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| Pa. DCNR-Snowmobile/ATV Advisory Committee |
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MINUTES
SNOWMOBILE AND ATV ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAAC) MEETING
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Harrisburg, Pa.
July 8, 2003
Rachel Carson State Office Building, Room 105
Harrisburg, PA
Committee Members/Alternate Attendees: G. Lowell Morton, John Motz, Jack Clark, Glen Knisely, Kevin Elliott, Mark Brown (alternate for Rep. Adolph), Mike Babusci, Linda Devlin, Harold Shaulis, Alex Solan (alternate for Rep. George), Ed Lawrence, Scott Blair
Other Attendees: Dennis Kirby (PAOHV), Fred Brown (Brown and Associates), Lynn Probst, (CPATVA-NCC), Larry Merritt (ATV Traction), Denny Mann (PAOHV), Bob Kirchner (PSSA), Tom Davidson (PSSA), Adam Mattis (Allegheny Ridge Corp.), Chris Cerimele (Allegheny Ridge Corp.)
Department Attendees: Larry Williamson, Susan Wood, Bill Slippey, Dana Datres, Cindy Adams Dunn, Rita Calvan, Meredith Hill, Jim Foose, Vanyla Tierney, Kurt Leitholf, Matt Keefer, Dan Devlin, Heather Zahar, Glenda Miller
Call to Order - Lowell Morton
The meeting was called to order at 9:38 a.m. by the Chairman.
Welcome and Introductions/Housekeeping - Lowell Morton
Members and visitors were welcomed and introductions followed. An updated list of committee members was provided. The PA Association of Boroughs continues to be unrepresented. The Chairman requested a letter to the Association requesting a representative attend. The Chairman also requested a letter to the PA Game Commission requesting replacements as both their representative and alternate have retired.
Approval of May 6, 2003 Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the May SAAC Meeting were approved with minor amendments.
Thanks and Welcome
The Committee welcomed Cindy Dunn, formerly of PA Audubon, who will serve as Director of Office of Education, Communication and Partnerships. The Chairman also thanked Heather Zahar for her assistance in preparing the days?meeting.
SCORE Presentation - Denny Mann
Denny Mann from PAOHV presented the SCORE Training Program to the Committee. The SCORE (Sensible, Courteous, Off Road, Enthusiast) Program was designed to raise awareness among OHV users of the need for respect on the trail.
Sensible Riding - Prevent erosion of trails, respect wildlife, care for water resources.
Courteous - To other riders, other users, landowners.
Off Road - Spark arresters, exhaust volume, stay on the trail.
PAOHV also offers a technical library of OHV resources on CD-ROM, copies were made available to committee members.
PAOHV is mainly focused on ATV and motorcycle communities, but is open to all OHV£drs.
Bureau of Forestry State Forest Resource Management Plan - Dan Devlin
The Final Draft of the Bureau of Forestry State Forest Resource Plan focuses on Sustainability and Ecosystem Management. The plan addresses Forest Uses, Resources and Values. Dan provided an overview of the whole Plan, then specifically focused on the recreation aspects relevant to the Committee.
Mike Babusci inquired about the omission of trail bike system expansion in the Plan.
The Department has no plans to expand the motorized trails in State Forests due to user conflicts, damage to resources, inadequacy of the current system to handle motorized use and lack of control of illegal riding.
Mike Babusci indicated that riders are seeking connections of riding areas and have concerns about the designation of additional wilderness areas with respect to developing trail connections.
Mike Babusci inquired if the Department was listening to the Advisory Committee? The Department is proposing trail development in the private sector, yet has failed to address the liability insurance issue which is the stumbling block of that concept.
Ed Lawrence suggested the Department might acquire additional lands for development of new riding areas. John Motz noted that the Department has indicated their intentions were just that; that existing Forests would be maintained and new OHV development would be located on new acquisitions for that purpose.
