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What is a
Trail Patrol Program?
Trail Patrol is an effective way that your
club can have good visibility and a presence of responsibility
on the trail. Trail Patrol has been proven to be an effective
way to decrease the number of offenders on the trails. Patrol
members may be asked to assist in emergency situations, such as
accidents, breakdowns and lost or missing riders. The Trail
Patrol is an excellent club activity that can involve all club
members in setting an example of responsible OHRVing. Trail
Patrol can be a great communication link to your trail committee
on possible trail hazards that may need repair.
What is The
New Hampshire Off Highway Vehicle Trail Patrol Program?
The New
Hampshire Off Highway Vehicle Trail Patrol is a program that was
piloted and is sponsored by The New Hampshire Bureau of Trails.
New Hampshire Off Highway Vehicle Association saw a great need
for New Hampshire clubs to be active in trail patrols in order
to keep our trails open. NHOHVA is a cosponsor of the program;
our intent is to create educational programs to inform the
users. This is done with outreach programs, pamphlets and
training seminars.
What is NOT
a Trail Patrol Program?
It must be made clear that the main purpose
of the Trail Patrol is to educate the trail users. A Trail
Patrol person is not associated with any branch of law
enforcement. However, they may take registration numbers,
vehicle descriptions and operator descriptions to pass this
information on to the proper law enforcement agency, if improper
behavior is noted. You are asked to inform offenders of the
hazards of their actions and the possibility of trail closures.
What will be
asked of your club?
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To establish a Trail Patrol Program
within your club that will be specific to your club and
trail system by a Trail Patrol Coordinator.
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The club will be asked to purchase
Trail Patrol Vests that will give unity.
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Each patroller will be asked to fill
out a small form each time they patrol, and what they
observed. These forms will need to be submitted to your
Trail Patrol Coordinator and then copies sent to the state
and NHOHVA. This is a useful tool for the state and the
association to document the program.
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The Trail Patrol Program can be a
great tool to be used at your functions. From time to time
you may be asked by the association to volunteer at NHOHVA
functions. We hope that you will be available to help.
Who am I?
My name is Tom Johnson. I am the Trail
Patrol Coordinator for the New Hampshire Off Highway Vehicle
Association. It is my job to work with the State in helping
clubs start their own Trail Patrol Program.
Along with that, the association is working
on the following items:
1.
Making the Trail Patrol Vests easier for clubs to obtain
through our web site.
2.
Creating a brochure to educate fellow riders.
3.
A Sound Awareness Outreach Program. This program will set
up Sound Sobriety Stations that will check riders exhaust using
decibel meters. This is a program solely used to educate
riders.
4.
Currently, the vests read "ATV Trail Patrol". We are
working on getting the next vest order to read "OHRV Trail
Patrol".
Sound
Awareness Campaign
The number one complaint about OHRVs is
noise. Keeping the sound low is important to keeping trails
open. The Sound Awareness Campaign is a pilot program aimed to
educate riders of their sound emissions. A sample sound reading
of the OHRV is taken and compared against the decibel standard
for the State of New Hampshire. This program is the first of
it's kind. We are taking the first step in lowering the sound
levels created by OHRVs. Once a rider is aware that their
machine is above the legal limit, they can take steps to rectify
the situation.
Is your club
interested?
If your club is interested in becoming
involved in the Trail Patrol Program, please contact me. You
will receive a starter packet that will give you everything you
need to start a program and a time will be set up for an
introduction to the program.
For more
information or questions, please contact:
trailpatrol@nhohva.org.
The Trail Patrol pages are a work in progress. Please check back
often and also check the
New Hampshire Off Highway Vehicle
Association web site.
Thank You,
Tom Johnson
NHOHVA Trail Patrol Coordinator
trailpatrol@nhohva.org
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