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The Daily Times in Erie Pa. reports:
The annual off-road motorcycle and ATV charity
poker run that turns the small town of Cochranton
Pa. into the ATV capitol of the world for one
week of each year will not be held in 2002.
Allegheny Highlands board member
Fred Neff says: We are taking a year off, and
don't know if it will return. The awesome turnout
in the last few years have overwhelmed organizers
and and it has been very hard to get enough
volunteers to put it on. It is a shame because
the event put thousands of dollars into the
local economy, not to mention the 80,000 dollars
that went to charities this year.
Held the first Saturday of April,
the ATV event has attracted thousands of riders
in recent years, becoming the largest event
of its kind in the United States. Major ATV
manufactures and trade organizers have signed
on as supporters of the event, and participants
from across the country and overseas.
This year marked the 12th annual
Cochranton Poker Run with just under 7000 registered
riders. "It is so big we are running out of
help" Neff said. In 1989 there the first run
received about 100 bike and ATV entries.
The association was cited in
1999 and 2000 by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
commission for pollution and disturbance of
waterways as a result of ATV's riding through
streams and waterways. Following the 2000 run,
environmental agency's conducted a review and
recommended that a more comprehensive permitting
process that included a state Department of
Environmental Protection review. The association
did hire an engineer for the 2001 run. There
were no environmental violations this year,
but the permit requirements, the trail placement
and maintenance, made it a "big hassle" Neff
said. If the event comes back, it may be scaled
down to reduce the workload, the number of problems,
and the number of volunteers needed. Mr. Neff
goes on to say: "we figured we would let it
go at least a year, and see about bringing it
back. We just don't know yet"
My 2 cents: Having been to the last 2 Cochranton
Poker Runs, I did wonder how long it would or
could last! The event is awesome and a handful
to control at best. But I always did wonder
exactly why they don't pay their people to help
out. I mean, if anyone deserves to get paid,
these people do, as they put countless hours
into trail design, the actual building of the
3 trails, registration, etc. I suspect there
is a government agency telling why they cannot
pay, and I do understand that the charities
will be hurt the most. This is where I put my
plug in for the ATVA (www.atvaonline.com)
All ATV riders should join the ATVA as this
is "OUR" biggest source for help in fighting
for our rights to ride. Please join!
Jack Moore
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