Trail Ambassadors Promote Safety
Nov.
17, 2003 – If you ride the all-terrain vehicle trails of the Chequamegon-Nicolet
National Forest in Wisconsin, you may come across them.
Or, if you're lost, they may come across you.
They're Trail Ambassadors—volunteers who ride the trails of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest near Washburn in the northwestern part of the state. You'll also find them on popular ATV trails in other parts of the state.
There are almost 300 Trail Ambassadors statewide. Their mission?
To serve as safety role models, and to educate riders about ATV safety, the importance of protecting the environment by staying on the trails, and to look for law violations like kids under 18 riding without wearing helmets.
They
also pass out trail maps and even teach novices how to read them, help lost
riders, and do light trail maintenance.
Randy Harden, president of the National OHV Insurance and Services Group in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, came up with the idea for Wisconsin Trail Ambassadors in late 2001.
Harden saw that kids were getting safety training and being taught to wear proper safety gear, but when they got out on the trails they saw adults who didn't have that same concern for safety.
At that point, all that safety training the kids got just undid itself, Harden says.
So he thought that educating adults on the trails would help. State lawmakers apparently agreed, since they authorized the trail patrol and funding.
Trail
Ambassadors must be state Department of Natural Resources ATV safety instructors
so that they are experts on ATV rider safety. They also get training in laws
related to ATVs, and learn how to approach people safely on the trails.
"When we first meet them they're usually startled" because they think they may be doing something wrong, Harden says. "But then, we've had people thanking us. It's the ones who are causing problems that don't like it. We get some of that, and in some instances we've had to report them to law enforcement.
"But most people like to know that there is someone watching to keep things safe," he says, adding that the program is like a neighborhood watch program for trails.
Trail Ambassadors wear yellow vests with the words "Trail Patrol" emblazoned on them so that they are easily recognizable. While they don't have law enforcement powers, they usually have radios so they can call for help, and sometimes ride with law enforcement personnel.
And if you don't see them on the trails, you'll find them at trailheads, observing and ready to answer any questions.
Right now, the Trail Ambassadors are also helping the state Tourism Department gather information to show that ATVers pump a lot of money into an area's economy.
There are more than 185,000 ATVs registered in Wisconsin for use on public riding areas, so when they travel for ATV riding you know that they are spending some big bucks.
The state Tourism Department wants to get a handle on exactly how much so that an area's businesses know how important ATVers are to the economy.
Harden says that Trail Ambassadors ask riders where they are from, how many nights they are staying, how much money they spend on the trip and other questions to help the state Tourism Department.
The
Trail Patrol is also important for another reason.
Like in other states, sales of ATVs have skyrocketed over the years, putting more and more ATVs onto public trails. When government officials consider adding new trails, they wonder how rules will be enforced.
That's where the Trail Ambassadors come in, giving officials the confidence that manpower will be available for enforcement on new trails.
For more information on the Trail Ambassadors program, contact Randy Harden at (920) 565-7531 or by e-mail at randy.harden@nohvis.com.