January 1999
An Open Letter from
Cheryl Nelson to Off-Highway Vehicle Riders in New York….
As I sit down to write this letter to
NYSORVA members and off-highway vehicle enthusiasts in New York, the
phrase "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times"
comes to mind. As I was making my decision to move on to other
adventures in life and "retire" from leading the charge of the
off-highway issues, it caused me to reflect on my twelve year tenure.
The part about the "worst of
times" came to me when I thought about the constant uphill battle
with the New York State legislature and public land managers in New
York. After all of this time, it still perplexes me that the government
of this state doesn’t see what is wrong with charging a fee for a
service, but not delivering the service. In the world that you and I
live in, that is considered a crime! There seems to be little concern on
the part of the New York state government that they charge an annual
registration fee to the off-highway vehicle users, but don’t deliver
the trails that the fee is to be used for! Political parties come and
political parties go. When Governor Cuomo’s administration didn’t
want to help us, there was great expectations that the Governor Pataki
administration would, but alas, the wrongful situation continues. Then,
on top of that, there are those land managers out there in the state
that seem obsessed with spending their time just waiting for an ATV or
dirt bike rider to appear on the scene so they can write their monthly
quota of tickets to the rider. Just maybe, if the "powers that
be" in New York worked a little harder at working with us instead
of against us, things would be a lot better all the way around! NYSORVA
was formed to be a partnership with the state legislature and land
managers, but the partnership seems to be a little lopsided because
NYSORVA keeps giving, but gets nothing in return from the other partner
– the State of New York. However, with all of that said, there are
some government officials that really are sincere in helping us and have
tried to assist us when they can. Names that come to mind in that
category are Assemblyman Michael Bragman, Senator Michael Nozzolio, and
Department of Environmental Conservation employee, Ray Davis.
As far as the "best of
times," I hardly know where to begin. When I think of the early
days of my involvement (which started in a corner of my dining room with
me writing letters on a Tandy word processor that sat on a TV tray) to
today, the array of good times is incredible! I had the opportunity to
meet a lot of the off-highway vehicle riders in the state and developed
some good friendships. Without NYSORVA being a catalyst, these
friendships would have never occurred. Then there was my opportunity to
be the New York State representative to the National Off-Highway Vehicle
Conservation Council (NOHVCC). This allowed me to meet other off-highway
activists and enthusiasts from all across the country. And again, I
developed some strong bonds and friendships with individuals there. For
a year, I served as the Training Services Program Administrator for
NOHVCC and got the opportunity to arrange and deliver land management
workshops to land managers and enthusiasts around the country. My
involvement with NOHVCC allowed me to travel around the country to
places I never expected to go. NOHVCC also was the major sponsor of our
second land managers workshop here in 1996. I was invited by the
American Motorcyclist Association in 1996 to attend a conference in
Washington, DC where the subject was understanding how government works
and I got to visit the capital and the representatives from New York to
discuss off-highway vehicle issues. The Motorcycle Industry Council
(MIC) was another resource for NYSORVA. MIC provided NYSORVA with grants
for getting started and for lobbying efforts, and they provided our
first land managers’ workshop here in 1994.
Through all of this, American Honda has
been a strong supporter of NYSORVA’s activities and I have developed
very strong bonds with Honda employees which have expanded beyond
off-highway vehicle issues to personal friendships. And last, but surely
not least, there were all of those opportunities to meet my
"idols" from the off-highway vehicle world - especially Scott
Summers, Malcolm Smith, and Steve Hatch. All three of these individuals
saw and understood what NYSORVA was trying to accomplish and put their
support behind it. To me, it has always been an "awesome"
feeling to be able to go to an event and have Scott Summers and Steve
Hatch take time to chat, or to have had the opportunity to go on a trail
ride with Malcolm Smith in Alabama, and oh yea, receive autographed
riding jerseys from all three of them. Sometimes I have to pinch myself
to be sure that I didn’t dream all of this!!
So, why would I step down from the
NYSORVA presidency? Because it is time to let someone else take over the
helm. For me the "fun" is gone from both the activism role and
the riding role. My ATV has not been ridden by me since October, 1997!
It’s time for me to move on and accomplish other things in my
professional career and personal life and to go ridin’! It’s a good
thing for an organization to have "new blood" so it doesn’t
become stagnant. Some rumors floating around have made it sound like I
will no longer be involved with off-highway vehicle issues at all. This
couldn’t be further from the truth. I still am an active member of the
Ithaca Dirt Riders club. I still have a seat representing ATVs on the
New York State Trails Council, and I am still the New York State
representative to the NOHVCC, even though I have been somewhat inactive
for a couple of years. I am, and always will be, an off and on highway
vehicle fanatic. Between my Honda 300EX, my Honda XR200, and our Honda
Goldwing, I expect to continue to enjoy the activities that I love and
that have afforded me such exceptional opportunities in life.
I will still remain a NYSORVA member
and hope to continue to be an asset and resource to the off-highway
vehicle riders in New York and elsewhere. I hope that the next
administration of NYSORVA can take it to the next level where it needs
to go. That includes getting an internet web site created so people can
get NYSORVA information in electronic format, continue to "hammer
away" at the New York state legislature and land managers and
settle for nothing less than getting the development and construction of
off-highway vehicle trails in New York, continue to promote safe and
legal riding, and continue to be a resource and advocate for individuals
and clubs across New York that are pursuing recreational happiness
through off-highway vehicles.
Please feel free to call on me if you
have a question or just to say "hi". As I get back to riding
more, I hope that our trails pass and that we will get a chance to enjoy
more good times. My best to all of you and "thank you" for a
great twelve years!
Cheryl Nelson
Immediate Past President
NYSORVA
honda@zeus.odyssey.net
|
