Post by pistonschick on Jan 13, 2011 4:08:09 GMT -8
Dear Pistons Wild Club Members, Applicants and Friends:
I have tried for some time now to craft a message to post to the forum as a reflection of where we have been the past few years and to try to imagine where we might be two years from today. As a general rule, words come easily to me – but lately, my keyboard poundings have been heavily preoccupied with defending the mission and purpose for which this club was created. So, as a refresh, I am going to revisit the spirit of that mission and I hope to shed some light on why it is so important to have the knowledge and education to “talk the talk”, but also to have the confidence and determination demanded to effectively “walk the walk”.
First though, I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your contributions to Piston’s Wild Motorsports – combining volunteer effort, whether big or small, has been the key to the success of this club for the past four years. I am so proud to see this club consistently growing even in times of uncertainty and continuing to achieve the goals that were originally set forth in 2007. We started with just five (5) active families in 2007 and we are kicking off 2011 with twenty-five (25) families. Absolutely outstanding!
Special thanks go out to Kira Dominiak for stepping up to run for PNW4WDA Region 3 Washington Land Matters representative in 2010 and for running again in 2011. Maintaining this position within the club is critical to the continuity of our projects in the Yacolt Burn and to ensure continued success in our partnerships with DNR and the other user groups in the forest. I know that sometimes, I push Kira too hard in this crucial role, but it’s because I believe that she has the potential to accomplish great things – keep up the good work my friend…
I would like for everyone to acknowledge Darel Crowder for tackling the daunting and sometimes perilous responsibility of scouting 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn. I know if he was looking over my shoulder right now – he would want me to mention the unwavering commitment and support he received from Dave Huttula, Dustin Braaten, Daryl Keenan and Douglas Seal while completing the proposed lines through the first section of trails. These 5 members represent the Trails Development Committee that will spearhead the implementation of thirty new miles of 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn State Forest. Their diverse backgrounds in the world of 4-wheeling will ensure the development of a challenging and sustainable trail system that we can all be proud of. Please make every effort to give them the necessary support they will need over the next few years to build these “outstanding” trails.
While the work schedule for 2010 was light in comparison to previous years – the intensity of the work was at a much higher tempo than ever before. More members in the club can sometimes mean more opportunities for potential conflict and requires extra time to resolve issues. The board of trustees logged far too many hours this past year and I am hoping and praying desperately for a calmer, gentler 2011. In addition, more and more OHV areas are in serious danger of closing and are in desperate need of funding, which equals more competition between clubs and organizations for what few dollars are available. This toxic environment demands a tremendous amount of focus and determination from the club members and continually distracts us from the other things that are important to us – our families, our hobbies and the business of living our lives. Our continuing passion for the sport will ensure our survival of this chaotic situation and will also strengthen the ties that bind us all together as friends and family. My good friend Lance once told me, “Families fight – that’s what they do. Everything will work itself out in the end.”
Continuing to maintain our original club practice of “full disclosure” to the public has opened us up to more harsh criticism than ever before and has challenged our practices to the very core. We must not be swayed by those attacks – we must stay the course. The strategies and plans that we implemented in 2007 got us where we are today and will carry us successfully into the future. Cooperation with land managers and other user groups is our last, best hope to save our trails. Cooperation is the key – extremist type behavior almost always results in diminished access. Shouting on an internet forum about your right to public lands from a keyboard rarely effects change – we need to maintain some of the “old school” tactics, sit down face-to-face with our opponents and learn to compromise together to improve recreation opportunities for everyone. We have to be in it for the long haul if we have any hope of achieving our goals. We need to look to our land managers as partners, not adversaries – we need them to be on board with our goals and supporting our efforts.
Mentioned more than once this year was, “Piston’s Wild Motorsports is a hard club to belong to.” Well folks, it was designed to be that way. In this increasingly virtual world of the web, where 4-wheelers “just want to wheel”, we are losing access to our lands at a frightening pace. Just recently, Elbe Hills and Tahuya came under fire and the community had to spring to action to attempt a ninth-inning save – their fate has yet to be determined. For every Internet club that springs up on the web and boasts, “join us – no meetings, no officers, no responsibilities”, one “old-school” conventional 4x4 club is wasting away either because they lost sight of their purpose or sadly, might never have had a clear purpose to begin with. We wanted this club to be different – success takes hard work, commitment and dedication. If you are a member of this club it is because you take those ethics to heart and that you have the grit and determination to make good things happen. I, for one, thank YOU for being YOU.
