Southern Four Wheel Drive Association
September 2009 Update
The 3rd Quarter Meeting is September 12th in Tracy City, TN. The Damn Locals are hosting they always do a great job.
Meeting time: 9:00 AM Central Time (Trail rides after the meeting)
Location: Tracy City Elementary School
276 3rd. St., Tracy City, TN
If you have attended meetings there in the past, this is the same location.
Camping is available September 11th through the 13th with water and power available. Contact Steve Melton at (423) 779-6793 for more information.
Please make plans to attend and we look forward to seeing you there.
23rd Annual Dixie Run registration is online at www.sfwda.orghttp://. It is hard to believe that we are now a month away!
Dates: October 2-4
Location: Golden Mountain Park, Sparta Tennessee
Golden Mountain Park offers great trail riding and facilities set in the beautiful rolling hills of Tennessee. There is a link to park information located on the Dixie Run registration page.
Come enjoy the fellowship and family fun at SFWDA’s longest running event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Nick McCracken did a great job with his first issue as Editor of the Trail Mix. The next due date for the Trail Mix is October 12, 2009. Please send your articles, pictures, etc. to Nick at [email protected].
Rescue Tellico: It sounds like we are very close to the hearing the forest service decision on Tellico. I know we have all heard this before and have been waiting on pins and needles for them to announce but it does sound like we are very close. From our standpoint there is quite a bit of activity. Information requested from the forest service under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has just been received and will be reviewed by our attorneys, Jay Bird and other Rescue Tellico members. There is a lot of information to be dissected but it gives us relevant information as we move forward.
Please understand, this is not a fast process. I have said all along that this is a marathon and not a sprint. There is a process to be followed and we are following it to make sure we approach this in the right way. Once the decision is announced, there is an appeals process that has to be followed. To help everyone understand this appeals process, Jay, John Craven, Heather and others are putting together information to explain how it works and what we have to do. I know it is easy to get impatient and think “well nothing is being done†but that is simply not true. I also know that everyone gets tired of hearing that we are waiting for the decision but, again, we have to follow the process. Believe me when I say that these limbo periods are hard on us all! We have tried to communicate events as they have happened and I think over all we have done a good job doing this but I do understand that in the interim periods where there is not much to communicate that does lead to speculation and nay saying and we have to guard against that.
Thanks again to everyone for your support. You can still buy chances to win the 1990 Grand Wagoneer online at www.sfwda.orghttp:// and buy chances on the 1989 FJ62 Land Cruiser donated by the Georgia Cruiser’s at www.cruisers.comhttp://. Both are very nice vehicles and have had a lot of time and effort gone into them to make them top notch.
Thank you to everyone who has donated time, “sweat equityâ€, and parts for these vehicles.
Chances for both vehicles are $10.00 apiece and as you know the money is going for this very worthy cause.
We have Adpot-A-Trout for sale at $5.00 apiece. You can save a trout from the vicious hands of the anglers. You can name your trout and display your support for Rescue Tellico proudly on your wall!
Check out the Café Press Rescue Tellico store on line at www.sfwda.orghttp:// and our own Southern store has Rescue Tellico shirts for sale.
All monies raised go towards the Rescue Tellico effort.
The King of Hill Event held by the Rocket City Rock Crawlers was great! It brings a new level to the word excitement. The course was tough and the drivers pushed themselves and their vehicle to their limits. The weather was great, attendance seemed to be good and it was obvious this was a well organized, well run event. My wife Carol and I manned a Rescue Tellico booth for the event. Business was good and we got to talk to a lot of people, some who were aware of the Tellico situation and some who were not but there was good exposure for Southern Four Wheel Drive Association and Rescue Tellico.
I look forward to going back next year. Great Job Rocket City!
Closing Thoughts: I hear comments that all Southern Four Wheel Drive Association is about is Tellico. Yes, this area has gotten the most publicity due to the situation at hand and rightfully so at this point. But, Southern is much more than that. We also support the trail systems in the Uwharrie National Forest near Troy, NC and Beasley Knob ORV Area near Blairsville, GA. We were instrumental form the State of Alabama’s first ORV park, Stony Lonesome, in Cullman County, AL. We have stayed involved in the Tennessee ORV issue to try and get ORV areas in the State of Tennessee other off road issues throughout our coverage area both past and present. I use the word “we†to represent the association in this context, but it boils down to clubs and individuals volunteering time and effort to be involved. Thousands of volunteer man hours attending meetings, workdays, etc. have been spent over the years to keep try and keep trails open and champion the cause of off road motorized recreation. Unfortunately, as I wrote in my Trail Mix article, our sport is not like other outdoor sports like baseball, football, golf, etc. due to the pressures from people and environmental groups who do not necessarily like what we do and what we do today grooms what happens tomorrow. That is what we are about along with United Four Wheel Drive Associations and all of the regional associations throughout the country, Blue Ribbon Coalition, Tread Lightly, and other groups who champion the same cause.
I know I have not listed everything here but for some of the association history and achievements over the years check out www.sfwda.orghttp://.
Thanks for your support.
