Hey everyone!
The board at Eastman ATV have come to the conclusion that we need to purchase some equipment in order to continue to maintain and improve our trail system. We’ve started a gofundme and are hoping to get your support! Please consider donating and sharing this link to friends and family so we can reach our goal and help the club purchase a tractor so our volunteers can continue making our trail enjoyable by all!
This weekend (June10/11) @ Hilltop Resort! Please support this event if you can as they were gracious enough to move their date to support Ride For Mom! They’ve got tons of Cash Prizes and Trophies, and it’s always a good time!
May 18, 2018
FIRE BULLETIN #3
Manitoba Sustainable Development advises that recent rains and an improved weather forecast has allowed some burning restrictions to be lifted in southeast Manitoba, while some other restrictions still remain due to the high risk of fires.
For the eastern region, from PR 302 to the Ontario border and from the Trans-Canada Highway south to the U.S. border the daytime campfire restrictions have been lifted. Motorized backcountry travel restrictions remain in place.
In addition, backcountry travel restrictions have been added to the Porcupine Provincial Forest as well as the area bordered by Lake Winnipeg and Poplar River, east to the Ontario border and south to the Wanipigow River.
Campfire restrictions have been lifted in the south Whiteshell Provincial Park campgrounds (Caddy Lake, Falcon Beach, Falcon Lake-Lakeshore, Falcon Lake-Toniata Beach and West Hawk). Campfires in north Whiteshell Provincial Park campgrounds (Brereton Lake, Dorothy Lake, Nutimik Lake, Opapiskaw, Otter Falls and White Lake) are still restricted to burning between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Be sure to check with the local campground office for the latest information.
All other travel and fire restrictions remain in place. A list of parks with campfire restrictions can be found at www.manitobaparks.com. Visitors to provincial parks should check with park staff for the most up-to-date information.
A map of the areas affected and a detailed description of the provincial fire and travel restrictions can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/sd/fire/Restrict
For further general information on fire status, maps, burning permit cancellations or other restrictions go to www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire or follow the Twitter account at www.twitter.com/mbgovnews.
For additional information on these restrictions, contact the nearest Manitoba Sustainable Development office. To report a wildfire, call 911 or the toll-free T.I.P. line at 1-800-782-0076.
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April 30, 2018
FIRE BULLETIN #1
Manitoba Sustainable Development advises that a number of travel restrictions have been put into place and burning permits remain cancelled for the eastern and central regions of Manitoba due to dry, windy conditions and the high risk of fires.
Travel restrictions are in place for much of southeast Manitoba, from Lake Winnipeg and the Wanipigow River south to the U.S. border, and from PR 302, PTH 12, PR 317, PTH 59 and PR 319 all the way to the Ontario border. Restrictions are also in place in the Mars Hill Wildlife Management Area. Back-country travel in these areas is only allowed between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Any essential required travel outside of these hours will require a permit until further notice. Burning permits are cancelled, but campfires in approved firepits are allowed, and propane or electric grills can be used for cooking.
Local municipalities may also implement burning bans or fire restrictions. Check with local municipal offices or visit www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire/
For further general information on the fire status, maps, restrictions, burning permit cancellations or other restrictions go to www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire or follow the Twitter account at www.twitter.com/mbgovnews.
For additional information on these restrictions, contact the nearest Manitoba Sustainable Development office. To report a wildfire, call 911 or the T.I.P. line (toll-free) at 1-800-782-0076.
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For more information:
Join fellow riders on June 9 in the Sandiland Provincial Forest
by Jeff Johnson |Riders West
Members of the Eastman ATV Association at the 2017 Ride for Mom.— Deborah Nicol photo
For the past two years, the Eastman ATV Association has raised funds for Cancer Care Manitoba through its Ride for Mom event.
Association president David Lee is hoping the event has another successful year on June 9, beginning at the Eastman ATV staging area in the Sandiland Provincial Forest.
“It is our third year, and we are changing the format a little bit this year,” Lee said. “We are trying to streamline it for the ridership and also make it a little easier on our volunteers.”
How it all began
Lee praised the efforts of the event’s founder, Deborah Nicol, who led the charge for the ORV event’s first two years, raising over $20,000 in the process.
“She was inspired by the Ride for Dad event for prostate cancer research for males and asked, ‘Why isn’t there a Ride for Mom?’ She did a fantastic job of bringing this event into creation and reality,” Lee said. “This year, she is taking a break. It’s a lot of work and a lot of responsibility with time constraints. She stepped back, so the club as a group decided to keep the event going in her honour.”
