TRACTION MAKES THE PAPER !
Article published August 5, 2006
Dirty Driving
ATV riders make splash in county
By Sandy Marwick
Eagle Focus Editor
A group of outdoorsmen in Butler County is hitting the region's trails for fun, but soon will be hitting the streets for support.
Eagle Focus Editor
A group of outdoorsmen in Butler County is hitting the region's trails for fun, but soon will be hitting the streets for support.
ATV Traction, an all-terrain vehicle club in Western Pennsylvania, began a Butler County chapter this year, and members plan to begin developing a local network of trails. Citing a love of nature as a primary motive, members of the group would like to share their pastime with others. "There are a lot of good times you can have on these four-wheelers," said Chris Haney of Pittsburgh, secretary of the Butler chapter. "You can go fast or you can go slow. If you go slow, you can see a lot of things you're not going to see on foo t — because you're not going to go that deep into the woods on foot." "It's just a chance to get outdoors," agreed Don Furey of Fenelton, a corporate officer of the new chapter. It's a blast. I love it. We ride at least every other weekend. We get a group of five to 15 or more. We just make a day of it." The Butler club was started in January, with Furey among the seven people attending the initial meeting. By the February meeting, the club had amassed the 25 members necessary to form a chapter of ATV Traction, which also has chapters in Erie, Venango, McKean, Tioga, Potter, Mercer and Clarion counties. The club was advertised mostly by word-of-mouth, newspaper announcements, fliers and the Internet. Furey said the Butler group now has close to 50 memberships, which equates to 70 riders. The combined chapters have close to 750 memberships and 1,500 riders. As well as attending monthly meetings, the members host organized group outings or pair up to ride infor mally with friends. "In the summer almost every weekend you can find a poker run somewhere in Western Pennsylvania," Furey said. "Some might be a three- or four-hour drive from where we're located," he added.
Trail seekers With four-wheelers prohibited on state game lands, hobbyists often complain of limited places to ride. "The closest to us is in Marionville, in the Allegheny National Forest," Furey said, referring to about 100 miles of authorized trail. State lands contain less than 200 miles, he added. "That's why I think we grow so fast. We're always looking for a place to ride. They are just few and far between." Given the distance to trails, 
the Butler chapter has begun assembling information packets to distribute as part of easement requests to landowners. They are optimistic the club will achieve the same success as other groups. Since its inception in 2001, ATV Traction has secured rights to use more than 100 miles of trail on privately owned land, much of it in Venango County. To secure the easements, club members approach landowners, especially in cases where property already shows signs of use. The club then offers to build and maintain trails in exchange for exclusive riding rights. Furey said some of the agreements are made on a handshake. Others are secured with written contracts. "It's pretty much up to the landowners.... We try to do anything they need or ask of us," he said. Haney agreed. "We build bridges across high quality streams that may have fish in them. The bridges are well built — sometimes they're even very naturalistic. One piece of property (in Venango County), the owner said he wouldn't mind having a bridge across that creek, but he wants it to look exactly like it should be there. We made it out of logs, so it's very scenic. That's the way he wanted it, so that's the way we built it. "Sometimes, landowners are dissuaded by the potential for destructive behavior or noise. In these ca ses, ATV Traction uses testimonial letters of other landowners whose property is being used and maintained.
the Butler chapter has begun assembling information packets to distribute as part of easement requests to landowners. They are optimistic the club will achieve the same success as other groups. Since its inception in 2001, ATV Traction has secured rights to use more than 100 miles of trail on privately owned land, much of it in Venango County. To secure the easements, club members approach landowners, especially in cases where property already shows signs of use. The club then offers to build and maintain trails in exchange for exclusive riding rights. Furey said some of the agreements are made on a handshake. Others are secured with written contracts. "It's pretty much up to the landowners.... We try to do anything they need or ask of us," he said. Haney agreed. "We build bridges across high quality streams that may have fish in them. The bridges are well built — sometimes they're even very naturalistic. One piece of property (in Venango County), the owner said he wouldn't mind having a bridge across that creek, but he wants it to look exactly like it should be there. We made it out of logs, so it's very scenic. That's the way he wanted it, so that's the way we built it. "Sometimes, landowners are dissuaded by the potential for destructive behavior or noise. In these ca ses, ATV Traction uses testimonial letters of other landowners whose property is being used and maintained. "Noise is probably the landowner's number one complaint," Furey said, explaining the club's rules for noise limit ATVs to 96 decibels. The state law allows 99, he said — and each chapter uses a decibel meter to ensure club vehicles comply. Club members also receive a numbered flag when joining. The flags must be visible so riders can be identified in cases of excessive noise or other unwanted behavior. The absence of flags identifies riders who don't belong to ATV Traction and therefore are unauthorized to be on the trails. Haney said the recently formed Mercer chapter came about because the club was approached by the Army Corps of Engineers about restoring a trail that was closed due to ATV traffic's damage to wetlands. "Now we are going in there and cleaning up those trails,"he said.
As well as gaining access to privately owned land, the group hopes eventually to make headway in legalizing use of township roads. Early this year, ATV Traction's Venango County chapter approached Clinton and Irwin townships with such a request.
Irwin Township granted the request last month. "They're a good outfit," said Fred Emmett, one of the township's three supervisors, adding the authorized area includes about five miles that span three township roads. Clinton Township secretary Diane Bartholomew said as of June's meeting, township supervisors granted use on all township roads. Bartholomew said residents didn't dispute the decision, probably because ATV traffic, although illegal, is already common on rural roads. Although recreational vehicles are not legal on state roads, townships have the authority to allow the vehicles, said Terry Brady, deputy press secretary for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which is responsible for ATV registration. Brian Mills, corporate p resident of ATV Traction, said legalized use on township roads is happening elsewhere in Pennsylvania. "It's growing exponentially throughout the state,"he said.
