Once again NOHVCC is running a series of articles designed to feature NOHVCC State Partners and some of the successes they highlighted in their Partner Annual Reports. As a result of the Partner Annual Reports the NOHVCC Board of Directors and staff are better able to understand the great things our Partners are up to – and we wanted to share some examples with the broader NOHVCC community while introducing some of our Partners as well.
Introducing JC Sanders – Arizona NOHVCC State Partner
JC Sanders grew up in Pig, Kentucky, and has been an avid on-highway motorcyclist most of his life. After working and riding in Europe, he moved to Georgia and became involved in a dual sport motorcycle club in 2000. In 2004 JC retired and began spending his winters in Arizona in 2007. Also in 2007 he got heavily involved in OHV recreation and advocacy. Currently he lives in Bouse, Arizona, approximately six months a year and spends summers in his original home state of Kentucky. He continues to ride on-road during the summer and has a side-by-side and a couple ATVs he uses to get outdoors while in Arizona.
It’s amazing that JC finds time to recreate as he is heavily involved – he became a NOHVCC State Partner in 2017, is a huge promoter of Arizona OHV clubs, serves as Vice President in one club, helped start a club in Lake Havasu City that now has nearly 1,000 members, serves as Chairman of the non-profit Arizona Peace Trail, as well as serving on several advisory committees. It is easy to see – JC is busy!
JC believes the most important thing an individual can do to create a positive future for OHV recreation is to promote education for young people to make sure they are aware of OHV safety and stewardship and to make kids not only aware of the rules, but also of the importance of following them.
Adventure Trail Activity Books Part Of Summer Reading Program
Given his commitment to educating young people, it’s also easy to see why JC gravitated to the Adventure Trail Activity books which were designed by NOHVCC and partners. The books are based on the Adventure Trail, which was created to communicate NOHVCC’s safe and responsible ethic to young kids – including the need to wear appropriate safety gear, stay on designated trails, be considerate of the environment and other messages. Some of the artwork is designed to portray responsible OHV recreation in a way that kids and adults will find humorous. The remainder of the artwork takes a light-hearted look at the very serious consequences of inappropriate OHV use at a level relatable to kids.
JC said, “the activity books are an excellent tool to reach children and help them learn more about OHV recreation. I first saw the book at a NOHVCC Annual Conference and was very impressed, so I had to find a way to promote it.”
For the last three years JC has distributed the activity books at Arizona’s Game and Fish Expo, as well as at Arizona Peace Trail events. He found that, “children really like the books as they have a wide variety of activities. It’s not just a coloring book.”
In 2019 JC parlayed some of his efforts working with a local librarian of two libraries, Sharon Hillhouse, to include Adventure Trail Activity books in the Summer Reading Program. “I provided a box of the books and crayons to two public libraries. The books were used to help educate the children ages 3 to 13 about OHV safety and stewardship. Sharon said they were a huge success and requested that the books be provided each year for the program. There were enough books that she was able to share them with three local elementary schools. I have coordinated with Arizona Game and Fish Department who has agreed to provide the books for 2020.” So far JC has distributed books to one additional library and has a couple more in the planning.
Additionally, he was able to get the Arizona Game and Fish Safety Program Director scheduled to come to two libraries during the Summer Reading Program in 2020 to present on OHV safety and good stewardship practices. “The activity books and the program provide a great opportunity to reach children at the right age to hopefully instill safe and responsible ethics.”
When asked if OHV enthusiasts in other areas of the country could replicate his success JC said, “Absolutely! The Summer Reading Program is national in scope, all anyone would need to do is to reach out to a local library and ask if they would include the activity books. They are looking for content for children of all ages and Adventure Trail is a great way to promote OHV education.”
For more information on Adventure Trail, the activity books, posters and an interactive website click here. You can download and print pages from the books or order hard copies and branded crayons (for the cost of shipping) from the same link.
If you would like to disseminate Adventure Trail materials or have any questions, please reach out to NOHVCC staff at trailhead@nohvcc.org.