Lee, along with other organizers with the Eastman ATV Association, felt it was important to carry on Nicol’s legacy and keep the project going.
“She was personally affected by this, and it’s very close to her heart to see this event go on,” Lee said. “Not just her . . . people actually attend this ride for many reasons. A lot of people have family that have been affected by this disease. They may have been personally affected. It gives them a platform to raise money for the cause.”
Lee said all money raised from this event will stay in Manitoba. He adds that everyone who takes part in the event is in for a great ride.
“You’ll be taken on a 89-kilometre (55-mile) ride on marked trails, and on this trail, there will be different types of terrain like gravel, forest trail to a little bit of road and you may have a little bit of water, depending on the type of year we get,” Lee said. “We do have a gravel space area that you can transfer a bit of water safely without having an impact on the environment.”
He said Ride for Mom is open to all ages and gives the entire family an opportunity to support the cause.
“It’s a family-oriented ride, nothing too aggressive. This is a trail ride, so we really encourage the family to come out,” Lee said. “Cancer Care Manitoba does a great job of supporting all of our community. It’s bigger than all of us and if we can do a small part to ease the pain and suffering of our fellow Manitobans and have some fun when doing it, it’s a great day for everybody all around.”
More importantly, Lee feels it gives people an opportunity to fight back in their own way.
“Cancer affects all of us, but what it does is it gets people talking about this disease, gets people out in the open and talking with each other,” Lee said. “If we can make it a little easier for them to get through this struggle and an opportunity to talk to other people with the same type of disease, we’ve accomplished our goal.”
Around 800 riders took part in last year’s event, so participants are encouraged to visit http://atvrideformom.com/ to preregister. From there, riders can start collecting pledges to support Cancer Care Manitoba until June 9.
While the Eastman ATV Association is thrilled to support Cancer Care Manitoba, president David Lee said they also want to keep the trails in one piece.
“We do take a trail fee for this. We want to leave the trail in the same condition it was before we started this event,” Lee said. “A portion of our registration fee goes toward maintenance of our trail.”
Lee believes that ORV riders have a responsibility to manage their riding areas.
“I think sustainability is a key thing right now,” Lee said. “Unmanaged riding can leave a pretty dramatic footprint on our environment, and as traffic increases, so does the destruction on our environment.”
Lee said this event showcases that belief.
“When we arrive that day on the trail, we make sure the trail looks the same way after our event. We’ve actually gone in and repaired trail,” Lee said. “Every year, we build up our trail to a higher standard and it can maintain the traffic more efficiently.”
I would like thank all the members that came out to the Eastman ATV AGM last Sunday on April, 8th we had two guest speakers attend the AGM supporting Eastman ATV.
President: Dave Lee (two year)
Vice President: Calvin Egg (one year)
Treasurer: Denise Cassell (one year)
Recording Officer: Greg Gowryluk (two year)
Director 1: Dave Menard (two year)
Director 2: Lillian Grenier (one year)
Director 3: Roland Fillion (two year)
Director 4: Terry Kalunzy (one year)
Trail Director: Gary Greenaway (two year)
Dave thanked Jo Hebert for all her hard work and commitment to the club. She will be sorely missed.
ATV Manitoba held their first Club Summit on Saturday, March 17th, in conjunction with the 2018 Annual General Meeting. The summit was a relaxed event providing ATVMB Club executives with the opportunity to network with the ATVMB Board of Directors and hear from Oksana Buhel of the Canadian Off Highway Vehicle Distributors Council (COHV), who gave a presentation on Club/Federation relationships and how we are connected to the bigger national picture through the All Terrain Quad Council of Canada (AQCC) and COHV.
The Annual General Meeting followed the Summit in the afternoon when members heard from Blair McTavish of the Department of Sustainable Development; Chris Ewen, Mayor of Ritchot; Yvonne Rideout, Executive Director of Snoman; and Bob Lagasse, MLA for Dawson Trail.
The All Terrain Vehicle Association of Manitoba Annual Report to Members
March 2018
The past year has been another busy and successful year for ATV Manitoba with much work being accomplished both in the Board Room and outside on the trails.
In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, the Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council announced the Canada 150 Grant Program, which was made available to Federations for trail work in 2017. The ATVMB Board decided to offer this grant program to our clubs and four clubs submitted applications for trail projects. ATVMB then combined those applications into one provincial application, which was accepted by COHV and the work began.
