Annual Membership Campaign Is On!

Mi-TRALE to Form Foundation

Michigan Trails and Recreation Alliance of Land and the Environment, commonly known as Mi-TRALE, has announced that they are beginning the process of forming the Motorsport Enthusiasts That Care (METC) Foundation.

Once legally formed, the METC Foundation will then disperse money to families fighting cancer and families in need. The first step will be for the METC Foundation to get incorporated, then become a 501C3 nonprofit organization.

Mi-TRALE hopes that profits from the January 16, 2010, Whealkate Bluff Winternationals Snowmobile Hillclimb in South Range, Michigan, will help get the foundation incorporated. Mi-TRALE along with Peppermill Lodging of Rockland has donated fencing for the hillclimb, along with volunteers to work the event.

This coming summer, Mi-TRALE is going to host its first “Girls of Grit” ATV Ride. This ride will be for women only, for which the participants will have to raise a dollar a mile to participate. The “Girls of Grit” ride will have 50-, 75-, and 100-mile rides. The ride will take place July 30th to August 1st of 2010. More information on the “Girls of Grit” ride will be on this web site.

“With the announcement of the closing of the Smurfit-Stone mill in Ontonagon, and the way our economy is right now, Mi-TRALE knows that we have a lot of families in the 5 western U.P. counties that we serve that will need help,” according to Mi-TRALE President, Skip Schulz.

Recently Mi-TRALE joined with the Superior Snowmobile Club and donated to a fund for the children of an Ironwood man killed this past year working on a snowmobile trail. The organization is also responsible for getting the Ontonagon County Search and Rescue Unit ressurrected. That Search and Rescue unit is now autonomous of Mi-TRALE.

For the past two years, Mi-TRALE also sponsored a Senior Citizen Fall Color Ride and has held the ATV/Truck XTreme Challenge every summer to help the Ontonagon County Fair. Mi-TRALE also sponsors ATV safety training for children at no expense to the students.

“The METC Foundation is just another way for our organization to do something for those less fortunate, just like we did with the Snow Valley Riders last winter in a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity,” commented Schulz.

Schulz goes on to say that while he understands the difficulty in bringing the Winternationals Snowmobile Hillclimb back to life, he is optimistic that they will have a good enough fan turnout to “start the ball rolling” on the METC Foundation.

“We all know families that have been affected by cancer. I am really proud of Mi-TRALE to start the METC Foundation,” concluded Schulz.

Once established, the METC Foundation will be a separate entity of Mi-TRALE. They will have their own board of directors and make their own decisions as to whom the foundation will disperse money to, according to Schulz.

Michigan Trails and Recreation Alliance of Land and the Environment, commonly known as Mi-TRALE, is an alliance of multiple trail and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. The organization was formed in July of 2001 to bring different user groups TOGETHER, from ATV riders to horseback enthusiasts, from snowmobilers to “side-by-side” riders. While Mi-TRALE has developed close to 1,000 miles of ATV trails in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, our organization of volunteers DO MUCH MORE than develop, sign, and maintain ORV trails. However, all the GREAT projects and work that we are involved in, is dependent on members. Even if you cannot participate in the FUN activities we do, WE NEED YOUR MEMBERSHIP.

In 2010, one of our many MAJOR events and projects is “Girls of Grit.”

“Girls of Grit”

This will be a 50- to 100-mile ATV and/or off-highway motorcycle trail ride where women only will pay or get sponsors. The money will go to breast cancer research/American Cancer Society. The ride will be based out of Watersmeet, with the women riding the IRM and LL Trails. The ride will take place the first week in August of 2010. Minimum donation to participate will be $50.00. Theme for the ride is “Girls will play while the guys will PAY.”

2009 Mi-TRALE Member Updates
TRAILS

Once again this year, Mi-TRALE continued to expand its trail network. While it is short in terms of distance, the LL North extension is an important CONNECTOR to our many years of working in getting a trail to the Paulding Light and a north/south from Watersmeet to the SB Trail. All we need now is to finish up some of the signing on that trail and sign the trail maintenance agreement between Watersmeet Township Board and Lac Vieux Desert Tribe. We will be “renaming” the current BLA Trail to the LL Trail.

With the Ottawa OHV Connector Proposal Environmental Analysis having completed one step, Mi-TRALE will need to work hard and convince the DNR, Ottawa, and township and county officials in allowing us to designate the approved trails and routes, thus allowing these trails and routes to be identified by alphabetical letters and signing.

Hopefully after over 15 years, Mi-TRALE will get the P (Pioneer) Trail as a Mi DNR Designated ORV Route in 2010!

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/PROJECTS

Since Mi-TRALE was formed in 2001, our organization has been MORE than “just” a “trails” organization. Once again in 2009, Mi-TRALE WAS ACTIVE in COMMUNITY SUPPORT!

• Mi-TRALE got the Ontonagon County Search and Rescue going. This autonomous group was called out RECENTLY for a search of a bear hunter in the Porkies.

