Adam Harden - WATVA Blogs

Brief Overview: How a WI Bill Becomes A Law (and recap of AB 453 and AB 439)

Posted by Adam Harden on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 in WATVA News

Randy Harden, president of the Wisconsin ATV Association and other key representatives from land managers, law enforcement and recreational riders testified in favor of both bills in front of the Assembly Committee on Transportation.

A summary of the bills is as follows:

http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/proposals/ab439

Under current law, a person may not operate a snowmobile, an all-terrain
vehicle (ATV), or a motorboat while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled
substance to a degree that he or she cannot operate the vehicle or boat safely. Under
current law, a personal watercraft is included in the definition of "motorboat."
Current law also prohibits the operation of an ATV, a recreational motorboat, or a
snowmobile by a person who has an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. For
motorboats being operated on a commercial basis, the maximum alcohol
concentration is 0.04. These laws are respectively referred to under current law as
the intoxicated operation of an ATV law, the intoxicated boating law, and the
intoxicated snowmobiling law. Under current law, a person who refuses to submit
to a legal request for a breath, blood, or urine sample pursuant to an arrest for
operating a snowmobile, an ATV, or a recreational motorboat while under the
influence is in violation of what is known as the refusal law.

Under current law, in imposing a penalty for a violation of the intoxicated
operation of an ATV, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law,
a court may only count as a previous conviction of the same law, or the applicable
refusal law. For example, if a person is before the court for violating the intoxicated
snowmobiling law or the snowmobile refusal law, the court may count only previous
convictions of the intoxicated snowmobiling law and the snowmobile refusal law as
prior convictions. Previous convictions of the intoxicated operation of an ATV law
or of the intoxicated boating law or of the applicable refusal laws may not be counted.
Under this bill, a court must count previous convictions of any of these intoxicated
operation or refusal laws that occurred within the previous five years when imposing
a penalty for a violation of any of these laws.

The bill makes the provisions of the intoxicated operation of an ATV, the
intoxicated boating, and the intoxicated snowmobiling laws more consistent. These
changes include:

1. Raising the age of absolute sobriety for the operation of snowmobiles and
ATVs to 21. Current law requires absolute sobriety for persons under the age of 19
who are operating snowmobiles and ATVs and for persons under the age of 21 for
motorboats.

2. Adopting the higher penalties for various violations where the penalties for
violations of the intoxicated operation of an ATV law, the intoxicated boating law, the
intoxicated snowmobiling law, and the refusal law conflict.

3. Imposing increased penalties for violating the intoxicating boating law or the
intoxicated snowmobiling law or related refusal law if the motorboat or snowmobile
is operated with a passenger under 16 years of age. The increased penalty already
exists for a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV law and the ATV refusal
law.

4. Repealing the provisions that imposed increased penalties for operating an
ATV with an alcohol concentration level that is 0.17 or more. Under current law,
these increased penalties are not imposed for violations of the intoxicated boating or
the intoxicated snowmobiling laws.

The bill provides that when counting the number of convictions within the
previous five years, the previous convictions for intoxicated operation of that same
type of recreational vehicle or the related refusal law that occurred before the
effective date of this bill are counted, but previous convictions for the other two types
of recreational vehicles that occurred before the effective date of this bill are not
counted.

The bill also requires a court to enter an order to suspend the person's privilege
to operate a snowmobile, an ATV, and a motorboat for a period of not less than 12
months and not more that 16 months if the court imposes a penalty for a violation
of the intoxicated operation of an ATV, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated
snowmobiling law or the related refusal law. The bill also provides a forfeiture and
additional six-month period of operating privilege suspension for violating the order
of suspension.

If the person is found guilty of a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV,
the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law or the related refusal
law and has, within the previous five years, violated one of these laws, the bill
requires the court to revoke the person's privilege to operate a motor vehicle for not
less than six months and not more than 12 months. Under the bill, the person may
be eligible for an occupational driver's license at any time during the revocation
period. The bill requires the person whose operating privilege was revoked to pay a
$140 reinstatement fee.

Under the bill, if a person has had his or her privilege to operate a motor vehicle
suspended or revoked for a violation of a prohibition against operating a motor
vehicle while intoxicated, the person may not operate a snowmobile, an ATV, or a
motorboat during the period of that motor vehicle operating privilege suspension or
revocation. The bill also provides a forfeiture and an additional six-month period
of operating privilege suspension for violating the order of suspension.

Under current law the sentences of persons who are convicted of certain second,
third, or fourth offenses involving the operation of a motor vehicle while under the
influence of an intoxicant may be reduced if the violator successfully completes a
period of probation that includes alcohol and other drug treatment. A person may
complete a treatment program and receive a reduced period of imprisonment only
once. This bill allows this option to be used for persons convicted of a violation of the

intoxicated operation of an ATV, the intoxicated boating, the intoxicated
snowmobiling law, or the applicable refusal law.

Under current law, with limited exceptions, no person may operate a
snowmobile without having completed a snowmobile safety course. For persons
under the age of 16, the course must include six hours of classroom instruction. This
bill repeals this classroom instruction requirement.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime,
the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a
report concerning the proposed penalty and the costs or savings that are likely to
result if the bill is enacted.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill

The UTV Bill:

http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/proposals/ab453

Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulates the
operation of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). DNR also regulates utility terrain vehicles
(UTVs), in consultation with the Department of Transportation, under a pilot
program that expires on June 30, 2012.

UTV pilot program

Under current law, a UTV is defined as a motor driven device, other than a golf
cart or low-speed vehicle, that is designed to be used primarily off of a highway and
that has, and was originally manufactured with, certain features, including a gross
weight of more than 900 pounds but not more than 1,999 pounds, a cargo or dump
box, four or more low-pressure tires, non-straddling seats for at least two occupants,
and certain safety systems.

The UTV pilot program allows DNR, a federal agency, a county, or a
municipality to designate an ATV route or trail within its respective jurisdiction for
use by persons operating UTVs. The UTV pilot program provides that if a county
adopts a resolution electing to participate in the pilot program, then the resolution
applies to all of the municipalities within the county unless a municipality adopts a
resolution to opt out of the program.

Under the UTV pilot program, no person may operate a UTV on a designated
ATV route or trail unless DNR registers the UTV. The UTV pilot program authorizes
DNR to register and charge registration fees for UTVs in the same manner as it
registers and charges registration fees for ATVs that are registered for public use
under current law. Under the UTV pilot program, certain laws that apply to ATVs
also apply to UTVs, including traffic citation laws, rules of operation, prohibitions
on operation while intoxicated, and certain equipment requirements. The UTV pilot
program prohibits a person who is younger than 16 from operating a UTV and
requires a person who is born on or after January 1, 1988, and who operates a UTV
to hold a valid all-terrain vehicle safety certificate.

