Ravalli County Off Road User Association

September / October 2015 www.ravallioffroad.org

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 at

GENERAL MEETINGS WILL BE THE 2ND MONDAY OF THE MONTH, all meetings to be held

the BRR Groomer Shed, 663 Grantsdale Road Hamilton.

October 5th Board Meeting 6 PM

October 12th General Meeting 7 PM...Speaker Darby District Ranger Eric Winthers,

Christmas Party Update, Darby Lumber Project Update and more.

November 2nd Board Meeting 6 PM

November 9th General Meeting & Election of Officers

Elections of Officers at November 9th Meeting

Our By Laws require the current Board of Directors to recommend a slate of candidates for the

elections. Our current President Elect is Lisa Jessop. (we elect a President Elect the year before

they serve as President, they sit on the board for a year before becoming the President of the club.

Slate of Officers offered by the Board of Directors:

President Elect (2017 President) - Brent Nelson

Secretary—Open

Treasurer— Marsha Waliser

Board Members—(we have 4)

Dave Doll Kent Haskell

Don Miller John Transue

Dan Thompson

Any member who would like the possibility of being included as a candidate for any office should

contact Juli Morgan at 369-1707 or Marsha Waliser at 363-2292

Page 2 Sept. / Oct. 2015 www.ravallioffroad.org

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: mwaliser2292@gmail.com . If

you want your web address listed in the newsletter and on our web site you can email Marsha or

Kathy T. kathy.transue@gmail.com

VOLUNTEER REPORT

Every year, based upon the Forest Service’s fiscal year that ends September 30, RCORUA provides a report of our vol-

unteer activities for that fiscal year. During this last fiscal year (2014-2015), 33 individuals reported a total of 361

hours of volunteer time and $1,050 in incidental expenses. RCORUA tabulates our volunteer hours by category, and

the totals by category are shown in the table.

The Association realized a precipitous drop in

the number of volunteer hours reported for FY

2015 (361 hrs) compared to FY 2014 (852

hrs). This is no doubt due to the release of the

Bitterroot National Forest’s Travel Manage-

ment Plan that dramatically reduces motorized

recreational opportunities in the Forest, includ-

ing the closure of the Chain of Lakes trails.

Many Association members have relocated

their activities to adjacent Forests that provide a wider

range of opportunities for OHV enthusiasts. Others

are declining to participate in Association volunteer

activities and still others don’t bother to report their

activities since, in their view, RCORUA’s volunteer

program seems to have little influence on the Forest’s

decision making process.

Fortunately, our educational program remained strong

again this year, with about 350 elementary school chil-

dren taking part in our in-school program. The

knowledge and skills that youngsters acquire from the

“Ride the Right Trail” program are useful even if they

choose to recreate outside the Bitterroot National For-

est. Thanks to Mike and Kathy Jeffords, Jim and Mar-

sha Waliser, and OHV Ranger Monte Monroe for their

continuing contributions to this program.

Looking forward, we are hopeful that our Educational program will remain strong, and we can anticipate increased vol-

unteer participation in the Darby Lumber Project as it is implemented next year. As these Darby Lumber Project OHV

routes become available, we may see some recovery in members’ interest in participating in and reporting their volun-

teer activities.

DESCRIPTION HOURS

Forest Clean-Up; trash removal 70

Road & Trail Maintenance 122

Educational Activities 114

Forest Service Meetings 0

Darby Lumber Project 55

TOTAL HOURS 361

Page 3 www.ravallioffroad.org Sept. / Oct. 2015

2015 BUSINESS SPONSORS

ALL VALLEY SANITARY SERVICES P.O. Box 344 Corvallis Dave & Tina Johnson 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 381-0409 CLIFF REED, Inc. 656 Willow Creek Road Corvallis Cliff Reed 961-3224 DJ’S ELECTRIC P.O. Box 18 Hamilton D.J. Lengyel 961-1972 or 363-1972 www.djselectric.com DONALDSON BROTHER’S READY MIX, Inc. 477 HWY 93 North Hamilton Charles Donaldson 363-3600 FIVE VALLEY HONDA & YAMAHA 5900 HWY 93 South Missoula Lloyd Eckley 251-5900 Www.fivevalleyhondayamaha.com HAMILTON POLARIS 1151 North 1st Hamilton 375-9903 HARPERS BITTERROOT VALLEY LES SCHWAB TIRES 4026 HWY 93 North Stevensville Tracy Harper 777-4667 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 363-3884 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

MERCHANTS DELIVERY, Inc. 1410 North 1st Hamilton Case Quist 363-1131 merchantsmoving@qwestoffice.net MILDENBERGER MOTORS P.O. Box 1630 Hamilton Brad Mildenberger 363-4100

NILES ENTERPRISES 7210 West Lapwai Lane Darby Kent Niles 349-2067 PARTS UNLIMITED 1829 HWY 93 North Victor Bob and Sydney Hazeltine 642-3403 partsunlimited@cybernet1.com RYE CREEK ENTERPRISES, Inc. Dba BITTERROOT ADVENTURES P.O. Box 877 Darby Brent Nelson 821-4844 www.bitterrotadventures.com SNOW MOUNTAIN ELECTRIC, Inc. 3039 Redjou Lane Stevensville 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 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 VERCRUYSSEN EXCAVATING, Inc. 300 6th Ave. Victor Norm and Betty Vercruyssen 642-3506

Business Sponsorship runs from Date Paid on a yearly basis!

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.

Please support our Business Sponsors!

