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-Calling all Volunteers in NC; Uwharrie National Forest Upcoming Work Day with the USFS Jan. 28, 9am

A quick note from  Theresa Stevens Savery (Terry), on behalf of the National Forests in North Carolina, Uwharrie National Forest

Uwharrie is one of the few remaining public trail systems in the eastern US. 

   Hi Everyone – I wanted to send out the message about the January 28th Work Day. We’ll meet at 9 am at the Uwharrie Hunt Camp. We’ll work on armoring several wet areas on the trails with rock from Cotton Place TH, Dutch John TH and from sources on the trail. We’ll also put up some short sections of guardrail or the old log barricades up. If you have a trail trailer, pickup truck or other vehicle that can be used to haul rip-rap, large gravel, posts and guardrail please bring it that weekend. Also, if you’re chainsaw certified please bring your PPE and saw, etc. because we might not get out to the trails before then and with the storm this weekend we might have some trees come down on the trails. 

 Thank you everyone for your continued support. I appreciate it very much. Bye - Terry


Theresa Stevens Savery (Terry),
MS Forest Resources / Watershed Management
District Recreation Staff Supervisor
Forest Service
National Forests in North Carolina, Uwharrie National Forest
p: 910-576-6391 x102
c: 910-975-0274
f: 910-576-4171
tsavery@fs.fed.us
789 NC Hwy 24/27 East Troy, NC 27371
 
www.fs.fed.us

Caring for the land and serving people

Some photos taken from a recent work day cleanup in 2016. These events are all about volunteers working to ensure our trail access is preserved. being proactive and preventative. Working cooperatively as enthusiasts with the USFS. 

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USFS Foothills Landscape Collaboration Workshop - Jan 31 & Feb 1, Dahlonega

From an email blast communicated by our friends at the USFS.  This is an open invite for anyone looking to get more involved. 

Join SFWDA and the USFS for the first of four collaboration workshops focused on developing a plan that will be used to create a proposed action for the Foothills Landscape. This is a great opportunity to share your views, discuss ideas, and interact with other members of the collaboration community and Forest Service employees -- a time to roll up our sleeves and really get down to work.

From the USFS;

We have had quite a jam-packed fall on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests. The unseasonably dry weather has kept us busy fighting wildfires up north and attending to insect outbreaks down south. These pressing demands demonstrate even more that the need has never been greater for strategic, holistic, large-scale and long-range planning for a healthy, resilient forest. And we can't do it alone.

The Community Conversations this past fall gave us an overview of the attitudes, values and beliefs of community members. Now, looking forward, we need to begin to design on-the-ground actions that address the widespread resource challenges in an integrated way and on a scale that results in enduring impacts. 

What to Expect Next: 

Collaborative Workshops

We are planning four workshops before the end of August. These workshops will be focused on developing a plan that will be used to create a proposed action for the Foothills Landscape. This is a great opportunity to share your views, discuss ideas, and interact with other members of the collaboration community and Forest Service employees -- a time to roll up your sleeves and really get to work!

Our first upcoming workshop:

January 31st and February 1st

Lumpkin County Parks and Rec Community Center located at 365 Riley Road, Dahlonega, GA 30533
 

 

Learning and Sharing

Please take a moment to check out the thoughtful comments and robust discussions shared during the recent Community Conversations at www.tinyurl.com/FoothillsLandscape. The online forum for comments, discussions and sharing pictures worked so well during the Community Conversations we are going to use it again. In between the workshops you will be able to start discussions, post ideas and add comments on the restoration goals, treatment locations, and methods of treatment.

Also, share this update with others and encourage them to sign up to receive emails on the collaborative effort. 

Thank you for helping make sure we are working together to do the right work in the right places for the right reasons.

The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests provide the finest outdoor recreation opportunities and natural resources in Georgia. Featuring nearly 867,000 acres across 26 counties, thousands of miles of clear-running streams and rivers, approximately 850 miles of recreation trails, and dozens of campgrounds, picnic areas, and other recreation activity opportunities, these lands are rich in natural scenery, history and culture. The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

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Grant initiative is our largest annual project committing a significant portion of the association net income

What does your association do with our proceeds?
First and foremost our goal is to provide Grants to our members.

Volunteers hard at work at one of our completed projects. Spreading gravel funded by SFWDA grants in the Uwharrie National Forest, NC. 

 The SFWDA Grant initiative is our largest annual project committing a significant portion of the association net income to this program.  The SFWDA Grant initiative supports the membership and regional projects focused on our core missions – Conservation, Education and Recreation. 

Since inception we have completed a variety of new projects at local parks and trails we can all enjoy for years to come. 

Established members are not only welcome but encouraged to utilize this valuable benefit. 

