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blazerbrad · 03-03-2010, 11:51 AM

A good friend and club member is an OMTA officer so I would be more than happy to follow up on any of the comments above. However I will say that there is probably "more to it" than what the posts above sound like.

I am curious regarding the $20,000 per mile of trail development and will get more details.....are you sure that doesn't include land acquisition? Keep in mind that 1 acre of land is just over a 200' x 200' square, and how many acres of woods would you need to make just one mile of trail? For example Harlan, KY (Black Mountain) lists of having 200 miles of trails on 7,000 acres, or 35 acres per miles. Go try to buy 35 acres of land for only $20,000. Also, does that cost include the infrastructure of the trail system (entrances, parking areas, restroom facilities, signs, etc...). It's kinda' like a mechanic changing brake pads on your car. You aren't paying $100 for just a guy to do it, but rather part of that cost is paying for his tools, shop, hoist, utilities, advertisement, etc... Again, I don't know for sure if this is the case but I will try to find out more details.

For the comment about how they should get land use privileges first and then get clubs to volunteer the time.....well, that's always been the plan. The trouble is you are not going to find a land owner that will just donate 400+ acres of land and say "have at it". Keep in mind that this organization has been around for quite some time now and therefore have already gone through the motions and politics involved. Honestly, does anybody on this board really know anything about public land-use in the state of Ohio for motorized use besides the 2 minutes of glancing over some posts?

For the comment about needing to write congressman and local officials.....well, representatives from OMTA has met with government officials in person many times, both local and state including just about everybody involved with public lands in Ohio. I would need to verify but I believe some have actually traveled to D.C. to talk to people in person.

Don't get me wrong as I definitely do not think OMTA is the be-all, end-all for getting trails and land in Ohio, and both myself and our club (fullsize vehicles with no quads or bikes) have had some disagreements in the past, but it is also the only half-way organized effort to do so. I am also by no means the poster child for land-use reform. However I do get a little frustrated because the above posts are basically saying "I don't like the way somebody else is doing something even though I have never directly participated in it, nor know the specific details".

03-03-2010, 11:51 AM	#8
blazerbrad - CORE Member - Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 831	A good friend and club member is an OMTA officer so I would be more than happy to follow up on any of the comments above. However I will say that there is probably "more to it" than what the posts above sound like. I am curious regarding the $20,000 per mile of trail development and will get more details.....are you sure that doesn't include land acquisition? Keep in mind that 1 acre of land is just over a 200' x 200' square, and how many acres of woods would you need to make just one mile of trail? For example Harlan, KY (Black Mountain) lists of having 200 miles of trails on 7,000 acres, or 35 acres per miles. Go try to buy 35 acres of land for only $20,000. Also, does that cost include the infrastructure of the trail system (entrances, parking areas, restroom facilities, signs, etc...). It's kinda' like a mechanic changing brake pads on your car. You aren't paying $100 for just a guy to do it, but rather part of that cost is paying for his tools, shop, hoist, utilities, advertisement, etc... Again, I don't know for sure if this is the case but I will try to find out more details. For the comment about how they should get land use privileges first and then get clubs to volunteer the time.....well, that's always been the plan. The trouble is you are not going to find a land owner that will just donate 400+ acres of land and say "have at it". Keep in mind that this organization has been around for quite some time now and therefore have already gone through the motions and politics involved. Honestly, does anybody on this board really know anything about public land-use in the state of Ohio for motorized use besides the 2 minutes of glancing over some posts? For the comment about needing to write congressman and local officials.....well, representatives from OMTA has met with government officials in person many times, both local and state including just about everybody involved with public lands in Ohio. I would need to verify but I believe some have actually traveled to D.C. to talk to people in person. Don't get me wrong as I definitely do not think OMTA is the be-all, end-all for getting trails and land in Ohio, and both myself and our club (fullsize vehicles with no quads or bikes) have had some disagreements in the past, but it is also the only half-way organized effort to do so. I am also by no means the poster child for land-use reform. However I do get a little frustrated because the above posts are basically saying "I don't like the way somebody else is doing something even though I have never directly participated in it, nor know the specific details".