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NMA News
Welcome to the NMA news page. This is the where we communicate announcements, requests
and important information for NMA members and non-members alike. We encourage you
to check the news area every time you visit our site.
Recent News Recent News | Past News
Legislative Update, 2/22/2010
Save Reiter NOW!, 2/12/2010
2009 Competition Results will be final as of December 10, 2009
WORCS Racing announces Day Pass & Transponder Fees waived for upcoming Toutle, WA Round, 5/28/2009
New title sponsor for the 2009 NMA Poker Run series, 4/10/2009
Wenatchee trail closures, 4/7/2009
NOVA funds misappropriation news, 4/1/2009
WHOVA ORV/OHV Rally Flyers, 3/8/2009
New DNR recreation rules approved, 2/15/2009
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The 2010 Washington State Legislative session is in full swing and the NMA legislative team is very busy working on every ORV related issue that comes along.
The big issue this year has been bills that would impose a user fee to access certain places managed by the Department of Natural Resources. The original version of House Bill HB2480 and Senate Bill SB6237 would have imposed a day use and camping fee on all visitors. The NMA opposed this because people that use ORV have already paid their share via their gas tax and ORV permit fees when compared to other users of DNR managed land that do not pay these taxes and fees. Thanks to a lot of hard work lobbying the Legislature by the NMA staff and lots of messages sent to the Legislature by ORV users HB2480 was amended before it was passed by the House of Representatives. The amendment recognized the current funds contributed by ORV users and exempted ORV Recreation Facilities from the fee plan. This bill now moves to the Senate for its approval, then to the Governor before becoming law. We will be watching closely to make sure that the ORV exemption stays in place.
Another bill is play is Senate Bill SB6274. This bill would establish a working group to study trail interaction. It has been passed by the Senate and now moves to the House of Representatives for their consideration. The NMA is concerned about how this working group will be funded and who will be allowed to participate. We will be watching closely as this unfolds.
Additionally, Senate Bill SB6557 has been passed by the Senate and is now before the House of Representatives Environmental Health Committee. This bill would lead to the ban of copper and other materials from brake pads. Most ORV use brake pads containing copper and since removing that could compromise braking performance and be a safety concern. Thanks to proactive lobbying by the NMA, all motorcycles and non-street legal vehicles are exempt from the current version of this legislation.
Other attacks on our sport included bills that would have eliminated all fuel tax refunds including the Nonhighway and Offroad Vehicle Activities fund, plus two that would have eliminated the NOVA advisory committee. These bills have been killed or amended to remove any anti-ORV impact after some serious lobbying.
All in all, it appears that we are keeping a good handle on what could have been another bad legislative session for ORV users. The session is far from over and knowing how our Legislature operates, anything could still happen. We will be watching their every move. If important issues come up, we will do our best to let you know. If that time comes, please be ready to send your letters, phone calls and emails to the Legislature and do your part in protecting our sport.
Happy trails,
Tod Petersen
NMA Legislative/Land Use Coordinator
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THE DNR HAS CLOSED REITER AND HAS NOT SAID WHEN IT WILL RE-OPEN
IF AND WHEN IT RE-OPENS THE DNR PLANS TO MAKE IT MUCH SMALLER
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources has released its Draft Reiter Foothills Forest Recreation Plan. While the Northwest Motorcycle Association supports making Reiter an official ORV area, we have serious concerns about the current plan.
About 4,000 acres of the 10,000 acre area being studied have been used by ORVs for the past 30 years. The new DNR plan proposes limiting ORV use to only 1,100 acres. That is 72.5% less land for ORV use than what has historically been available.
The DNR admits that 1,100 acres is inadequate to accommodate existing ORV use, and their own research has identified additional area suitable for ORV use. Still they refuse to increase the area available to ORVs.
Although DNR research shows that offroad motorcycling is the most popular use (60% of user groups surveyed), the plan contains no specific mention of facilitating it.
Because the plan does not explicitly identify motorized single track trails, there is no guarantee that there will be any single track trails open to motorized use.
So far, the DNR has refused to listen to reason. They claim that part of the reason for shrinking the ORV area is to make room for trails for people that don’t like ORV use. These same people have legal access to land adjacent the Reiter Foothills, which is land that PROHIBITS offroad motorized use.
If you think that this stinks, now may be your last chance to make you voice heard!
YOU can help correct this injustice by writing to the Commissioner of Public Lands, Peter Goldmark, telling him what you think of this plan and asking him for a detailed reply on how he plans to solve the problem.
Address
Peter Goldmark
Commissioner of Public Lands
Washington Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 47000
Olympia, WA 98504-7000
CPL@wadnr.gov
Here are some sample comments to consider:
The area the proposed Reiter Foothill plan allocates for motorized recreation is significantly inadequate to facilitate the current recreational usage. This shortcoming is addressable as noted below.
In addition to the proposed ORV area, additional suitable area should be allocated for light weight, single track motorized recreation.
