1. law, govt and politics
2. legal issues
3. legislation

R a va ll i Co un ty Of f Roa d
Us er A s s oc ia t ion
www.ravallioffroad.org
M AY 2 0 1 5
Calendar of 2015 Upcoming events:
The rides listed on the Calendar are hosted by a club member and are not “club sponsored” rides
unless they are stated as such.
NOTICE: THE BOARD MEETINGS WILL BE THE 1ST MONDAY OF THE
MONTH AND THE GENERAL MEETINGS WILL BE THE 2ND MONDAY OF THE
MONTH.
May 4th Board Meeting 6 PM at the Groomer Shed
May 9th Youth Expo at Teller Wildlife (ATV Simulator run by Mike & Kathy Jeffords)
May 11th General Meeting 7 PM at the Groomer Shed. The FWP ATV Simulator will be set
up for demonstration and anyone that would like to try it. Also maps on Travel Plan with Dan and
Mike going over the “fine” points. If you want your favorite road or trail listing in RCORUA’s
possible objections you need to participate, please attend the meeting.
May 16th RUN FOR SAPPHIRES contact John T. 369-2909
June 1st Board Meeting 6 PM at the Groomer Shed
June 6th-14th ATV Safety Week—Take an ATV Safety Training Class for FREE! See below
article.
June 8th General Meeting 7 PM at the Groomer Shed.
June 27th Military Day Plans will be discussed at the May 11th Meeting. Call Brent Nelson
at 821-4844 for more information.
ATV Safety Institute Offers Free ATV Safety Training
The ATV Safety Institute is again offering free rider training for the second year. ATV Safety Week
will be June 6-14 at Al’s Cycle with Mike Jeffords doing the instructing, it is available to
adults, kids and families. ATV Safety Week is about promoting the eight Golden Rules for safe
riding, with the 6 deaths in Ravalli County last year we encourage everyone to take at least one
course after purchasing a machine, it doesn't hurt to take it more than once as you learn
something new each time or to break the bad habits. Riders can find the closet training sites by
going to ATVSafety.org and clicking on ATV Safety Week logo., you then must call 1-800-8872887 to sign up for a class.
Please support our Business Sponsors!
Business Sponsorship is only $100.00 per year!
A great value as it reaches hundreds of individuals each month. Your business is listed each
month in the newsletter and on the web and once a year your business card or your ad (if
provided with your sponsorship dues) is included in the newsletter! Please send a card to
the club or email Marsha with a scanned card or colored layout at: [email protected] . If
you want your web address listed in the newsletter and on our web site you can email Marsha or
Kathy T. [email protected]
TRAVEL PLAN OBJECTIONS NEED TO BE IN BY JUNE 1ST (you can
only file an objection if you commented on the Travel Plan). IF YOU
DON’T PARTICIPATE YOU MAY LOSE A LARGE PART OF YOUR
RECREATION PLACES AND RIDING AREAS! Call Dan Thompson at
531-3103 after looking at the maps and ROD (2000 plus pages) with
your comments.
Our web site at www.ravallioffroad.org has photos, a calendar of events, ride info, the
newsletters and much more. You can email your photos, ride info or other items to:
[email protected] Log on often to see what is happening!
Page 2
www.ravallioffroad.org
MAY 2015
2015 BUSINESS SPONSORS
ALL VALLEY SANITARY SERVICES
P.O. Box 344 Corvallis
Dave & Tina Johnson
MERCHANTS DELIVERY, Inc.
1410 North 1st Hamilton
Case Quist
[email protected]
369-1587
AL’S CYCLE
619 HWY 93 North
Hamilton
Russ and Kim Englund
363-3433
www.alscycleyamaha.com
BITTERROOT RIDGE RUNNERS
P.O. Box 265 Hamilton
Dennis Wessels
MILDENBERGER MOTORS
P.O. Box 1630 Hamilton
Brad Mildenberger
NILES ENTERPRISES
7210 West Lapwai Lane Darby
Kent Niles
381-0409
CLIFF REED, Inc.
656 Willow Creek Road Corvallis
Cliff Reed
961-3224
PARTS UNLIMITED
1829 HWY 93 North Victor
Bob and Sydney Hazeltine
[email protected]
DJ’S ELECTRIC
P.O. Box 18 Hamilton
D.J. Lengyel
961-1972 or 363-1972
www.djselectric.com
RYE CREEK ENTERPRISES, Inc.