UTV operation and funding under the bill

This bill eliminates the UTV pilot program and establishes a permanent
method for regulating the use of UTVs on ATV routes and trails. As with the pilot
program, the bill authorizes DNR and federal agencies, counties, and municipalities

to designate ATV routes and trails that may be used by persons operating UTVs.
Under the bill, as under the pilot program, most of the laws that apply to the
operation of ATVs also apply to the operation of UTVs. As under the UTV pilot
program, the bill allows the operation of UTVs only on those ATV routes and trails
that are specifically designated as open to UTV operation. The bill requires DNR to
establish uniform signs and standards for the operation of UTVs on ATV routes and
trails. The definition of a UTV under the bill is similar to the definition under the
pilot program except that it also specifies that a vehicle does not qualify as a UTV
if the vehicle would meet federal motor vehicle safety standards, or if it is a dune
buggy, mini-truck, or tracked vehicle. The bill also provides that a vehicle that
satisfies all requirements to meet the definition of an ATV qualifies instead as a UTV
if the vehicle exceeds the weight limit under the ATV definition.

As under the UTV pilot program, the bill generally prohibits a person under the
age of 16 from operating a UTV. The bill authorizes a person who is under 16 years
of age to operate a UTV if the person operates the UTV for an agricultural purpose
and the person is under the supervision of a person who is over 18 years of age. As
under current law, as it applies to ATV operation, these age restrictions do not apply
to a person who operates a UTV exclusively on land under the management and
control of the person's immediate family.

Under current law, the ATV program administered by DNR is primarily funded
by fees generated from ATV registrations and the sale of trail passes. Under this bill,
the UTV program is also primarily funded by UTV registrations and the sale of trail
passes, but the bill authorizes DNR to expend these funds primarily for projects to
improve or maintain those ATV trails that may be used by operators of UTVs.

The ATV program under current law is also funded by an annual transfer from
the transportation fund to the conservation fund of an amount equal to the estimated
ATV gas tax payment. The amount of the estimated ATV gas tax payment is
calculated for each fiscal year by multiplying the number of registered ATVs (except
those registered only for private use) by 25 gallons and then multiplying this product
by the excise tax imposed on gasoline and diesel fuel on the last day of February of
the previous fiscal year. This bill requires a similar annual transfer from the
transportation fund to the conservation fund. The amount of the transfer under the
bill is equal to the estimated UTV gas tax payment. This amount is calculated in the
same manner as the ATV gas tax payment is calculated except that it does not
include, in that calculation, commercial UTV registrations.

Miscellaneous provisions

This bill makes various other changes to the laws relating to ATVs. The
changes include the following:

1. Current law does not require ATVs that are registered for public use to
display a registration plate. This bill requires a person who owns an ATV or UTV
that is registered for public use to furnish a plate on which the registration number
is displayed. The bill also requires the person to affix a registration decal, furnished
by DNR, to each side of the ATV or UTV.

2. The bill requires a person who registers an ATV or UTV for private use to
affix a registration decal, furnished by DNR, to each side of the ATV or UTV. Current
law does not require ATVs registered for private use to display registration decals.

3. Under current law, a manufacturer, dealer, distributor, or renter
(commercial dealer) of ATVs must register with DNR and obtain a commercial ATV
certificate. Upon registration, DNR issues three reflectorized plates to the
commercial dealer and the dealer may allow the ATV to be operated only if a
reflectorized plate is attached to the ATV. Under this bill, a commercial dealer of
ATVs, UTVs, or both, must register with DNR and obtain a commercial ATV and
UTV certificate. The bill requires a commercial dealer of ATVs or UTVs to display
a plate or sign on the ATV or UTV but does not require DNR to supply reflectorized
plates. Under the bill, DNR must issue registration decals upon registering a
commercial dealer of ATVs or UTVs, and the commercial dealer may not allow the
ATV or UTV to be operated without a decal affixed to the plate or sign furnished by
the commercial dealer.

4. Under current law, with certain exceptions, a person who operates an ATV
on a public ATV trail must obtain a nonresident trail pass from DNR and display the
pass on the ATV. A person who registers an ATV is exempt from this requirement.
This bill requires that a nonresident trail pass issued to an operator of an ATV or
UTV must be permanently affixed in a highly visible location on the forward half of
the ATV or UTV.

5. A nonresident trail pass issued under current law expires on June 30 of each
year. This bill changes the expiration date for these annual passes to March 31 and
authorizes DNR to issue five-day nonresident trail passes.

6. A public-use registration certificate for an ATV under current law is valid
for a two-year period. This bill specifies that a public-use registration certificate is
valid for both an ATV and a UTV beginning on April 1 or the date of issuance or
renewal and ending March 31 of the second year following the date of issuance or
renewal.

7. This bill provides that registration and nonresident trail pass requirements
do not apply to a person operating an ATV or UTV during the first full weekend in
June of each year.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.

That's in a nut shell. Above each of the linked text is the web site URL to read the full language on the bills. But we have already discussed what the bills are for. The main point of the blog is to help understand the process of a bill becoming a law.

Thankfully, for you and I, there is a nice document by the state government that explains this process. However, before I link that nifty document, let's have a rewind to a video that I saw in grade school, more than ten years ago! This video is based on a federal process. It's basically the same process.

So, what does our process look like in Wisconsin?

(Click that for a bigger image or visit page 13 here: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/acc/pdf/habbl.pdf)

And a chart showing the process here:

Again, click the link.

WOOOAAHHHh! Wait a minute. If you have been following our progress, you might notice something wrong here. On the above chart, it shows that a bill must pass the assembly before going to senate. That's true, if you're not working with elite cool law makers such as WATVA is. We actually have two bills with pretty much the same language that went to both the Senate and Assembly to expedite the process. Tricky eh? Not really. This is done a lot. If we didn't do it this way, with all the craziness in Madison, the bill might not make it to the governors desk before the session lets out for summer. I would call it being efficient, not tricky actually.

Anyways, so if we follow the chart, the Senate Committee has already been presented with the senate bill, and passed it. The Assembly today got to hear the bill and it passed. Now it's on to some more committees. See the chart.

Before you do that, here are some photos from today's hearings.

