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By Robert Janis
Vermont All-Terrain
Vehicle Sportsman’s Association Support for
Vermont ATVers Established by Law
No one can deny the scenic beauty that is
omnipresent in the state of Vermont. People who
favor outdoor recreation are attracted to the
green mountains of the state which have a number
of trails that are ideal for hiking and ATV
riding. So it should come to no one’s surprise
that ATV enthusiasts in the state of Vermont are
represented by a state association.
The Infrastructure
Established in 1998, the Vermont All-Terrain
Vehicle Sportsman’s Association was the
offspring of the West Rutland (Vermont) ATV
Sportsman’s Club. The club realized that there
was a need for a state association that could
serve as a touchstone and to provide leadership
for ATV recreation. Its infrastructure is
modeled after the Vermont Association of Snow
Travelers which relies on local clubs and their
volunteers as its foundation.
The first thing VASA did was to begin
planning and then take steps to implement the
plans and manage the creation of ATV trail
systems in the state. In 1999 the association
successfully lobbied the Vermont state
legislature for a law that funded VASA’s plan
for constructing a trail system. And by the end
of 2002 a Board of Directors for the
organization was formed. The board established
the group’s policies and procedures and created
a number of committees to execute them. During
this process the association recognized the need
for further action within the state legislature
and hired a prominent Vermont law firm to assist
them in their lobbying efforts.
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A full time executive director was hired in
the beginning of 2004 to do the administrative
work and to attend meetings of state agencies
and private groups that would make decisions
that in any way would influence ATV enthusiasts.
The director also develops working relationships
with public and private recreational committees,
helps create local clubs that serve as the
foundation of the association and implements and
enhances management controls.
In late 2004 the association hired an outside
consultant to advise, guide and assist VASA in
representing the group’s interest with the
various state agencies and to lobby the state’s
legislature.
In 2005 VASA hired a full time Trails
Coordinator to manage the statewide mapping
programs and to assist the local clubs, land
owners and others in the development and
management of VASA trails.
The executive director of VASA is Dan Hale.
Hale has been involved with VASA in many
capacities beginning as vice president, then
president of the board of directors. In 2005 he
was hired as a full time employee to serve as
trails coordinator and gave him the opportunity
to work on many issues that he had dealt with
when he was a volunteer. He was named executive
director of VASA in 2006.
Today there are 18 local clubs throughout
Vermont that provide support for the state
organization. Each club has a representative on
the VASA board of directors. Moreover, the
existence of VASA is mandated by state law which
calls on the organization to enter into
agreements with the Agency of Natural Resources
and the Department of Forests, Parks and
Recreation and to manage the statewide ATV
trails. The law also provides funding for VASA
from money raised through the registration of
ATVs and through payment of citations for ATV
related infractions and violations.
Other state laws also exist that mandates
VASA’s involvement in the implementation of
highway, recreation and fish and wildlife
regulations and also requires the association to
purchase liability insurance which allows the
trail system to exist on their land.
VASA encourages the local clubs to create
trail projects and provides funding on a grant
basis. Clubs interested in creating and managing
a project must gather details about the project
as well as cost estimates and provide the
information to VASA’s Trails Committee for
approval before funding is awarded.
VASA employs Steve McLeod and Frank Stanley to
lobby the state’s agencies and legislature
concerning laws favorable to ATV riders. A
former legislator, McLeod has been involved with
traditional Vermont sportsman’s and land use
organizations. He oversees the efforts of VASA
officers and staff to educate and bring to the
attention of the state government and community
the needs of the association as well as ATV
users in the state of Vermont.
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Member Involvement
There are 2000 members of VASA. They
are involved in the development and maintenance
of trails, serve as trail safety patrols, make
civic contributions to their communities,
participate in ATV publicity events such as
local parades, produce club newsletters,
contribute articles to the VASA newsletter,
respond to citizen complaints, serve as point
folks in landowner relations, ensure that law
enforcement is targeted where needed, and serve
as liaisons to the public and local authorities.
All of this action takes place under the
leadership and guidance of the leaders of the
local clubs with help from VASA when needed.
Realizing that its strength comes from the
local clubs, VASA is constantly involved with
the creation of more clubs within the state of
Vermont. The creation of a local club starts
with a local individual contacting VASA. Dan
Hale, executive director of VASA, then requests
the local contact to gather all interested local
club participants and Hale visits them with a
detailed guide on how to create and organize a
club. Hale continues to provide consultation to
the newly formed club to get it established and
functioning.
Any adult can become a member of VASA. Member
benefits include legal trail riding
opportunities. Programs in which VASA is
involved include trail construction and
maintenance, public relations to promote the
trails, rider ethics and education classes,
insurance, and assistance with local and
statewide problems. “Our central office’s
function is to create the foundation on which
the local clubs can successfully operate and to
work to remove barriers to making our sport
successful,” said Hale.
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Local Issues and a National Presence
According to Hale, the most urgent
issue concerning Vermont ATV riders is gaining
public acceptance. “The biggest concern is
winning public acceptance for our sport and
proving to the public that ATVing can
successfully co-exist with other forms of
recreation,” said Hale. “ATVing is a somewhat
misunderstood sport, at least in our state, and
is fighting for acceptance much like race cars
and motorcycles from earlier eras. The sky
didn’t fall when auto racing and motorcycles
were finally woven into our nation’s fabric and
it won’t fall when ATVs are also woven into the
fabric.”
Instead of achieving its goals by being
combative, VASA advocates cooperation. “We meet
with federal forest officials as needed as well
as with state and local officials,” said Hale.
“For example, Vermont recently adopted a 20-year
plan for the Green Mountain National Forest that
conceptually authorizes ATV connector trails. We
will work with Forest Service representatives as
needed for such projects.”
Moreover, VASA is involved nationally. For
example, Hale is the Associate State
Representative to the National Off-Highway
Vehicle Conservation Council and also seeks
technical advice from NOHVCC. He is also
directing VASA into a leading role along with
NOHVCC and other off-highway vehicle groups in
the state of Vermont to form a state OHV
Association to help deal with national issues.
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Website Used As Promotional and
Educational Tool
VASA has its own website. The site
includes a section called “Vermont Laws” which
includes in full all Vermont laws pertaining to
ATV ownership and use. The site also includes a
list and information about all 18 local clubs of
the association, a calendar of events that are
of interest to ATV riders, links to safety
organizations’ websites, a monthly newsletter
and links to news stories published by Vermont
newspapers that deal with ATV-related issues
including promotion of rides being organized by
local clubs and ATV racing events scheduled to
take place in the New England region. Also,
there is a section that exhibits plenty of
pictures of people just having fun riding their
ATVs.
For more information visit
http://www.vtvasa.org.
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