Important

bshaw said:
And Texas next week! QUOTE]

the Company I work for buys season tickets for Buckeye football and donates them to the School of Veterinary medicane. Horse vets specifically. I don't get one ticket! fawk. I get invited each year for the Homecoming game, but my boss keeps telling me to decline. WTF! I still root for the Buckeyes. ALthough, I prefer to follow the SEC.

...BOB
 
How about unemployed college sutdents?
 
LBEXJ said:
Unfortunately, I'm not very aware of any other "national organizations" that I would rather support over the UFWDA and/or the BRC. This is due to my own lack of initiative to investigate other sources. I do not really care about whether or not I get newsletters or a sticker as some have mentioned in the Members Forum. However, I do care how well they are helping to keep public land access open ... even if it's mainly out west. The UFWDA seems to be doing their part in this effort.

OT ... Has anyone suggested any other national organizations that better address our interests? I'd sure appreciate some education along these lines.

Les
Unfortunately, Les, I don't really know of any others that I would like to pay any attention to.:dunno:
I would LOVE to be schooled on who's doing the most for our hobbies' (and for some people's lifestyles') interests.

It's just that I don't think it's a good sign, if the association that's supposed to be supported by various off road groups and clubs, doesn't even know who NAXJA is!
NAXJA!
What's that say about their internal operations?:confused1
Not very professional, if you ask me.
I'd love to find a better group, more suited to our interests.
And that's why I'd really like to be schooled by someone that knows.:lecture:
 
goodburbon said:
OT, whats with the "things of which we do not speak"? I tried searching, but came up with over 300 results....perhaps narrow it down for me a bit.
That has to do with XXXX.:shhh:
 
I'm kinda in the same boat as Les. I wouldn't mind for someone in the know to school me on whats what. It seems like Randy is kinda more up on what is going on where. Maybe he can shed some light on the subject for us.

I'm with OT on the whole "NAXJA??" thing. WTF? We give these people how much $$ a year, and they don't know us? Maybe a formal letter to UFWDA explaining our concerns should be sent. Perhaps in that letter a line to the affect of, "At this time we are uncertain of where future monies will be allocated." Basically, If you don't get your shit together, we're funding someone else. Maybe that will give them the kick they need to get their head out of their asses. I dunno, can't see how it could hurt anyway. I've always been a fan of not beating around the bush. Why couldn't we just tell them how it looks from our perspective?

Any other ideas?
 
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It could very well be that we'd be better off just keeping the monies to fund our own club and web site. I know there is some concern as to cost associated with maintaining this site.

Personally, I think supporting your state Four Wheel Drive Association makes more sense. They have a better understanding of local concerns and issues anyway. I would assume they keep tabs on Federal issues as well.

Les
 
LBEXJ said:
It could very well be that we'd be better off just keeping the monies to fund our own club and web site. I know there is some concern as to cost associated with maintaining this site.

Personally, I think supporting your state Four Wheel Drive Association makes more sense. They have a better understanding of local concerns and issues anyway. I would assume they keep tabs on Federal issues as well.

Les

Is the IL FWDA under the UFWDA? Kinda like the MWC is under NAXJA? Are they linked in any way? Like I said, I'm under edjumacated on this stuff. Maybe I'll so some surfing later and see what I can find out.
 
LBEXJ said:
It could very well be that we'd be better off just keeping the monies to fund our own club and web site. I know there is some concern as to cost associated with maintaining this site.

Personally, I think supporting your state Four Wheel Drive Association makes more sense. They have a better understanding of local concerns and issues anyway. I would assume they keep tabs on Federal issues as well.

Les
I tossed an idea like that to the BoD at the same time you posted this.
I guess great minds do think alike.:wow:
 
Haleyes said:
Is the IL FWDA under the UFWDA? Kinda like the MWC is under NAXJA? Are they linked in any way? Like I said, I'm under edjumacated on this stuff. Maybe I'll so some surfing later and see what I can find out.
I'm pretty sure the Indiana Four Wheel Drive Assoc. supports the UFWDA. I would be surprised if they were directly associated.

OT ... that may not be such a good sign for ya. :D

Les
 
I think most of the state orgs are just ad-hoc organizations which have a "virtual" or digital connection to the mothership.

The National org has honorable goals but I think their message is lost in the roar of the internet. The monies allocated to them seem to have more of an impact for the "far Western rock crawlin crowd" and not so much, "the rest of us."