Dba BITTERROOT ADVENTURES
P.O. Box 877 Darby
Brent Nelson
www.bitterrotadventures.com
DONALDSON BROTHER’S READY MIX, Inc.
477 HWY 93 North Hamilton
Charles Donaldson
363-3600
363-4100
349-2067
642-3403
821-4844
SNOW MOUNTAIN ELECTRIC, Inc.
3039 Redjou Lane Stevensville
FIVE VALLEY HONDA & YAMAHA
5900 HWY 93 South Missoula
Lloyd Eckley
251-5900
Www.fivevalleyhondayamaha.com
HAMILTON POLARIS
1151 North 1st Hamilton
363-1131
Steve, Kathy & Kerry Roebke
777-0912
THE EDGE RESTAURANT & SPORTS BAR / HAMILTON
WINE & LIQUOR / QUICKSILVER CASINO
140 Bitterroot Plaza Drive
Tom & Tamara Fair
375-0007
375-9903
HARPERS BITTERROOT VALLEY LES SCHWAB TIRES
4026 HWY 93 North Stevensville
Tracy Harper
777-4667
THOMPSON DISTRIBUTING
320 South 1st Street Hamilton
Brad Thompson
363-3620
VALLEY BICYCLES AND SKI, Inc.
219 South 1st Street Hamilton
Randy & Kerri Leavell
363-4428
JC AND ASSOCIATES
153 West Hills Way Hamilton
Carl and Kathy Lieberth
363-7487
JERRY WESSELS TIRE CENTER
P.O. Box 518 Hamilton
Dennis Wessels
VALLEY UNITED INSURANCE SERVICES, Inc.
748 West Main Street Hamilton
Jim, Jan and Tim Thomas
363-1227
363-3884
VERCRUYSSEN EXCAVATING, Inc.
300 6th Ave. Victor
Norm and Betty Vercruyssen
JONES KORMAN INSURANCE
518 South 1st Hamilton
Bryan Jones
363-6583
LONE PINE / RIVERSIDE CONOCO
504 hwy 93 South / 1987 North 1st Hamilton
Steve and Brian Hawkes
375-0536 / 375-0554
MAVERICK MOTORSPORTS OF MISSOULA
4950 North Reserve Missoula
Guy & Terri Sharp & Brent Gyuricza
mavmotorsports.com
549-4260
642-3506
A big THANK YOU goes to all
the sponsors, your continued
support and involvement helps
the association in its effort to
keep the trails open.
Business Sponsorship runs from Date Paid on a yearly basis!
MAY 2015
www.ravallioffroad.org
Page 3
RCORUA PLANS MILITARY DAY
At their general membership meeting on April 13, members expressed support for RCORUA
to host servicemen for a day of Fun in the Sun. Many members expressed an interest in
participating in such an event.
Based upon the expressions of interest and support from our members, Brent Nelson has
moved forward with preliminary plans for the event, tentatively scheduled for third week in June.
At our upcoming membership meeting on May 11, Brent will update us on his ideas and
progress for RCORUA’s Military Day.
If you would like to participate in such an event please call Brent Nelson at 821-4844.
RIDE FOR SAPPHIRES MAY 16
Our annual “Run for the Sapphires” is scheduled
for May 16. This ride leaves from the snowmobile
parking area on Skalkaho Road and goes to the Gem
Mountain Sapphire mines on the Phillipsburgh side of
Skalkaho Pass. This is about a 50 mile round trip ride. In
the past, this event has been well attended and some
participants have been rewarded by “Finding the Big
One” at the Sapphir e Mine!!
We will leave the parking area at 10:30 am, and
return at approximately 4 pm. Participants are
responsible for their own food and drink. Gem Mountain
also has a snack bar available. Based upon our past
experiences, participants should be prepared for a variety
of weather: Heat, snow, mud, wind – virtually anything
is possible. Rain gear, warm clothing, and sunscreen are highly recommended. The only guarantee is that you will have
fun and get some mud and snow on your tir es!!
Montana Department of Transportation plows snow from the Skalkaho road every spring. Their goal is to have
the road open for full-sized traffic by the Memorial Day
weekend – this year by May 25. In most cases, MDOT has the
road “roughed out” sufficient for OHV traffic before the May
25 opening date. We will keep interested participants updated
with emails, Facebook posts, and website announcements if
changes in date are necessary.
This activity is only suitable for vehicles less than or
equal to 50” in width. Access around two closed gates
prohibits the use of wider vehicles.
