Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

• An in-dBPth mport on thB StaIB 01 Idaho's nBI programs lor on-road vBhiclBS and thBir VBI1 SPBcial administrator, Chuck WBlis - / " By Marty Grego ry The problem Testate h '- Teman h I The bills While the state of Idaho may not have as many people as most other states, there is a rather large number of residents in the state who do ride motorcycles. Those who don't ride bikes (as well as a lot of those who do) may drive a snowmobile ill the winter or a four-wheel-drive throughout the year. Idaho is an outdoor recreation-oriented state and it's only natural, therefore, that various cl ubs and groups have made it their business to see that their favorite activities get a fair shake as fa r as government recr ea tion funds are concerned. 16 The first step toward equality in spending for bike riders was t he result of lots of vocalization on the part of t he I.M .A . (Idaho Motorcyclists Associatio n) in particular Kent Lamberson and Joh n M. Larsen. The I.M.A., with the support of its membership, who comprise a large num ber of the " th inking" bikers in the state, was instrumental in the passage of House Bill 514 which made specific provisions for the establishment of a "stickie" fund fo r the benefit of the riders. It's interesting to note that this bill an d the resulting fund was not the result of an imposed tax but rather the wishes of the motorcyclists who wan ted Motorcyclists have long borne th e brunt of harsh criticism f rom various govemment agencies and private interests for their sometimes, unc ertain role in the continuing damage of public and private propert y and even ecological sabotage. While pressure from motorcycle (and other OR V) groups has been applied to try and get th e gov emment to rem edy th e situation through th e use of OR V-contributed tax money, th e "oth er side" has always see med to win out because of more support , more fri ends in high places and th e general belief that all motorcyclists must be eithe r Marlon Brando or carburetor cowboy stereotypes. Idaho, while relatively small in population, has recently develop ed two programs for th e specific benefit of th e motorcyclist, th e snowmobiler and the four-wh eeler. Thes e programs are the result of two legislative bills and th e conscientious efforts of several en light en ed groups and individuals. Even more remarkable than the legislation itself is th e appointment of a genuine bik e racer (A nd a damn fast on e!) to administer th e funds and make provisions for th e establishment of trails, parks, riding areas, etc. Chuck Wells is ~m employee of th e Idaho State Department of Parks and Recreation and now holds the uniqu e job of State Off-Road Vehicle Planner. Chuck races desert and cross-country events regularly, has be en a semi-sponsored trials rider for Pabatco and has even raced motocross against th e likes ofJim Pom eroy. His vast exp erience in th e fields of park management and planning, coupled with his love of all forms of motorized recreation, give Chuck Wells a very special insight into th e problems confronting th e use of OR Vs and th e solutions. The establishment of these programs through a legitimate and fair means of funding and th e appointment of a man of Wells' exp erience and enthusiasm presents bikers and other OR V factions in th e State of Idaho with an unparalleled opportunity in a nation where motorcyclists are generally stepped on first and asked qu estions later. to have a fund to work from. The cost of .the sticker is $3 per year, renewable yearly, and is administered by the various county automobile licensing bureaus. Of that $3, 25¢ goes to the county for administrative costs, 40¢ goes into the state motor vehicle fund an d $2.35 goes into the Off-Road Motorbike Fund (as established by H.B. 514). This fund taxes only machines which are not licensed for street use or strictly for racing. In other words, if you ride on public lands (off the road), you need a stickle, This fund has, at present, some $9,000 in it and the re is a six-man advisory panel made up of motorcyclists from around the state who have set up guidelines and funding procedures. No money has been used from the fund yet, but there are several projects in the works including a request from the [.M.A. for the establishment of access areas and repair of bike-caused damage on the Boise Front (the foothill and mountain area just north of the city limi ts). An other project in the offing could be a request from the city of Payette, some 60 miles west of Boise , for " finan cin g a cycle park in cooperation with the city government. Neither of these proposals has been acted on yet and there may be the possibility of additional funding assistance from the latest (and most promising) ORV fund which originated with House Bill 255. Set up by the 1973 Idaho Legis lature, H.B. 255 sets aside one percent of the state gasoline tax for the direct benefit of off-road vehicles. The legislature recognizes three factions as ORV 's: motor cy cles, snowmobiles and four-wheel-drives. There is an advisory bo ard comp o sed of lead ing representatives of each of these groups from thro ughout the state to set up basic guidelines and procedures and to insure that each faction gets its proper share of the monies. While one percent of the gas tax may no t so und like m uch, the bill limits the fund to $300 ,000 per year and, with gasoline sales maintaining a fairly stable leve l, there should be no trouble reaching the maximum amount every year. This per year bus iness translates out t o mean that if onl y $100,000 (for example) is spent during the first year, then there would still be $200,000 left in the fu nd and another $300 ,000 would be added the next year. Any overage in the fund (any amoun t of the one percent over $300,000 each year) would revert into the Parks and Recreation Departme nt's capital improvement fund . In a nutshell, the O RV fund can pretty much c ou n t on getting $300,000 per year and, if they do n't spe n d the entire amou nt, could build up quite a substantial treasury within a few years. The bill made provisions for an administrator to oversee the fundi ng and get the monies distributed for the proposed projects. After going through the various applications, Mr. Chuck Wells, the manager of Idaho's Heyburn State Park, was selected fo r the job. Chuck's p osition within the Parks and Recreation Department and his knowledge an d active participation in all three phases of off-road sport m ade him a natural for t he spot and the bike riders, snowmobilers and four-wheelers co uldn't have a better man in charge of their new-found state support pro gram. The legislati o n was originally presented by Vern Ravenscroft (R) an d became a law on J uly I, 1974. H.B. 255 is the first really significant (dollar-wise] step toward more state government involvem ent in off-road recreational vehicle activities and, coupled with t he "stickie fund," give s Idaho;' b ike riders something very substantial to work with to improve their playgrounds and establish new ones. Unlike the private enterprise cycle p ar ks which abo und in other parts of the co untry , Idaho's .' riding areas will be open to everyone an d there will be no admittance charged for their use! We have but to wait a Ii ttle lo nger t o see new trail areas, cycle parks and playgrounds which will not only be a boon to the riders, but will keep ORV's away fr om private land and promote a healthier situation for all co ncerned. I A talk with Chuck CN: What pro jecu do you have lined up at present, Chuck? CW: Well, we're just getting finished with our guidelines for the application procedures. We have a couple of preliminary requests from snowmobile clubs for a "trail groomer." This is a machine made by Bombardier which packs a nice trail and costs around $25,000. We have heard of requests from groups in other parts of the state , but we haven 't seen them as of yet. I recently to ured an area south of Twin Falls where there 's a preliminary request for $25,000 for the construction of trails, restrooms, parking areas, warming sheds and whatnot for winter use by snowmobilers and summer use by bikes and four-wheelers. The Forest Service has a real good plan for developmen t of the area and we're exci ted about th e prospects of setting up an area which will accommodate all t hree groups of ORV's. CN: Once all of the procedure guide lines get set up and you can begin pub licizing your program a little more, what type of situ at ion will you be looking for as far as th e motorcycl ists are concerned? CW: We should be able to establish trailheads, staging areas, etc. where the riders can unload their mach ines and begin a ride. We'd like to have re stroorns, parking areas, unloading ramps and this sort of thing set up for the trail rider. We are also interested in a certain amount of trail construction and maintenance such as signing, repair of damaged trails and this sort of th ing.

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