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Podcast with Maryland Off Highway Vehicle Alliance President James Ratino

James Ratino, (MDOHVA President) was recently invited to sit down with Shane Eastman of Send It ATV to do a podcast interview. Shane is looking to fill a niche in the off-road podcast community. There are many podcasts about the latest gear, newest machines, and fastest guys (yes, he does that too) but in this Podcast, Shane focuses a lot of time talking to the movers and shakers keeping and growing OHV access throughout the country. In this episode we talk to Shane about who we are, what we are doing, where we hope to go, while letting you get to know our leadership a little better. So have a listen, learn something new, and let Shane know if you like it by hitting those buttons. You guys know the drill!
Enjoy!

WOLF DEN RUN STATE PARK UPDATE 12/15/2020

Wolf Den Run State Park is now fully open, WITH CAMPING!!! All three parcels are now available to be ridden! So like this post, share this posts, tell your buddies, and go ride! Wolf Den now consists of approximately 40 miles of trail, and most are full size vehicle rated. One of the best trails is 2103 on Potomac due to the scenery, as well as 1102 on North Hills where you can get a good view of a waterfall.

Here is how it works. You need to call Herrington Manor State Park for your reservation. Your reservation allows you to park at any of the 3 parcels Huckleberry Rocks, North Hills, or Potomac. You can change riding locations as you please within the park as you please. You will also need to call Herrington Manor for camping reservations. Please keep parking lot crowding and social distance in mind given the current times. Also note, the North Hills parking lot does not allow trailers due to its size limitations. If you have a trailer you will need to park at Huckleberry Rocks or the Potomac River lots. Camping is extremely primitive at the moment with NO HOOKUPS, just a port-a-jon. Sites are limited to 6 people, with 6 sites currently available (don’t worry, plan for further development are in the works.)

To travel between the parcels on the road with your atv/sxs, you need a county permit https://www.garrettcounty.org/ride. Please make sure you follow all the rules! And if you get hungry and want a hot meal?! Head on down into the ATV friendly town of Kitzmiller and stop by the “Coal Bucket Restaurant.”

We want to stress how grateful we are of DNR’s hard work and dedication to this project. This project presented many challenges throughout development that are new to Maryland’s Park Services, and yet they used each challenge as an opportunity to excel! We at MDOHVA look forward our bright future working together!

Wolf Den State Park work day volunteers wanted 2.29.2020

This offer is only extended to paying MDOHVA members only. We are looking for volunteers to come and help clear the trails of winter deadfall for a day at the end of February. We will be on the existing open parcel, and heading into new not yet open sections as well. Spots are first come first go basis and only available to paying members. Come prepared to WORK for most of the day. If you know someone else interested in coming, they can join and send an email to president@mdohvalliance.org to request all the final information and reserve your spot! Sign up today at https://mdohvalliance.org/join/

Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking Designed To Shorten Environmental Reviews (NEPA) Issued

From NOHVCC

Earlier this month the Council on Environmental Quality issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking –Update to the Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This proposed rulemaking is intended to “…revise and modernize… NEPA regulations to facilitate more efficient, effective, and timely NEPA reviews by Federal agencies.”

As many in the OHV community are aware, NEPA reviews can often be time consuming endeavors which can produce reports hundreds of pages in length.  The proposed changes are intended to “…advance the original goals of the CEQ regulations to reduce paperwork and delays, and promote better decisions consistent with the national environmental policy…”

NOHVCC encourages everyone in the OHV community to take a look at the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and submit comments to encourage a reduction in paperwork and reporting required under NEPA while still ensuring that resources remain adequately protected.

Comments are due March 10, 2020. 

NOHVCC staff just wanted to alert you early in the process so that you will have adequate time to review the notice.  We will work together with other interested parties and will provide opportunities to weigh in, sample comments and other information as this process moves forward.

Wolf Den Run Opens July 15th 2019

Its official, Wolf Den Run, Huckleberry Rocks parcel (Parcel A) will open this coming Monday, July 15th.

Here’s what you need to know
-Reservations need to be made through Harrington Manor via phone
-Park Entrance fee is $10
-Limit of approximately 50 vehicles per day, passengers are not included in this number
-All trails will fit an ATV or SxS
-Roughly half or more of the trails will fit a full seized vehicle
-12.5 +/- miles of mostly dual direction trails

Remember this is the first step towards a multi parcel trail system. More is to come!