Mark Brown inquired if there would be some sort of offset for the additional 20,000 acres of wild/natural areas with trail connection development.
ATV Instructor Training - Bill Slippey
12 new instructors have completed training and been certified by the Department.
Certified instructors are covered by the Department£r liability coverage.
Club insurance is available, PAOHV is seeking to obtain a Master Policy, on which other OHV Clubs can then become additional insureds.
Secretary DiBerardinis Remarks
The Committee was updated on the changes in leadership within the Department.
Regarding the SAAC, the Secretary has been working with staff and legislators on land acquisition for Snowmobile/ATV Riders, with two strong possibilities for large tract riding parks. The Department is talking with local municipalities as well.
The Secretary has spoken with the Governor about the liability issue for concessionaires. The Governor is ready to talk when the Department is ready. The goal right now is high quality riding areas with high quality concessionaires in municipalities where it would be beneficial.
Currently on Capitol Hill, the hot topics are the budget and medical malpractice, so the Department is using this time to prepare for addressing the liability issue with legislators so when the climate becomes more favorable, they£kl be ready to advance the issue.
Committee members commented there are large private tracts available for riding, but the owners are currently unwilling to accept the liability under current state laws. The Secretary acknowledged the liability issue, particularly as related to private landowners.
The Chairman noted it seems as though the Forest Management Plan developers aren£s listening to the Committee. Another member asked why SAAC hasn£s had a formal meeting with these folks from the Department. The Secretary replied the Department is serious about developing new riding opportunities. It£r not going to be on these DCNR public lands, but rather on private or new public lands acquired specifically for this purpose. That doesn£s mean there won£s be some tinkering around the edges, but the bulk of the focus won£s be on public land.
The Chairman also noted there are places where trails could be connected, for example if PennDOT or whoever is involved. Can the Department get us in touch with those people? The Secretary offered to help open the door to other Secretaries if needed.
The Secretary went on to say that traditional modes of land acquisition and funding are insufficient to meet our needs. The tracts required are too large (and thus too expensive) to rely solely on traditional methods (under 500,000 say) and new ideas for acquiring these lands is needed.
The Secretary was asked about the timeline for bringing the existing trail up to the standards being developed. Litke is being developed using the draft guidance. Once the Trail Design Standards have been finalized, the Districts will be able to implement them as maintenance schedules allow.
ATV User Surveys - Vanyla Tierney
The surveys will be mailed out to a random list of 3,000 who paid their registrations. Hopefully they will all be returned. Hopefully the mailing will go out in August. Results will possibly be available by Thanksgiving.
Administrative Update - Dana Datres
Revenue in the Snowmobile/ATV Fund for FY 2002-2003 amounted to $3.93 million. This surpassed last fiscal year£r total, $2.75 million, by 43% and exceeded our estimate of $2.8 million. This can be attributed to the continued popularity of ATVs as registration continues to come in at 1,200-1,300 per week.
Online snowmobile registration renewal is underutilized. Of the 7,056 snowmobile renewals returned through June 2003, only 246 were done online. The department encourages the use of online renewals. Online renewals for ATVs will be available next year.
As of June 30, 2003, there were 173,626 active ATV registrations and 46,021 snowmobile registrations.
Trail Standards Subcommittee
Larson Design has completed the first five chapters, and is working on the remaining three for September.
Trail Planning Subcommittee
Looking forward to receiving survey results by Thanksgiving.
Motion by the Subcommittee to the full Committee to ask Secretary DiBerardinis to provide funding from the Snowmobile ATV Fund for development of a website ¤”here to Ride in PA.? The motion was seconded. The Committee approved the motion unanimously.
The subcommittee also discussed the development of a promotion for municipalities to sell the expansion of riding opportunities.
Next Meeting
September 8, 2003, Rachel Carson State Office Building Room 105, 9:30 a.m.
Public members should meet at 9:00 a.m. to discuss election of officers
Respectfully Submitted
John Motz
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