Our April 30 ride has been moved to May 7th due to weather and trail conditions.

Let’s get rolling!  A big Hello to the motorized community of Manitoba. The beginning  of our riding season is quickly approaching, so now is the time to ensure that you are really ready. Get your tune-up done, whatever that means for you. At minimal, change your oil, clean or replace the air filter, and check your tires and tire pressure. Remember to order or pick up a new helmet, goggles, gloves, rainwear, or any other supplies you might need. Plan ahead now and prepare for the season, in order to  really enjoy the full experience of being out in the middle of nowhere.

I want to thank everyone who has joined, or will be joining any motorized off-road club in Manitoba. The organized motorized off-road community is the only non-profit trail organization in Manitoba that is completely self-sustaining.

The non-motorized trail organizations are provincially funded by Trails Manitoba and have recently received millions and because of this endowment fund, they are able to  access money as they see fit. Unfortunately, Trails Manitoba does not  support motorized trail organizations. We are aware that another ATV organization applied to Trails Manitoba and was denied funding.  It seems that the off-road community gets the cold shoulder from the Province of Manitoba. If you have any questions as to why, please write to your provincial MP’s and ask them.

The trails & trail systems require significantly more funding in order to properly manage the official ATV Multi Use trails in Manitoba. Eastman ATV and other ORV organizations are committed to making it safer. Because the province is resistant in providing  funding, we do what we can to raise funds: every membership counts. The following  link  will allow you access membership to Eastman ATV. https://eastmanatv.com/product/membership-2022 

Eastman ATV has sent out the Ride Schedule for 2022. All members will begin getting  separate emails entitled “Eastman ATV Ride Update ” which will provide specific information about each ride including any revisions or updates made to the scheduled rides. These emails will also inform members of other events supported by the club. This year we have added additional Rides with a different format. They are intended for youth; slower paced and shorter in length than regular rides. We also plan to have an educational component to the ride. As always, more information will be sent  before the rides.

ATV Ride for Mom is a go, register online https://eastmanatv.com/product/2022-ride-for-mom-registration It’s going to be an Epic Ride taking place on June 4th. Signs leaving Marchant will direct you to the registration site, which opens at 9AM. The Ride itself, starts at 10:00 AM (a soft start)

We are pleased to inform you that we have our largest board and RFM committee ever. This  allows all volunteer tasks to be more manageable, however we still need  a T-Shirt person willing to take on the garments.

Eastman ATV members and friends of Eastman ATV, join me in saying thank you to these generous people who give their time and energy to ensure our ATV experience is the best it can be.  A big “Thank You” to the volunteers who have stepped up to the board, and the various additional positions in the last year. 

Thank You

Don C. Eidse
President Eastman ATV Association

Thank you for your time today, please plan on attending Eastman ATVs AGM

When: Saturday April 9, 2022 10 AM

Where: Le Club Les Bles Dor 1254 Dawson Rd.  Lorette Mb.

Why: An AGM  is a required part of our constitution, and an opportunity for members to be involved in the process. Our last AGM  did not have enough members attending to make quorum so this year we have to approve 2 years.  I expect it was because it was at the end of the season instead of the beginning due to COVID.  Please take some time out of your Saturday April 9th day so your club can continue.

You need to be a member in good standing to be elected to the board or to vote at the AGM. (Member in good standing means you have paid this years membership)

Please email me back that you plan on attending at info@eastmanatv.com  so I can be sure I have enough people to make quorum. Looking forward to seeing you there, come meet your fantastic board.

Membership

The link below will allow you to easily obtain a membership.  $50 online today will help protect your trail riding tomorrow; please join.

https://eastmanatv.com/product/membership-2022 

Thank you!
Don C. Eidse
President

Big Year Ahead * Reboot – Ride for Mom *  Regular Family Rides * Leisure Family Rides

Eastman ATV 2022 Features

• ATV Ride for Mom: is  currently the 2nd largest ATV event in Western Canada . It’s a  big year for re-booting  the RFM, up to 800 riders expected!
• Full ride schedule for regular Family Ride Schedule  (Schedule to be out in March )
• Addition of trial Leisure Family Rides Schedule, intended for youth or individuals who prefer a slower paced ride.
  • Along with being a shorter ride and route; it will be a bit of an info ride, with a variety of topics covered on each ride, more on that to follow.
  • We are having a trial of 4 scheduled Leisure Family Rides for 2022. These rides will be on the same day and location as our Regular Family Ride only with a different start time and route. This is a trial for this year, to support a wider range of members. Your membership, attendance and feedback will determine its success.
• ATV updates, Club updates, Membership package – Trail Pass /  Club Membership decal(s), 5 year and 10 year club member decal, & ATVMB decal.
• Eastman ATV AGM –  to be sure you have the opportunity to guide your club’s direction.  
• Club merchandise, –  to share the Eastman ATV enthusiasm of the enjoyable people in our club.
• October Club Windup  – A great time, Steak Spud and a Bud, good times!
• In purchasing a $50 membership, you are showing that you support organized trail building and maintenance in Manitoba.
  • Being part of a club is the only way we have a voice; please join today!