That's Randy Harden presenting the OWI Bill and holding a DNR piece of literature.

That's Gary Eddy from the DNR Law Enforcement side testifying in favor of the OWI Bill.

And there is Randy presenting the UTV bill.

So, after the other hearings and committees, the bills are sent on (if they pass) for the Governor to sign.

It's not all that complicated, just takes a little reading. I suggest the booklet. I shall link it again here:

http://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/acc/pdf/habbl.pdf

Make sure to watch our Facebook page as I am always updating that whenever we are in the session.

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ATV / UTV Program Differences

Posted by Adam Harden on Monday, 30 January 2012 in WATVA News

As we are gearing up to present the final UTV program in Madison, we have created a handout that explains the differences between an ATV and UTV. The photos on the handout were taken during the 2011 WATVA VIP Ride at the Embarrass River ATV Park in Tigerton WI, where a handful of the law makers that helped draft the UTV bill participated in riding activities.

Click here to download the PDF!

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QR Codes - Those black squares with little black boxes inside!

Posted by Adam Harden on Friday, 20 January 2012 in Technology Blogs

We are starting to see them pop up in advertising, magazines and textbooks. In fact, WATVA has been using them for more than a year now on some of our hand outs and magazine Trail Tales. In case you're not aware of what I am talking about, see the following images:

Spoiler alert! That's the upcoming Trail Tales cover for winter 2011 which is being printed as I type this.

Anyways, the 2nd image is a true QR code. Let's get into the specifics about what they are.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and large storage capacity compared to traditional UPC barcodes. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of four standardized kinds ("modes") of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji), or by supported extensions virtually any kind of data.^[1]

Created by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994^[2] to track vehicles during the manufacturing process, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. It was designed to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.^[3]

The technology has seen frequent use in the United States; QR usage is growing fastest in Canada and Hong Kong.^[4]

So that's the first two paragraphs from Wikipedia.

What's all the hype about this oversized bar code? It can be read by our cell phones or computers! That's the catch with them. As a side note, my cell phone has an app that can read bar codes from my phones camera, the same method is used for reading QR codes.

That means, any marketing piece that WATVA produces can have a QR code that can be scanned from a cell phone to bring them to a web site that has more information. I can also make the QR code open an email to us, or prompt the user to call us with the included number. There are also many other things the QR code can do.

I actually started seeing them become most popular in the last six months with being printed on price tags at Best Buy. A few weeks ago I used this to bring up reviews of products I was at the store buying. I love reading user reviews, mostly to see what products work out of the box and what products take a little struggle to get working (I don't mind paying less for figuring out technology, but my parents or wife is another story).

Let's run down a start to finish scenario using QR codes.

A dedicated WATVA member get's his latest Trail Tales magazine in the mail and notices the QR code on a page inside for the TREADY Awards.
Knowing what QR codes are from reading my blog, the user takes out his cell phone and opens his app (I will link the app I use in the bottom). He points his phones camera at the code and it opens a window prompting him to go to the web site.
He clicks ok and it opens up the TREADY site.

It's as easy as that!

Be on the lookout for the QR codes more and more as they start to gain popularity and more people are changing over to smart phones. QR codes with with any smart phone (iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile).

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Trail Patrol Ambassador Program Update

Posted by Adam Harden on Monday, 16 January 2012 in WATVA News

We recently made some changes to the Trail Patrol Ambassador program. These changes were created from user input as well as input for various law enforcement agencies. We think the new structure will allow our program to expand and help serve our sport better.

First and foremost, you can check out the Trail Patrol Ambassador web site by accessing www.trailpatrol.com. The web site has upcoming classes as well as a portal for current Trail Ambassadors to submit trail reports from.

The program has two different Trail Patrol Ambassador (TPA) categories to choose from:

Advanced TPA – Must be or become a Wisconsin DNR ATV Safety instructor
Auxiliary TPA – No longer required to be DNR ATV safety instructor

Our current Trail Patrol Ambassadors that wish to maintain their DNR instructor status will be promoted to “Advanced” status upon successfully completing and passing our re-certification TPA training. The Advanced patroller will be issued a higher profile patrol vest and a distinguishingly different name badge. Re-certification training applies only to our NOHVIS Group ½ day Trail Patrol training. DNR instructor status remains under the same requirements as established and managed by the Wisconsin DNR and your area Recreational Safety Warden.

Current Trail Patrol Ambassadors whose DNR instructor status has already lapsed or soon will, can remain in the TPA program as an “Auxiliary TPA” once they take our ½ day re-certification Trail Patrol training. The current / original style vest and name badge will identify the Auxiliary. All other TPA activities and duties will apply for both categories of patroller.

New applicants can choose to become either category of Trail Ambassador. Those wishing to become an Advanced TPA will need to take the morning instructor course which includes a thorough review and understanding of the DNR instructor manual. As a prerequisite for the instructor training, the applicant will need to download the manual files, then complete and submit the self-study, open book quiz approximately 30 days before the actual selected training date.

New Auxiliary TPA applicants (non-instructors) as well as TPAs in our current program maintaining their DNR ATV instructor status desiring to become re-certified as Advanced TPAs, need only attend the afternoon trail patrol training course. There is a prerequisite for new Auxiliary patrollers, in lieu of being ATV instructors, these applicants must be graduates as a student of the Wisconsin DNR ATV safety course (on line or classroom training, both are accepted). Applicants for both TPA categories, including those taking the re-certification TPA training to become Advanced TPAs, must pass criminal background checks which will be completed approximately 30 days before the day of training.

Upcoming Training for 2012:

Northwest Region:
Saturday, February 11 (with an alternate bad weather date of February 18) in Spooner at the DNR Service Station.
DNR Northern Region HDQRS
810 W Maple St
Spooner WI 54801

Contact:
Greg Olson: (612) 280-1220 or
Jeff Jordheim: (715) 684-9105
Email them both at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Northeast Region:
Saturday, February 25 (with an alternate bad weather date of March 17) in Crandon
Forest County Highway Department
5350 County Hwy W
Crandon, WI 54520

Contact:
Terry Coplien
(608) 963-1457
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Southwest / Southcentral:
Saturday, March 24 in the Mauston Area.
Mauston Park Oasis Restaurant and Best Western Hotel
I90/94 & Hwy. 82 East exit 69 Mauston
608 847-6543

Contact:
Rob McConnell
(608) 273-1285
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you are interested in attending any of these training's, please contact the Regional Coordinator for that area or the NOHVIS / WATVA home office at (920) 694-0583. You can also email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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ATV / UTV Program Updates

Posted by Adam Harden on Monday, 16 January 2012 in WATVA News

We wanted to offer up the following information to you all in case you do not have it about the changes coming to the ATV/UTV programs.

