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Examples of OHV Study Area Proposals wanted

IllinoisXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Waterloo, IL
Due to recent changes in local FS management and their effective policies, a group of representatives from several area 4wd clubs are currently working to prepare a proposal for an OHV study area.

We're currently looking for examples of past successful efforts related to use of National Forest Land for OHV recreation. Documents, links, etc. - anything you can provide that may assist in our efforts will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Bill Soutiea

MWJT Member (www.midwestjeepthing.com)
SIJA Member, Land-Use Co-Coordinator (www.sija.org)
 
I'd reccomend getting to know

United Four Wheel Drive Associations - www.ufwda.org

and the Blue Ribbon Coalition - www.sharetrails.org.

In a lot of cases it's not needed to reinvent the wheel... but also don't allow your groups to shy away from becoming one of the spokes.

Good luck!
 
I thought I had heard, you guys down there were getting the first of the IDNR 'evaluation' areas for OHV??
 
We've already been in contact with UFWDA and surprisingly, all they've had to offer was the comment, "just keep doing what you're doing." As a result, we're also looking elsewhere for examples...

Regarding an IDNR evaluation area - that's news to me. I would be interested in learning more about this. I've found nothing on the IDNR website, but I'll keep looking - Thanks. I did see where they're accepting comments regarding a grant for a park in Marseilles - perhaps that's what you're referring to? Not sure if it's the same area that's recently been promoted by IFWDA.

Guess we'll just keep "doing what we're doing"... Thanks for the comments.

Bill Soutiea

MWJT Member (www.midwestjeepthing.com)
SIJA Member, Land-Use Co-Coordinator (www.sija.org)
 
Vermont trails

It might be too much of a stretch, but here in Vt there are hundreds of miles of trails open to similar-sort of clubs (large groups of members on motorized equipment through and over National and State Forest land). They are on Snowmobiles. In VT its a powerful lobby. VAST is their name. A group of ATV enthusiasts are doing the same thing for summertime travel they are VASA. Both have Websites. They may be good models for you.
We use some of their trails to access hunting and wheeling territory.
 
We have been trying to get some of the state parks up here to open some closed areas for OHV access. When we had a meeting with the local manager, he told us that IDNR had a plan is place for four 'evaluation' areas in state parks. Gov. Chicago had locked up the cash for the program though.

He wouldn't tell us the exact locations, just that two were in the far south area, one was in central, and one was in the Northern area.
 
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