Originally Posted by phittie1100

Passed on from Ada Takacs....


FireWise Garden at Four Mile Road Rest Area in Crawford County

Greetings!

Volunteers installed an educational garden at the Four Mile Road Rest Area (northbound I-75) in the Fall of 2010. The Home Depot of Gaylord volunteered in 2011 to maintain the garden; however, they have had a lot of volunteers drop out recently and we are looking for additional help.

All four sides of the building have been planted with FireWise plants and materials. Interpretive signage and a poster was also installed so folks could see that there are easy ways to protect their homes from wildfires with a little bit of planning.

As you know, Crawford County has been the site of many large fires in the past few years. In fact, the Four Mile Road Rest Area was used as an Incident Command Post during the Four Mile Road fire that jumped I-75.

We are looking for groups and individual volunteers who may be interested in working during a large work day this spring to get the garden presentable as well as for long-term maintenance such as weeding, pruning bushes, and mulching. No special skills are needed because we will have people on-site who can explain what needs to be done.

If you and/or your group are interested in helping us out for the long term, we may be able to get MDOT to install an Adopt a Landscape sign on-site with your group name on it.

Feel free to pass this information on to others who may be interested. Please contact me at the number below with any questions and/or dates that you might be available.

Happy Spring!

Ada M. Takacs - Michigan Dept of Natural Resources - Forest Resources Division
8717 N Roscommon Road - Roscommon , Michigan 48653
voice: 989-275-5151 x 2049 - fax: 989-275-5167 - takacsa@michigan.gov

Originally Posted by phittie1100

We are hoping that many of you are planning to attend the Two Trackers' annual forest clean-up work day http://www.glfwda.org/showthread.php...orest-Clean-Up on Saturday, April 21 and have scheduled our next quarterly meeting for the same day, later in the evening.

Location: Ramada Inn - Whitehall
2865 Colby Rd
Whitehall, MI 49461
231-893-3030

US31 at the Whitehall/Montague Exit

Time: 5pm-7pm (to give everyone enough time to clean up after the clean-up)

Open to all 4WD enthusiasts, need not be a GLFWDA member to attend.

We have a block of rooms on hold at the hotel - for the discounted rate be sure to mention GLFWDA when making your reservations.

Originally Posted by phittie1100

Other volunteer opportunities in May also include Trail Maintenance. Several groups will be heading out in May to clear the routes of debris and make sure the safety and confidence signs are in place. If you do not belong to a club that participates, we should be able to find you a group to help out. Our list of clubs (and their "home base") and their ORV routes are as follows:

West Branch/St Helen - Soldier of Fortune Offroad (SoFO), Metro Detroit
Mio - Two Trackers 4WD Club, Grand Rapids
North Branch - Tri City Trailriders, Tri-cities area (Bay City-Saginaw-Midland)
Indian River/Red Bridge (trail and route)/Grand Traverse - ATV Offroad (not sure if they really have a geographical location)
Atlanta - What Lies Beyond Jeep Club, Flint

If you live or vacation near these areas, like to hang out there, or just read that list and discovered one of these clubs is from your neighborhood, let us know and we will help you make contact with the right folks.

If you ride trails or routes that are not getting the attention they need and want to see if you can adopt that section of trail/route, let me know. The DNR trail techs have recently added Red Bridge and Grand Traverse to our grant because members of ATV Offroad asked if they could take over some neglected miles.

If you have a trail/route that you want to see added to the DNR trail system, let me know. The DNR usually gives the first option to the club that does the planning and creates the proposal.

If you want to help with a trail/route maintenance project and have a group already assembled but need a place to go, let me know. We get the opportunity to add miles to our grant on a regular basis, and will be adding a new club and a new route (Outcast 4x4 Club, West Higgins Lake) within the next few months because they asked if we could find a project for them.

Originally Posted by phittie1100

Calling All Nominations for BFGoodrich’s Outstanding Trails Program
>>>>>Time is extremely short on nomination peroid this year so don't hesitate<<<<

BFGoodrich Tires, in partnership with United Four Wheel Drive Association and Tread Lightly! is calling for nominations for their 2012 Outstanding Trails campaign. Since its inception in 2005, the Outstanding Trails program has highlighted the best off-road trails in the country each year and applauds the clubs that help promote the responsible use and preservation of these trails.

In 2012, BFGoodrich is looking for exceptional trails and clubs to take part in the Outstanding Trails program. Please send your club/trail nomination to trails@ufwda.org by March 22, 2011. Please include in your nomination the following:

- Name of your club
- Trail nomination information, such as - Location of the trail and whether it's a part of a larger trail system? Pictures of the trails and pertinent descriptions which would help describe your nominee. Why the trail should be chosen as one of the best in the country? What work needs to be done on the trail to keep it open and how will the BFGoodrich Outstanding Trails grant assist?

We look forward to your nominations. It's going to be a great year for Outstanding Trails and we are looking forward to announcing quickly at this year’s Easter Jeep Safari in Moab.

