Off-Road Driving Academy
If you've ever wanted to drive a Hummer off-road, you can visit the Nemacolin Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania, which has more than 600 wooded acres and 20-plus miles of terrain covered with every type of obstacle imaginable.
Instructors guide customers through an instructional program consisting of three main areas. The Rock includes a 60 percent incline, a 40 percent sidehill, rockcrawls, and log crossings. The Crater is 7 acres of water-fording ponds, climbs, and descents. The final part has drivers heading out onto the trails, which have names such as The Pits and Rock House.
The two-hour course is open 365 days a year. Hummer owners are invited to bring their own vehicle for Hummer weekend packages. The exclusive Nemacolin Resort also offers shooting, climbing, and golf, among other recreational activities. For more information, contact: www.nemacolin.com.
Land-Use News
Big Win #1: A move to ban all vehicle use on nearly 10 million acres in Utah, including nine popular OHV areas, has been rejected by the Supreme Court in support of a Utah District Court decision. "Needless to say, we're delighted," said Bill Dart, executive director of the Blue Ribbon Coalition. The BRC lead a coalition of OHV enthusiast groups who successfully petitioned for the decision. The issue had been in court since 1999, when an anti-access group filed suit targeting the BLM for alleged inaction managing OHV areas. According to Blue Ribbon Coalition sources, there are numerous other cases at various levels of the federal court system that will be affected by this ruling.
Big Win #2: A Wyoming federal judge has agreed with pro-access interests in striking down a rule that would have banned snowmobiles from Yellowstone National Park. The ruling overturned a rule finalized on the last day of the outgoing Clinton administration, which restricted motorized winter access to mass-transit snow coaches. The ruling allows the Park Service to develop a plan for regulated snowmobile access.
New Permit Rule: Effective August 12, clubs or organizations are required to obtain a special-use permit if they have 75 people traveling Forest Service roads. A permit is also required for groups of less than 75 people that are charging a fee for their event. The special-use permit is required for using roads, campgrounds, or other lands in a national forest. For more information on how to receive a special-use permit, contact www.ufwda.org/landuse.