It is important that the DNR recognizes that different types of ORV use have different impacts on the landscape. Just because the largest ORV may be inappropriate in a specific area that should not preclude allowing lightweight two wheeled ORV access.
Prioritizing motorized recreation at Reiter is consistent with the DNR’s Statewide Recreation Program Vision and Management Goals. “DNR envisions a future in which the lands it manages offer distinct and diverse outdoor recreation opportunities within the overall fabric of recreation in Washington.”
The overall fabric of recreation in Washington includes prohibitions on motorized trail recreation in all National Parks, all Wilderness Areas, all Natural Resource Conservation Areas, all State Parks (except the 600 acre Riverside facility near Spokane), the Mt Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest, and the vast majority of county and city parks. At a statewide level motorized trail use is prohibited on over 80 percent of the trail mileage. In the areas adjacent to the Reiter Foothills, that prohibition is 100 percent.
When considering the overall recreation fabric it is reasonable for all areas within the Reiter study area that are found to be suitable for motorized recreation to be incorporated in the plan as areas where some form of motorized trail recreation is allowed.
The Reiter Foothills Forest Recreation Plan shows the offroad motorcyclists are the largest user group, their recreational needs should be a priority.
-- Submitted by Tod Peterson
2/12/2010
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WORCS Racing announces Day Pass & Transponder Fees waived for upcoming Toutle, WA Round
WORCS Racing is offering a big discount for Northwest racers at their upcoming event (June 12-14) at Riverdale Raceway in Toutle, WA
WORCS Racing has also stepped up and made a generous donation to help us fight the lawsuit against the state over the NOVA funds ripoff.. so now there's even more reason to support this outstanding racing series.
Find out more info and sign up for the race here..
5/28/2009
Top of page
New title sponsor for the 2009 NMA Poker Run series
BREAKING NEWS, WASHINGTON STATE!
LYNNWOOD MOTOPLEX & KTM SPORT MOTORCYCLES WILL BE TITLE SPONSOR FOR THE 2009 NMA POKER RUN SERIES!
Hats (or helmets?) off to Mr. Jim Powers Jr., owner of Lynnwood Motoplex, and also to KTM Sport Motorcycles, for stepping up and taking over as title sponsor for this years series.
Thanks to some negotiations by Howard Ferguson, our local NMA series coordinator, Lynnwood Motoplex has teamed with KTM Sport Motorcycles and has agreed to provide a 2008 KTM 250 SXF to be the grand prize at the close of the 2009 season.
This is way beyond our hopes for a motorcycle this year and with only 2 events into the season, it is still wide open for anyone to win this terrific ride.
That moment will come at the final event of the year and awards, which will be The River City, ("halloween"), Poker Run at Tahuya, (Belfair), October 18th.
Ride as many of these events as you can, get your friends to join the NMA, (about the cost of a set of googles!), and get them to ride these events, and most important, get up and be a customer to our new sponsor! Support the people who support our sport! When you are there, look Jim up, shake His hand, and tell Him thanks.
He did'nt do this because He had too many KTM's in stock. He did it to show He cares about our sport and to get you in the store.
Lynnwood runs a full service store with about 35 employees and sells KTM, Yamaha, Can-Am, Polaris, Ski-Doo and Victory.
They have a great sales, service and parts dept and are now open on Sundays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
They are located at 17900 Hwy. 99 in Lynnwood, Washington 98037.
Telephone # is (425) 774-0505.
E-Mai: sales@motoplex.net
And here is a bonus for you KTM riders. Fred Taft has come on board at Lynnwood as the resident knower of all things orange.
Fred has spent almost 30 years in this industry, has owned His own KTM dealership, and has just plain been around.
Fred just passed you on a trail while you were reading this and not paying attention.
Thank you Jim Powers, Thank you Lynnwood Motoplex, Thank You KTM. Orange is good!
-- Written and Submitted by Terry Bibby
4/10/2009
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Wenatchee trail closures
The Forest Service is proposing to close 20+ mile of single track on the Wenatchee NF. Most of the trails are in the Mad River area.
See link below for map:
NMA Forums NOVA funds thread
We have also created a flyer that you can download and print, and share with your riding friends, take to your local M/C shop, mail to your reps etc.
Budget Bill Flyer {pdf}
-- Submitted by Tod Peterson
4/2/2009
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WHOVA ORV/OHV Rally
Download and print these flyers out and help spread the word at work, or play.
WHOVA Rally Flyer {pdf}
Capitol Rally Flyer {pdf}
-- Submitted by Byron Stuck
3/8/2009
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New DNR recreation rules approved
After nearly five years of mostly collaberative efforts between the NMA, WOHVA and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources the new laws concerning reacreational activities on DNR managed lands has been approved by the Washington State Board of Natural Resources. Although not perfect, they are a vast improvement over what the DNR originally proposed.
See link:
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEducation/Topics/OtherRecreationInformation/Pages/amp_rec_rule_revision_process.aspx
-- Submitted by Tod Peterson
2/15/2009
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