Jim Mazzola - kb8ymf
President - UFWDA
president@ufwda.org

Hello fellow trail enthusiast,

It has been brought to my attention that some have not seen this survey that is designed to get your ideas and identify opportunities for innovation or improvement in our Trails program.

Your involvement and knowledge is critical to develop and achieve objectives with the goal of making Michigan the Trail State.

Please take this opportunity to share your input, ideas and suggestions by completing this survey if you have not already done so. I realize that we are beyond the deadline so if the survey is not accepted after submittal then you can send, fax or email me a copy and I will see that the survey gets to the State Trails Network Planning Team.

The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5PJQP5W. Thank you for your cooperation and hopefully I will see you in a couple weeks.

Sincerely, Rob

Rob Katona, Trails Analyst
Forest Resource Division-DNR
Marquette OSC
1990 US 41 South
Marquette, MI 49855
906-228-6561 katonar@michigan.gov
Fax: 906-228-5245

Originally Posted by Jarhead

This is your chance to help make a differance for yourself, your family and the OHV Trails/Routes system.

Please add, delete or edit anyway you desire, but Please, Please take the time to send a letter to:

Saint Helen Chamber Of Commerce
P.O. Box 642.
Saint Helen, MI 48656.
Telephone (989)389-3725
Email: sainthelen_chamber@yahoo.com

West Branch Area Chamber of Commerce
422 W. Houghton Ave.
West Branch, MI 48661
Telephone (989) 345-2821 or Toll Free at (800) 755-9091
Fax (989) 345-9075


Dear (Insert Name of Chamber of Commerce),

I am writing today to tell of the wonderful hospitality my family and I recently experienced while attending an OHV Off-Road Event entitled Sno-Fari that was held in the St. Helen, Rose City and West Branch OHV Trail and Route system. We spent about $250 on lodging, $150 on fuel and about $430 on food at Restaurants and the Grocery store. People were friendly everywhere we went and look forward to returning again next year.

While there was little snow, we still came and enjoyed what your area has to offer. We understand this event has been put on for six years now. We also understand there were some problems in getting the permission necessary to utilize all of the OHV Trail and Route system available in your area. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) eliminated a portion of requested Trails/Routes last year and some additional Trails/Routes this year. Our enjoyment is experienced at a pace of 6-8 miles per hour and we exercise Tread Lightly! Principles everywhere we travel off-road to preserve our natural resources for many, many generations.

Our fear is that if the last two years are any indication of the loss of Trails/Routes; how many years before my family and I can no longer come to your area and enjoy what the OHV Trail and Route system has to offer. We enjoy the system and we enjoy the hospitality your area affords us. We are asking you to please contact your State Representative and anyone else that can work with you and/or Great Lakes Four Wheel Drive Association to ensure we can return year after year and help your community in what can be troubling times with the economy being what it is.

Help us to help you help your community.

Sincerely,

(Yours Truly)

I have attached the letter above as a Word Document and a PDF for your use.

Originally Posted by phittie1100

This week the GLFWDA Board of Directors appointed Craig Feusse to the vacant position of 4WD Awareness Coordinator. Craig is an outdoor enthusiast with a background in both 4x4 and ATV recreation and is a welcome addition to our team of volunteers. The GLFWDA 4WD Awareness Coordinator is responsible for promoting, expanding and maintaining the 4WD Awareness program as developed by the United Four Wheel Drive Associations. The coordinator is essentially the "go-to" person in our Association for scheduling training sessions, maintaining a roster of instructors and training new instructors, and providing reports from the 4WD Awareness program back to the membership (please see GLFWDA SOP rev 2008 for more details).

Craig is known to the Internet world as fishy007 and can be reached through the GLFWDA e-mail system at training@glfwda.org

Thank you Craig!

GLFWDA Winter Quarterly Meeting
Friday, January 27 2012 at 5pm

Quality Inn, West Branch MI
2980 Cook Rd.
West Branch, MI, US, 48661

We need as much 4x4 participation as we can get calling for improved and more 4WD Routes (NOT 2WD ORV Routes) and the survey closes the 12th.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5PJQP5W

Dear DNR Recreation and Trails Stakeholders,

The purpose of this correspondence is to introduce myself to the trails community, and give all of you an update on the transition of the Recreation and Trails Section from Forest Management Division to Parks and Recreation Division.

Check it out at http://www.glfwda.org/showthread.php...s-Stakeholders

Originally Posted by phittie1100

You may have seen the date for the fall quarterly mentioned in the SnoFari thread, but since we are changing things around a bit, we probably need a separate thread here.

GLFWDA Winter Quarterly Meeting
Friday, January 27 2012 at 6pm

Quality Inn, West Branch MI
2980 Cook Rd.
West Branch, MI, US, 48661

If you are not already planning to attend SnoFari but would like overnight accomodations, you can call the hoyel at 989-345-3503 and see if you can still book a discounted room under the SnoFari group number 3749. Alternately, there is a Super 8 at the back half of the same property that you can contact at 989-345-8488

If you would like to come to the meeting bt can't figure out how to fit an afternoon run, dinner, GLFWDA meeting and night run into your schedule, please feel free to grab a sandwich from Subway or one of the other nearby restaurants and bring it along to the meeting. Moving the meeting to Friday should make it easier for everyone to get packed up and headed for home at a reasonable hour on Sunday.