2nd Wolf Den Run State Park open house

The second Wolf Den Run State Park open house, held on January, 26th 2019 at the Greenbrier State Park Headquarters, was just as successful as the previous one.  As we expected, OHV enthusiasts turned out in force and there was standing room only. DNR reviewed the the current status and proposed way forward with a master park plan. DNR remains committed to opening the Park as soon as possible using existing trails however, the access bridge still remains a major issue. They are currently looking at various options to access the property in the absence of a permanent bridge.

Standing room only! Great turnout by OHV enthusiasts.

To all of those who have attended these open houses and responded to the online survey, THANK YOU! The State now more fully understands how strong of a force our community can be. They are listening to our survey responses and understand our desire to have the park opened as soon as possible, and to do so with camping!

James Ratino Named President of MDOHVA

Organization’s new leader looks forward to expanding off-road riding opportunities in Maryland.

The Maryland Off-Highway Vehicle Alliance, Inc. (MDOHVA) is pleased to announce that James Ratino has been named president of the organization
effective January 1st, 2019. A board member for the past year, James is an experienced and effective advocate for motorized recreation of all kinds in Maryland. He has been riding dirt bikes with family and friends since age 10, has raced in many hare scrambles, and is a long-time member of a local motocross club.

“James has a strong drive to advocate for all enthusiasts of off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation, including those who enjoy riding on ATV trails, technical single-track motorcycle trails, full-size 4×4 rock crawls, and motocross tracks,” said Ken Kyler, organization president. 

James is a graduate of Frostburg State University, with a degree in Physics and Engineering, and brings to the post of MDOHVA president many years of experience in commercial construction management. Over the years, he has hosted rides on his family’s private property in western Maryland that were open to dirt bikes, ATVs, multi-passenger side-by-sides, and full-size 4×4 vehicles.

The Maryland OHV Alliance, Inc. is a state-wide body of OHV recreation enthusiasts. It advocates for responsible OHV recreation and resource protection by working in partnership with private and public land managers and recreation planners; provides and promotes best management practices for OHV recreation planning, development and management to policy makers; promotes a positive OHV recreation image to all publics; and emphasizes the benefits of responsible recreation behavior and raise awareness of the impacts from irresponsible recreation activity.

Since its founding, the MDOHVA has been successful at advocating for ORV recreation resulting in the MD DNR building the St. John’s ORV Trail and Campground in the Savage River State Forest, and more recently supporting DNR’s acquisition of land for the Wolf Den State Park near Kitzmiller which will be the State’s first ORV State Park.

Wolf Den Run State Park Open House – January 26, 2019

UPDATE: The second Wolf Den Run State Park open house is scheduled for January, 26th 2019 from 10am-12pm at the Greenbrier State Park Headquarters, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro, MD 21713

Previously the Maryland Park Service hosted an open house on, October 20, 2018, in Kitzmiller, MD. Similar to the first open house, staff will be available to answer questions regarding the property and provide stations to solicit feedback/comments on topics such as trails, hunting, infrastructure, amenities, operations and camping.

Before coming to the open house, visitors should review a consultant’s assessment of the existing Wolf Den Run trail network and/or take a DNR OHV Users survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PXGGVPF

Further reading at http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/western/Wolf-Den-Run.aspx

OHV TRAIL SYSTEM ASSESSMENT

The MDOHVA, using grants from Polaris Industries and the Maryland DNR, contracted with Applied Trails Research to conduct an initial assessment of the new Wolf Den Run State Park for OHV use.  This report is a lead-in to the formal planning process.

I’ll share a few highlights.

Wolf Den Run State Park is a new addition to the Maryland State Park system. The Park is comprised of three parcels (referred to as Parcels A – C and shown on the Inventory Maps at the end of the report). In total, the Wolf Den Run State Park property includes more than 66 miles of OHV routes that were collected by GPS during a three-day assessment of the property in May, 2018. The purpose of the project was to 1) develop a general trail inventory, 2) assess the existing conditions and potential sustainability of the trail system on these new State-owned parcels, and 3) provide baseline recommendations on moving forward with the formal development of the properties into a desirable outdoor recreation destination.

The entire report is at the link below.  The conclusion is

Wolf Den Run State Park can be an important State Park and desirable outdoor recreation destination. Given the industrial land use history and informal but relatively heavy OHV recreation use, this redevelopment process could be viewed through the lens of a recreation-focused environmental restoration. Runoff could be managed on many of the existing routes to mitigate potential sedimentation impacts, perennial streams could be better protected by improved crossings at all culverts and bridges, and redundant routes could be closed and restored to improve navigability. A number of local challenges will need to be overcome, including trespass, camping/hunting, and historic “ownership”, but if completed diligently, the Park could receive broad community support around the region.

Click here to download the report: Wolf Den Run OHV Assessment

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