Youth Safety Bill a.k.a the Grandparents Bill

It is very similar to a bill we brought forward last session but we ran out of floor time in the legislature to get full passage. This time around the Senate version of this Assembly bill has already passed the full Senate (SB 235). We are now awaiting final action in the Assembly committee, anticipating it will be passed and sent to the full Assembly floor for a final vote. The Senate version passed unanimously on what is called a voice vote.

The full bill is in the link below.

http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/proposals/ab327

The summary taken from AB327 about the bill is as follows:

Under current law, no person under the age of 12 may operate an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) unless he or she is operating the ATV for an agricultural purpose and he or she is under the supervision of a person over 18 years of age (agricultural purpose exception), or unless he or she is operating a small ATV on an ATV trail designated by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and he or she is accompanied by his or her parent. Current law defines "accompanied" to mean subject to continuous verbal direction or control. Under current law, supervision is a lesser standard because it does not require a person to be subject to continuous direction and control. Under an exception to the age restrictions in current law, a person who is under the age of 12 may operate any ATV if the person operates the ATV exclusively on land under the management and control of the person's immediate family (family property exception).

This bill allows a person under the age of 12 to operate an ATV any place that any other person may operate an ATV provided that the person under the age of 12 is operating a small ATV and he or she is accompanied, and not just supervised, by his or her parent or guardian or a person who is at least 18 years old who is designated by the parent or guardian (accompanied by a parent or designee).

This bill maintains the agricultural purpose exception in current law so that a person under the age of 12 may still operate an ATV of any size for an agricultural purpose if he or she is under the supervision of a person over 18 years of age. The bill also maintains the family property exception so that a person under the age of 12 need not operate a small ATV or be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other person in order to operate an ATV on land under the management and control of his or her immediate family.

Current law imposes certain restrictions on the operation of an ATV on a roadway. One of those restrictions prohibits a person under the age of 12 from operating an ATV on a roadway unless the agricultural purpose exception applies and the ATV is not an implement of husbandry. This bill prohibits a person who is under the age of 12 from operating an ATV on a roadway, regardless of the purpose.

The bill prohibits a person who is under 16 years of age from operating an ATV on a roadway for nonagricultural purposes unless the person is at least 12 years of age and is accompanied by a parent or designee.

Under current law, no person who is at least 12 years of age and who was born on or after January 1, 1988 may operate an ATV unless he or she holds a valid safety certificate issued by DNR that indicates that the person successfully completed a program of instruction on ATV laws and safety. A person who operates an ATV exclusively on land under the management and control of the person's immediate family is exempt from this requirement. This bill creates an additional exemption. The bill provides that a person is exempt from the safety certificate requirement if the person operates an ATV at a sponsored ATV demonstration event, the sponsor of the event requires the person to wear protective headgear, and the person operates the ATV in a closed-course area at a speed not exceeding 15 miles per hour. If the person is under 18 years of age, the person must be accompanied by a parent or designee.

Our second bills have now been introduced awaiting public hearings in both houses of the legislature

UTV Permanent Registration + Other Changes Bill

These two identical bills are the ones that will / would make the UTV registration program permanent. Regardless, the UTV pilot test ends on 6/30/12 no matter what. The Senate and Assembly leadership have met with our main two main bill sponsors, they have acknowledged the need to get this legislation to the floor in an expeditious time frame. To handle the transition from a “pilot test program” to a full blown permanent registration program was more complex than we first imagined. We have an immense number of hours invested in this legislation, therefore it made sense to make other changes and adjustments to the ATV program as we had to virtually open up the entire ATV laws (23.33) to accomplish our main objectives with the UTV bill.

We realize it’s always a bit dangerous highlighting legislation that has not yet been passed into law. As we’ve learned the hard way over the years, anything can happen on the floor but there are so many changes involved in both the ATV and UTV programs, our team has started a series of information “Go To Meeting” workshops with our dealerships and their staffs. We have been getting calls from them, the consumers are asking their dealership teams a lot of questions. We felt it would be beneficial to try and get a head start by sharing the “right information.”

These are the actual bills:

http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/proposals/SB354 & http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/proposals/AB453

The summary to the bill is as follows (taken from SB354):

Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulates the operation of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). DNR also regulates utility terrain vehicles

(UTVs), in consultation with the Department of Transportation, under a pilot program that expires on June 30, 2012.

UTV pilot program

Under current law, a UTV is defined as a motor driven device, other than a golf cart or low-speed vehicle, that is designed to be used primarily off of a highway and that has, and was originally manufactured with, certain features, including a gross weight of more than 900 pounds but not more than 1,999 pounds, a cargo or dump box, four or more low-pressure tires, non-straddling seats for at least two occupants, and certain safety systems.

The UTV pilot program allows DNR, a federal agency, a county, or a municipality to designate an ATV route or trail within its respective jurisdiction for use by persons operating UTVs. The UTV pilot program provides that if a county adopts a resolution electing to participate in the pilot program, then the resolution applies to all of the municipalities within the county unless a municipality adopts a resolution to opt out of the program.

Under the UTV pilot program, no person may operate a UTV on a designated ATV route or trail unless DNR registers the UTV. The UTV pilot program authorizes DNR to register and charge registration fees for UTVs in the same manner as it registers and charges registration fees for ATVs that are registered for public use under current law. Under the UTV pilot program, certain laws that apply to ATVs also apply to UTVs, including traffic citation laws, rules of operation, prohibitions on operation while intoxicated, and certain equipment requirements. The UTV pilot program prohibits a person who is younger than 16 from operating a UTV and requires a person who is born on or after January 1, 1988, and who operates a UTV to hold a valid all-terrain vehicle safety certificate.

UTV operation and funding under the bill

This bill eliminates the UTV pilot program and establishes a permanent method for regulating the use of UTVs on ATV routes and trails. As with the pilot program, the bill authorizes DNR and federal agencies, counties, and municipalities to designate ATV routes and trails that may be used by persons operating UTVs.

