The Official Publication of the Virginia Four Wheel Drive Association Spring 2015

Transcription

1 The Official Publication of the Virginia Four Wheel Drive Association Spring 2015

2 Letter from Jesse L Schneirla, VA4WDA President March 21 st will be our Annual Meeting being hosted by a long time Business Member, Starr Motors in Suffolk, VA. Again we will be enjoying their off-road course in the morning and then VA4WDA will be supplying Pizza for lunch. Then we will be holding our Annual Meeting under the tent in the back. I hope everyone puts this on their calendar as we will be spelling out what VA4WDA has been doing for you and the sport you enjoy. We plan to have many Membership Business s there to let them tell you what they can do for you as supporters of VA4WDA. So get out there and dust off your rig, complete those mods and get it tuned up for the upcoming season. VA4WDA Members,, It s that time again in the year where you pull out and dust off the 4x4 for the up-coming season. Time to fix all those things that you meant to get completed during the winter months and then didn t have time to do. It seems like I always intend to get all mods completed during the winter months and then when it gets close to spring they are still sitting on the work bench in my garage. We have a busy 4x4 season planned here at VA4WDA. We are planning two clean-up efforts in the George Washington/Thomas Jefferson National Forests, one on the weekend of the 22 nd of April for Earth Day and then there will be another in the fall around October. There is the VA4WDA Members Only Ride (MOR) hosted by MPJAI 2-3 May. And then there is always the VA4WDA Annual Trail Ride hosted by Tidewater Fourwheelers September. Follow our Facebook page for more details. See you on the trail, Jesse L Schneirla Editor of the Four Wheeling in Virginia turns over, Kevin McDermott has accepted the position of editor of the VA4WDA newsletter Wheeling in Virginia being vacated by Joy Hudson because of their move to Florida. Kevin has been a past BOD member and still is our website guru. Kevin spends many hours maintaining our website, volunteering to assist in the on-line registration process for the VA4WDA Annual Trail Ride, coordinating our support of the Beech Kleen hosted by KMA and now has accepted the position of Newsletter editor. We here at VA4WDA appreciate his many hours in support of VA4WDA. Without members like Kevin, we he would not be able to do what we do. Thanks Kevin! If you have an article you would like to submit for consideration please send it to editor@va4wda.org A long time VA4WDA BOD member, Don Hudson will be stepping down at the end of January because he BOD positions open for election accepted a job in the Tampa, Florida area where he and his wife Joy will be moving this summer. We here This year the positions of Vice President, Secretary at VA4WDA would like to wish them well as the start and Treasurer will be up for election. If you would like a new chapter of their life. Don s insight, hard work to run for either of the positions, your nomination and dedication will be missed here at VA4WDA. Good can be excepted either by mailing a short bio to Luck from the Membership of VA4WDA. president@va4wa.org or secretary@va4wda.org by 20 March. Or you can be nominated at the Annual meeting. Once the Annual Meeting is adjourned on the 21 st of March no other nominations will be

3 accepted. So if you would like to be a VA4WDA BOD member and make a difference in the sport you love. Please look at running for any of these positions. Once all the nominations are collected we will be mailing a ballot to all members in good standing to get these positions filled for two more years. KEEPING TRASH OFF OUR TRAILS 2015 THE YEAR OF CLEAN! By Del Albright, Director of Operations, BRC Keeping trash off our public lands is a big job and one that many of us take on willingly...often. And yes, it's not usually OUR trash, not from those of us who love the backcountry; but rather it's from folks who don't get it and just go to the "outdoors" with careless attitudes and behaviors. We have to educate them. And yes, we have to pick up behind them. Unfortunately. But until we educate them all and get our lands and waterways FREE of trash and garbage, we will need to be vigilant in our efforts at trash pick-up! On the Rubicon Trail (FOTR) we have programs designed to remind folks to clean up and keep things like "white flowers" off the trail. It all helps. El Dorado County (wherein lies the Rubicon) is good about helping with educational programs like this: Working with agencies that manage our public lands is a great way to do clean ups and show how WE care. If we don't do it; who will? Take the initiative and start something to save your access for the future. What to do: 1. Carry a trash bag like a Trasharoo that hangs outside on your spare tire ( 2. Set the example. Stop and pick up trash when you see it; be the one to initiate a clean up. 3. Show kids (when you can) that you care and set the pack-it-out example for them. Del's Article about trash and a "Date with a Paper Plate" here: More on Trasharoo: BRC Code of Ethics for Trail Behavior here: Article by Del Albright Capital City Four Wheel Drive 29 th Surf Fishing Tournament The Capital City Four Wheelers held its twenty-ninth annual surf fishing tournament on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on October 18 th and 19 th, Competitors from all over the East Coast and one as far away as Colorado spent 24 hours trying to catch fish in seven categories (picture with winner s names and weights attached). This year first and second place plaques and prize money was awarded in all categories.