Originally Posted by Jarhead

FS Accepting Comments on Proposed Changes to Huron-Manistee Forest Plan Affecting Snowmobiling and Hunting

The Huron-Manistee National Forest has released the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) regarding the revised Forest Plan for public review and comment.

Many of you will remember that this supplemental planning effort was mandated after a lawsuit was filed seeking to ban hunting and snowmobiling in certain areas of the forest.

As a result of a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Forest Service has prepared the DSEIS to evaluate the impacts of a proposed ban on firearm hunting and snowmobile use, subject to existing rights, in Semiprimitive Non-motorized Management Areas and a ban on firearm hunting, subject to existing rights, in the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area.

The release of the DSEIS begins a 90-day comment period. The DSEIS is available online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_...rdb5330733.pdf. The DSEIS is also available in print or on CD by calling (231) 775-5023. Comments must be received by December 21, 2011

The Huron-Manistee is holding a series of public meetings as well. We've included a list of locations, times and dates for those meetings below.

Written comments may be submitted to the Forest Planner, Huron-Manistee National Forests, 1755 S. Mitchell Street, Cadillac, MI 49601 or faxed to (231) 775-5551. Comments may be submitted electronically to: comments-eastern-huron-manistee@fs.fed.us with the subject: "Forest Plan SEIS."

For more information, contact Kenneth Arbogast, Public Affairs Officer for the Huron-Manistee National Forests at (231) 775-5023, Ext. 8726 or visit the forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/hmnf.

Public meetings to explain the DSEIS process and accept written comments will be held:
10/31/11-Holiday Inn Express, 12150 Dixie Hwy., Birch Run, MI, from 4-8 p.m.;
10/31/11-Huron Shores Ranger Station, 5761 North Skeel Rd., Oscoda, MI, from 4-8 p.m.;
11/01/11-The Westin Hotel, 1500 Town Center, Southfield, MI, from 4-8 p.m.;
11/01/11-Mio Ranger Station, 107 McKinley Road, Mio, MI, from 4-8 p.m.;
11/02/11-Causeway Bay Hotel, 6820 South Cedar, Lansing, MI, from 4-8 p.m.;
11/02/11-Days Inn of Manistee, 1462 US 31 South, Manistee, MI, from 4-8 p.m.;
11/03/11-Crowne Plaza, 57000 East 28th St., Grand Rapids, MI, from 4-8 p.m.;
11/03/11- Pleasant Plains Township Hall, 885 Eighth Street, Baldwin, MI, from 4-8 p.m.

Originally Posted by phittie1100

As published in the Summer 1979 Boondocker:

As members of the American public who operate four wheel drive vehicles to enjoy the awe-inspiring scenery of our mountains, valleys, deserts, forests, marshes, and meadows, and all of the other back country areas of the nation, we will:

• Leave the land and its vegetation as we find it

• Help preserve plant life and soil by limiting travel to established roads and trails

• Avoid cutting swtchbacks and driving through moist meadows which will leave permanent scars

• Protect the history of the nation by not destroying old mining camps, ghost towns, diggings, or other historic or natural values

• Respect the rights and property of other user groups, such as miners, ranchers, fishermen, hunters and other recreationists

• Conduct all trips in a safe, sane manner

• Accept the responsibility of keeping the backcountry beautiful by packing out litter

• Give everyone we meet the courtesy of the road, as safety and courtesy are contagious

• Observe the local history, the geology of the land and the ecology of the vegetation so that we may more fully appreciate the splendort of our national heritage

• Members and guests are asked to refrain from the use of intoxicants whil operating a vehicle on club trips

Originally Posted by phittie1100

Trail Maintenance Update 6/30/11

We received word from the DNR that we had more signs in the St Helen area that fell victim to either vandals or knuckleheads, not sure which. Also some trees down on the North Branch Route right after maintenance was performed. Thanks to SoFO and Tri City Trail Riders for getting things cleaned up again!

ATV Offroad is currently working with DNR to adopt some more miles from another group, paperwork to add the miles to our grant should be coming through in the next few months.

And finally, the DNR announced this week that the Clear Lake State Park connector was open for business ( http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7...8471--,00.html ) .....except they forgot to confirm with anyone outside of Lansing that the new 3 mile section of route connecting the Clear Lake SP with the existing ORV Route E of M33 was ready for traffic. Just last week we were told that due to numerous delays on the part of the DNR to get the route roughed in with heavy equipment, we would wait until our end of summer maintenance to address the signs and confidence markers. Instead, What Lies Beyond Jeep Club will be heading to Atlanta in July to get it squared away.

Originally Posted by phittie1100

Our next Quarterly Membership Meeting is in conjunction with Drummond Offroad Adventure. It will be held at the Trail Head Camp Ground (DOA Headquarters) on Friday, August 19 @ 6:00 PM.

For information about registering for DOA, please visit http://www.msg4x4club.com/doa_reg/doa_registration.asp