Membership

Hello Eastman ATV, our membership is off to a good start for 2022. A number have re-joined already. Remember, every membership counts to double our club money with grant money used for trail maintenance. Please continue to support Eastman ATV, and if you have not joined a club, please do! Your support really makes a difference! Now is the time to join. The link below will allow you to easily obtain a membership.

Please show your support for building trails, maintaining trails, and of course, enjoying big loops and main connections of trail riding. $50 online today will help protect your trail riding tomorrow; please join.
https://eastmanatv.com/product/membership-2022 

Eastman ATV is growing every year. If you have missed a few years we encourage you to come back. Read below: we want this organization to be what you want it to be. Come help guide your club into the super club it’s becoming. 

Volunteers

Some ATV organizations have had challenges because of Covid. Eastman ATV has had challenges too, but we are increasing in numbers and expect further growth this year. As we expand, we recognize we need some talented people to help us.  Come and be a part of a successful team, driven by a consensus board, that makes it work well. We have asked for help with IT and we have very skilled volunteers. We asked for a photo/ video support person and now have a member who stepped up. Thank you Eastman ATV, What a very impressive community of support we have here!

I have one other request for help; regarding merchandise, like T-shirts, hoodies and hats.  The role  could easily be divided into three parts depending on who wants to do what.

Person 1.) Distribution of sales, collection of payments. All offline at rides you attend.

Person 2.) Taking orders, keeping track of all orders and monies collected.

Person 3.) Managing  online stores for garments. The division of roles is very flexible. This could be one person who does it all, or two people who split it ,or  three people, as mentioned above.  

Manitoba Outdoor Show March 11-13, 2022

ATVMB will be attending and EATV will be there supporting ATVMB in addition to promoting Eastman ATV. We will keep you posted on the others.

1)Manitoba Outdoors Show – March 11-13th (Limited Space Available)
https://www.johnpeterevents.com/manitoba-out-door-show

2) The Great Outdoors Expo – April 30 – May 1st – Lac Du Bonnet
https://greatoutdoorsexpo.ca

3) Interlake Outdoors Show – September 10 – 11th – Arborg
https://www.interlakeoutdoorsshow.ca/

Today is the day to join Eastman ATV https://eastmanatv.com/product/membership-2022 

Hello to all ATV, SxS, and trail bike, or ORV  people! Unless you have tracks or a sled, about the only thing ATV you can do is look at videos. While you are there, join a n ATV club.  Actually I am able to plow my driveway, it’s fun, challenging, fun.

A decision regarding the fate of this year’s “Eastman ATV Ride for Mom” will be made on March 1st, 2022. We will update you, the following day, and let you know if the ride is a “go” for June 4th.

I am happy to say my request to obtain an “IT” person  for Eastman ATV was answered. A big thank you to everyone who stepped up.  We are now stronger than ever and very fortunate to have talented volunteers working on our website and backend of the store, which allows us to do the billing for large events like the RFM.

(Volunteer required*) “2022 Eastman ATV Photo / Video Director”

Taking photos or videos on our rides and events, so far, has been a “hit and miss” ; on some occasions we have a lot of photos and on some we don’t have any. We need a better approach, which is why I’m looking for a volunteer willing to help our club and take on the role as “2022 Eastman ATV Photo / Video Director”. Responsibilities would be to manage, edit, direct, organize and coordinate with both club members and friends of the club regarding photo opportunities. The club will also be working with professional drone videographers, so a volunteer who would feel comfortable helping out in this manner and look forward to embracing this opportunity would be of great benefit to the club.

This is a big task, and will take up some of your free time. Ideally the candidate would become the contact person for  members to send in their photos or videos. Having a coherent collection of photos and videos, would allow us to show more of our rides and events for our website, social media and events. The photo director would also be working with new or existing board members. Please let me know if you are interested, or have any questions.
Call Don E. – cell 204.558.5690

*This position does not need to be limited to one person. Perhaps it would work to have different tasks delegated to different individuals? If so, it is something we can discuss together. Please talk, text, or email me. The position has the potential to be quite enjoyable, while capturing some great moments in history.

We have the rough draft for our Eastman ATV 2022 Ride Schedule and will have the final out in February. In addition to the regular ride,a slower paced young family ride will be offered on the same day; a shorter ride,with more stops, and a slower pace. As this group may have some less experienced riders, we want to bring safety even more to the forefront. All safety and legal practices will be reviewed and  followed to enjoy the safest of rides.

Registration for 2022 Eastman ATV Membership  is open
Go to   https://eastmanatv.com/product/membership-2022-2   
Please join and support your riding area.