I’m not saying there are not other clubs as dedicated as Piston’s Wild; I’m just saying they are few and far between. Similar clubs immediately coming to mind would be Deschutes County 4-Wheelers, Spanaway Moonshiners and All Wheelers Off-Road – just a few local clubs that make an obvious and consistent improvement to the sport. Groups like NAXJA and WOW are setting excellent examples of successful Internet based organizations that deliver the goods.
Let’s take a moment to revisit the purpose and mission statement from the club by-laws:
For the past four years and continuing into the future we will need to share information about legislation that affects our sport. There may be times that pieces of the legislation that throw a life-line to preserve motorsports recreation might alternately cause some of you heartburn in your personal lives or businesses. I ask that you please remember that the official club position MUST BE in favor of and support the laws that will best align with the purpose and mission of the club or we would be in violation of the legal intent of the Corporation. Politics is always a sticky subject, but we must remain vigilant when it continually challenges our access to motorized recreation.
Wrapping up 2010 with a big box of band-aids and putting it behind us is the plan – if necessary, take the time you need to lick your battle wounds and come back when you can to support the troops on the front line with everything you’ve got. Weary soldiers make easy targets and we simply cannot afford any more casualties.
I would like to ask that everyone please remember to keep your eyes on the goal, support the strategies and never allow anyone to compromise the integrity or undermine the determination of this club and everything it has accomplished so far. Our successes are a direct result of many years of your hard work and persistence as we gain momentum towards opening new 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn.
Your ongoing dedication to this project has been phenomenal and I am so proud to belong to this club - keep up the great work and good things will come our way. I’m optimistically predicting that 2011 is going to be a great year for 4-Wheeling . . . . . . . in the Yacolt Burn.
Respectfully at your service,
Crystal Crowder
Piston’s Wild Motorsports
Club President (2007–2011)
I have tried for some time now to craft a message to post to the forum as a reflection of where we have been the past few years and to try to imagine where we might be two years from today. As a general rule, words come easily to me – but lately, my keyboard poundings have been heavily preoccupied with defending the mission and purpose for which this club was created. So, as a refresh, I am going to revisit the spirit of that mission and I hope to shed some light on why it is so important to have the knowledge and education to “talk the talk”, but also to have the confidence and determination demanded to effectively “walk the walk”.
First though, I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your contributions to Piston’s Wild Motorsports – combining volunteer effort, whether big or small, has been the key to the success of this club for the past four years. I am so proud to see this club consistently growing even in times of uncertainty and continuing to achieve the goals that were originally set forth in 2007. We started with just five (5) active families in 2007 and we are kicking off 2011 with twenty-five (25) families. Absolutely outstanding!
Special thanks go out to Kira Dominiak for stepping up to run for PNW4WDA Region 3 Washington Land Matters representative in 2010 and for running again in 2011. Maintaining this position within the club is critical to the continuity of our projects in the Yacolt Burn and to ensure continued success in our partnerships with DNR and the other user groups in the forest. I know that sometimes, I push Kira too hard in this crucial role, but it’s because I believe that she has the potential to accomplish great things – keep up the good work my friend…
I would like for everyone to acknowledge Darel Crowder for tackling the daunting and sometimes perilous responsibility of scouting 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn. I know if he was looking over my shoulder right now – he would want me to mention the unwavering commitment and support he received from Dave Huttula, Dustin Braaten, Daryl Keenan and Douglas Seal while completing the proposed lines through the first section of trails. These 5 members represent the Trails Development Committee that will spearhead the implementation of thirty new miles of 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn State Forest. Their diverse backgrounds in the world of 4-wheeling will ensure the development of a challenging and sustainable trail system that we can all be proud of. Please make every effort to give them the necessary support they will need over the next few years to build these “outstanding” trails.
While the work schedule for 2010 was light in comparison to previous years – the intensity of the work was at a much higher tempo than ever before. More members in the club can sometimes mean more opportunities for potential conflict and requires extra time to resolve issues. The board of trustees logged far too many hours this past year and I am hoping and praying desperately for a calmer, gentler 2011. In addition, more and more OHV areas are in serious danger of closing and are in desperate need of funding, which equals more competition between clubs and organizations for what few dollars are available. This toxic environment demands a tremendous amount of focus and determination from the club members and continually distracts us from the other things that are important to us – our families, our hobbies and the business of living our lives. Our continuing passion for the sport will ensure our survival of this chaotic situation and will also strengthen the ties that bind us all together as friends and family. My good friend Lance once told me, “Families fight – that’s what they do. Everything will work itself out in the end.”