Under the bill, as under the pilot program, most of the laws that apply to the operation of ATVs also apply to the operation of UTVs. As under the UTV pilot

program, the bill allows the operation of UTVs only on those ATV routes and trails that are specifically designated as open to UTV operation. The bill requires DNR to establish uniform signs and standards for the operation of UTVs on ATV routes and trails. The definition of a UTV under the bill is similar to the definition under the pilot program except that it also specifies that a vehicle does not qualify as a UTV if the vehicle would meet federal motor vehicle safety standards, or if it is a dune buggy, mini-truck, or tracked vehicle. The bill also provides that a vehicle that satisfies all requirements to meet the definition of an ATV qualifies instead as a UTV if the vehicle exceeds the weight limit under the ATV definition.

As under the UTV pilot program, the bill generally prohibits a person under the age of 16 from operating a UTV. The bill authorizes a person who is under 16 years of age to operate a UTV if the person operates the UTV for an agricultural purpose and the person is under the supervision of a person who is over 18 years of age. As under current law, as it applies to ATV operation, these age restrictions do not apply to a person who operates a UTV exclusively on land under the management and control of the person's immediate family.

Under current law, the ATV program administered by DNR is primarily funded by fees generated from ATV registrations and the sale of trail passes. Under this bill, the UTV program is also primarily funded by UTV registrations and the sale of trail passes, but the bill authorizes DNR to expend these funds primarily for projects to improve or maintain those ATV trails that may be used by operators of UTVs.

The ATV program under current law is also funded by an annual transfer from the transportation fund to the conservation fund of an amount equal to the estimated ATV gas tax payment. The amount of the estimated ATV gas tax payment is calculated for each fiscal year by multiplying the number of registered ATVs (except those registered only for private use) by 25 gallons and then multiplying this product by the excise tax imposed on gasoline and diesel fuel on the last day of February of the previous fiscal year. This bill requires a similar annual transfer from the transportation fund to the conservation fund. The amount of the transfer under the bill is equal to the estimated UTV gas tax payment. This amount is calculated in the same manner as the ATV gas tax payment is calculated except that it does not include, in that calculation, commercial UTV registrations.

Miscellaneous provisions

This bill makes various other changes to the laws relating to ATVs. The changes include the following:

Current law does not require ATVs that are registered for public use to display a registration plate. This bill requires a person who owns an ATV or UTV that is registered for public use to furnish a plate on which the registration number is displayed. The bill also requires the person to affix a registration decal, furnished by DNR, to each side of the ATV or UTV.
The bill requires a person who registers an ATV or UTV for private use to affix a registration decal, furnished by DNR, to each side of the ATV or UTV. Current law does not require ATVs registered for private use to display registration decals.
Under current law, a manufacturer, dealer, distributor, or renter (commercial dealer) of ATVs must register with DNR and obtain a commercial ATV certificate. Upon registration, DNR issues three reflectorized plates to the commercial dealer and the dealer may allow the ATV to be operated only if a reflectorized plate is attached to the ATV. Under this bill, a commercial dealer of ATVs, UTVs, or both, must register with DNR and obtain a commercial ATV and UTV certificate. The bill requires a commercial dealer of ATVs or UTVs to display a plate or sign on the ATV or UTV but does not require DNR to supply reflectorized plates. Under the bill, DNR must issue registration decals upon registering a commercial dealer of ATVs or UTVs, and the commercial dealer may not allow the ATV or UTV to be operated without a decal affixed to the plate or sign furnished by the commercial dealer.
Under current law, with certain exceptions, a person who operates an ATV on a public ATV trail must obtain a nonresident trail pass from DNR and display the pass on the ATV. A person who registers an ATV is exempt from this requirement. This bill requires that a nonresident trail pass issued to an operator of an ATV or UTV must be permanently affixed in a highly visible location on the forward half of the ATV or UTV.
A nonresident trail pass issued under current law expires on June 30 of each year. This bill changes the expiration date for these annual passes to March 31 and authorizes DNR to issue five-day nonresident trail passes.
A public-use registration certificate for an ATV under current law is valid for a two-year period. This bill specifies that a public-use registration certificate is valid for both an ATV and a UTV beginning on April 1 or the date of issuance or renewal and ending March 31 of the second year following the date of issuance or renewal.
This bill provides that registration and nonresident trail pass requirements do not apply to a person operating an ATV or UTV during the first full weekend in June of each year.

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Cloud based publishing? I don't have wireless! What now?!?

Posted by Adam Harden on Wednesday, 28 December 2011 in Technology Blogs

Cloud based something or other... and you don't even have wireless? No worries!

If you have ever watched an amazon commercial advertising their "cloud" you might be scratching your head as to what that has anything to do with books. Ha. Well, I am going to go over cloud based publishing. More specifically, cloud based publishing as there are various levels of the "cloud."

But, before I do that, let's take a look at Google's cloud based publishing tools to better understand what the "cloud" really is. I will go over in detail what it is after this short non-product placement endorsement video!

Woah! That's pretty slick! But, I still don't get what the "cloud" is!?!?

Ok, let's see if I can tackle this term. Cloud, or cloud based computing, is using a companies server computers (in the videos case, Googles) to do publishing vs. your computer running software to publish documents. In a nut shell, when you hear the "cloud," it really means anything that is done on the internet. It's that simple.

When I was taking my web design classes we spent a good 20 minutes debating the term cloud and came to a group conclusion that it is, in fact, a good term. Our conclusion was the internet is so massive, reaching every corner of the planet (you could argue the solar system), that a broad term such as cloud covers everything easily. That was about eight years ago, before the invention of Google Documents, Microsoft Office Online or content management.

So, what am I getting at in this blog?

Let's think of an example together. Say we have a club that is writing a press release about their upcoming trail opening ceremony. It's an important document that is going in a few newspapers. The club secretary, Joe, was tasked with writing the article. He takes a stab at it using Microsoft Word 2000 and sends it to the club officers. One club officer uses a Mac and doesn't have word for mac. She can still open the document, but in the transition something got messed up and she doesn't bother reading it. Meanwhile, the club President opens the document on Word 2011 and makes some changes. He sends it back to Joe, however Joe can't open the document because it was saved in a newer format. Drat! Two other officers make their own changes and send it back to Joe, as to which he can open it but now has two sets of documents to merge into his own. Shortly after spending 20 minutes of cussing out the process, the President finally sends his revisions over saved in an older format. #@!$$@!! is all that comes out of Joe's mouth.

Enter cloud based publishing. Because Google was nice enough to supply us with that video, I am going to endorse use their product as an example (I am not a Google fan boy... *cough*).

