Having a demonstration out in the everglades won't make anywhere near the amount of impact a demonstration in the middle of downtown Naples would make.

found this this morning... 3/19
Naples Daily News

Collier riders protest plans to site possible ATV park in Hendry County
By DIANNA SMITH, dlsmith@naplesnews.com
March 19, 2005

The search for land to satisfy off-road vehicle owners is leading some to Hendry County, where local officials plan to tour a site that could be the next play park for riders.

The 640 acres are part of land owned by Lee County, property purchased more than 10 years ago to make way for a landfill. Motorists would have to drive through Lee County to get to it, but Nancy Payton, a Southwest Florida field representative for the Florida Wildlife Federation, said a road likely will be connected from the landfill to State Route 29.

"It does hold great promise," she said.

What it doesn't offer is easy access. Local riders have said they want to ride on land in Collier County, not on property that takes more than an hour to reach.

"I'm not sure how workable that site is going to be," said Brian McMahon, a Golden Gate Estates resident who has been working closely with state representatives. "It's difficult to manage a piece of land a good ways into Hendry County."

Since Jan. 3, people with vehicles like swamp buggies, airboats and all-terrain vehicles have had nowhere to go. The Picayune Strand State Forest in eastern Collier County has been off limits to recreational riders since the beginning of the year, when the federal Fish and Wildlife Service revoked permits to ride in the park.

The Big Cypress Basin, the local division of the South Florida Water Management District, said last year it would find riders 640 acres by Oct. 31.

Basin Director Clarence Tears said the property in Hendry County wouldn't necessarily be the property the Basin promised the riders. He said it's too early to tell and there has been no discussion of who would purchase the land or own it.

Lindsey Sampson, director of the Lee County solid waste division, said there already is a landfill in the area, but that Lee County doesn't plan to use the 640 acres to which Tears is referring.

Tears said finding land for ORV use in Collier County has been a challenge. Developers are quickly snatching land and property that is available is either environmentally sensitive or the owners refuse to sell.

"With large developments coming in the rural areas, the real estate market is exploding in this area," Tears said. "Nobody wants an ORV park in their back yard."

After several years, the state bought the land in the Southern Golden Gate Estates because agencies plan to restore the area and protect endangered species such as panthers. Officials have said recreational riders will hinder the restoration project and possibly could be harmful to endangered species.

But state Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples, said the Florida Division of Forestry now has agreed to allow riders to return to the forest. Officials now are trying to figure out where to create established trails in the Picayune, Davis said. After that's settled, it will need the blessing of the Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as state officials.

Recreational riders have held public meetings, written letters to local and state officials and even protested the decision to keep them out of the Picayune. The ban has forced riders either to ride on their own property or travel to Ocala National Forest in Marion County in north central Florida, L-Cross X-treme in Glades County or to Croom in Hernando County. Many are staying in Collier and riding illegally.

"Some are riding in East Bonita, quite a few on the streets," McMahon says. "Tempers are still riding very high."

Collier sheriff's Lt. Rich Hampton, who works in the Golden Gate substation, said there has been a significant increase in the number of complaints on people riding all-terrain vehicles on private property.

"The big thing we're faced with is people say, 'Where can we ride our four-wheelers?'" Hampton said. "They're pretty emotional about it. They feel as if their land is being taken from them."

TRULY AWESOME! great job!  Doreen and I sorta wish we could have been there... I say "sorta" because we were on a week long diving trip   .

all of the pictures Doreen took came out blurry...    

I know for sure Doreen and I absolutly will not be going over Easter weekend.

you loosers.... I could have ridden today...  

take a look at the Rodman Dam group ride thread

where is the rotary stuff on this page?

There isn't any. A Rotax is not a rotary engine.

my mom has the RX8,they are oil injected like a 2-stroke

Not quite. The amount of oil injected is extremely small compared to a two stroke.

CHECK OUT www.rotax.com.

 I couldn't find a rotary engine on that site at all... Rotary's do not have pistons.

Hemi's don't count on this thread.  

Then your Raptor doesn't count because it has a nearly hemispherical combustion chamber. Besides, the slips are not from a Hemi car.

Wares- there are ATV's racing at Immokolee every Friday night.  http://www.immrace.com/

.

