MANY adventures await you!! VA4WDA Fall 2016 Edition Middle Peninsula Jeep Association Inc. hosted the 2016 VA4WDA Members Only Ride at the Cove in Gore, VA May 13 to 15! The Official Publication of the Virginia Four Wheel Drive Association Fall 2016
Letter from Jesse L Schneirla, VA4WDA President might even have a can or two of Amsoil Lubrent and a few Winderstickers to hand out! There are several other association, club, and business member events on the calendar that I highly recommend attending. From fishing trips, to floating down the James River, to Beach Cleans, to Trail rides and more. Please look at the calendar in this newsletter for more. I hope everyone has a safe and productive summer and gets that wheeling rig out and dust it off. See you on the trails, Jesse VA4WDA Members, It s that time of the year when you take the family for a vacation to the beach, the mountains or to just visit realities. I hope that during the summer months you get to enjoy some seat time and explore some of the public lands available in Virginia. I can t stress enough the wonderful trails in the Thomas Jefferson/George Washington National Forrest on the west end of the state. I have been going there for many years and haven t touched 1/10 of the trails. We here at VA4WDA have been actively working with the National Forrest Service on projects to offer more to the wheeling enthusiasts. We are looking at a few projects to help maintain and even open some more trails and obstacles in the coming years. And again we are always looking for those volunteers to assist with these efforts. More to come on this in the following months. The 24 th Annual VA4WDA Trail Ride is just around the corner. The registration opened at noon on the 15 th of July as advertised and was sold out at 1pm on the 16 th of July. 25 hours! There are still spots on the Waiting List to sign up and maybe someone will drop out and you will be picked to fill in. As a note, those that have a spot and can t make it please contact me for a refund as these are not transferable and will not be honored at the event if sold. This event is the single most money maker to support VA4WDA and has been for many years. The raffle prizes are showing up daily for many of the wonderful sponsors that help us out year after year. Plus we are getting to know our UPS and FedEx drivers on a first name basis. It s almost like having Amazon Prime! We are going to have several vendors this year at the event and maybe some special guests to talk to everyone Saturday night. We Letter from Sandy Schneirla, VA4WDA Vice President Tread lightly! Travel Responsibly: Stay on designated roads and trails, Go over not around obstacles to avoid widening trails, Cross streams only at designated crossings, Avoid wet and muddy trails Respect the Rights of Others: Respect private property owners and other recreationists, Leave gates as you found them, Yield right-of-way to those passing you Educate Yourself Before You Go: Plan your trip, Obtain maps and area regulations, Know how to operate your equipment safely, Attend an OHV safety course and a Tread Lightly! Ethics course Avoid Sensitive Areas: Such as meadows and wetlands, Stay on designated routes, Protect wildlife habitat, Don t disturb historical or archaeological sites Do Your Part: Model appropriate responsible behavior, Leave an area better than you found it, Properly dispose of waste, Minimize your use of fire, Avoid the spread of invasive species Don t let your access disappear. Let lands be open to the public because of you. Respected Access is Open!
Land Use Update Paul Gilbert, Land Use Coordinator I will attend another meeting with the Rangers in the next couple of weeks. They want to do something with Camp Run. It s a free camping area. Unsure of the utilization of the camping area. It s just a hole in the woods with a port-a-potti. The Forest Service is looking to save money, possibly close it or move to a different area. Ranger Burdge said they were having problems with the shooting range being vandalized. Second Mountain has damage to the gates near the private property. People have been driving around gates and 1 gate was torn down. Bald Mountain applying for a grant for the 19 miles of ATV trails in that area. Challenge areas to be added. The Rangers want the VA board to go up and help decide where the challenge areas would be best located. Open Position in VA4WDA We are looking for someone to take on the Newsletter Editor position. If you have a knack to design and produce newsletter media and more, we need you.