Joe decides to take his press release with the current revisions and open it in Google Docs. He opens his web browser Microsoft Internet Explorer (see, I could have said he opens it in Google Chrome), goes to the web site http://www.google.com/docs and clicks on the upload tool. He selects his word document and a few seconds later his word document is now on his screen in his web browser, fully editable. Not only can he edit, save and print it, he can also invite the other club officers to log into Google Documents and make changes live! That's right, you can be watching the others make changes in front of you. It does have a small amount of creepiness to it, but amazing none the less. At the end of the day, all the revisions are made, everyone signs off on the document and away to the presses.

Sounds like a neat story right? Let's try a real world example, in fact, let's use my personal Google account. I want to share the WATVA Image Team Guidelines for Parades. It's in a word 2010 document. Hold on to your hats, im going to post screen shots!!!

Step 1 - Log into Google Docs. I don't think i need to screen capture me logging into Google documents. You need a Google account, it's free and easy. The screen shot is blurry, as I blurred the actual documents in my list as some of them are personal, so no offense internet. On the left side there is a button called Create, next to it, is the upload button.

Step 2 - Uploading the document is easy. So like I said in step 1, I click the upload tool, a little box folds out where I can click files (I didn't screen capture that, but it also says how much storage space I have left in my account). So I clicked files and this is what I get:

Step 3 - I clicked ok and another box popped up. It's asking me if I want to convert the word document to Google Docs. I do, so I can use the online sharing and such. I can also convert text from a PDF file that I can later edit (pretty nifty). Then I click start upload. To save on my large screen shots, this screen just shows the window after the files been uploaded.

So, from the screen shot above, I can see it was been uploaded, converted and ready to be shared. It also reminds me I am using 84 megs of my 1,024 meg limit of free space. Thanks Google for the friendly reminder!

Step 4 - Let's go ahead and share that beast. After it's uploaded, I clicked the document in the little box that is shown above and it takes me to the document editor. From here, it looks like a word processor. I can change font sizes, alignment, styles, justify yadda, yadda, yadda. What I want to do is share this with the world. Over on the right side, near the top is a share button. I move my mouse over it and it says "Private to only me" meaning that only my Google account can see this document.

Step 5 - Let's share it, really this time! I clicked the dark box under the share button and this is what comes up. A box that lets me control who can see it. Initially, it's setup as a private document that only I can see. I can invite others to view and / or edit the document, but keep it locked down. A nice feature as well. People can be added via my Gmail contact list or via email. To make this the entire process easier, be sure to have people make a google account first, it's much easier than using email login that confuses people.

Anyways, I went ahead and clicked the "Change..." link next to private access, as I want the world to be able to view, not edit it.

Step 6 - Opening the document to the internet (or... cloud.... dun dun dun!). From this screen, I can say the document can be public where anyone can search for it, semi-public where only people with the link can get it to, or private. For this example, it's going to be semi public as you will be able to check it out near the bottom of the blog.

Step 7 - I clicked "Anyone with the link" option, and this is where I can change how it's accessed. For this example, I am going to let people view it and make comments, that's all. I don't want the internet to edit it, that'd be a mistake.

Step... I lost count... Oh yeah, 8! - Once I clicked save, another box popped up with the link to the document. In this case, you can actually view it by visiting https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BQjhtTks9QJ2kYWVO_KEWF91CP2JgR5Wj7OwM6UrwOc/edit, and you can leave me a comment if you wish.

Ok, so that's about it. My document is out on the web for you to view. If I wanted the world to edit it, I could have. Or I could have invited a select few to edit it. How easy is that right?

Google doesn't stop at documents. You can also do spreadsheets (excel), slide shows (powerpoint) or PDF documents. They also don't stop at using computers to access them. I can pull up my documents on my Android phone or tablet.

For me, this tool is really handy for doing work from home and work. I don't need to email myself the document back and forth. I just log into Google Docs.

As for WATVA, we use Google Docs for tracking the TREADY awards (so I can add them into our database at home on the weekends), workshop registrations, document editing and other things I can't think of.

What if you're not a Google fan boy open to using google? You do have some other choices.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ - Microsoft's approach to cloud documents. For a small businesses, this might be a good option if you don't trust Google. We use their email cloud service called Exchange as it was pretty much the same price as Google's but easier to use. Once you start using Outlook it's hard to switch.
http://www.apple.com/iwork/iwork-dot-com/ - Ah yes, Apple Fan Boys will be pleased to see they have embraced the document cloud services as well. However, their product is in beta yet. I use the term fan boy loose of course, no offense mac users :P
http://www.box.com/ - Looks like a nice service. I can't comment on it because I have not used it. Curses Google and your grasp on me!
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/learnmore - Amazons cloud based services don't actually allow you to edit the files, just store them online for free.
https://www.dropbox.com/ - Same as Amazon, you can't edit them but you can store them online and access them from almost any device.

Well, there you have it. Cloud document services in a nut shell. A great tool for businesses, clubs or personal use all around. I highly suggest clubs look into this. You could store your membership data on here so club officers always know who is part of the club, just as an example.

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Image IS Everything!

Posted by Adam Harden on Monday, 26 December 2011 in Deeper Discussions

In this day and age, when people post things to the internet, some tend to forget how easy it is to share the said published whatever. Think about that.

What I mean by the above statement is the internet is often overlooked as a small part of the lives. However, because the internet is always there, always connected and available for ANYONE, anything that you publish online can be accessed in one way or the other.

There are plenty of places to share content. Heck, as I write this I have installed a blogging script to let me and the other bloggers to share our writings. It wasn't that hard to do. To start your own blog is easy and can be done for free using various sites. The most popular way to share content though, is widely overseen. Social Networking (see my other blog about social networking: Tweet What? Status Where? Plus Who?)... Ah yes, what couldn't be easier to share photos from your cell phone or computer than Facebook! I admit, I often post photos to facebook from my cell phone for my close friends and family to see because I want them to experience something that I have just experienced.

This can (and very much does) be used by clubs, associations and businesses too. We post photos right to our WATVA facebook page all the time, because it's really easy right?

This is often where people stop the sharing process. They take their photos, upload them to Facebook, and wham they are done! Right?

STOP THE PRESSES... Er... Typing!

Once you upload something to the internet, the odds of ever getting it off are pretty slim. So say someone uploads a photo of Bubba riding in what appears to be a creek but in reality it's an off-road challenge course that doesn't have course markers in the photo. All of Bubba's friends think that is pretty cool, as it appears he is going to get his machine covered in mud and to Bubba, win the race. To make it easier for others to view, Bubba "tags" his local ATV club in the photo as the club did organize the event. Everyone is happy right? You may think that...