Belair ATV Club:
The Belair ATV Club submitted an application for a bridge washout repair on the new Whistle Pig Trail. This was a major project with work being done to repair and shore up a trestle bridge along this decommissioned rail bed. In addition to the repairs required to make this trail safe, signage was also added and the trail is now ready for anyone who is looking for a great destination ride. The trail runs from Hwy 59, just north of Gull Lake, to Pine Falls Manitoba. For more info on trails in the Belair area visit the club website, www.belairatvclub.ca/
Eastman ATV Association:
The Eastman ATV Association applied for funding through the COHV Canada 150 Grant program to facilitate a trail expansion project on their Eastman ATV Trail – Trail with a View, Celebration 150. The expansion added an addition 17.5 km’s to the existing trail for a total of 73.5 km’s of trail. The trail now runs from the Eastman staging area, running along the famous Dawson Trail, then loops southwest to hook up with the original Eastman Trail. For more information please visit their website, https://eastmanatv.com/the-trail
South Interlake ATV Club:
The South Interlake ATV Club was granted funding through the COHV Grant program to update Interlake Pioneer Trail kiosk signage with their new club logo and website information. The IPT is a multi-use trail shared by ATVers, snowmobilers, hikers, mountain bikers, geocachers and horseback riders and has been managed by SIATV since 2009. The additions to kiosk signage will provide trail users with up- to-date information about the South Interlake ATV Club, the Interlake Pioneer Trail and will provide users with a contact to convey feedback or notification of any issues encountered on the trail. For more information on SIATV and the Interlake Pioneer Trail please visit their website, http://www.siatvclub.com/
Woodridge Sandhogs:
With the help of funding through the COHV Canada 150 grant program, the Sandhogs were able to reroute their trail to run through the forest, rather than along a transmission line. The trail required reclamation after a devastating winter storm in 2012 and the project resulted in 13 km’s of trail being added to their existing trail, for a total of 85 km’s of trail in the area. For for information please visit their website, http://woodridgesandhogs.ca/category/trails/ .
Rock road ATV Club
The Rock Road ATV Club, formerly known as the Portage Off Road Vehicle Club, went through the process of changing their name this year to better reflect their membership. RRAC continues to maintain their ATV riding park near Portage la Prairie, offering members the opportunity to come together and enjoy safe, responsible outings with family and friends. Visit their Facebook page to connect, https://www.facebook.com/groups/256315857824507/about/.
ATVMB is happy to report that our Manitoba ATV trail network is growing! Over the past year, the Belair ATV Club successfully negotiated an agreement with the RM of Alexander to manage a recently acquired decommissioned rail bed from Pine Falls to Gull Lake as a 30 km multi-use motorized recreational trail. The former rail bed was acquired when the Central Manitoba Railway company (CEMR) no longer required it to service the recently closed Pine Falls paper mill. The wooden ties and steel rails were removed, but fortunately the five large wooden trestle bridges were left intact. Through club fundraising efforts and grant funding from the RM and the Canadian Off Highway Vehicle Distributors Council (COHV), the club undertook several major projects to repair a bridge approach washout and also install hundreds of feet of safety railings on all the trestle bridges. In addition, the entire length of the trail was signed to ATVMB standards and is now open for use. The rail trail has been christened the “Whistle Pig” trail. During the upcoming fiscal year, the Belair ATV Club will negotiate with the RM of St. Clements to acquire multi-use motorized trail status for an additional 75 km’s from Gull Lake all the way to East Selkirk.
Over the past two years the Belair ATV Club and ATVMB have been planning and negotiating with the Province of Manitoba for the right to maintain and sign 120 km’s of trail within the Belair Forest, which will provide connectivity to the Whistle Pig Rail Trail and also connect trail access to communities within the East Beaches catchment area. These trails feature outstanding forest vista’s and a
sandy trail base, which provides for excellent trail durability. Negotiations have now been completed with the Province resulting in ATVMB and the Belair ATV Club receiving conditional approval to sign and maintain the trails, which will now be part of the ATVMB managed trail system in Manitoba. It is anticipated that these trails will receive final approval this spring with signing and trail improvements to occur over the summer of 2018.
The promotion of safe riding is part of the ATVMB mandate and over the past two years ATVMB has been working with Manitoba Public Insurance on safety promotion. MPI generously donated the time and expertise to develop the artwork for a safety poster and handle bar hangers that will be displayed in power sport dealerships.
