Del Albright

TO: All Cal4wheel members and prospective members FROM: Frank Funk, Convention Chair January 25, 2010 The California Association of 4Wheel Drive Clubs (CA4WDC) is heading into its second 50 years of service in the OHV arena with a special convention honoring our Armed Forces. We are only 3 weeks away from our 51st Annual Convention and we need you to sign up right away. The Convention Committee has been working very hard to put together a stimulating, informative and fun filled convention program. Allow me to give you an idea of what we have planned for you and tell you how easy it is to registered. The Convention kicks off Friday morning with a with a Tread Lightly Training seminar at 8 am (pre-registration required – see www.cal4wheel.com for more info). The Trade Show (4x4 vendors and MORE) will open at noon and be open until 5 pm on Friday. On Friday afternoon there will be BOD meeting from 1 – 5 pm. The Hospitality Room will open at 6:30 pm on Friday. In the Hos...

RUMBLING OF THUNDER A Whole New Sound in the Off-road World By Del & Stacie Albright, BlueRibbon Coalition The over-paid, seldom-right weather man spoke with such animation and excitement that you couldn’t help but get taken in by his rambling analysis of the on-coming weather pattern (from outer space). But he had me from hello when he mentioned the "rumbling of thunder” and how we would be hearing it for some time to come. I realized at that moment he had just described the new sound I’ve been hearing in the off-road skies – thunder! Thunder is the sound made by lightning, ranging from a sharp loud crack, to a long, low rumble. I don’t think there is any one reason for this “storm,” but rather a culmination of people getting fed up with unnecessary closures and restrictions. Can you see the lightning and hear the thunder? Read and download the article here: http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/rumbling_thunder.html ## Del

Friends of the Rubicon Contact: Jacquelyne "Bebe" Theisen Telephone: 530-888-8302 E-mail: bebehumr@gmail.com Auburn, CA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RUBICON TRAIL USERS OPPOSE PLAN Friends of the Rubicon fighting for Little Sluice and trail bypasses January 20, 2010; Placerville, CA. Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) asks for user support to change the future of the Rubicon Trail in El Dorado County. El Dorado County Department of Transportation (DOT) will present staff recommendations at a public meeting, January 26th, at 2pm in the County Board of Supervisors Board room. DOT Staff has published a recommended Route Recognition plan so that the Rubicon Trail in El Dorado County is defined as ordered by the California Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board's Clean up and Abatement Order issued to El Dorado County and the Eldorado National Forest Service last spring. Friends of the Rubicon is appreciative of the involvement of the Department of Transportation in working w...

BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC. NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Greg Mumm, BlueRibbon Coalition 208-244-2112 Date: January 22, 2010 FOREST SERVICE DENY APPEAL ON TELLICO POCATELLO, ID (January 22) - On January 15, 2010, Southern Region Deputy Regional Forester Jerome Thomas adopted the recommendation of the internal Appeal Reviewing Officer and denied the Upper Tellico OHV Area appeals submitted by the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA), United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA), and the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC). "We are disappointed but not surprised by this outcome," observed Jay Bird of the Rescue Tellico Committee and Past President of SFWDA. "This was a mandatory step in an ongoing process, and it would be unusual for an agency that has been for years locked in on the outcome of closing Tellico to reverse course at the last step of the administrative process," added Greg Mumm, BRC Executive Director. "We remain committed to restoring...

NOHVCC CREATES VIDEOS TO HELP RIDERS PROTECT TRAILS The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) has created a Public Land Advocacy Video Workshop series with help from Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. via their OHV Access Initiative, the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), the Specialty Vehicle Institute of American (SVIA), and the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA). The workshops are designed to give riders the skills they’ll need to keep trails open in their areas; covering everything who the enthusiasts are, planning a trail system, writing effective comments, moving forward from route designation, and much more. The series consists of 14 easy to watch sessions ranging from 15 to 30 minutes each. The content is based on NOHVCC’s successful onsite workshop sessions with NOHVCC topic experts. The sessions are designed to give the people who can’t participate in an on-site workshop or a webinar the tools they need to help keep their trails open. Russ Ehnes...

