As I sit down to write this report I, look back to what I wrote in July and see that sadly things have only gotten worse for our poor province. Every corner of British Columbia has been hit this year with fires, smoke and dangerously dry conditions. I remember a time when the summer months were what we looked forward to for the best riding and camping experience of the year. As I am from the lower mainland that also meant a bit less rain, however now I find myself praying for rain….

I feel I might be preaching to the choir in asking you to stay out of the backcountry at this time. It seems like a given, that we all do are part to stay out of the way of BC Wildfire services and if you do insist on getting out on the trails, we hope you take our advice to be as prepared as possible with these simple tips:

  • Never ride alone
  • Ensure you have a proper spark arrester on your machine (This is the law)
  • Carry extra water
  • Carry a fire extinguisher
  • Carry a collapsible bucket and shovel in case you come across a small fire or an accident that needs immediate attention

Many riders may not realize that when there is a fire close by you are not allowed to be in the area so to allow for fire crews to establish fire guards etc. The best way to know if you are heading into an area that is off limits is to check in with the BC Wildfire Service active fire map online at: https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/map

OR download the BC Wildfire service MOBILE APP to stay up to date.

MEMBER SURVEY LAUNCHED

After months of promising and a few sleepless nights working with a survey program that will remain nameless, we moved over to a new platform and got our survey out to the membership.

We had amazing uptake so far with 577 completed in the first week. Now we need YOU, to help us share this survey beyond our own reach. If you have friends, family, cousins, next door neighbours that ride, please ask them to take a few minutes to complete this survey!

As we get closer to the deadline for this survey (in a few weeks) we may even be offering some great incentives to complete the survey… don’t worry if you did it already you will still be entered into the draw!!

In case you forgot it, here is the link to the survey for quick and easy sharing!

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sv/D2Pg0Ex/membersurvey2023

NEW CORPORATE MEMBER ALERT

 Welcome to new Corporate Member: Invictus Professional Snowfighters

We are a team of professional snow fighters with an arsenal of snow management equipment that includes heavy duty loaders, plows, snow removal equipment and ATVs.  We will maintain your shopping center or commercial property in a safe and efficient manner through winter’s worst storms all year round & 24/7.

Every member of the Invictus team has deep industry knowledge and is ASCA and SIMA trained and certified. We are also the first and only Pacific Northwest company that is ISO/SN 9001 certified servicing Vancouver, Seattle and Portland.

Part of our program includes practicing effective eco-friendly de-ice and anti-icing methods that won’t damage your concrete and asphalt. We use our proprietary product Easy Ice Melt, Easy Ice Melt Premium, and Easy Ice Melt Supreme, a LEED compliant de-icing liquid, to keep your properties surfaces free from dangerous ice.

 Learn more about our corporate members on our website at atvbc.ca

Do you have an ATV related business product or service and want to offer a great benefit to our over 5000 members? Contact us to find out how we can highlight your business to our amazing membership.

If you are a member of ATVBC (and you should be, as we are amazing!!), don’t forget to check out our website to see how you can save $$$ at many of our amazing corporate members!

I also encourage you to follow our social media channels to learn more about the ATVBC affiliated club events and activities and find a way to join in on an activity during your travels this summer.

SUMMER 50/50 IS CLOSING AUG 31ST

Summer 50/50 is ALMOST OVER. With almost $13,000 in the pot so far, don’t miss out on this opportunity to get your tickets. Have you seen the latest list of sales by club? How is your club doing? Are you leading in the sales? Or falling short?

Now is the time to get out and sell sell sell!!! Its so easy too, just share the club link with your friends, family, riding partners and encourage them to buy.

The Summer 50/50 DRAW is coming up August 31st.

Support your local clubs and purchase your ticket today!!! Go online to see what the prize pot is at today and watch it grow!

ATVBC COMMITTEES UPDATE

Over the past month, the following ATVBC committees have started to meet and set or review their terms of reference and set their goals for the year ahead.

Membership Committee – 9 members

Land Use Committee – 12 members

Communications Committee – 9 members

Special thanks to all those members who have put their names forward to stand on these committees along side our board members and staff to bring forward the voice of the membership to ensure your voices are heard.

ADVOCACY UPDATES

With the state of many of our beloved trails around the province in flux due to the current wildfires, we are taking a step back in August with our advocacy actions to give the provincial ministries the space to work to save our trails.

This doesn’t mean we are stopping our advocacy actions, in fact, we are taking this time to collect as much background as we can on areas of concern around the province. This includes deactivations in the central Kootenays, regulation changes for access management agreements in the Kootenays, and continuing to reach out to communities interested in joining our efforts to bring our policy B121 from UBCM forward to government to push for access to amenities for ATV/ORV in communities.   For more information on all these advocacy actions, please email me at [email protected]

Until next month, ride safe, ride smart!

Cheers,

Kristin