The ATVMB Safety Committee has been actively pursuing partners to work with us on delivery of a recreational ATV safety training program with the hope that we will be able to offer the Canadian ATV Safety Institute (CASI) training program to our members in the future. CASI is the program endorsed by both AQCC and COHV and is offered in many provinces across Canada. While ATV safety programs do exist in Manitoba, such as the one offered by Safety Services Manitoba, uptake by the general public has been extremely low. Ultimately, we would like to be able to offer the CASI program as the ATV safety program of choice. The Federations that have had the most success with the CASI program are those that have legislated ATV safety training as mandatory for certain age groups. ATVMB believes that it is all about educating riders regarding the need for training, particularly for young riders. It is a bit of an uphill climb, but we will continue to focus on promotion of safe riding.
Membership is growing at the Club level with an increase in membership numbers over last year and in addition, we are happy to report that a new club has formed called the Nopiming 4 Lakes 4 Wheelers. Please join the Board in welcoming our newest ATVMB Club! We look forward to getting to know the members in the months to come.
In an effort to increase membership, ATVMB in cooperation with a number of member clubs, developed a “Free One Year Membership” program in partnership with the Mid-Canada Marine and Powersports Dealer Association dealer members. This is an “opt-in” program that clubs can participate in if they want to grow their member numbers. Anyone purchasing a new ATV or side-by-side will have the opportunity to join a participating club at no cost for a period of one year.
The benefits of being a member of a club and ATVMB are not always clear. There is the obvious benefit of belonging to a club where you are able to interact and socialize with like-minded peers and then there are benefits that have a direct financial impact, like discounted insurance coverage through the Oasis “Got Toys” Program, http://www.insuretoys.ca/.
One of the biggest benefits of ATVMB membership is the club insurance coverage. All ATVMB clubs are covered by Commercial General Liability and Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance. The CGL policy covers the trail and protects the club in the event that they are sued by someone using the trail, or during an organized ride or social event. The Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance protects the personal assets of board members in the event that the organization is sued for any wrongful act or mis-statement during the course of day-to-day activities. Both of these policies are critical to the success of an organization and both are offered to ATVMB clubs at a significant discount.
Then there is advocacy, this activity very often goes unnoticed by the average member, however, it is a critical component to the success of a club and important to individual members. ATVMB is your voice when dealing with Government. It is through the advocacy efforts of ATVMB that we have been able to successfully designate ATV trails on Crown land. ATVMB is advocating for sustainable funding, which when received will benefit all ATVMB clubs.
ATVMB also responds to the threat of trail closures and works with various levels of Government to mitigate the impact of potential trail closures.
ATVMB Clubs also benefit when grant funding becomes available. Whether it is through the National Trails Coalition as was the case in 2014, or through the COHV Canada 150 Grant program in 2017, membership has benefits! Our trail development would not be what it is today if not for the opportunity to apply for funding through various avenues.
ATVMB once again participated in a number of public relations activities. These events provide an opportunity to connect with the public, government and riders for the purpose of promoting responsible recreational riding in our province. Over the past year ATVMB has participated in the following PR events: In April 2017 we attended the MTCML Trade Show in conjunction with the Association of Manitoba Municipalities Municipal Officers Seminar. This event provides us with the opportunity to network with Municipal Officers from across the
Thanks to all of our volunteers for participating in these various events. We would be lost without you!
The All Terrain Quad Council of Canada held their conference and Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg in September 2017. ATVMB President Armando Brambilla was in attendance and Executive Director, Kim Wozniak was part of the planning committee for the event which included a panel discussion on Thursday evening involving ATVMB members and Federation representatives from across the country; the conference and AGM followed on Friday; and the event wound up with an ATV ride on the Little Big Foot Trail in Woodridge. Kim Wozniak is now the AQCC Second Vice-President and continues to keep the ATVMB Board updated on national activities.
The ATVMB Board of Directors look forward to meeting with members at the 2018 AGM on March 17th, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Transcanada Centre in Iles des Chenes, Manitoba.