Gary Parsons
President
SFWDA
September 2009 Update
The 3rd Quarter Meeting is September 12th in Tracy City, TN. The Damn Locals are hosting they always do a great job.
Meeting time: 9:00 AM Central Time (Trail rides after the meeting)
Location: Tracy City Elementary School
276 3rd. St., Tracy City, TN
If you have attended meetings there in the past, this is the same location.
Camping is available September 11th through the 13th with water and power available. Contact Steve Melton at (423) 779-6793 for more information.
Please make plans to attend and we look forward to seeing you there.
23rd Annual Dixie Run registration is online at www.sfwda.orghttp://. It is hard to believe that we are now a month away!
Dates: October 2-4
Location: Golden Mountain Park, Sparta Tennessee
Golden Mountain Park offers great trail riding and facilities set in the beautiful rolling hills of Tennessee. There is a link to park information located on the Dixie Run registration page.
Come enjoy the fellowship and family fun at SFWDA’s longest running event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Nick McCracken did a great job with his first issue as Editor of the Trail Mix. The next due date for the Trail Mix is October 12, 2009. Please send your articles, pictures, etc. to Nick at [email protected].
Rescue Tellico: It sounds like we are very close to the hearing the forest service decision on Tellico. I know we have all heard this before and have been waiting on pins and needles for them to announce but it does sound like we are very close. From our standpoint there is quite a bit of activity. Information requested from the forest service under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has just been received and will be reviewed by our attorneys, Jay Bird and other Rescue Tellico members. There is a lot of information to be dissected but it gives us relevant information as we move forward.
Please understand, this is not a fast process. I have said all along that this is a marathon and not a sprint. There is a process to be followed and we are following it to make sure we approach this in the right way. Once the decision is announced, there is an appeals process that has to be followed. To help everyone understand this appeals process, Jay, John Craven, Heather and others are putting together information to explain how it works and what we have to do. I know it is easy to get impatient and think “well nothing is being done†but that is simply not true. I also know that everyone gets tired of hearing that we are waiting for the decision but, again, we have to follow the process. Believe me when I say that these limbo periods are hard on us all! We have tried to communicate events as they have happened and I think over all we have done a good job doing this but I do understand that in the interim periods where there is not much to communicate that does lead to speculation and nay saying and we have to guard against that.
Thanks again to everyone for your support. You can still buy chances to win the 1990 Grand Wagoneer online at www.sfwda.orghttp:// and buy chances on the 1989 FJ62 Land Cruiser donated by the Georgia Cruiser’s at www.cruisers.comhttp://. Both are very nice vehicles and have had a lot of time and effort gone into them to make them top notch.
Thank you to everyone who has donated time, “sweat equityâ€, and parts for these vehicles.
Chances for both vehicles are $10.00 apiece and as you know the money is going for this very worthy cause.
We have Adpot-A-Trout for sale at $5.00 apiece. You can save a trout from the vicious hands of the anglers. You can name your trout and display your support for Rescue Tellico proudly on your wall!
Check out the Café Press Rescue Tellico store on line at www.sfwda.orghttp:// and our own Southern store has Rescue Tellico shirts for sale.
All monies raised go towards the Rescue Tellico effort.
The King of Hill Event held by the Rocket City Rock Crawlers was great! It brings a new level to the word excitement. The course was tough and the drivers pushed themselves and their vehicle to their limits. The weather was great, attendance seemed to be good and it was obvious this was a well organized, well run event. My wife Carol and I manned a Rescue Tellico booth for the event. Business was good and we got to talk to a lot of people, some who were aware of the Tellico situation and some who were not but there was good exposure for Southern Four Wheel Drive Association and Rescue Tellico.
I look forward to going back next year. Great Job Rocket City!
Closing Thoughts: I hear comments that all Southern Four Wheel Drive Association is about is Tellico. Yes, this area has gotten the most publicity due to the situation at hand and rightfully so at this point. But, Southern is much more than that. We also support the trail systems in the Uwharrie National Forest near Troy, NC and Beasley Knob ORV Area near Blairsville, GA. We were instrumental form the State of Alabama’s first ORV park, Stony Lonesome, in Cullman County, AL. We have stayed involved in the Tennessee ORV issue to try and get ORV areas in the State of Tennessee other off road issues throughout our coverage area both past and present. I use the word “we†to represent the association in this context, but it boils down to clubs and individuals volunteering time and effort to be involved. Thousands of volunteer man hours attending meetings, workdays, etc. have been spent over the years to keep try and keep trails open and champion the cause of off road motorized recreation. Unfortunately, as I wrote in my Trail Mix article, our sport is not like other outdoor sports like baseball, football, golf, etc. due to the pressures from people and environmental groups who do not necessarily like what we do and what we do today grooms what happens tomorrow. That is what we are about along with United Four Wheel Drive Associations and all of the regional associations throughout the country, Blue Ribbon Coalition, Tread Lightly, and other groups who champion the same cause.
I know I have not listed everything here but for some of the association history and achievements over the years check out www.sfwda.orghttp://.
Thanks for your support.
Gary Parsons
President
SFWDA
