Tennessee OHV Plan

The state of Tennessee has formed a committee to plan for Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreational opportunities. The 4WD vehicle representative is Brent Galloway, the Director of Conservation and Land Management of Southern 4WD Association. Brent's e-mail address is .  The Tennessee OHV website is up, link is http://www.ohv4tn.org.  2008 Statewide OHV Organizational Conference Saturday, May 31, 2008 Fall Creek Falls State Park Go to the OHV4TN site and Click on "Conference Registration" for Details. 
NOTE: If you want to stay updated on this effort, go to the OHV4TN site and sign the guestbook - this will get you updates on the efforts.
NOTE: The location of the meeting may change, another location is under consideration.  Will update when definite changes are made.

Tennessee Planning Committee on Off-Highway Vehicles

Goal:
"Tennessee has a sustainable, managed program developed through public/private participation that provides quality OHV opportunities while protecting resources."

Southern 4WD Association is a driving force in the efforts to get the state of Tennessee to develop a public Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) program that will build and provide trails and areas for 4-wheeling recreation! We have been pursuing this effort since 1995. This program will become a reality in the next few years.
Click on the link below for information and to add your comments and suggestions:
Web site: http://www.state.tn.us/environment/ohv/index.html

Your Input On Motorized Recreation

Please write and e-mail to Brent Galloway (Southern's Director of Conservation and Land Management) on the issues the state is discussing. There are many issues listed below. You do not have to address them all. Just give your opinion on the ones you think are important to you. Please remember to ask for "high-challenge 4WD and Jeep trails" in addition to all the issues you want to write about. This will help us with the OHV program in Tennessee that we have all been working so hard to get started. Please take the time (even out-of-state suggestions are OK) and send your e-mails to Brent Galloway. This is very important and we need everyone's participation.
Thanks, David Borum

Attention concerned citizens:

From Ellen Williams, e-mail: ewilliams3@mail.state.tn.us

I am writing to request your feedback concerning the issue of off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation in Tennessee. OHV use is steadily increasing throughout Tennessee. (For instance, recently a dealership near Nashville sold approximately 20,000 ATVs). Lack of a coordinated management plan for this recreation has increasingly led to user conflicts. So, the state is hosting an OHV planning committee to develop recommendations for management of OHV recreation in Tennessee.

The OHV committee includes staff from several state agencies, federal agencies, and two non-motorized (hikers), and two motorized (riders) representatives of the public. Committee members want to look at the diverse recreation needs of Tennesseans and explore ways to expand and improve the options for all.

We welcome any innovative ideas or suggestions from the community. The public representatives (listed below) are here to listen and represent your ideas and concerns to the committee. I encourage you to call or e-mail them with your comments. You can also comment through our website at http://www.state.tn.us/environment/ohv/index.html

Public Committee Representatives:

The public is welcome to attend the committee meetings and listen to issues being discussed. If interested, contact:

Ellen Williams, Policy Office, TN Dept of Environment and Conservation
Phone: 615-532-4968, e-mail: ewilliams3@mail.state.tn.us

Below you will find some of the issues the committee considers essential as well as the overall vision and goals for the committee.

These are the key issues the committee named when asked to consider what the committee must address for this process to be successful. We developed a list of issues - then grouped them under the headings below.

LAND SELECTION & DESIGN

• where are lands that can sustain activity and what are criteria for selection?
• trail linkages systems that are well-designed.
• state either lease or purchase land
• id/prioritize appropriate OHV lands
• develop "TN" appropriate design criteria including kinds of trails and eco-region

SOCIAL ISSUES

• role of dealerships including money and education
• accountability of riders/dealers
• personal freedom
• ADA issues and personal access
• education and information
• conflict between all users

REGULATORY CONTROL

• environmental concerns
• liability
• amendments to trespassing law
• law enforcement

FUNDING OPTIONS

• permanent funding source
• incentive ideas for: -public -private -individual
• tourism & economic enhancement

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

• tourism and economic enhancements
• current and future demand
• cost/benefit analysis
• currently available resources including $$$, land, management, and design/develop
• Trends: past, present, future
• Problems to be solved including
  • Supply and demand
  • multiple use
  • social
  • environmental
  • legal
  • economic

MANAGEMENT ISSUES

• define the TN OHV program (what? Who? Where? why?)
• who takes the lead in administrating the program
• comprehensive plan with recommended enabling legislation
• cooperation between all agencies and private sector and users
• when an area is developed, we should already have long term goals established
• who set the standards and how will the standards be set?
• BMP guidance and education program
• What will be needed to manage the area?
  • Law enforcement
  • on-site management
  • environmental oversight
  • fee collection

Draft Vision: In 20 years . . .

"Tennessee has a sustainable, managed program developed through public/private participation that provides quality OHV opportunities while protecting resources."

COMMITTEE GOALS

I asked the committee to name the goals they had for this process. We then roughly prioritize the goals:

1. Clearly delineate those responsible for coordination of Tennessee's OHV program.
2. Funding:
   • Planning money
   • Acquisition money
   • Operations money
3. Eliminating unauthorized and damaging use and divert to designated locations - cover all regions
4. Can Tennessee afford an OHV program?
5. Plan to evaluate the land base needed to accommodate OHV.
6. Consider diversity of use and quality of experience
7. A plan to balance the different uses and that could be adopted as law.
8. Consider OHV education program for users, landowners, managers and manufacturers
9. Consider liability issues:
   • Environment property
   • Personal injury
10. Identify appropriate "players" to implement plan and involving committee's activities
11. Identify impacts of OHV recreation and possible mitigation
12. Easy for legislative body to deal with, such as money
13. Identify "Best Management Practices" (BMP's) and the guidelines. (See #11)

Chattanooga Times and Free Press article

Here is a link to an article titled "ATVs Posing Trespass Problems", a discussion on available land for off-road vehicle use. It's actually a balanced article and talks about the state of Tennessee's future plans to create OHV areas.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/2000/MAR/28MAR00/PICODAYLINK28MAR.html

Thank you !

Background: On May 7, 2000, Southern 4WD Association members carried the Tennessee Planning Committee on Off-Highway Vehicles in their own vehicles through the Upper Tellico OHV Area to show them what we want and how we take care of it. The following note is from Brent Galloway, Director of Conservation:

I just wanted to thank everyone that helped me a couple of weeks ago at Tellico by bringing their vehicles with empty seats to tote the representatives from the Tennessee OHV advisory panel. I know we ended up having more seats than we needed but that was better than not having enough. Everyone was VERY impressed. Most had not idea what we do. There were also very impressed to see our working relationship with this area. Many of the agencies are used to having volunteer work promised and never get it. They saw that we do give it. Over all it was a very positive outing and it did exactly what I wanted it to. Thanks again, Brent

P.S. I got a Thank You card from one of the Forest Service employees that was there. I think she learned a lot and really enjoyed herself!

Click here to see some pictures of this trail ride!