Any questions? Call John Transue at 369-2909.
Page 4
www.ravallioffroad.org
MAY 2015
The Bitterroot National Forest is proposing to restore riparian habitats along sections of Nez Perce,
Daly, and Railroad Creeks. Robert Brassfield, fish biologist in the Stevensville District, is the contact
person for this project. Will have more information at the General Meeting.
THE PERFECT STORM
by Dan Thompson
In the 2000 film The Perfect Storm staring George Clooney, a series of unrelated events come together at
the wrong time and wrong place to create a disaster. Two unrelated storm systems arrive at the same place and
time to create an unprecedented weather system between the fishing vessel Andrea Gail and their port in
Gloucester, Massachusetts; as bad luck would have it, the ice making machinery on the Andrea Gail chooses that
particular time to fail, forcing the vessel to attempt to pass through the storm to deliver its cargo. The particular
coincidence of unrelated events came together at a particular point and place in time that resulted in the loss of
the Andrea Gail with all hands.
Today, we are the victims of a “Perfect Storm” of environmental concerns that has, for all practical
purposes, resulted in the transfer of control of our public lands to a few wealthy and frequently litigious
environmental groups. Here are the elements of this “Perfect Storm”.
During the 1960’s and 1970’s, it became clear that human activity could adversely affect our environment
to the point of producing unhealthy and unsustainable air and water quality. During that period of time, most of
our major cities were often so polluted that they issued health alerts, warning citizens to protect themselves from
air contaminations. Even Chicago, the “windy city”, was producing air pollutants at such a prodigious rate that the
breezes couldn’t clear it away. Our rivers and lakes were so badly polluted that swimmers were warned to stay
away, and dead fish were floating belly-up in the Hudson River flowing through our nation’s capital. The famous
Blue Crabs in the Chesapeake Bay were at risk of extermination due to uncontrolled discharge of municipal and
industrial waste products into the Bay.
In response to what was clearly a critical situation, the Federal Government began passing dozens of
laws intended to clean up the mess, and created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. Some of the laws
that are relevant to Land Management Agencies from that era are the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960,
The Clean Air Act of 1963, The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Clean Water Act of 1972, the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the National Forest Management Act of 1976, among others. Taken
individually, each of these legislative actions were intended to address a particular problem, without regard to
consistency with other pieces of legislation. Indeed, these various laws are internally inconsistent and often
contradictory. This body of environmental law is often referred to as the “Gordian Knot” of environmental law
because no one can unravel it. For all practical purposes, it is virtually impossible for a Federal Agency to
propose a project that fulfills all of the requirements of all of the environmental laws simply because they are often
in conflict among themselves.
For decades, wealthy individuals had been minimizing their tax exposure by creating tax-exempt
Foundations. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, Congress initiated a series of policies designed to increase the tax burdens
on wealthy individuals, and in response many rich people set up Foundations to fund the environmental
movement. Together with the passage of the Equal Access to Justice Act in 1980, environmental groups
suddenly found themselves awash in cash.
The fortuitous evolution of the “Gordian Knot” of environmental law and the availability of massive
amounts of cash to environmental groups resulted in the “Perfect Storm” for the environmental movement.
Environmental groups quickly discovered that they could persuade Federal Agencies to their way of thinking by
filing endless lawsuits.
Today, Federal land management Agencies make most of their decisions based on litigation avoidance.
The inevitable result is to put environmental groups and their sugar daddy Foundations in literal control of the
management of our public lands. With one-third of the surface land area of our country owned by the Federal
Government, the implications of this “Perfect Storm” to our economic and social well being are enormous.
MAY 2015
www.ravallioffroad.org
Page 5
The notes on this page are by Marsha Waliser
Notes from ARRA (Americans for Responsible Recreational Access )
S. 1040, The ROV In-Depth Examination Act or or RIDE Act!
The ROV In-Depth Examination Act primary sponsors are Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) and Senator
Joe Manchin (D-WV). This bipartisan companion legislation to H.R. 999 would require the National
Academy of Sciences to conduct a study about the appropriateness of the Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC) moving forward with its mandatory product standards for recreational
off-highway vehicles (side-by-sides). (Look up the bill and let our Senators know how you feel about
it)
Also included in the May issue was an article on the Sage Grouse. California and Nevada Fish and
Wildlife service have spent over $45 million in obtaining easements to thousands of acres of
privately owned land in an effort to conserve sagebrush habitat and the Forest Service is spending
millions to eradicate juniper and pinion trees that they say act as launching pads for
predators.