I think state orgs have a greater chance of true impact as they can lobby and target state legislators more directly. The state org agenda can then be tailored to the needs of the 4X4 crowd in that particular state.

Groups like UFWDA need angels or a couple of wheelers with DEEP pockets. Does Bill Gates or Steve Jobs own a Jeep??? Unfortuanately, no matter how well intentioned our goals, we still are running up against the "Greenspeace" menatlity." Hard to win against the greenies as they have VERY DEEP pockets.
 
my favorite national ORG that I support individually is BRC. however, the UFWDA is also doing good things for working for us (even though they may suck at keeping track of their member clubs, I still think sending our money to them is worthwhile).

As for local ORGs.....the IL4WDA is a joke. I wouldn't waste a penny there. They have no goals and have never accomplished anything. IN4WDA is a good organization for wheeling in IN.
 
LBEXJ said:
It could very well be that we'd be better off just keeping the monies to fund our own club and web site. I know there is some concern as to cost associated with maintaining this site.

Personally, I think supporting your state Four Wheel Drive Association makes more sense. They have a better understanding of local concerns and issues anyway. I would assume they keep tabs on Federal issues as well.

Les


I would prefer regional to state organizations. Example, your Indiana FWDA is organized, has had success working with the state and local governments to get access. Our Illinois FWDA can't even got BOD members to serve their 'elected' term. Sure they spend their collected dues every year. And they haven't sent a single notification of anything to the members clubs in over a year. The last time I viewed their website, they list member clubs that didn't even exist anymore.

I don't want my money going to them anymore than I want it to go a group of snowmobile enthusiasts. Don't get me wrong snowmobilers have access issues also. But they can fund their own fights.
 
w_howey said:
Don't get me wrong snowmobilers have access issues also. But they can fund their own fights.

I disagree with that one sentence. To the greenies "motorized trail use" is the enemy, and it doesn't matter what the motor is in. If we were to combine the funds from all sports/hobbies affected our collective pockets would be deeper, and we could better rival the greenies as a group. As long as we continue to segregate ourselves, we are easier to "pick off". I'm invlolved locally trying to regain national forest access for jeeps, but at every meeting the motorcycle guys want their own land, and the quads want their own land and they all want a larger variety of trails. The last meeting I attended there was even a crowd of mule owners, but like me they didn't care if they shared trails. Hell even the Horse guys were represented there, and it was obvious that they wanted THEIR own land. So for the greenies it's an easy "divide and conquer" they picked off the jeeps several years ago in our national forest, and we're trying to get that back, which is a very daunting task.
 
87manche said:
only if they learn how to spell "students"
OT said:
That's why he had to go back....
Xactlee. Yall really need to stop clogging this important meeting of the MWC with all this talk about "important" crap.
 
goodburbon said:
I disagree with that one sentence. To the greenies "motorized trail use" is the enemy, and it doesn't matter what the motor is in. If we were to combine the funds from all sports/hobbies affected our collective pockets would be deeper, and we could better rival the greenies as a group. As long as we continue to segregate ourselves, we are easier to "pick off". I'm invlolved locally trying to regain national forest access for jeeps, but at every meeting the motorcycle guys want their own land, and the quads want their own land and they all want a larger variety of trails. The last meeting I attended there was even a crowd of mule owners, but like me they didn't care if they shared trails. Hell even the Horse guys were represented there, and it was obvious that they wanted THEIR own land. So for the greenies it's an easy "divide and conquer" they picked off the jeeps several years ago in our national forest, and we're trying to get that back, which is a very daunting task.


I can't answer for your local situation, but I am answering about mine.

Here responsible snowmobile owners pay for a state sticker. The proceeds of that sale go into a fund at our Dept. of Natural Resources. The DNR is supposed to use that fund to support snowmobilers. They do dish out a portion of it, in the form of grants for snowmobile projects. Usually, trail groomer rentals, bridge, and fence crossing projects. There are several state parks, and our lone national forest in the state all have public access for snowmobiles. How many public acres are available for 4x4 use? Zero, not a single acre in the entire state.

I can leave my house, get on the snowmobile trail system 2 blocks away and enjoy the literally hundreds of miles of interconnected trails here. How far is it to a place to wheel? Its about 70 miles to the closest private park. Don't worry the snowmobile trail system still passes every bar or tavern in 6 counties.

Even our state DNR has said they will not consider any proposals that are joint snowmobile/ATV, as the issues and potential for damage are completely different. The state even maintains a state 'play area' for motocycles and ATV's that is not accessable to 4x4's or snowmobiles.
 
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