Learn More....  http://www.sfwda.org/grants

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Grant funding fuels the success of the DBBB creating new trails and preserved access.

Grants are available right now for your local club or group project. Apply Today Online. 

  We hope everyone enjoyed themselves at our Fall 2016 Meet & Ride. Before we move focus onto our Annual Meeting on December 3rd, in which everyone's invited to attend, it's seems worthy to reflect on our success together as an Association for a moment. It is well known how successful this past years SFWDA events were, generating thousands of dollars of revenue for our non-profit association. With the success of these events and through the support of our constantly growing membership base we will never stop fighting the core mission of your Association;  Conservation * Education * Recreation. 

 For those that were able to join us at  our Meet & Ride this past Saturday you were able to see first hand a rural and majestic part of the Appalachian Mountains. The route there near Slade, KY and the Red River Gorge area that everyone traveled is part of a long term and ongoing project which was made possible by grants from both the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA) and TreadLIghtly. Soon several local off road business's and others in the community stepped up to support as well. With combined financial support and together along with the hard work from volunteers like the Ohio River Four Wheeler's club and Friends of Daniel Boone we have created what is now know as the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway.

Current map digitally available from Cartotracks.com 

  These joint efforts have proven successful in reclaiming the nearly 100 miles of the byway into a OHV route for everyone, highlighting the beautiful nature in this area all the while stimulating the economy by attracting many wheeler's and tourists to the area. As members of SFWDA we pride ourselves on being comprised mostly of responsible enthusiasts who practice the TreadLightly principles and we strive to serve as a model of what the OHV community should be perceived as to others. Our core SFWDA mission is in full effect here in the DBBB with grant funds in a variety of ways to include; marking the byway route with kiosks and signage, digitally mapping for smartphones, continual volunteer maintenance of these trails, engineered water and erosion management projects, bridge building, and even routine trash removal. This continued effort is how we plan to protect and preserve access to this beautiful trail.

 If you missed it this past weekend don't worry, with our continued efforts the DBBB will remain open for generations to come. Feel free to look up the ORFW club (links below) for more info about joining them on a ride of the area. 

  For anyone interested in more rides like this..... We host 4 of these Meet & Ride events across the Southeast Region at various off road trails & parks annually. Subscribe to our newsletter and visit our website on a regular basis at www.SFWDA.org , and also check out our Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/SFWDA .

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Jeffrey Dozier receives national recognition on the DBBB project, earning the 2016 - UFWDA - Four Wheeler of the Year Award!

 A well deserved congratulations to another one of our very own SFWDA members. Jeffrey Dozier (Ohio River Four Wheelers / Friends of Daniel Boone) on being selected to receive the UFWDA 2016 - FOUR WHEELER OF THE YEAR AWARD. This award is designed to recognize, on a national level, the overall significant achievements and contributions of individuals to the sport of recreational four wheeling. Jeff, you most certainly deserve it. Your hard work and dedication on the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway over the past years will continue to benefit generations of off road enthusiasts.  

Local Clay City Times paper article on the DBBB. 

 The DBBB provides designated maps, markers, and preserved access to a beautiful rural route through sections of un-maintained county roads in the Slade and Red River Gorge area of Kentucky creating the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway offering approximately 100 miles of scenic trails offering up many unique and challenging obstacles. For more about the DBBB visit ;  www.sfwda.org/dbbb

 

For more about UFWDA visit; http://www.ufwda.org/
For more about the ORFW club visit : http://www.sfwda.org/orfw
For more about the Friends of Boone visit: https://www.facebook.com/Daniel-Boone-Backcountry-Byway-694090960601745/

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UFWDA eNews September 2016

   From UFWDA Newsletter Editor;
 Welcome to this edition of eNews and to readers who've recently joined us. I've just recognized that this edition did not publish earlier this month as scheduled, so here's a belated September edition. As summer and holiday memories fade for those in the northern hemisphere, the pending elections may be diverting attention from opportunities to be a part of various 'advisory' groups, as several have needed to call more than once for candidates. Another reason may simply be a general reluctance to volunteer?

- Peter Vahry; editor

     Read More....

http://ufwda.bmetrack.com/c/v?e=A036A3&c=48E9&t=0&l=16163C58&email=0EnQ6xbRWFPP9CaHGkYR0Aif8GG0Zxj9
 

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SFWDA contributes $1,000 to the inaugural 2016 Share Trails Challenge.

   Each year we contribute a portion of our annual proceeds to other fellow nationwide stewardship organizations through. This we have a more direct mission to support our partners with the Blue Ribbon Coalition, now referred to as Share Trails.