Get to know a new trail 80 km in the beautiful Sandilands area, Eastman ATV members and a great bunch of Outdoor Enthusiasts! Eastman’s trail is proudly introduced, signed and maintained by Eastman ATV members. The 80 kilometer trail is the first of its kind built on Crown Land, in the beautiful Richer/Sandilands area and is sure to impress! Come join in a family oriented event. In addition to the Ride, the event includes:
Awesome Dog – 8″ All Beef wiener on 7″ Kub hot dog bun
Name in Door Prize Draw
Access to 50/50 Draw
In June of 2017, 800 riders descended on the only trail in Manitoba on Crown land that is signed and maintained
by Karen Kornelsen |
Deborah Nicol’s special pink ATV.— Deborah Nicol photo
CancerCare Manitoba is working to change lives by raising funds for patient care, support and research. Deborah Nicol, former president of the Eastman ATV Association, knows first hand how important this is as a breast cancer survivor herself.
Nicol brought the idea of doing a Ride for Mom on ATVs to the Eastman ATV Association board, they loved the idea, and work began for the first annual ride in 2016. It was so successful, they decided to do it again. The 2nd Annual Ride for Mom, sponsored by Adventure Power Products, took place on June 3, 2017, and was a massive and overwhelming success with 800 participants and over $12,000 raised for CancerCare Manitoba.
Deborah Nicol (far left) with friends at the 2017 Ride for Mom.
Nicol is a breast cancer survivor and came up with the idea to do the Ride for Mom.
— Deborah Nicol photo
“For me, being a breast cancer survivor, the Ride for Mom meant a lot because it gave me an opportunity to deal with my own cancer as well as to give back to the great support and care I got,” she said. “Everyone was so gung-ho about it, it kind of went from there. We had an amazing, successful first year and decided to do it again.”
In 2016, for the first ride, the club was nearing completion of its new trail in Sandilands Provincial Forest, about an hour from Winnipeg. The club spent six years building the first-ever trail on Crown land that’s signed and maintained. It stretches nearly 90 kilometres. The club, along with the All Terrain Vehicle Association of Manitoba, opened the trail, and then the next day, held the first Ride for Mom. Fast forward to this year, the trail is now in season two and the response for this year’s Ride for Mom was even more overwhelming than the last.
Members of the Eastman ATV Association at the 2017 Ride for Mom.
— Deborah Nicol photo
“We actually had to put a cap on the number of riders because the trail is in the Sandilands Provincial Forest,” said Nicol. “The trail can only handle so many ATVs since it takes a huge toll on the trails. We also made it a ride, not a derby, since we really wanted this to be a family event and encourage women and children to come out and ride.”
On June 4, 2017, the ride started at the staging site for the trail at the end of Dawson Road, right at the beginning of the Sandilands Forest, east of Richer, Manitoba. The Ride for Mom involved doing an approximately 80-kilometre loop with a halfway point where “Awesome Dog” served enough hotdogs for 800 people. Extreme Medic also volunteered its time and had an ambulance on site.
Members of the Eastman ATV Association at the 2017 Ride for Mom.
— Deborah Nicol photo
The ride involved an incredible amount of community involvement, donations and volunteers. For instance, Maple Leaf donated 1,500 sausages for the pancake breakfast; Original Pancake House donated the pancake batter; tables, chairs and tents were donated at a reduced rate from Tentations; and McDonalds donated all the coffee. Ride for Mom also involved over $12,000 in silent auction prizes and a door prize of a GPS donated by Cabela’s.
There were over 60 volunteers including many Eastman club members and their families who helped in every way they could, in all aspects of the event. Most importantly, the trail needed a lot of work and club members gave up their weekends and holidays to do it.
Participants of the Ride for Mom stop for a photo.
— Deborah Nicol photo
“We are debating whether we can do a Ride for Mom next year as it’s a ton of work and really hard on our trails,” said Nicol. “We had to get some heavy equipment in because you don’t think a corner is going to take much of a beating but when you have 800 people going around a corner, it becomes a wall. It’s a huge commitment by our trail committee members who give up their holidays to do the work. We’re having a meeting next week to decide what to do next year. The response is overwhelming from people who want it to happen again but it’s just such a huge commitment.”
Stay tuned and keep checking the Eastman ATV Association website to find out if the event will go on for a third year.
“Ride for Mom really supports an amazing cause,” said Nicol. “CancerCare Manitoba was amazing to work with—they were right beside us through the whole thing. They came out and were an amazing crew to work with. We are so thankful we could support them and we are humbled by all the support from the Eastman club, from member, their families, members of CancerCare, the volunteers, our sponsors—it’s very humbling to have them give so much of their products and time and support.”
