NAOPM AND NOHVCC ANNUAL CONFERENCES

Interesting speakers, good food, and lots of chances to make new friends

Most of the dinners and gatherings took place in the Pavilion section of the Charleston Marriott where the Conferences were headquartered. On Friday, many of the land managers and agency personnel were able to mingle with most of the NOHVCC state and associate representatives as the two Conferences ran concurrently that day.

Thursday night Devil Anse Hatfield, the patriarch of the feudin' Hatfield clan, made a special  appearance to explain the history of the famous clashes between his family and the McCoys in the late 1800s. A real life college professor at nearby Marshall University, "Devil Anse" stresses to his native West Virginia students how they can get beyond the stereotypes that some parts of the country have regarding people from Appalachia.
 

The Honorable Joe Manchin III, Governor of West Virginia, made the crosstown trip to the Marriott to open our joint NAOPM and NOHVCC Conferences on Friday. The Governor is well-aware of what the Hatfield-McCoy trail system has done for the economically-troubled southern region of his state and vowed to continue state support for the trails. At past NOHVCC Conferences, many of the host state lawmakers and agency directors have made appearances, but Manchin's visit marks the first time for a standing Governor.

A big surprise for many of the Conference attendees was a visit from Jeff Smith, one of the world’s leading motocross racers of the 1950s and ‘60s. The British-born rider won the 500cc World Motocross Championship in 1964 and 1965 riding for BSA. He was also a six-time member of the winning British Motocross des Nations team. Lesser known, perhaps, but equally significant was Smith's success in the International Six Days Trial (now called the International Six Days Enduro), in which he competed 11 times and earned gold on eight occasions. His funny racing tales were a big hit with our crowd on Saturday night.

Jeff Smith leads Don Rickman at the British Grand Prix in 1966. Jeff was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000. Before his speech, Tom Niemela shared an awesome video of Smith in action back in the day. Click here to read more about his career.

After his world championship racing career, Smith moved to Canada and worked in various leadership positions for Can-Am. In 1990, he became executive director of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) and led that organization through a period of rapid growth. NOHVCC Board member Bruce Butler (right) gets a chance to chat with Smith who has a great interest in today's land-use issues. Smith currently sits on the AMA Board of Directors.

One of the biggest hits at the both Conferences was the debut of the new Management Guidelines for OHV Recreation book, the only one of its kind. Author Tom Crimmins was hand to autograph anyone's copy. NOHVCC Senior Project Coordinator Dana Bell was first in line.

The NOHVCC has primarily been a United States organization for most of its history, but that is quickly changing as more and more Canadian OHV enthusiasts are making the trek to our Conferences and becoming very involved within our group. Here are four brethren from the Great White North posing with NOHVCC Executive Director Russ Ehnes at the conclusion of the Conferences

Just as North Carolina Representative Brian Sears was receiving his Hall of Fame Award, a small fellow by the name of Tim Burr was wheeled in by Nurse Ratchet to confront Sears. It seems the little rodent had a run-in with the front wheel of Sears' dirt bike earlier in the week on the Hatfield/McCoy.

 Tim Burr's attorney (far left, from the Charleston-based firm of Dewey, Cheatum and Howe) pleads his client's case and demands that Sears (far right) provides for Burr's litter of six baby squirrels in the amount of 4,000 acorns per month and a tri-level tree house with a little handicapped accessible elevator. NOHVCC President of the Board of Directors Dan Kleen (seated) attempts to play mediator, but eventually had to side with Burr's case when he heard about Tim's "loss of tail" following the mishap.

Many businesses and  NOHVCC supporters generously donated products and ride adventures to the Annual NOHVCC Auction. Over $4,000 was raised to help fund the many on-going NOHVCC Adventure Trail programs and products.