And these agencies wonder why we have lost faith in their ability to manage our public lands!
To read more about this and other great updates subscribe to the ARRA Newsletter:
Americans for Responsible Recreation Access
1225 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D. C. 20005
[email protected]
Free Fee Days for 2015 for Public Lands
June 13th—National Get Outdoors Day. A fee-free day for the U.S. Forest Service.
August 25th– National Park Service Birthday. Fee-Free day for Nation Park properties.
September 26th– National Public Lands Day. Fee-Free day for lands managed by Fish & Wildlife
Services, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service.
October 11th– National Wildlife Refuge Week. Fees waived at Fish & Wildlife managed sites.
November 11th– Fees waived on all Public Lands in honor of our Nations’s Veterans.
If you do not like the Travel Plan and did not send in a comment in the comment period, you cannot
file an objection. You can let RCORUA know your concerns and we can try and incorporate them.
You can also call our Senators, Representatives, the Governor and our County Commissioners,
Julie King: the more calls, letters and emails we send out the louder our voice!
Page 6
www.ravallioffroad.org
MAY 2015
Membership Application / Renewal
2015
Mail to Ravalli County Off-Road User Association, P.O. Box 72, Hamilton, MT 59840
Date: _____________________________________Check Number ____________________________
Single ($10.00) _____Single Lifetime $150.00_____Family ($20.00)_____Business / Sponsor ($100.00)______
Donation $_______________________________________________
Individual & Family Membership runs from January 1st to December 31st yearly. Business Sponsors runs from date paid.
Name (s) (please list all family names) or Business / Sponsor Name and Web site (optional):
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________________________________________
City:_________________________________________________________ State: ___________ Zip code: _________________
Telephone: _________________Cell Phone _____________________________Fax:________________________
Email:__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Number of Off-Road Users in the family:_________ Referred by: _____________________________________________
Do you want emails sent to you :all_______ , only meeting notices _______ or none ________ ?
Do you want the newsletter emailed to you (colored) _______ or a printed version mailed (Black & White) ___________
PLEASE fill out the above form when renewing or for a new membership. Check or fill out all
the lines that apply. We are encouraging members that have email addresses to sign up for
the emailed version of the newsletter (in color & pdf) to cut our expenses. PLEASE LET US
KNOW HOW YOU WANT THE NEWSLETTER SENT TO YOU AND IF YOU WANT
ANY EMAIL’S!
Your privacy is important to us, your information is only used for club purposes and is not
shared with any outside entity. Notify us if you do not want your name or picture published in
the newsletter or on the website!
2015 MEMBERSHIP DUES CAN BE PAID ANYTIME, MANY OF YOU
HAVE NOT PAID AS OF 5/1/15! Call or email Marsha Waliser at 363-2292 /
[email protected] to find out if you need to pay for 2015 or attend the May 11th
meeting.
MAY 2015
www.ravallioffroad.org
Page 7
www.ravallioffroad.org
PO Box 72
Hamilton, MT 59840
Our mission is to bring together on
and off highway enthusiasts to enjoy,
promote and protect responsible Off
Highway Vehicle Use and other
recreational activities.
Picture from the Chain of Lake Overview taken 6/20/04 by Marsha Waliser. If you haven’t ridden the
Chain of Lakes Trail yet, this may be the last chance to ride it as it is one of the many trails, roads or
areas that would be closed to motorized and bicycle use in the Travel Plan. The trail can be
a little difficult in a few spots and is not for the beginner rider!
2015 RCORUA Officers and Board Members
Office
Name
Home Phone Cell Phone Email
President
Juli Morgan
369-1707 [email protected]
President-Elect
Lisa Jessop
381-2985 [email protected]
Secretary
Kathy Transue
370-2756 [email protected]
Treasurer
Marsha Waliser
Past President
John Transue
Board Member
Brent Nelson
Board Member
Dave Doll
Board Member
Don Miller
961-3874
360-9531 [email protected]
Board Member
Mike Jeffords
642-9079
544-5027 [email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Marsha Waliser
363-2292
360-1808 [email protected]
Website Manager
Public Lands
Coordinator
Kathy Transue
370-2756 [email protected]
Dan Thompson
531-3103 [email protected]
363-2292
360-1808 [email protected]
369-2909 [email protected]
821-4844
360-1500 [email protected]
381-3183 [email protected]