4 We were blessed with terrific weather this year. We have put this event on every year, through hurricanes, storms, and road closures. This year we experienced our best attendance in over four years. Our hope that this is a sign that the recession has eased somewhat and families are once again coming to the beach to enjoy a good time and the fellowship that our event affords. In addition, we hope the business that the tournament generates for the merchants of Dare County helps them prosper after some lean years. Our members did their usual outstanding job to prepare and execute an event that went off without a hitch. Many hours are spent prior to the event getting entry packets, t-shirts, food, and door prizes together to take to the beach for Saturday and Sunday mornings meetings, the beach weigh stations, and finally the culmination on Sunday morning with the weigh in and door prizes drawings. Two of our special events in the tournament are the trash cleanup and the kid s tournament. For each bag of trash collected on the beach and presented to our Trash Pickup Committee, the tournament entrant received a ticket good for the drawing on Sunday morning. The winner receives a rod and reel combo. The kid s tournament presents awards for the two kids who weigh in the two largest fish, regardless of category. They receive trophies, rod and reel combos, and a tackle box with an assortment of tackle inside. They are our future, and we always acknowledge their importance. A portion of the proceeds of the tournament goes back to the Dare County organizations and charities. This year donations were given to the Fessenden Center, Hatteras Village Medical Center, Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men s Food Pantry, and Hatteras Island Meals on Wheels. A additional raffle and drawing for a custom rod and reel combination was held with all of the proceeds going to the Outer Banks Preservation Association. The raffle netted our highest amount ever, $2,441, for their cause. We will use additional proceeds to support local (Richmond) Christmas mothers and families in need. We want to thank all the merchants, vendors, individuals, and organizations who generously donated door prizes for Sunday morning s drawing. We received a whole lot of positive feedback from everyone who attended this year s event. Next year (October 17 th and 18 th ) will be our 30 th year. If all goes well, we will be back to celebrate three decades of fun, fishing, and family. Please come and join us. You can keep track of us on the web at 7th Annual KMA Off Road Beach Klean This past October 4th th KMA Off Road out of Virginia Beach hosted its 7th Beach "K"leanup at Carova Beach in the Outer Banks. Each year since 2008 the off road community has come together to give back. KMA has put out the call, spread the word and gathered the recourses to enable Off Road Clubs form Virginia and North Carolina to gather at the beach and put their love of the outdoors to the test. This year, with the help of Eastern Truck and Accessories out of Virginia Beach, VA4WDA, Tidewater4Wheelers, Middle Peninsula Jeep Association Inc and many individuals collected an

5 UWharrie OHV Trail System Future 2015 As many of you already know, the Uwharrie OHV trail system is in danger of extinction if not drastic reworking! And you are asking, this is a VA association and newsletter so why is this info here? Because we must partner with our surrounding states for awareness and projects to keep public lands open. We here in VA use this trail system. estimated 2500lbs of trash and debris left behind by tourist and Mother Nature. The clubs have always had the support of the local community especially the Continued disregard for USFS rules and regulations coupled with a lack of education has combined with many new archaeological discoveries to put the OHV trail system in a tight spot! While the Uwharrie district, under Ranger Walker s leadership, is committed to working with OHV enthusiasts to find a solution that will allow the trails to remain open, several serious problems will need to be addressed if the trail system is to remain open! The Uwharries are one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America and as such have many Dept. of Public Works and Waste Management. But for the past three years an additional member of the community has stepped to the plate. Carova Rentals. Carova Rentals has also pledged their help in the future. This is an annual event held at Carova Beach in October. October has been chosen due to it being the end of the main tourist season and well into the hurricane season. The date for next year has not been selected. This is a busy month for the clubs of VA4WDA and KMA would like to pick a date that will allow more clubs to get involved. Please any member club interested in helping next year please Kenn Current at mrsndmn2001@yahoo.com. historic archaeological sites that must be preserved. Damage to these sites from proximity to OHV trails and from illegal spider trails and bypasses has already caused the closure of several sections of the trail system. Continued damage, if not arrested, could even result in system wide closure!

