NOHVCC News: When did you first get involved with OHVs?

Ron: In 1970 my brother-in-law had an old dirt bike and I saw how much fun he was having exploring all the old trails and haunts that I had hiked before my job took over my life. So I bought a used dirt bike and basically taught myself how to ride by trial and error. I remember I found out the hard way that if you stall your bike on a hillclimb, you shouldn't pull in the clutch and roll backwards down the hill! I then bought a second dirt bike for my wife and then another for my daughter and pretty soon we were a family of weekend trail riders. Back then there were a lot of riding opportunities across Washington state. Then I heard that the Forest Service was going to do a trail survey to decide which ones were going to stay open for the various forms of recreation. They were asking for public input from the trail community. My wife and I showed up at one of the meetings and we were the only OHV people there! All the rest were hikers and horse people and of course they were voting to restrict us as much as possible from sharing the trails with them. It was then that I decided that our local OHV community needed to have a stronger voice in land-issue decisions and, when no one else felt the same urgency, I formed the Trail Division of the “Northwest Motorcycle Association”. The other parts of the organization self destructed and the NMA became an off-road only organization focused on protecting and growing opportunities. None of the state clubs at the time were involved in land-use issues, but they quickly saw the importance of these matters when the Forest Service began to shut down many trails to Washington motorcyclists.

NN: How did you first get involved with the NOHVCC?

Ron: Because of my activism in local land-use issues, and probably because I was personally contacting the various manufacturers and asking them for help, I was invited to the first formation meeting at Lake Arrowhead (CA) in 1990. Honda was concerned with the trail losses that were happening throughout the country and they also saw how much better organized the national anti-OHV forces were compared to us at the time. The NOHVCC didn't even have a name yet, but Silvio Carrera at American Honda was looking for ideas on how to help OHV activists get organized on a national level so they could share information and resources. He really went the extra mile for us at the time, I think going above and beyond what Honda was expecting from him. At the meeting we all discovered that we had many of the same problems and at least, as far as this small group goes (about 10-12 people who were in the OHV trail management business or were land-use advocates), we were going to leave being better organized. What we never foresaw was how much of a force the NOHVCC would eventually become in the OHV world.

NOHVCC News: What are some of the other ways that you have been involved with OHVs?

Ron: I was involved in the original Washington “ATV” Fund legislation in 1972 and the administration of those funds thru the “ORV Advisory Committee” in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. I served as the NMA’s Legislative Representative for several years, dealing with funding, liability and land use issues. In 1999 I took a six-month job as an Education & Enforcement Officer in the Cle Elum Ranger District which is in the Wenatchee Forest in the Cascade Mountains. For the next three summers, my job was to ride around and make sure other riders were complying with the laws and ethics of trail riding, as well as clearing and repairing trails. It was great to spend summers riding somebody else's dirt bike! That position was funded by our state OHV fund. Over the years I have also been involved in a lot of OHV advisory roles with various organizations and agencies.

NOHVCC News: In what ways has working the NOHVCC helped you accomplish your land-use goals?

Ron: One thing that really sticks out in my mind is how we were able to utilize the various trail impact studies from the NOHVCC library to counter the misinformation the anti-access people were throwing out there. Some of the studies we were able to gather stopped them dead in their tracks!  The NOHVCC's sharing of information on organization, funding, and working with agencies has also been very helpful.