ThumpAZ
04-18-2007, 08:44 PM
Well, it appears that my post about getting involved spawned someone putting me on a real spot about it.
As of Saturday, April 14th, 2007, I am now the Membership Chairman for the AZOHVC.
What does this mean? Well, I'm going to pester, annoy and goad EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU into joining and rejoining the coalition.
I am working right now on a web presence that will allow you all to also go forth and push this on all your friends, neighbors and anyone else you see that wants to maintain PUBLIC ACCESS to PUBLIC LANDS. Quads, Bikes, 4x4, general weekend drivers that enjoy getting off the beaten path to enjoy Arizona's beautiful landscapes.
What is the AZOHVC? The Arizona Off Highway Vehicle Coalition is the group that is working hard to regain and maintain access to your land. We are not just some club that you join. We are true activists for you. Chris R, Sandee McCullen, Jim Florence, Rick, and many others here believe in the work that we're doing, and you should, too.
We have hired a lobbyist who is producing real results (see 1BLKJP's post about HB2443), not just some esoteric "send us money, we're working for you" group. We have Jeff Gursh who is in the statehouse almost daily working with that lobbyist to shake hands and influence laws governing the use of our lands. We are putting a booth together that will attend every state expo that we can get into. And the materials to put in those booths to get the word out are not free, nor is the booth itself (as it pertains to actual booth, not the space, as i have been corrected). We're organizing Show Me runs for legislators and other groups to show what organized and responsible wheeling is all about. So it's clear to them that we're not just a bunch of yahoos out to tear up everything and run off cross-country. We're hosting clinics to show proper use, care and stewardship of the land, as well as how to make folks better and more responsible users. Several on the board of directors and general membership are active at every meeting with different groups and land management agencies, putting our word in front of decision makers. We constantly beg you all to go to clean ups, meetings and work parties. While we do rely heavily on your volunteer hours, and every single one of you is GREATLY APPRECIATED, we have to be realistic...
To do this work, it takes money. We go after, and obtain, grants for work such as placing kiosks, info centers and markers. Money from those grants also pays for the materials used, refreshments for volunteers, service contractors such as the trash dumpsters and even the trash bags themselves. However, not a dime of that money is able to be used to pay for the lobbyist or lawyer that interface with the law makers and help to keep them in line. That money comes from sponsorships from companies and your membership fees. It takes a LOT of $30 memberships to pay these professionals. It takes several company and club sponsorships to pay for these people. But the coffers are not that large.
What I'd like for each and every one of you to do, here, in email (through the board) or to one of your friends you know is on the AZOHVC board:
#1 If you've not already, join the AZOHVC
#2 Tell me what are the top 5 things that are important to you regarding public and state lands
#3 Tell your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, bosses, companies that you deal with to join the AZOHVC if they care anything about PUBLIC ACCESS to PUBLIC LANDS. Don't tell them that it's to keep trails open, don't tell them that it's so you can continue to take youe OHV there. Tell the the truth... it is to keep land grabs from denying them access, of any sort, to lands that are, by law, theirs, their children's, their grandchildren's. That's really what it is. We are fighting to maintain MULTI-USE access, and that does include OHV's. But those aren't the only modes of transportation under fire and in risk of losing access.
Please feel free to discuss your questions, concerns, gripes, whatever here or with me or any of the other board/committee members of AZOHVC that are here on VJC.
VJC has historically been the biggest supporter in the 4x4 groups of any and all land use action requests. I'd very much like that to remain the status quo. The work that this group of friends has done is awesome. It's time to really and truly step up to the plate and make sure that we can cut off some of these land grabs and unfair or vague and arbitrary laws. But to do that, we need your numbers, and your dollars.
I'd like to personally thank everyone that sent something in to the AZOHVC when I challenged everyone to $20. the response was very nice, THANK YOU!!! That money went straight to paying for the lobbyist.
You are all welcome to attend the quarterly meetings. You may be a member of the AZOHVC through a club membership, but that is just the club, actually. You can, and should, still become an individual member.
To summarize this book...
Get out there and spread the word about our mission and fight to keep public lands in Arizona available to the public and out of the hands of those that have no agenda other than appeasing the deep pockets of the environmentalist groups that would love to see your Jeep outlawed.
We're environmentalists, too, though. We just realize the need for mechanized and motorized access to be maintained.
Please visit the not-recently-updated AZOHVC website at www.azohv.org. The board members and I are trying to work with the current webmaster to get the thing fixed up.
You can directly link to the registration form at: http://www.azohv.org/Join_AZOHVC.htm
Last and MOST IMPORTANT... Thank you all, and I hope to see your names on the roster very soon!
