NYSORVA fights for Trail System In NY!!!!!
Polaris Recalling about 95,000 - model year 2004-2006 ATV's.
Click on the link below to find if your
Polaris is on the recall list.
If you have members or friends that may be effected please pass
on the info.
The recall is for control panels that catch fire.
There are no deaths resulting yet, but several properties have
been damaged by the resulting fire. Personally recommend disconnecting
your battery if you have one that's on the list.
Thank You
Michael Bellinger
NYTRO of NNY
New York OHV trails, Some Facts
•New York boasts the third largest population of OHV enthusiasts by state, only trailing CA (#1) and TX
This correlates with industry media reports that NY is third-highest in OHV sales.
State Population % of US Population % in-state participating in OHV activity. OHV participants % of total US participation
New York 14,584,200 6.8 13.1 1,915,800 4.8
•Northeast states account for a total of 1/3rd of all OHV participants in the US.
•Yet, this region is noted as having the least amount of publicly-available trail access as a ratio of ATV/OHM trail users.
The complete report, may be viewed at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/OHV_final_report.pdf
This is ran in Gannett Newspapers:
June 15, 2008
ATV owners protest 'raw deal,' seek trails to ride freely
Study proposed on benefits, downside
By Jay Gallagher
Journal Albany bureau
ALBANY - The state's nearly 500,000 all-terrain-vehicle owners see themselves as misunderstood by many of their fellow New Yorkers, almost desperate to find legal places to pursue their sport and abused by their state government that takes their money but won't give them trails.
Their foes see them as des-poilers of sensitive environmental land, often trespassing in areas from which they have been specifically barred.
ATV owners have come together at least to a degree as lawmakers consider whether to approve a study on the potential economic and recreational benefits, as well as possible downsides, of state support for the riders.
"We decided that ATVers were getting a raw deal," said Beacon resident Dennis Pavelock, who was part of a citizens' group that decided to take up ATV owners' cause. "They're paying all this money to the state (in registration fees) and not getting anything to show for it."
Advocates hope the study will be a first step toward the state designating some land for ATV trails.
"We need places to ride. We need support," said Jeff Binga of Pendleton, Niagara County, president of the New York Off-Highway Recreational Vehicles Association. "We feel like there's enough room for pristine forests, hiking trails and areas designated for ATVs."
The Adirondack Council, an environmental group, while not opposing the proposed study, is worried about the more widespread use of the vehicles because of what it sees as damage to the environment.
"We do have a big concern because they have been a scourge in every place they have been allowed," council spokes-man John Sheehan said. "It's the single most destructive form of recreation going on in the park. It seemed to be getting worse every year."
The numbers of ATV riders is on the upswing. There were almost 150,000 of the three-and-four-wheel vehicles registered in the state last year, compared to about 94,700 five years earlier, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
The total number of ATVs in the state is likely between 400,000 and 500,000, said Chris DelGiudice, a lobbyist for the New York Off-Highway Recreational Vehicles Association, because many aren't registered.
The study bill got shot down last year. This year, environmental groups withdrew their objections after the scope of the study was expanded to include possible negative effects on the land, air and use of public land by hikers and others.
"Whether we like it or not, there are a quarter-million of these things in the state," said Neil Woodorth of the Adirondack Mountain Club. "Providing no riding areas at all has not been a success."
He said some states that have opened state parks to the vehicles, most recently Massachusetts, found other users - such as hikers - were driven off. He said Massachusetts has banned ATVs in state parks again.
Advantages listed
Still, advocates see many advantages.
"ATVs can be the summertime snowmobiles," said DelGiudice, the lobbyist, who pointed out snowmobilers are an important source of business in many rural parts of the state.
Assemblyman Joseph Mor-elle, D-Irondequoit, Monroe County, the Assembly sponsor of the study bill, said the state should either provide trails for the riders or ban them altogether. "There's no question they can do a lot of damage," he said. "But it might be possible to better control them."
The matter is expected to be taken up before the Legislature ends its annual session this month. The study is expected to take about two years and cost between $100,000 and $300,000.