If you live within driving distance of Reno, NV, or will be in the area in mid March, here is a show not to miss.  I know the guy putting on this show and it promises to be fun and interesting. This has a little bit of everything for everyone who loves the outdoors. Check it out if you get a chance, and for sure be. International Motorsports & Recreation Expo March 12,13, & 14, 2010 Reno-Sparks Convention Center 4590 Virginia St., Reno, NV Fri. 3/12 noon to 7pm Sat. 3/13, 10am to 7pm Sun. 3/14 10m to 5pm Adults $10.00 Kids 12 and under free. This show is a great introduction to the sports and recreation lifestyle. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned RVer, a race car enthusiast or a fly fisherman, there will be something for you at the International Motorsports & Recreation Expo. There will be plenty of information for great travel destinations, fun-filled fishing excursions and much, much more! As an outdoor sports and recreation enthusiast, don’t miss this opp...

You can still support BlueRibbon and land use through our eBay auction. I just added two more goodies (re-listed one and upgraded the tire listing). BFGoodrich Tires just upped the ante – 5 tires, ANY size of the KM2’s, UP TO 42’s!!!! Dynatrac is still kicking in their new ProRock 44’s for JK’s. Don’t miss out on this deal if you’re in the market: http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=25971 All proceeds go to land use and helping things like the Eldorado Lawsuit and other legal issues affecting our trail, like Travel Management and USFS regulations – sooner or later these issues require national attention – and that be BRC. UP TO 42 x 14.50 R20. Dude!!! Bid now. Thanks, Del

The sports of motorized recreation are always under fire by folks who would rather watch TV and eat bon-bons than get behind or on a motor and have some real fun!  It seems no matter how responsible we are, how commited we are to keeping our OHV areas clean and maintained, or how passionate we make our pleas to the "other side," they just won't give up and leave us alone.  For them, it's never enough. So for these unreasonable people, our answer needs to be to get mean.  No more Mr. Nice Guy.  Now don't get me wrong; not everyone deserves our "ugly" response.  There are some good folks wanting to help us keep our environment healthy while maintaining our sports.  There are some good politicians who know we are the "real" environmentalists anyway.  But for those radical protectionists that still think closing us out is the only answer, we need to get "mad as hell."  This speech by Dave Pickett (AMA, Dist. 36) and Don Amador (BlueRibbon...

2010 KOH ECO Challenge -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Jeff Knoll, King of the Hammers 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers, eco challenge. In 2006 I challenged the Pirate board and the 4 wheeling community to clean up after the party at Potato salad hill in Moab during the Easter Jeep Safari. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...lean+challenge This year Hammerking Productions is throwing down a new challenge. The KOH ECO Challenge. Last year KOH generated an amazing amount of trash; we looked inside the massive dumpster and saw about 30 percent recyclable products. This year we are partnering with Land Use folks to attempt to shatter the mis-perception of Off-roaders and recycle as much of the trash as possible. Cal 4 wheel will provide containers for the recyclable items, and will manage the return. The money generated will benefit the fight to keep our lands open. All that we ask is that you separate your trash while attending the ...

BLUERIBBON COALITION BRC Announces Launch of New Website Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber, In keeping with our goals of making our communication more effective and, at the same time, giving things a fresh new look, we've been hard at work the past couple of months designing and implementing a brand new website. We rolled it out this morning and we are excited to have you see it. Stay tuned for more developments, as we are continuing to revise and fine-tune this work. Please take just a moment to visit www.sharetrails.org -- we think you'll like what you see. Check back often; we have plans for lots more good stuff to keep you informed this year. Thanks for your continued support, Greg Mumm Executive Director BlueRibbon Coalition

The 4405 MFS Race-a-Thon by Kurt Schnieder (playing Jerry Lewis) & Del Albright PLEDGE NOW to Benefit Land Use with the World's Largest Off-Road Race in the US For the King of the Hammers 2010, we are taking pledges to land-use organizations depending on how far the 4405 land-use buggy makes it in the race! Just like a pledge drive high school kids do at school for sports fundraisers!!  This is an awesome, hard-core desert and rock race, where only a few are left standing. 15,000 to 20,000 people could be on-hand to witness this event next month.  I plan to be there. YOU pick the amount pledged per mile and YOU pick the organization to donate too! Travis Carpenter (Rock Zombie) is our driver.  With title sponsor, Motorsports Fabrication Services (MFS), he's also a BFGoodrich Tires guy; with Yukon gears; a Powertank; Solid Axle dude, PRP seats, Vision X-Lights, Coast High Performance Racing Engines,  but mostly, he's a land use HERO.  He's ta...