How about we take the same local club that organized the event, which is the same club that is trying to open some trails and routes in the township that has a few locals who do not support ATV / UTV development. Later that month, at a local meeting, the ATV club stands up to share their progress of getting a trail established. At this time, the few people that oppose the trail make a motion to speak and present the photo Bubba took saying these are the same club members riding off-trail somewhere destroying the environment. Of course, to the town board that doesn't ride, these photos are examples of what they do not want to see! Bubba, in the mean time, is clueless as to how they got the photos and has to try to explain they are at an event (usually in this case, none of the town board members were there to verify this and the development could be stopped right there).

Sharing photos on Facebook is simple. Finding them is also simple. The anti atv folks in the example could easily search Facebook for the clubs page. With that, they can click photos and see all the photos uploaded and tagged for that club and save them on their computer. Why would anti ATV people view the page of the ATV club? To look for examples of irresponsibility that they could use to halt opportunities to the club for trail development.

Sound far fetched? It's not. It happens every year in Wisconsin (and around the world). The example could be used for posting photos to any web site, not just Facebook. Google has a great habit of finding your web site even if you don't insert any keywords in your coding. Thus, anyone looking to cause trouble could easily find and exploit anything on that site even if you're technically not showing anything wrong.

There is a good PSA on YouTube that you can watch below. Granted, there is no PSA on posting ATV photos (yet... dun dun dun), however apply what the video says to our sport. Also, ignore the Chinese :)

WATVA has developed a set of online guidelines to help clubs understand what they might want to post, and might not want to post. It's sad that we have to take these measures to prevent negative image, but trust me when I say in our sport image is EVERYTHING. The section of the guidelines about print and digital media are as follows:

With the increased popularity of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV), there has been a significant rise in the negative depiction of ATVs in electronic and print media. This media allows vast numbers of the general public to view images of ATV usage, many of these show very inappropriate behavior. We must be sure that the images that are being portrayed by ATV users will enhance the public’s opinion of ATV use rather than detract from that view. These suggested guidelines are intended for the use by individuals and organizations involved in the planning and construction of Print and Electronic Media.

Images of ATV operation should not contain any views that depict OFF-TRAIL RIDING or images that the general public would interpret as being inappropriate, unethical, or illegal. If an image would appear to not be environmentally friendly please provide a caption to explain what is happening in the image. An example would be this is a closed course event such as a Mud Run taking place on private property.
Absolutely no images of nudity or sexual content
Written material should not contain any profanity
Images should not be digitally altered or of copyrighted material
Offensive content that may cause others to be offended should be avoided
Images should show the ATV operator wearing the recommended safety gear: helmet, eye protection, gloves, over-the ankle boots, long-sleeved shirt and long pants.
No more than one person should be on an ATV, unless the ATV was designed to carry two persons (in which case there should be no more than two riders)
The ATV should fit the operator in both physical size and engine displacement.
Please avoid images of alcohol and drug use

We hope that these guidelines will be helpful in your planning of how you present ATV use to the general public. Thank you for your cooperation and consideration.

Wisconsin ATV Association Ethics and Image TEAM

Those guidelines are a great way to avoid any unwanted media attention. We fight this battle everyday in fact. We know photos of trail riding can get stale after a while, but posting photos of ATVs / UTVs crawling through the mud is again, not responsible. As a statewide organization, we are put to the test often. Thus, we have a pretty diligent effort with multiple people reviewing media we publish. As should your local club.

So, hopefully you can take this blog to heart and think before you click publish!

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Forest County ATV Association Receives Yamaha OHV Access Initiative Grant for $8,000

Posted by Adam Harden on Thursday, 22 December 2011 in WATVA News

For Immediate Release

December 22nd 2011
Wisconsin ATV Association, Inc.
3321 Behrens Parkway
Sheboygan, WI 53081
www.watva.org

To: General Public

Re: Forest County ATV Association Receives Yamaha OHV Access Initiative Grant for $8,000

Sheboygan, WI - On December 20th, 2011 WATVA President Randy Harden, WATVA Special Projects Manager Hank Wozniel and NOHVIS Northeast Regional Coordinator Terry Coplien attended an award ceremony for the Forest County ATV Association as they received their $8,000 grant from Yamaha Motor Corporations OHV Access Initiative Grant.

This grant will be used for a project that would improve existing Forest Service classified and unclassified roads for ATV travel from the Nicolet State Trail to Blackwell. The segments of the road to be utilized are in various stages of development ranging from roads with good clearing width and pit run surfacing to closed roads that are in need of clearing and grubbing and sport surfacing. An estimated 2.75 acres of clearing and grubbing will be required to remove debris and vegetation to provide a clearing wide of approximately 14 feet. Approximately 0.9 miles will require spot surfacing and leveling. New construction will be required for a distance of 0.05 miles. One drainage structure will be required on a tributary to Spencer Creek. A crossing at Forest County Highway “T” will be required. Survey, design and permits will be required for the entire project. This project would increase ATV riding opportunities in Forest County that would benefit tourism in the area. This segment is part of a larger objective of linking Forest County ATV routes and trails with Marinette County ATV trails.

Attending & speaking at the ceremony were:

Forest County ATV Association's President Jack Matuszewski
Representing Yamaha Motor Corp, from Antigo Yamaha Joe Yakey
RAC Committee Chairperson Tom Tallier
Wisconsin 12th District State Senator Jim Holperin (D)
Wisconsin 26th District State Representative Jeffrey Mursau (R)
U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Jeff Seefeldt
Forest County Board Chairman Erhard huettl Sr.
Town of Blackwell Chairman Ron Henkel
WATVA President Randy Harden
Forest County Administrator - Snowmobile Coordinator Dave Ziolkowski

Below is a video shot by WATVA President Randy Harden:

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Tweet What? Status Where? Plus Who?

Posted by Adam Harden on Wednesday, 21 December 2011 in Technology Blogs

We all hear the terms on the street... Twitter, Facebook, Google+, MySpace (old), etc. etc. etc.

What is all this jazz about? It's called Social Networking, and it's the new way to communicate online it seems.

A little background on social networking from my memory and experience. Way back in high school, about ten years ago (ugh!), the popular thing to do was start a MySpace page. This was different than the free web sites people were building such as Angel Fire, Geocities, etc (I am really dating myself here), which I was really into doing as I loved writing my own code and such. Anyways, when MySpace came about, it became a very fast craze. Everyone had to get their "space" on there. So I gave in. However, I was apprehensive towards it as I thought it was just a phase and put little effort into it. Turns out I was right with MySpace, wrong with Social Networking thing.