Irwin Township granted the request last month. "They're a good outfit," said Fred Emmett, one of the township's three supervisors, adding the authorized area includes about five miles that span three township roads. Clinton Township secretary Diane Bartholomew said as of June's meeting, township supervisors granted use on all township roads. Bartholomew said residents didn't dispute the decision, probably because ATV traffic, although illegal, is already common on rural roads. Although recreational vehicles are not legal on state roads, townships have the authority to allow the vehicles, said Terry Brady, deputy press secretary for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which is responsible for ATV registration. Brian Mills, corporate p resident of ATV Traction, said legalized use on township roads is happening elsewhere in Pennsylvania. "It's growing exponentially throughout the state,"he said.
Dollars and cents
Mills said the increase of legalized ATV use is proportionate to ATV sales in the state.
Citing quarterly reports from ATV Industry Magazine, Mills said Pennsylvania regularly ranks in the nation's top five for ATV sales. Spending an average of $6,000 to $10,000 for a four-wheeler, Mills said the hobbyists have
been targeted by other regions for their potential cache of tourism dollars. "The average ATVer spends significantly more money on their recreation than almost any other tourism," Mills said, citing food, accommodations and gas purchases as other ways the riders spend money. Mills said one example of attracting those dollars is the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, where 500 miles of trail was created on strip mined land in southern West Virgina. "They're attracting upward of 100,000 visitors a year," Mills said of the trail system, which sells single- or multi-day passes. Pennsylvania communities also make money by hosting fundraising rides. Last week's ATV poker run to benefit the Callensburg-Licking Township Volunteer Fire Department in Clarion County drew more than 800 riders, members noted. Entry fees were $20. "There is a lot of revenue to be generated from ATV recreation," Mills said, adding it was not uncommon for such rides to draw thousands of people. "ATVers want a well-managed, organized and well-maintained place to enjoy their riding," he added. "The average age of our members is 48.34 years old. We're not kids. ... Much like non-motorized trail enthusiasts, we like to enjoy pristine scenery and quality time with family and friends." Furey said 60 to 70 percent of the club's membership is men, with the remainder made up of women and youths. The members also strive for good citizenship, he added, by promoting safe riding practices and offering ATV safety courses in a variety of locations. "We recommend always wearing a helmet, eye protection, long sleeves, over-the-ankle boots and long pants, along with gloves," Furey said.
Mills said the increase of legalized ATV use is proportionate to ATV sales in the state.
Citing quarterly reports from ATV Industry Magazine, Mills said Pennsylvania regularly ranks in the nation's top five for ATV sales. Spending an average of $6,000 to $10,000 for a four-wheeler, Mills said the hobbyists have
been targeted by other regions for their potential cache of tourism dollars. "The average ATVer spends significantly more money on their recreation than almost any other tourism," Mills said, citing food, accommodations and gas purchases as other ways the riders spend money. Mills said one example of attracting those dollars is the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, where 500 miles of trail was created on strip mined land in southern West Virgina. "They're attracting upward of 100,000 visitors a year," Mills said of the trail system, which sells single- or multi-day passes. Pennsylvania communities also make money by hosting fundraising rides. Last week's ATV poker run to benefit the Callensburg-Licking Township Volunteer Fire Department in Clarion County drew more than 800 riders, members noted. Entry fees were $20. "There is a lot of revenue to be generated from ATV recreation," Mills said, adding it was not uncommon for such rides to draw thousands of people. "ATVers want a well-managed, organized and well-maintained place to enjoy their riding," he added. "The average age of our members is 48.34 years old. We're not kids. ... Much like non-motorized trail enthusiasts, we like to enjoy pristine scenery and quality time with family and friends." Furey said 60 to 70 percent of the club's membership is men, with the remainder made up of women and youths. The members also strive for good citizenship, he added, by promoting safe riding practices and offering ATV safety courses in a variety of locations. "We recommend always wearing a helmet, eye protection, long sleeves, over-the-ankle boots and long pants, along with gloves," Furey said. Although a driver's license isn't necessary to ride an ATV on private land, those younger than 16 must complete a safety course to ride, he added. "You have to be 8 years old," Furey said of the minimum age to ride an ATV in Pennsylvania.
"We've got club members that are 8, and we've got club members that are 76 years old."
"We've got club members that are 8, and we've got club members that are 76 years old."
FINDING TRACTION
What: ATV Traction, a nonprofit all-terrain vehicle club founded in Erie County in 2001, with chapters in Erie, Mercer, Clarion, Tioga, McKean, Venango, Potter and Butler counties
Membership: Individual, $20; family, $35
Officers: Ken Crawford Jr. of Fenelton, president; Rick Oesterling of Butler, vice president; Chris Haney of Pittsburgh, secretary; Ken Crawford Sr. of East Brady, treasurer
Meetings: The Butler County chapter's next meeting will be at 4 p.m. Sept. 17 at the County Line Tavern, 399 County Line Road, Fenelton.
Info: www.atvtraction.org.
What: ATV Traction, a nonprofit all-terrain vehicle club founded in Erie County in 2001, with chapters in Erie, Mercer, Clarion, Tioga, McKean, Venango, Potter and Butler counties
Membership: Individual, $20; family, $35
Officers: Ken Crawford Jr. of Fenelton, president; Rick Oesterling of Butler, vice president; Chris Haney of Pittsburgh, secretary; Ken Crawford Sr. of East Brady, treasurer
Meetings: The Butler County chapter's next meeting will be at 4 p.m. Sept. 17 at the County Line Tavern, 399 County Line Road, Fenelton.
Info: www.atvtraction.org.