BOONIE RIDERS 4WD Club INC.

SECRETARY’S REPORT

By Tina Phillips

 

 

   Chill on the Hill 4 was held at Mt. Watson on January 10, 11, and 12th.  Members who attended this event were as follows:  Hank Watson, Rich and Melissa Reisz, Allen Popp and Brenda Angel, Jim and Tina Phillips, John and Billie Deel, Steve Cain, Bill McFall, Steve Roach, Billy Chaplin, Greg Mauzey, and Daniel Weisman.  We also had several guests.

It was cold, but we had a big bonfire and some good chili soup…thanks Allen and John!!  And some good trail riding.  Steve made it through the hardest trail on the French Lick Resort but tipped his unit on its nose/side on a mediocre trail through the lower creek.  That was a great picture moment!

 

  Thunder Nationals in Evansville was on January 17 and 18th.  Thanks to everyone who helped at this event.

 

   Welcome new member, Keith Dryden.

 

   The IFWDA convention was held at the French Lick Springs Resort Hotel and hosted by the Boonie Riders.  Members present at this event were as follows:  John and Billie Deel, Jim and Tina Phillips, Allen Popp and Brenda Angel, Rich and Melissa Reisz, Billy and Lisa Chaplin, Glenn and Lori Coe, Steve Roach and Kendra Ryan, Keith Dryden, Bill McFall, Steve Cain, and George Deel.  George was allowed to come home that weekend and stopped by the hotel on Friday night.  He looked pretty sharp decked out in his army uniform.  On a lighter note…the convention and trail riding went well.  We had a great turnout.  John had some minor damage to his jeep on Friday and was fixed easily.  Glenn had another tire problem on Saturday morning.  Some of the other clubs walked away with more damage.  $100 cash was awarded to the worst damage, a blown motor.  Furthest mileage traveled to attend convention was 300 something miles.  The Boonies bid on the Fabtech banner and won the prize for a cost of $225.  Thanks to those Boonies who contributed to this prize.  We are very proud of it!!  After the Hi-Lift banner and Scott Sperling’s Hawaiian shirt (don’t ask!) were auctioned, a total of $1300 was raised.  The money will be utilized for the upkeep and running of Red Bird in Dugger, IN.  The Boonies were voted in to host the convention again in 2004.  I would like to see this year’s Boonie 4x4 season dedicated to the making, constructing, and maintenance of new trails as well as the ones that already exist.  There is A LOT of work ahead…just say the word John.

 

‘Til next time…smile and be safe!

 

Environmental Affairs, etc…

   Well, to start off, I would like to let you know that I alone take responsibility for the lateness of this newsletter. I could bore you with a dozen lame excuses, but they would be just that– lame.

   There has been a lot going on in the Land Use arena lately. Not the least of which has been a bill in the Indiana General Assembly titled HR 1552. What this bill does for us is to increase the OHV registration fee from $6 for 3 years to $30 for 3 years. Why the big jump you ask? Well, to put it simply, in this fine state of ours, the OHV registration money has never gone to anything more than paying for law enforcement. While Law Enforcement plays a key role in the regulation of OHV usage, it was hardly a fair trade for your dollar. The increase will allow money to continue to pay for Law Enforcement, and will also put money into use for actual OHV projects. Two areas that could benefit from this aspect are Redbird and Interlake. Another advantage of the bill is that it includes a change in the registration stickers. No longer should your OHV look like a boat, with big 3” numbers down the side. You will receive a small, perhaps 2x2” sticker with a bar code on it. This will not only look cleaner on your ride, but the bar code will make time spent with the Conservation Officer much more efficient.

   In recent meetings of the WCRD, there has been discussion on several topics. A trash pick up was held on the Interlake property in early February. In 4 hours time, a group of 40 people picked up and accumulated approx. 50 tons of trash!  There has been discussion of constructing some tri fold brochures for the WCRD. These would contain general information about the association, and some information about the member clubs.  Per the DNR, WCRD has until the end of April to GPS all the trails on the property.  Work is to start on March 9th at 9:00 AM.

    We as a club, and each individual member thereof, need to become more environmentally aware. Please don’t take that sentence as a reason to skip the rest of the article. Each of us, no matter how clean our nose, has committed some act of environmental ignorance. I myself am no angel. We must think before we act. One of the most obvious signs of abuse is

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