  These folks work tirelessly to fight for our access across the entire nation and have been a great resource for us here locally in the South. We are currently working their representatives, lawyers, and consultants to ensure success on our Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway project.

Learn More on DBBB
http://www.sfwda.org/dbbb

SFWDA contributes $1,000 to the inaugural 2016 Share Trails Challenge....

SFWDA contributes $1,000 annually to BRC, and now to the Share Trails Challenge for 2016

  Sharetrails.org / BlueRibbon Coalition is nearly 30 years old and to celebrate we want to try something new, our first ever online Fundraiser Challenge. We really need your help to make it work!

 

  Here's what you can you do to help........

   Our goal is to promote Sharetrails.org and the preservation of access through social media like we've never done before. We want this to go viral! Please accept our challenge to participate and by all means share, share and share! Show the preservationists and extreme environmentalists that you care just as much as they do about public land and support your rights to access by joining, donate and sharing. 

JOIN

  We've grown at a rate of about 15% over the past 7 quarters but we are still at a relative disadvantage in numbers because our starting point is far behind groups who oppose access. Preservationists groups succeed largely because of their numbers, not because of the merits of their arguments. As the only multi modal 50-state organization that fights for your rights to access we need to grow. More members increase our ability to stand up for access and makes us harder to ignore. Accept our challenge and join us - and bring along your friends who care about access. DONATE:  We have received a generous match from Inland Empire Four Wheelers for the specific purpose of bringing onboard our first land use rep and ambassador for the Eastern United States, Randy Block. Please help us fund this position by donating to this fundraiser. 


DONATE 

CHALLENGE YOUR FRIENDS:  Here's how it works. Go HERE to download and print a copy of our Sharetrails Challenge sign (or make your own). Then take a photograph or video holding the sign (interesting backgrounds are a bonus!) and share it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the #sharetrailschallenge hashtag. Tell everyone how you are answering the challenge!  Post your photo and comments to social media, send to your friends, tag them and challenge them to join and match your support for Sharetrails/BRC’s vision (to ensure that your posts show up in the feeds above, be sure to make your post public and also post it on the Sharetrails/BRC Facebook page). 

POST ON

SHARETRAILS/BRC
FACEBOOK PAGE
 

Learn More....

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BFG will again award $4,000 through it's annual OUTSTANDING TRAILS PROGRAM

OUTSTANDING TRAILS PROGRAM

It's that time of the year again....$4,000 can go a LONG WAY for your club and OHV Trail. You must earn it but read up on the details and let us know if SFWDA can help point you in the right direction to benefit another local club again.

The BFGoodrich® Tires Outstanding Trails program was established in 2006 to raise awareness for responsible use and preservation of off-road trails while providing support in the trails’ conservation efforts. Through 2015, the Outstanding Trails program has recognized over 40 off-road trails and clubs across North America. The program has provided more than $150,000 in grants in support of the various trails conservation efforts.Trails are nominated for uniqueness, terrain type and enthusiast following.

Learn More & Apply Today;

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/outstanding-trails-program.page

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Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests inviting everyone to their Collaborative Learning Workshop

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests inviting everyone to their
Collaborative Learning Workshop

When

  • Thursday June 16, 2016 from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM EDT

 
Where

  • North Hall Community Center
    4175 Nopone Road
    Gainesville, GA 30506

Please join the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests as we embark on an exciting new path, kicking off with this Collaborative Learning Workshop. 
We hope this workshop will be a catalyst for building community capacity to work together to realize shared goals - in any arena - and also to awaken and strengthen our communities' connection to our public lands. This forest needs you.

Participants will gain valuable ideas and skills that can be applied to solving problems and making decisions in collaboration with other organizations, governments, and communities.
By learning collaboration techniques together, we can build a shared language and establish mutual expectations. This workshop will feature collaboration experts from across the country and across perspectives - community members, academics, and land managers - to share their experiences and knowledge with you.

Beginning this fall, we will be reaching out to partners, stakeholders and community members through a series of conversations aimed at realizing a shared vision to address complex conservation challenges across a single large landscape on the Chattahoochee National Forest.

We will need your knowledge and insights right from the start in order to plan the right work in the right places for the right reasons.
This is something new for us. We are working to build our skills and capacity for collaboration, and want to help boost yours in the process, too. 
 
We encourage you to come to learn and grow - together with us. 


Register Now!
I can't make it

If you have questions about the workshop, feel free to contact Judy Toppins (770/297-3061, jrtoppins@fs.fed.us,) or Mike Brod (770/297-3090, mbrod@fs.fed.us.)
 
Thank you for your attention and response, and I so look forward to learning and growing with you during this exciting phase in our forest's history.
 
Sincerely,
 
Betty Jewett
Forest Supervisor
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests

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