6 What can we, as 4wd enthusiasts, do to ensure that this system will be available for future generations to enjoy? 1. It appears that the only way to preserve some of the sensitive archaeological sites in nearest proximity to trails is to line both sides of the section with guardrail. While this might not be the best solution aesthetically, it may be the only solution for now. Attend one of the 2015 off season Forest Service workdays and help accomplish this goal. These will be held January 20, February 21 and March Meet at the Hunt Camp at 9 a.m. each workday. 2. Do your best to stay on designated, marked trails. Avoid bypassing trail blockages or taking illegal spider trails. Help educate others on the necessity of following Forest Service rules and regulations while on the OHV trails! 3. The Forest Service is in the process of forming a new Plan for managing outdoor recreation in our national forests. Take an active role in this process by attending one of the upcoming planning meetings. Details can be found on NC4x4.com or on the Friends Of Uwharrie facebook page, or website, 4. Friends Of Uwharrie depends on you, the 4wd enthusiast, to provide funds to finance our mission. FOU raises funds throughout the year for specific projects or emergency situations and the 4wd community has always supported these efforts generously! Donations can be made at (Sandy Schneirla, VP borrowed from a Southern Four Wheel Drive Association article.) were weighed in for all categories except Trashfish. There were a few incidents where participants went overboard against their will, but no one got hurt. Thanks to Capital City for making the float a success with their donation of many door prizes. Additional thanks to Dennis Conroy for door prizes and equipment coordination, Danny Purgason of Purgason Landscaping for door prizes, Herb Purgason (Capital City Fourwheelers) for door prizes, and Dave Wilberger of Promotional Considerations for doing the shirts at a very good price. Categories, winners and weights below: Smallmouth Travis Corley 21.9 oz. Bluegill Bennie Ralston 9.0 oz. Catfish Killian Harris 17.2 oz. Trashfish none weighed in. Big Dogs Offroad & Hard Rock Crawlers and Budds Creek have partnered to bring off road 4 wheeling to the international motocross park, located in southern Maryland just off Rt 301 south of La Plata, MD. The event date will be held on Father s Day weekend in June (June 20 & 21, 2014) This includes all breeds of off road vehicles like Jeep, Toyota, Suzuki, buggies and full size trucks. Yes, we will drive on the motocross track all day. The 2014 Annual Float Trip on the James was a big success. Over sixty anglers registered for the tournament. Aside from raising over $200 for the Association, the weather was perfect and fish

7 Big Dogs Offroad 2015 Calendar All Events ed. All Big Dog events (under-lined) have food vendor, hot showers 24/7, 26 electrical campsites, sandy beach, shooting range, toilets & sinks, RV dump station. All Big Dog events benefit Humane Society, SPCA, BARC Animal Rescue Centers or Gore Volunteer Fire Dept (GVFD). Mar 21 Annual Meeting V4WDA at Starr Motors, Suffolk, VA April 25, 26 Ice Breaker - Gore, VA, Open to the public May 1, 2, 3 VA4WDA Members Only Trail Ride, Gore, VA (new date) May 23 Concrete Pig Offroad (CPO) NEW May 30 NOVA Show & Shine, Prince William County Fairgrounds NEW June 6 Dick Myers Jeep Jam, Harrisonburg, VA NEW June 20, 21 Budds Creek Motocross Park, Leonardtown, MD ---- NEW June 26, 27, 28 Spring Fling Gore, VA, Open to the public July 18, 19 PA Jeep Show, York, PA Fairgrounds Aug 8, 9 Summer Slam Gore, VA, Open to the public Aug 21, 22, 23 Ocean City Jeep Week and Jeep Jam, Berlin, MD Sept 11, 12, 13 Main Jambo Gore, VA, Open to the public Sept 18, 19, 20 V4WDA Annual Trail Ride, Oakridge, VA Oct 10 Quadratec Open House Oct 17, 18 Fall Crawl and RCPFA Gore, VA, Open to the public Subject to change. All Big Dog events are rain or shine. John H. Hunt, Jr., AIC, CFE Owner, Big Dogs Offroad Cell - (410) johnhuntpilot@yahoo.com Website - Est. 1990

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10 Virginia Four Wheel Drive Association P. O. Box 6612 Virginia Beach, VA Serving Virginia s Fourwheelers Stamp Here PLEASE SUPPORT OUR BUSINESS MEMBERS