Page 4 Sept. / Oct. 2015 www.ravallioffroad.org

RCORUA RECEIVES POLARIS GRANT by Dan Thompson

On July 2, 2015, Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor Julie King signed the Decision Notice/

Finding of No Significant Impact for the Phase I Darby Lumber Project. Part of this project involves

the designation of a series of OHV routes in the project area. These loop routes will utilize existing

road prisms connected by short segments of newly constructed OHV trails to provide additional op-

tions for ATV and motorcycle riders in the Bitterroot National Forest. The Ravalli County Off Road

User Association (RCORUA) has committed themselves to provide funding for the connector trails

and other aspects of these new routes. In August of 2015 RCORUA applied for and was awarded

a $10,000 grant from the Polaris TRAILS program to help construct connector trails for one of the

designated loop routes. Polaris Industries is a major OHV manufacturer and supports the mainte-

nance and designation of safe and sustainable OHV opportunities throughout the United States

and Canada. The award of the Polaris TRAILS grant is greatly appreciated and will contribute sig-

nificantly to the project.

RCORUA’s involvement with the Darby Lumber Project began in 2008, when the Association

reached an agreement with the Bitterroot National Forest to evaluate the condition of the road sys-

tems on 11 sections of “checkerboard” land that the Forest acquired in 2005. During the summers

of 2009 – 2011, RCORUA volunteers evaluated and characterized the old logging road systems on

these lands, and supplied detailed reports and recommendations to the Agency, including recom-

mendations for the development of several OHV routes. These routes utilized existing roads con-

nected by short segments of newly constructed trails to form “loop” routes in the project areas. As

a result of 786 hours of work by RCORUA volunteers, data characterizing the condition of 91 Darby

Lumber roads (totaling 73.3 miles) was submitted to the Agency late in 2011. These data included

GPS tracks for each road, the location and type of culverts, location and nature of water related

problems supported by hundreds of photographs, and the Association’s recommendation for the

disposition of each road (decommission, storage, or convert to an OHV trail). Altogether, the Asso-

ciation recommended the identification of 63.4 miles of OHV roads and trails and the construction

of 7.9 miles of connector trails.

The Forest Service is being challenged to complete watershed and vegetation management pro-

jects as a result of shrinking revenues and the diversion of allocated funding to wildfire manage-

ment activities. Projects such as the Darby Lumber project would not be possible without the finan-

cial support of other state and private organizations. In this case, Montana Department of Environ-

mental Quality, Trout Unlimited, the Bitterroot Water Forum, RCORUA and the Bitterroot National

Forest are providing significant funding for the Darby Lumber Project. The outcome of this collabo-

rative project will improve watershed function, wildlife and fisheries habitat, and recreational oppor-

tunities in the project area.

RCORUA is preparing additional grant applications to a variety of entities and is hopeful to com-

plete a funding package for Loop 1 by the end of December 2015. With good fortune, Loop 1 in the

project area will be opened for public use by September 2016. With extremely good fortune, it is

possible Loop 2 could also be completed next season.

Page 5

Sept. / Oct. 2015

Page 6 Sept. / Oct. 2015 www.ravallioffroad.org

Since January 2014, the Polaris 325 ACE has been redefining the off-road experience with the

revolutionary, sit-in chassis that combines the nimble handling of an ATV with the security of a Side

-by-Side. The result is a machine that is capable, comfortable and inspires confidence.

Due to the widespread appeal of the platform from both the industry and consumers, Polaris

introduced the Polaris ACE 570 as part of their 2015 product offering and also introduced the

Polaris ACE 570 SP a few months later that included a full package of premium features like

automotive style paint, customer graphics, aluminum wheels, Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and

an Engine Braking System (EBS). For model year 2016, Polaris is introducing the next level of

capable, confident and comfortable with the Polaris ACE 900 SP.

Polaris also has a “Trail” RZR 900 available in EPS or non. It is powered by a Pro Star 900 cc

engine. Standard and “FOX” suspensions are available for a great trail experience. The high

performance true on-demand all-wheel drive features a close ratio final drive to keep the front

wheels pulling stronger and longer maximizing power delivery to the ground, even on the loosest

terrain. They system provides increased traction without sacrificing steering effort to provide

unmatched point-and-shoot handling The RZR 900 features a narrow 13.61-foot turning radius to

navigate those curvy trails and 20 percent faster steering response with 2 turn lock to lock steering

ratio. EPS trail models also include our proven VersaTrac turf mode to unlock the rear differential

when navigating tight or delicate terrain.

Page 7 www.ravallioffroad.org Sept. / Oct. 2015

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:

kathy.transue@gmail.com Log on often to see what is happening!

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) ___________

Reminder: We now have a Ravalli County Off Road Facebook page! Thanks to

Pete Elmer who has set it up and is managing it.

All those who want to be on the club FB page need to do a FB search for:

Cuthbert J. Twillie (with a red ATV as FB profile photo) and ask to be friends with him

(it is actually Pete). Cuthbert is the manager of the club FB page, and when he

receives a friend request from a club member, he will add them to the club's FB page.

Or you can email Pete at kickingassranch@cybernet1.com and he will verify that you

are a member and add you to the list. The site is set up as a private site and only

paid members of the club will have access to it.

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.

Editor’s notes:

RCORUA board is looking for ideas to make the meetings fun, enjoyable and better attended.

Please let us know you thoughts and ideas. You can email them to Marsha Waliser (editor)

mwaliser2292@gmail.com or to any board member.

We are still trying to put together a “PLACES TO RIDE” folder or listing for the web page and that we

can give to the members. Please give to Marsha or Kathy Transue any suggestions or a list of plac-

es that you don’t mind sharing. Please let us know what the trail or area is like, if camping is availa-

ble and what type of machines are allowed.

As always the newsletter is needing articles, pictures, business cards or For Sale items. The editor

needs the items by the last week of the month to get them in the next newsletter. I try and get the

newsletter to the printer and the email version out the week before our general meetings.

Election of Officers November 9, 2015 Please attend!