride on an Atv. There are a great many who think it is unsafe to ride double on any machine unless it was specifically designed for two. Some of these same people would add a small add-on seat to a snowmobile that was designed for single passenger only and that is OK, for some reason. These same concerned people would go nuts about an old fashion hay ride or sleigh ride. After all, no one had proper seatbelts or helmets and the wagons and sleighs and horses were very unpredictable. Of course back years ago, people who fell off hay wagons didn’t have a cell phone to call their attorney before they called for medical help. They got up, got on with it and got over it if they were able.

Ted Burns, Trail Administrator

Dear North Country ATV Club Members,

My name is Lori Dwyer; I attended a picnic at the bog with my father (Gus) last year. We probably met. I met a lot of wonderful people that day. I saw the Memorial picnic table for the first time. The view is spectacular. I cannot thank you enough for honoring my mom in such a wonderful way. I should have expressed my appreciation sooner. I get very emotional about my mom. I wish I could have attended the dedication. My dad was very surprised. As well as my mom would have been. It is deeply meaningful to us. Words cannot explain.

Last year when my father received NCATV Club newsletters, I highlighted every article that mentioned my mom or the Memorial Park. I then made copies and sent them to my siblings. I have told them that I will continue to do this as a way to pass along any new information about the Club and the upcoming events. We hope to attend a few of the events. For this reason I would like to upgrade my dad’s membership and purchase a “Family” membership.

Also, we would like to become a sponsor of the North Country ATV Club. We ask that the money to be donated in the name of:

“The Family of Bev and Gus Dwyer”

We hope the money will be used to create new trails, maintain existing trails and for the maintenance of the Memorial Park at Stratford Bog.

I thank each Club Officer, Director, Board Member, Trail Patrol person, and anyone involved in the planning of the Memorial Park and in the decision making process. Also, thanks to the 4-H Club for their plantings at the site.

Enclosed is a $500 check for sponsorship and a $15 check for an extended membership. Once again, thank-you.

Sincerely,

Lori Dwyer & Family

REPORT FROM TRAIL MASTERS

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ell, here it is time to ride the trail again and see the beautiful scenery and have fun with your family.

Stay on the trails and respect the use of the trails and the landowners that let us ride on their land.

We want to thank everyone who helped clean up and made out the reports on trail conditions on Appreciation Day.

Ken Adair, Trail Master

Bill Adair, Trail Master

REPORT FROM TRAIL PATROL DIRECTOR

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he 2006 riding season is now upon us and riders will be hitting the trails in full force. I can’t stress enough how much the NCATV Club caters to the family riders and how we try and promote a safe riding experience that families can enjoy without having to worry about getting run off the trails by wanna-be racers. The NCATV Trail Patrol members will also be out in full force this year, not for the purpose of trying to be wanna-be cops to bust those racers, but for the purpose of educating each and every rider out their about the importance of safe trail riding. People seem to have the impression that trail patrol is nothing more than a bunch of riders trying to ruin the riding experience of the ones who want to go fast. Although we don’t support the guys who want to race on our trails we do support a safe riding experience for every one out there. If you’re out on the trail and see some of our Trail Patrol members, please remember that they are out there to help and to educate other riders not to be the bad guys. If you’re one of the riders who thinks Trail Patrol is out to ruin your day of riding fast, then maybe you shouldn’t be on the trails but on a race track somewhere. If you see a Trail Patrol volunteer on the trail, stop and say Hi. They’re all a good bunch of people and want to make your riding experience in the North Country the best it can be. Thanks and ride safe.

Al Cormier

Trail Patrol Director

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

Thank them for helping North Country ATV Club Create and Maintain Trails

PLATINUM SPONSORS ($500 – Over)

Big Rock Campground No. Stratford, NH 603-922-3329

Blueberry Hill Inn & Cafe No. Stratford, NH 603-636-1964
Burns Trk Stp Mini-Mart No. Stratford, NH 603-922-3350

Dalton Mtn. Motor Sports Lancaster, NH 603-788-4991

The Family of Bev & Gus Dwyer

First Colebrook Bank Colebrook, NH 1-888-225-1782

Grand Ole Lodge No. Stratford, NH 603-922-3838

Osgood Paint. & Contr. Maplehead, MA 781-639-4392

Persons Concrete LLC Columbia, NH 603-237-5739

Trailside Lodge No. Stratford, NH 603-636-2188

GOLD SPONSORS ($250 - $499)

All Around Power St. Johnsbury, VT 802-748-1413

Basket of Stitches Colebrook NH 603-237-8968

Blue Mountain Variety Columbia, NH 603-237-4228

Connolly Cabins No. Stratford, NH 603-636-2100

Coös Motor Inn Lancaster, NH 603-788-3079

L. L. Cote Errol, NH 603-482-3272

Ray Davis Real Estate Colebrook, NH 603-237-4400

Down Home Motel Groveton, NH 603-636-2898

Exit 9 Motor Sports Windsor, VT 802-674-5572

Harold & Laura’s Snack Bar No. Stratford, NH 603-922-5086

Hayes Ford, Inc. Newport, VT 802-334-3456

Kingdom Cat Island Pond, VT 802-723-9702

Lemieux Garage Colebrook, NH 603-237-4377

Littleton MotorSports Littleton, NH 603-444-5003

Moore Dam Honda Littleton, NH 603-444-2882

NCIA Berlin, NH 800-SYS-NCIA

The News & Sentinel Colebrook, NH 603-237-5501

<>Northern Tire, Inc. Colebrook, NH 603-237-8105

<>Perras Ace, Inc. Northumberland, NH 603-636-1391

Perras Treasures Northumberland, NH 603-636-2227

Perry Stream Land & Timber Co. Pittsburg, NH 603-538-7111

Profile Mtrspts Plus, LLC Gorham, NH 603-752-5000

F. B. Spaulding & Co. Lancaster, NH 603-788-2281

Trailstop Cafe No. Stratford, NH 603-922-3406

Upper Conn. Valley Hos. Colebrook, NH 603-237-4971

SILVER SPONSORS ($100 – $249)

Colebrook Plmb & Htg Colebrook, NH 603-237-8301

Physical Therapy Options Newport, VT 802-334-8882

Ray’s ATV Accessories Newport, VT 802-334-5111

Siwooganock Bank Lancaster, NH 603-788-4715

Geo. M. Stevens & Son Lancaster, NH 800-675-2555

Versatile Technologies Dighton, MA 508-868-7138

Arthur & Gail Breton James & Glenda Duhaime

Ronald & Shirley Dupuis David & Marcy Gondek

Steven A. King Joseph Douglas Peters

Chuck & Sue Purdell Stacey & Jackie Roese

Michael & Kathleen Smith Thomas “Otto” Whelan