As of Saturday, April 14th, 2007, I am now the Membership Chairman for the AZOHVC.
What does this mean? Well, I'm going to pester, annoy and goad EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU into joining and rejoining the coalition.
I am working right now on a web presence that will allow you all to also go forth and push this on all your friends, neighbors and anyone else you see that wants to maintain PUBLIC ACCESS to PUBLIC LANDS. Quads, Bikes, 4x4, general weekend drivers that enjoy getting off the beaten path to enjoy Arizona's beautiful landscapes.
What is the AZOHVC? The Arizona Off Highway Vehicle Coalition is the group that is working hard to regain and maintain access to your land. We are not just some club that you join. We are true activists for you. Chris R, Sandee McCullen, Jim Florence, Rick, and many others here believe in the work that we're doing, and you should, too.
We have hired a lobbyist who is producing real results (see 1BLKJP's post about HB2443), not just some esoteric "send us money, we're working for you" group. We have Jeff Gursh who is in the statehouse almost daily working with that lobbyist to shake hands and influence laws governing the use of our lands. We are putting a booth together that will attend every state expo that we can get into. And the materials to put in those booths to get the word out are not free, nor is the booth itself (as it pertains to actual booth, not the space, as i have been corrected). We're organizing Show Me runs for legislators and other groups to show what organized and responsible wheeling is all about. So it's clear to them that we're not just a bunch of yahoos out to tear up everything and run off cross-country. We're hosting clinics to show proper use, care and stewardship of the land, as well as how to make folks better and more responsible users. Several on the board of directors and general membership are active at every meeting with different groups and land management agencies, putting our word in front of decision makers. We constantly beg you all to go to clean ups, meetings and work parties. While we do rely heavily on your volunteer hours, and every single one of you is GREATLY APPRECIATED, we have to be realistic...
To do this work, it takes money. We go after, and obtain, grants for work such as placing kiosks, info centers and markers. Money from those grants also pays for the materials used, refreshments for volunteers, service contractors such as the trash dumpsters and even the trash bags themselves. However, not a dime of that money is able to be used to pay for the lobbyist or lawyer that interface with the law makers and help to keep them in line. That money comes from sponsorships from companies and your membership fees. It takes a LOT of $30 memberships to pay these professionals. It takes several company and club sponsorships to pay for these people. But the coffers are not that large.
What I'd like for each and every one of you to do, here, in email (through the board) or to one of your friends you know is on the AZOHVC board:
#1 If you've not already, join the AZOHVC
#2 Tell me what are the top 5 things that are important to you regarding public and state lands
#3 Tell your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, bosses, companies that you deal with to join the AZOHVC if they care anything about PUBLIC ACCESS to PUBLIC LANDS. Don't tell them that it's to keep trails open, don't tell them that it's so you can continue to take youe OHV there. Tell the the truth... it is to keep land grabs from denying them access, of any sort, to lands that are, by law, theirs, their children's, their grandchildren's. That's really what it is. We are fighting to maintain MULTI-USE access, and that does include OHV's. But those aren't the only modes of transportation under fire and in risk of losing access.
Please feel free to discuss your questions, concerns, gripes, whatever here or with me or any of the other board/committee members of AZOHVC that are here on VJC.
VJC has historically been the biggest supporter in the 4x4 groups of any and all land use action requests. I'd very much like that to remain the status quo. The work that this group of friends has done is awesome. It's time to really and truly step up to the plate and make sure that we can cut off some of these land grabs and unfair or vague and arbitrary laws. But to do that, we need your numbers, and your dollars.
I'd like to personally thank everyone that sent something in to the AZOHVC when I challenged everyone to $20. the response was very nice, THANK YOU!!! That money went straight to paying for the lobbyist.
You are all welcome to attend the quarterly meetings. You may be a member of the AZOHVC through a club membership, but that is just the club, actually. You can, and should, still become an individual member.
To summarize this book...
Get out there and spread the word about our mission and fight to keep public lands in Arizona available to the public and out of the hands of those that have no agenda other than appeasing the deep pockets of the environmentalist groups that would love to see your Jeep outlawed.
We're environmentalists, too, though. We just realize the need for mechanized and motorized access to be maintained.
Please visit the not-recently-updated AZOHVC website at www.azohv.org. The board members and I are trying to work with the current webmaster to get the thing fixed up.
You can directly link to the registration form at: http://www.azohv.org/Join_AZOHVC.htm
Last and MOST IMPORTANT... Thank you all, and I hope to see your names on the roster very soon!