Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

~~-----=--Happe ningS~-:-:----in Motorcycling Two Wheel!!! Dr Four, Lending A Helping Hand ern Ca lifornia, boasting about 70,000 visitors a year. The "Trough Fire" caused significant damage to trees, vegetation and the infrastructure of the site. Recreation activities in the area include motorcycie/AlV riding, four-wheeling, horseback riding, backpacking, biking, hang gliding, water activities and camping . More than 80 volunteers from the local community, four-wheel-drive clubs, motorcycle clubs, hang-gliding clubs, GM and Tread Lightly! employees and various charitable organizations gathered to launch t he initiative and participate in a day-long treeplanting and cleanup event hosted by the Blue Ribbon Coalition, a national nonprofit orga nization that promotes and protects responsible off-highway recreation . The nationa l nonprofit organization Tread Light ly! and Ge neral Motors' HUMMER division have announced a new initiative aimed at repairing damage caused by the 200 I "Tro ugh Fire" at the North Fork Campground in the Mendocino Nationa l Forest. The organizations have committed over $20,000 to assist with the rehabi litation of the area and are expected to complete the project be fore the end of the summer. The project is part of HUMMER Helps, an ongoing initiative with Tread Lightly!'s Restoration for Recreation pro gram aimed at promoting socially responsible motorcycle, AlV and four-w heeling by enhancing recreational areas and ed ucating the public about responsible out door use . HUMMER and Tread Lightly! launched the new initiative at a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday at the North Fork Campground near Californ ia's Sacramento Valley. "The North Fork area is crucial to Northern California's recreational community," said Mike DiGiovanni, HUMMER general manager. "This initiative will he lp repair significant damage caused by the fire and restore basic resources tha t support the act ivities that make this site so pop ular. We're proud to be part of such a worthy effort that not on ly benefits the four-wheeling community, but outdoor enthusiasts of every kind." The North Fo rk Campground is a vital component of the Fout Springs Off-Highway Vehicle recreation complex, one o f the most popular OHV destinations in North- 104 APRIL 28 , 2004 • CYCLE NEWS The four-month restoration project is scheduled for completion in late August and will involve: cons truction of a new Americans with Disabilities Act-approved restroom facility with a barrier-free walkway, removal of fire-ravaged hazardous trees and revegetation, reconstruction of the pedestrian SWimming/fishing access tra il, replacing area picnic tables , and construction of an interpretive bulletin board emphasizing responsi ble outdoor recreation. "O ur momentum with our Restoration for Recreation program is surging," said Lori Davis, Tread Lightly! 's executive dire cto r. "The North Fork project will mark a major victory in our quest to help alleviate the backlog of needed maintenance on some of the nation's favorite rec reational sites ." Don Amador, western representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition , said, "I'm proud that the HUMMER Helps grants program and Tread Lightly! have stepped up to the plate and are helping the Mendocino Nat ional Forest restore this important recreation site in Northern California. I think it shows HUMMER's commitme nt to champi on responsible use and care of our public lands." Last October, Tread Lightly! received a $ 100 ,000 endowment from HUMMER to signify the launch of HUMMER Helps . The endowment is administered as a grant, giving initiative to select outdoor enthusiast clubs who are Tread Lightly! members and have pinpointed recreational areas in need. The HUMMER Helps program was created to recognize HUMMER owners who have utilized their vehicle 's capabi lity for acts of humanity, and to sustain t he lands where outdoor enthusiasts enjoy offhighway activities . 40th Anniv ersary ~ :J ~ go ~ ~ § 8 ~ ~ "-

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