I found it...  http://home.comcast.net/~z400e/Pride.WMV

post more if you know of any!

a while back someone posted a link to some videos of guys doing wheelies and jumps in what appeared to be a mine of some sort... anyone have the link?

State Forestry WAS giving out permits. Since the area is a Federal wildlife area, the Feds told Forestry that they had to stop giving out permits because they had no right to do so. There are no more permits being given out.

I'm thinking that you might want to go and try to ride anyway. Forestry won't stop you but FWC might. It might be worth a chance...

Don't forget to sign up everyone in your family that rides.

The area is closed to riding. Read this: http://www.atvflorida.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=opendiscussion;action=display;num=1101062258

made a post about it about 2 hours before this one :

http://www.atvflorida.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=opendiscussion;action=display;num=1101136768

We all need to sign up with this organization www.ARRA-access.com . They help with keeping land open or opening more land for recreational use.  

Here is the e-mail i recieved the other day:

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the email.  Since it is state land, there is not much we can do here in Washington, where we are working hard to keep access to federal lands.  There are some good organizations that are working hard in Florida to help keep lands open for riding.  If you haven't already, you might contact the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council representatives in Florida as well as the state OHV association.  Here is their contact info:

NOHVCC contacts:  
Jack Terrell
180 Sunrise Hill Lane
Auburndale, FL  33823
Phone, Home:  (863) 984-9294
Work: (863) 984-5311
Fax:  (863) 984-9235
E-mail: fltrlrdr@aol.com




Jenni Lamb
3165 Brentwood Lane
Melbourne, FL 32934
Phone: 407-752-7461
E-mail: ovine2@aol.com
Wayne Briske
8931 Scenic Hills Drive
Pensacola, FL 32514
850-476-7308
E-mail: wbblue272@cox.net  

Florida Trail Riders
P. O. Box 531071
DeBary, FL 32713-1071
Contact: Dan George
Business Manager

Phone: 407-668-9700
Fax: 386-668-8421
E-mail: debarydg@bellsouth.net
Web: www.floridatrailriders.org  



Please let me know if I can help you get any more information.  I know the fight is frustrating and difficult, but keep up the good work!



Sincerely,

Evan Haglund
Americans for Responsible Recreational Access
www.ARRA-access.com
ehaglund@legstrat.com

I also had friends that rode there on Sunday. saw them that night. they didnt say anything just how much fun they haded

They probably neglected to stop at the Ranger's office to try to get a permit.

 according to the Feds the State Forestry division did not have the authority to issue permits or allow riding, so the permits are just scrap paper- hang onto it though as things may change.
See my other post in the general section about this. I have some time this week to invest in to finding out who we need to complain to and I will update that post.

right sky,

in our case when riding to the 88 store i doubt more than 4 people can get there legally through the woods, that would be myself grizz ida man and naples raptor . if someone else knows how please speak up. im hoping we eventually do smaller groups as people get familiar with the trails. lets atleast have a group of sport (fast) and a group of utes (slow). me and grizz will be in the utility group someone step up for the sport group....

jeff

I have to appoligize , just in case anyone missed my comment earlier.  Doreen and I will NOT be able to attend this ride.  I absolutley would have offered to guide the sport quad group from the pit to the 88 store.


One BIG key point- KNOW who is behind you, and if they disappear- STOP  or slow down until they catch up !!! This will in turn cause a domino effect in front of you as everyone eventually stops to wait for the person behind them.

I'm hoping there will be a Rodman Group ride V- maybe a few weeks after IV ? Perhaps I'll start a new thread about it...

I just got back from Badluck/Squares in Naples. We stopped at the State Forestry Ranger office and the ranger said NO MORE PERMITS! in fact he said NO MORE RIDING!!! Not by his order- he was VERY disappointed and seemed upset. He said the Feds stepped in and told the State Forestry division that they could not give out permits and that riding is not permited. This happened at a meeting on the 18th.

A few days ago I received and e-mail from a federal level  activist/lobbyist group that they could not help us as it was state land... Looks like I'll have to contact them again about this as the Feds are the ones stopping us now.

We must have passed at least 50 quads heading out that way on trucks as we drove back home.

Keep an eye on this topic as I am going to do my best to post any important contct info I can come up with. The Ranger suggested to complain to as many government officials as possible.

For what it's worth- it did not seem like there were any federal officers enforcing the "no ride" rule....