Dear Norm Clark,

Thank you for your club membership with OMTA.

As you are aware trail opportunities in Ohio are under attack. This organization is YOUR

tool to combat further loss of off pavement recreation and open new opportunities for all trail

users.

OMTA is interactive, every member is a key player, no one sits on the bench. OMTA provides

information virtually everyday so you can participate. A few years ago five people each wrote

one letter a week for one month and stopped the most advanced project ever planned for

resource extraction (logging) on state forests. We have to use the environmental model of

individual involvement to keep our current off road resources and expand our responsible use

areas. Everyday more folks turn to off pavement recreation, we must not fall victim to

closures due to over use.

The Wayne National Forest is in the third phase of their ten year plan revision, you will

receive first day notification of meetings, who to write and what your message needs to say to

ensure our responsible use of public property is addressed. The Wayne riding area is being

cut in half by the new St Rt 33 corridor. Your reaction to the information OMTA provides

will determine if we end up losing the Wayne or see it provide the three hundred miles of trail

they owe off pavement recreation. Go to http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/wayne/ and click on forest

planning.

2004 has provided us with a full plate of opportunities for off pavement recreation. The

challenge for us is to step up to that plate and take responsibility for our recreation to ensure

we receive full measure of use as time and time again our gas tax money (i.e. RTP moneys

paid from gas taxes) are used to fund everyone’s trails but ours. We need to educate our

members in responsible recreation as we educate them in the best way to ensure their voices

are heard.

This is one of the most exciting developments to me. We are setting up a new group within

OMTA, a trail development committee to expand our riding opportunities, apply for grants

and cause the state to follow thru on the mandate for a motorized trail system around the

state.

I know you already know about the Railroad association and the farm bureau wanting a bill

to have mandatory registration (tags) for all ORV’s. You only have to read the paper about

folks killed on trail tracks or trespassing on farms to understand why. We are in continuous

contact with them to make it a benefit for us, not just another penalty law.

We pro actively GPS ed all the trails at the Wayne to provide more trails for the public as well

as starting an active “matching” grant fund to provide more public access. Contributions to

this fund, as well as your membership, is tax deductible.

 

A new “Bill” HB299 passed due to our efforts to protect the township trustees from

maintenance liability. We are working with Senator Hottinger to protect our use of the

township rights of way we use throughout Southern Ohio for our off road recreation. We have

proposed four changes to law to provide and pay for public riding areas.

We are an active partner with The Department of Natural Resources working on the trail

plan mandated by the Ohio Senate and house.

We have redesigned our web site http://www.ohiotrails.org   ;

if you have not been there lately you will find major

changes and features for your benefit. We have a members' only section to add value to your

membership with OMTA. Send an e-mail to the information address on the site to get your

passwordWe have an ongoing benefit for our members and a tool to help you get your friends

to join OMTA from our friends at Honda, a special offer from Honda Rider Education.

HOW TO TEACH A CHILD OR LOVED ONE TO RIDE DIRT BIKES

We offer the MSF Dirt Bike School at the Honda Rider Education Center in Troy OH, 15-

miles north of Dayton and just off I-75. The course is taught on a 2-acre plot of flat, groomed

dirt with a small hill for teaching hill techniques. There are hotels and restaurants within 2-

blocks of our facility.

We have some MX boots, helmets, and XR50s-to-XR200s. Electric-start XR230s should be

here by mid-March. There is no additional charge to wear our gear or use our motorcycles

and in fact, use of student-owned motorcycles is not allowed because of concerns with noise

and safety.

I’d like to offer our dirt bike course to OMTA members during ’04 05 as follows: if you pay

for 1 student tuition of $50, you’ll receive the second tuition free. The second person doesn’t

have to live in your household and could be the friend of your son or daughter, woman friend,

etc. Class makeup is as follows:

Ages 7-11: max of 4 per class and no one 12 or older unless it’s a “family class” (dad, mom,

son/daughter, etc). Young kids take a lot of patience.

Ages 12-15: max of 8 per class and adults can be mixed into this group.

Ages 16+: no more than 8 per class.

The classes start at 9 a.m. and end around 2 p.m., depending on skill level of students,

weather, lunch break/no lunch break, etc. Some students may not be required to ride some

exercises, such as the hill, if the instructor thinks they are not ready for such.

If you’re interested, send an e-mail to [email protected] or call our office at

(937) 332-6177. You must identify yourself as a OMTA member.

Tosh Konya

Honda Rider Education Center Administrator

Ps. This offer is a good reason to “re-up” or join OMTA for the first time!

Thanks again for your renewal.

William A Kaeppner and OMTA

 

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1