Current Newsletter

Current

EOATVA

Newsletter

BARBER’S BLURB NOVEMBER 2011

MERA

Rob, Dick and I replaced the stove pipe on the cabin Saturday (Oct 29). I can’t believe there wasn’t a bigger mess inside the cabin after seeing the size of the hole in the roof. It shouldn’t leak now.

We are still plugging away on the trail to the west of the parking lot. Sean says he is going to get the kids from RiverBend for a few more days this fall, and will get them to spend some time plucking boulders out of the trail and probably working on cleaning up the new section of ATV trail.

It looks like the logging is about done. At least I don’t see many logs still decked, just piles of slash and a major mess everywhere.

As I’ve mentioned before, we need to get a cultural study done on most of the area on top of MERA in order to be able to build any new trail. What I don’t understand, is that no study is required to log the area. This whole area has been logged multiple times, including once just a couple of years ago, and then this year it is being torn up with log landings, slash piles and roads again. Yet if we want to build a 2 foot wide trail, we can’t do it without checking for historical artifacts. Such is the absurdity of government bureaucracies.

BRESHEARS

We did our fall maintenance on Breshears, Sunday October 16. It looked like it was going to be a wet day, but the rain had pretty much stopped by the time we got up on the mountain. We had a small turn out, only 5 people, but we got it done. Thanks to Ray, Chester, Dick and Rob for helping.

Firearms and ATV’s

This last legislative session Oregon changed its law pertaining to carrying firearms on ATV’s and snowmobiles. The new law is that you can not have a live cartridge in the chamber of a firearm, except with a revolver there can be no live cartridge in the chamber that is aligned with the hammer, and a muzzle-loading firearm cannot be capped or primed. This, in my opinion, make a lot more sense than the previous law. I believe the text of the law is found in SECTION 6. ORS 821.240.

Youth Safety Training

As most of you are aware, as of January 1, 2012, Oregon will require all ATV and motorcycle riders under the age of 16 to have completed a hands-on training course. Currently the only place I am aware of to receive ATV certification is in Wallowa County through Outlaw Motorsports. However, for motorcycle certification, the closest location is Morrow County.

Oregon Motorcycle Riders Association (OMRA) has taken on the task of developing a hands on course for motorcyclists between the ages of 6 through 15, and is working to make that training available state wide. They are looking to set up a program or programs to serve Union, Wallowa and Baker counties.

MERA has set aside an area to be developed for and used as an ATV and motorcycle training area. Once that is developed, there will be a need for an instructor or instructors to teach the classes. Along those lines, David Beede from OMRA, who is heading up this effort, is going to try and attend this months meeting to explain the details of the program and what will be involved.

I know there are a number of youths out there that are in need of this training, and right now it is not available locally. Anyone interested in finding out more about this program should plan to attend this months meeting.