I have to friend who? Facebook? Eh?

Fast forward ten years. Now MySpace, though still active, has far fewer members than Facebook. Facebook now is not only a gateway into ones life, but a platform for businesses and associations to spread their products / missions, and so forth. I do have my own Facebook page (granted it's very limited to classmates and family only) and I enjoy being able to share photos of my kids to other family members, or see where my parents are, etc. I also enjoy some Facebook group pages such as WATVA, NASA's various pages, National Weather Service's pages and other geeky weather / fire fighting related pages.

As for an association, it's really a great tool to not only promote your missions but to show members and non members that you are actually active, that is, if you choose to keep it up to date. If you would take a look at WATVA's group page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wisconsin-ATV-Association-Inc/110943402259329) you will notice that about twice a week we try to post something. That's not to say we only commit two days to WATVA work (trust me, we do far more time), but we choose what we want to publish and not spam the feed. A quick glance at what our Facebook page looks like:

We post everything from upcoming meetings, to videos we produce about various things. I will also post trail closings, or political things that require membership support with, or random photos. Randy, WATVA President also posts right to WATVA's page. That's the nice part of Facebook pages, you can set multiple people to post on behalf of the association.

This also allows other Facebook members to ask questions to the association. Usually Randy will answer them. Keeping an open line of communication to our members is very important. This is why we engage in all the social networking platforms.

On the page, the middle portion really is the important part. It shows the status updates, comments on the status, etc. Mostly, everything else is not really important. This is where twitter comes in above facebook, it's less cluttered. Speaking of twitter...

What the heck is a tweet?

To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to Twitter as my focus was more on Facebook and enjoying a non social internet experience. I always gave the tweeters a stereotype of a bunch of apple fan boys that say meaningless things. However, about six months ago I started exploring how to use twitter and really sat down and found some interesting things about it.

Twitter is a social networking platform allowing someone to publish "tweets" or messages, in 250 characters or less which shows up on your followers home twitter page. A username in twitter always starts with the "@" character. So, WATVA's twitter account is @WATVA and mine is @skyz0rz. Here is a quick snapshot of my personal twitter page (WATVA's doesn't have much of anything on it, so let's use mine as an example):

So, the first thing in this screen shot is from a twitter account called "Sheboyganscan". This account monitors Sheboygan County emergency radio traffic and puts out short messages on what he hears. Honestly, I an unsure what this guy does for a living, but hey, it's a neat thing to have.

As I started to explore twitter, I found an account for @CarlileTrans which is the transportation company featured on the History Channels Ice Road Truckers. I found them from following Lisa Kelly's account (a female driver featured on the show). Once you start following one account, you tend to find accounts with similar interest and it just goes on and on.

On the right side of the screen, near the top it shows Following and Followers. Following is the accounts I choose to have published to my main page. Followers shows how many people "subscribed" or "follow" my posts. I don't actually push tweets all that often, so my 12 followers makes me laugh a little. In retrospect, Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) as 9,963,993 followers, and yes, I am one of them. I like Taylor's tweets as she usually tweets cell phone pictures from her phone. My daughters love to see that. On the right side of the screen, we also have a list of who else follows that account, and accounts similar to it.

I could go on a little more about twitter, but perhaps that's another blog by itself.

Google steps up with Google+!

A new stream of social networking that's important to know about is Google+. Basically, they are taking the feel of facebook and cleaning it up for the better. I won't really get into Google+ now, but just know it's out there and picking up a little steam.

So, in the end, should your club have a facebook page? Yes. Should your club have a twitter account? Wouldn't hurt, but I wouldn't spend too much time on it. Should my club still have our own web site? YES. A lot of people still fail to see how having a web site is good for business. That too, is for another blog.

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Change Log: Moved Contact Us link and added Blog

Posted by Adam Harden on Monday, 19 December 2011 in WATVA Web Site Change Log

I moved the menu item on top that said "Contact Us" under the "About Us" menu item to make room for the new menu item "Blog" as it wouldn't have all fit on one line. Two lined menus are ugly in my opinion.

As to which, if you are reading this, you must have found the new blog software unless you are getting this from Facebook.

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WATVA Premiere Businesses

Posted by Adam Harden on Monday, 19 December 2011 in WATVA Web Site Updates

Some changes coming to the WATVA membership tree are as follows...

We are changing the prices around a little, increasing the business prices unless the business agrees to be a premiere business which basically resells WATVA family memberships and makes a little profit from them.

It's pretty much a win-win situation for WATVA and the business members. Why you may ask?

Well, we need to boost our membership numbers, like any non-profit organization does. This allows businesses, specifically dealerships to sell WATVA memberships while they are buying ATV's or UTV's (or even both). It's a great way to get folks into WATVA.

You can notice that on the WATVA site, premiere businesses will show up above the normal memberships. We want to honor those businesses that are going the extra mile to support our sport.

So, that's the update for the Premiere Businesses, watch the site closely for more premiere sites where you can purchase WATVA memberships!

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Welcome to the Blogs!

Posted by Adam Harden on Monday, 19 December 2011 in Adam Harden's Blogs

Well, after a long while we are once again trying the blogs out. Why you may ask? Well, I thought you would never ask (ok, not really)!

A few years ago, about three versions back on the WATVA web site, we had a section for blogs. If I remember correctly, it was MuddyChick, Todd, Randy and SailorGriz who wrote for us. Well, after a while the bloggers blogged themselves out, and the web site ultimately changed to a new platform which took out the blogs. I didnt put the blogging part back in and the blog section fell to the side of the trail.

Last year, KeithDK started writing for us (and his blogs are pretty fantastic). Well, as technology changes, so does our web site. I evolved the web site once again to improve layout, speeds, yadda yadda yadda and once again the blog section was taken out.

Fast forward to now. The blog section is back, and seemingly better than ever! To get things going, I am going to start writing blogs about various things. It could be changes to the WATVA web site, how to use a bit of technology for riding or communication tools for clubs. Who knows?! That's the best part about blogs, it's so dynamic.

With that being said, some articles in here will end up in Trail Tales. We all like content, and with the internet it's pretty much endless. So I am going to take the best of both and publish some in print, and keep the rest online (well, really, I don't have an option C anyways).

So, I hope you, the readers, enjoy our articles.

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