• For the second year, Mi-TRALE organized a very successful senior citizen fall color ride. We went from 36 riders last year to 40 this year. Mi-TRALE was asked to be a feature speaker about the senior citizen ride at this past year’s Wisconsin ATV Association Annual Meeting in Wausau, Wisconsin.

• Mi-TRALE teamed up with the Sno Valley Riders in doing a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. The two organizations held a snowmobile drag race in Sidnaw last February. Thirty-five-below-zero temps kept our crowd and driver turnout down, but we still donated $200.00 to Habitat for Humanity.

• Mi-TRALE provided the PA sound system at the Ontonagon Trout Fishing Classic. This was a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

• Mi-TRALE helped keep the Ontonagon County Fair alive by sponsoring the ATV/Truck Xtreme Challenge. This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, events at the Ontonagon County Fair.

• Mi-TRALE members cleaned up the shoulder of the former M-107 Highway.

• Mi-TRALE members held 3 DNR ATV Safety Certification Classes. Close to 40 children graduated from the classes. Mi-TRALE has 3 DNR Certified ATV Safety Instructors.

• Mi-TRALE volunteers mowed, brushed, and trimmed the P (Pioneer) Trailheads throughout the summer. This includes the trailhead east of Bergland and the Norwich Road Trailhead. Mi-TRALE receives NO reimbursement for this work.

• Mi-TRALE provided the PA sound system for the Ontonagon Labor Day “Lip Sync Contest.”

• Mi-TRALE teamed up with Lac Vieux Desert in the first “Wheel Fest” Celebration and participated in a Watersmeet area fundraising trail ride.

• Mi-TRALE was successful in bringing a group of over 50 ATV riders from Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. A part of this group then came back to the area for another ride this fall. This group is planning to come back to the Western U.P. in 2010. Mi-TRALE showed the importance of tourism generated by the ATV sport!

• Mi-TRALE attended town board meetings and DNR meetings in an effort to bring a scramble area to the western U.P. While we are a long way from seeing this happen, it is our organization that has already invested a lot of hours into seeing a scramble area developed in the western U.P. A scramble area would bring hundreds of thousands of dollars in tourism revenue to the western U.P. Mi-TRALE continues to work on this MAJOR project. Mi-TRALE received the unanimous support for a scramble area from the Carp Lake Town Board, Ontonagon County Economic Development Corporation, and Ontonagon County Planning Commission. The scramble area would show our organization’s mission statement in being an organization for the 4x4, Jeep, and off-highway motorcycle riders.

• Mi-TRALE spent many hours in working with the MiDNR in getting permission to use an Ontonagon County Forest as the Mi-TRALE equestrian park. Mi-TRALE has already received support from the Ontonagon County Economic Development Corporation and the Ontonagon County Planning Commission. Mi-TRALE will now work on getting the support from the Ontonagon County Forestry Committee, then the Ontonagon County Board of Commissioners. This would help our tourism industry and also show our group as being an organization for the horseback riding community.

• Mi-TRALE is working WITH representatives from Baraga County in starting an OHV organization and working on developing other Mi-TRALE chapters in the U.P.

LEGISLATIVE ISSUES That Mi-TRALE Worked On in 2009

• ORV Trail Signing. Mi-TRALE worked with our legislators and the MiDNR in allowing the Mi-TRALE ORV trail signs to remain posted on the MiDNR Designated ORV Trails, i.e. BN, SB, IRM.

• Mi-TRALE was the leader in getting the group fee law proposed to be changed from a group of 20 or more to being consistent with the Ottawa National Forest policy of 75 or more riders.

• Mi-TRALE attended ALL 5 western U.P. county road commission and county board meetings to GET APPROVAL of PA 240, which allowed for ORV use on the shoulder of local, township, and county roads. Mi-TRALE spoke at ALL 5 of the western U.P. county board meetings. Mi-TRALE was the ONLY organization at most of these meetings to speak in favor of PA 240.

• Mi-TRALE members attended ALL of the Ottawa National Forest public meetings on the OHV Connector Route/Trail proposal. At most of these meetings it was ONLY Mi-TRALE members at these meetings speaking in favor of OHV Connector Trails.

• Mi-TRALE spoke at the Watersmeet Town Board public hearing on the LL North Extension, and Mi-TRALE met with representatives of the Watersmeet Town Board, MiDNR, LVD Tribe and Thunder Valley Riders in getting this trail approved by Watersmeet Town Board.

• Mi-TRALE members have contacted State Representative Mike Lahti, State Senator Mike Prusi, and the MiDNR to be a “part of the discussion on proposed changes to ORV trail signing” in the State of Michigan.

• Mi-TRALE gave a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation on the ORV sport, ORV trail signing, and the inequities within our sport to the MiDNR Western U.P. Citizens Advisory Council. This presentation was just used last night by a member of the WUP-CAC and Iron County Board to the Upper Peninsula County Commissioners Meeting.

• Mi-TRALE has a “seat” on the Blue Ribbon Coalition’s National Land Use Advisory Committee. This organization is working on getting legislation changed to provide more access on national forests by “side-by-side/UTVs.”