Membership has increased from $45 to $50. I don’t think anyone thinks this is unjustified, if you do please let me know. All of our club costs have doubled, and in some cases,more than doubled. The additional five dollars this year is necessary and reasonable. I understand we have a large number of members who support us with membership for trail maintenance. Many ride with their own groups and times, and out of respect for that, we need to keep the increase prudent. 

We are  incredibly grateful for the many members that support us by purchasing memberships. We use the majority of membership dues to be matched dollars in grants. EATV wants to be known for taking care of great trails. We are all part of that, thank you!

Best wishes for the New Year for all, Happy New Year to you and your families. I hope you were able to spend time together and see friends and loved ones. My family brings to mind my ATV family, and the many friends we all have in each other. Eat well, enjoy those around you, and we can all look forward to seeing each other in the 2022 riding season.

2022 Eastman ATV memberships are available online, sales are now open for the 2022 riding season. Due to ongoing increase in our costs we are increasing membership dues to $50. Membership is now open and we have already had a few members sign up to test the system, all is working. We are early, I know the club will grow a little more this year, so It’s good to start rebuilding our membership so we can make the best ride plan for the year. We will again provide a full ride season schedule with locations and dates for the year. 

Give a friend or relative the gift of membership,  we have exciting announcements on offering additional  rides styles, stay tuned.

With another ATV season behind us, I hope everyone was able to get out with your riding group, and enjoy some great ATV experiences. Fortunately, there were a substantial  number of good days that permitted backwoods travel after being closed all summer. The Eastman ATV Ride Schedule had many challenges. First, we had to deal with COVID and group size. Scheduling became a real scramble and required a lot of planning. Following COVID guidelines required us to split the group into two to meet group meetings outdoors regulation. A second challenge was the fire ban, which was in place for part of June, all of July and Aug. Once again, we were fortunate to be able to reschedule in September and provide members with a new ride schedule. We had 30 machines or more for all rides with some over 60. All rides were scheduled to take place on different routes. We rode  mostly what seemed easy routes for most this past year. The water level being so low this year allowed different riding. The bottom line is the  Ride Crew worked hard and delivered a full ride season!   Thank you Ride Crew!!!

Eastman ATV had its 2nd Annual Steak & Spud Windup at the Lorette Hotel. It was a fantastic success! A big thank you to everyone who attended, and a special “thank you” to all the companies that donated all the great door prizes! At the 1st Windup we sold 80 tickets. This year we sold 140 tickets and raised $5,200. for Eastman ATV. WOW! It turned out extremely well, better than imagined. I hope next year we can lose the masks and mingle after all the prizes have been handed out. Thanks again to Roland Fillion for putting this event together, and, the rest of the team, for helping out. So nice to see so many good friends.

Sled season is here, so our trails are closed. There are many riders who ATV year around. For instance, in Quebec the winter ATV season is bigger than the summer ATV season! Someday it would be nice to have our own snow groomer for ATV trails. Nothing wrong with dreaming! 

Seasons Greetings & have a great December

Hello Eastman ATV, and Friends of Eastman ATV in the Manitoba ORV community. I hope you have enjoyed your offroad experiences this year. The dry conditions put a halt on riding for July and Aug. Equipment was in short supply, for some models, making it a challenging summer to start to ride. Regardless of that, more and more people are enjoying their SxS or ATV, by getting out for the day with friends and/or family. It’s nice to see the growth of the ORV community in a safe family oriented environment.

The weather turned around in September, and fortunately Eastman ATV was able to reschedule the lost summer rides to the Fall.The Fall ride dates provided a full schedule of rides, less one. With the hard work of the Ride Crew, we had our last ride of the season this past Saturday.The weather was perfect. Without any rain or dust, the ride was very enjoyable in the Belair Forest.

Shannon Blair answered Eastman ATVs call for IT help. Shannon is now the administrator for both Eastman and RFM websites and will take over all the tasks required in  running our site.. Shannon and Ryan are also joining our ATV Ride for Mom Committee. Thank you Shannon & Ryan!

Membership with the Eastman ATV community, provides opportunities to enjoy riding the trails with a friendly, sociable group of people. Our rides are rain or shine, except for freezing rain. Otherwise, we ride in all types of weather. It has been a rich year of experiences, on and off the trail with Eastman. I have developed new friendships and along with my old friends,we have enjoyed this riding season. Because of our ride schedule and the ability to follow Eastman ATV on Facebook, we have a record number of memberships.

Currently, we are in hunting season, so consider waiting until December to ride. If you are intending to ride, for safety reasons, consider wearing bright colors, not camo.

The ATV Ride for Mom has had its kick off meeting, the event is scheduled for June 4th 2022. We are looking for a few people to lead. Donations, Media, Photo / Videographer, and Parking are four positions that we need help with.