NCBBA News: New Off Road Vehicle Ramp 63 Opens on Ocracoke Island: Outer Banks Group Superintendent David Hallac is pleased to announce that Ramp 63 is now open on Ocracoke Island. With the construction and completion of the new off-road vehicle ramp, additional access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore s beautiful beaches are available for visitors to explore. Ramp 63 is the last of four new off road vehicle ramps completed in the past two years. In addition, the Inside Road connecting Ramps 44 and 49 was completed in 2015. For additional information about off road vehicle beach driving at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, please visit us athttp://nps.gov/caha and http:// facebook.com/capehatterasns. Accessing Cape Point By Joe Darling, Hatteras Island District Ranger: Can I walk in the water to Cape Point? Currently Cape Point is reduced in size due to erosion and flooding. Temporary wildlife closures extend into the ocean, encompassing the shoreline. Because of this, the shoreline is closed. If one were to walk the closure boundary closest to ramp 44 they would need to stay 75 meters into the ocean to stay outside of the nesting bird closure. And 30 meters off the tip of Cape Point in the ocean to stay outside of the nesting bird closure. Currently there is no legal or safe way to access Cape Point by walking in the water. Can I walk outside the park boundary? One would have to stand in deep water the entire time depending on time of day and tide cycle. Whatever actions one undertakes outside of the park s boundaries that affect the wildlife in temporary wildlife closures in the park are subject to various federal regulations. They would be violating federal regulations if they became tired and needed to walk onto the beach (into the closure). Temporary wildlife closures and buffers are in place to protect federally listed species, species of concern, and other wildlife at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Business Member Uwharrie Off-Road Training Center Club Rides Get your club or organized group together to have a full day ride at BIG CREEK. We will guide you through, showing the best of the types of trails your group is looking for. Rocks? Hill Climbs? Winching? Challenging or Easier Trails? BIG CREEK has what your club wants or needs! We can be hands-on or hands-off. We can arrange -Games, Quests, Catered Food, Camping and more! Price is $40 per 4WD (10 minimum and 30 maximum) for a day long trail drive. Basic Training Join our 4WD-101 class which has proven to be very popular! This class sells out weeks in advance! http://nc4x4.com/forum/threads/july-30-2016-uortc-4wd-101-training-uwharrie-nc.120275/ Also check out our 6-Hour Winch Class that focuses on 4WD winch recovery! http://nc4x4.com/forum/threads/nov-12-2016-uortc-6-hour-winch-and-recovery-class-workshop-uwharrie-nc.173175/ All our classes are great for beginners and experienced drivers alike! Advanced 4WD Training At BIG CREEK we have designed these trails with training in mind! We use this trail system on a regular basis to train Civilians and the US Military proper off-road driving skills. Tight, technical and challenging; these trail were made for training. We have an open grass field for larger group instruction and specifically designed 'Winch Hills' with recovery training of utmost importance. We are flexible with BIG CREEK We are flexible in how we may be able to help you. If you have an idea of a use for BIG CREEK feel free to ask us, we might just say yes! For more pictures and information check out our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/bigcreektrail LIKE us on Facebook! Tread Lightly! is what we are about and mandatory at BIG CREEK! BIG CREEK is managed by (UORTC) Uwharrie Off-Road Training Center, LLC. For More Information contact Scott Fields (336) 906-1644 uwharrie4w@aol.com
We want to welcome our newest Business Members:
UFWDA Annual Meeting 2016 Highlights July 28 starting at 8:30 pm EST, 16 attendees, adjourned at 10:30 pm EST *President = Tom Mandera, Vice President = Steve Egbert, International Vice President = Peter Vahry, Treasurer = Bob DeVore, Director of Public Relations = Jim Dixon, Director of Environmental Affairs = Jerry Smith, Director of Membership = Richard Hiltz, Business Director = Ray Stanley. *Awards: Jack Edwards Memorial no nominees, Environmental Fourwheeler of the Year no nominees, Four Wheeler of the Year Jeff Dozier. *Considering an annual yearbook of the Voice in hard back with advertising opportunities. *Environmental Affairs Jerry stated the lack of interest from local clubs to report land use issues, he gave the stats for what his club has done over the last year. *Partnership with ORBA nothing discussed. *Financials operating in the black. *4WD Awareness Program the VP chairs this class. *International News Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia are members. *Delegates Reports VA, WI, and MT gave reports from their state associations.
*New Business national goals and programs nothing was discussed. Calendar of Events Aug 13-14: Summer Slam Gore, VA. Benefits the Gore Volunteer Fire Dept (GVFD). www.bigdogsoffroad.com Aug 21: CCFW Annual Float Trip on the James, sun-up until 3:00, between the ramps at Cartersville and Westview, fundraiser for VA4WDA Aug 25-28: Ocean City Jeep Week. http://www.ocjeepweek.com/ Sept 9-11: Main Jambo - Gore, VA. Benefits Humane Society, SPCA and Animal Rescue Centers. Virginia State Rock Crawling Championship by JH. www.bigdogsoffroad.com Sept 16-18: 24 th VA4WDA Annual Trail Ride hosted by Tidewater Fourwheelers, https://www.facebook.com/va4wdaannualtrailride/ Sept 22-25: 3 rd Annual OBX Jeep Mutiny, Longboards Grill. 5-10 Thursday, https://www.facebook.com/events/1531769267139921/ Oct 1: Tidewater Broncos Carova Beach Clean, MP 21, 9-4, https://www.facebook.com/tidewater-broncos- 113355705368748/ Oct 15-16: Capital City Surf Fishing Tournament, Meetings at Fessenden Center, Buxton, NC, https://www.facebook.com/events/117593702013719/ Oct 15-16 Fall Crawl and RCPFA - Gore, VA. Benefits the Gore Volunteer Fire Dept (GVFD). www.bigdogsoffroad.com Oct 15: MPJAI, Jeep Festival, Marquis Parkway Shopping Center Williamsburg, 11-4, https://www.facebook.com/events/1738755956395959/
Virginia Four Wheel Drive Association P. O. Box 6612 Virginia Beach, VA 23456 Serving Virginia s four wheelers Stamp Here