Continuing to maintain our original club practice of “full disclosure” to the public has opened us up to more harsh criticism than ever before and has challenged our practices to the very core. We must not be swayed by those attacks – we must stay the course. The strategies and plans that we implemented in 2007 got us where we are today and will carry us successfully into the future. Cooperation with land managers and other user groups is our last, best hope to save our trails. Cooperation is the key – extremist type behavior almost always results in diminished access. Shouting on an internet forum about your right to public lands from a keyboard rarely effects change – we need to maintain some of the “old school” tactics, sit down face-to-face with our opponents and learn to compromise together to improve recreation opportunities for everyone. We have to be in it for the long haul if we have any hope of achieving our goals. We need to look to our land managers as partners, not adversaries – we need them to be on board with our goals and supporting our efforts.
Mentioned more than once this year was, “Piston’s Wild Motorsports is a hard club to belong to.” Well folks, it was designed to be that way. In this increasingly virtual world of the web, where 4-wheelers “just want to wheel”, we are losing access to our lands at a frightening pace. Just recently, Elbe Hills and Tahuya came under fire and the community had to spring to action to attempt a ninth-inning save – their fate has yet to be determined. For every Internet club that springs up on the web and boasts, “join us – no meetings, no officers, no responsibilities”, one “old-school” conventional 4x4 club is wasting away either because they lost sight of their purpose or sadly, might never have had a clear purpose to begin with. We wanted this club to be different – success takes hard work, commitment and dedication. If you are a member of this club it is because you take those ethics to heart and that you have the grit and determination to make good things happen. I, for one, thank YOU for being YOU.
I’m not saying there are not other clubs as dedicated as Piston’s Wild; I’m just saying they are few and far between. Similar clubs immediately coming to mind would be Deschutes County 4-Wheelers, Spanaway Moonshiners and All Wheelers Off-Road – just a few local clubs that make an obvious and consistent improvement to the sport. Groups like NAXJA and WOW are setting excellent examples of successful Internet based organizations that deliver the goods.
Let’s take a moment to revisit the purpose and mission statement from the club by-laws:
The primary purpose of this Corporation is to promote family recreation and to promote the efforts of maintaining off-road recreation in the Pacific Northwest through the use of recreational vehicles and to preserve the land and surroundings, which are traveled. The secondary purpose of this Corporation is to promote coordination with outdoor off-road recreation user groups in the Pacific Northwest by means of integration and education.
The mission of Piston’s Wild, Inc., is to serve the interests of motor sports enthusiasts by pursuing, promoting and protecting the future of amateur motorsports (competition and recreation) in the Pacific Northwest.
The mission of Piston’s Wild, Inc., is to serve the interests of motor sports enthusiasts by pursuing, promoting and protecting the future of amateur motorsports (competition and recreation) in the Pacific Northwest.
For the past four years and continuing into the future we will need to share information about legislation that affects our sport. There may be times that pieces of the legislation that throw a life-line to preserve motorsports recreation might alternately cause some of you heartburn in your personal lives or businesses. I ask that you please remember that the official club position MUST BE in favor of and support the laws that will best align with the purpose and mission of the club or we would be in violation of the legal intent of the Corporation. Politics is always a sticky subject, but we must remain vigilant when it continually challenges our access to motorized recreation.
Wrapping up 2010 with a big box of band-aids and putting it behind us is the plan – if necessary, take the time you need to lick your battle wounds and come back when you can to support the troops on the front line with everything you’ve got. Weary soldiers make easy targets and we simply cannot afford any more casualties.
I would like to ask that everyone please remember to keep your eyes on the goal, support the strategies and never allow anyone to compromise the integrity or undermine the determination of this club and everything it has accomplished so far. Our successes are a direct result of many years of your hard work and persistence as we gain momentum towards opening new 4x4 trails in the Yacolt Burn.
Your ongoing dedication to this project has been phenomenal and I am so proud to belong to this club - keep up the great work and good things will come our way. I’m optimistically predicting that 2011 is going to be a great year for 4-Wheeling . . . . . . . in the Yacolt Burn.
Respectfully at your service,
Crystal Crowder
Piston’s Wild Motorsports
Club President (2007–2011)