Annual NOHVCC Conference in New Orleans (Nawlins), LA, 4/9~4/14

By Tom Niemela

             Every year the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) has a conference at a fairly large city somewhere in the nation.  This year it was in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Since I am the Oregon State representative, I had the annual opportunity to attend.  This year fellow OMRA officers Joe and Julie Barrell and Ron Rice also wanted to attend, especially since Julie is the alternate Oregon rep. 

            What is NOHVCC you ask?  It is a “publicly supported, educational foundation organized for the sole purpose of promoting safe, responsible, family oriented off-highway recreational experiences. NOHVCC is a forum for organizations and supporters of OHV recreation, including OHV manufacturers, related businesses, affiliated foundations, OHV dealers, clubs and enthusiasts, to become partners in creating a positive future for the sport.”  NOHVCC has been around a little over 10 years and continues to be a positive image for the sport.  NOHVCC’s motto is: Creating a positive future for off-highway vehicle recreation.  NOHVCC has a representative in almost all 50 states – yours truly is the Oregon rep, Rick Dahl is the Washington rep and Ernie Lombard is the Idaho rep.

            NOHVCC offers such things as resources on how to start a club or organization, how to organize a workshop program (local or regional), specialized OHV insurance products, skills and documents on training, and consulting services. 

            This year’s conference also coincided with the National Program Managers Conference in New Orleans, so it had even more importance.  The conference itinerary was as follows: introductions, Trail Planning and Trail Management Objectives, Trail Ranger Programs – Maintenance and Rehabilitation, The National Trails Training Partnership, The USFS Technology Center Resource, Stretching Your Volunteer Dollars, and Design and Management of OHV Riding Areas.  And this was all on the first day out of the four!

            Before each conference, a ride opportunity is usually offered and this year was no exception.  Local Cajun and Louisiana State rep, Jim Barrett created a riding itinerary that promised plenty of fun in the Northern part of the state.  Bikes and ATVs were provided, the riding commenced and everyone had huge helpings of fun!  Let me tell you that riding in the forests of LA is a different experience, especially when the area is adjacent to a military testing grounds.  There’s nothing like the sound of tank shells shooting next to you to really get the adrenaline flowing!  After the days ride some local Cajun food was cooked up and heartily devoured.  This wasn’t store-bought Cajun food, but REAL Cajuns cooking the good stuff!  Very tasty indeed!  One of the rides entailed a route led by the local USFS ranger to the bridges and trail maintenance areas that they had performed locally.  This was to promote educational experiences, suggestions and input from around the nation.  

            After the preconference riding was over, it was back to New Orleans to get ready for the conference.  New Orleans is an incredible experience – so much history, culture and things to see.  Each evening a group of us would gather, take the ferry over to Nawlins (how the locals pronounce it) and proceed to enjoy.  Bourbon Street is an experience that must be tried once in life.  While I was there, the Mardi Gras was not happening, yet the street was one long party!  Beads are the thing, and women will, shall I say, show their best attributes, for the offering of beads.  Wild.  We visited other places too, like plantations, Bourbon Street, cemeteries, Bourbon Street, took a swamp tour, Bourbon Street, toured the old district, and finally Bourbon Street!  Of the many goals I had before I took off to Nawlins, I wanted to be sure and try many of the local delicacies.  While there, I was able to try crawfish, crawdad, jambalaya, frog legs and alligator.  What does gator taste like?  Chicken, of course, but stringier!

            The conference was a HUGE success and was great to get land managers together with enthusiasts so both sides could see things in a different light.  Hopefully, this will springboard the positive side of our sport and offer new opportunities through education and communication. 

            Next year’s NOHVCC Conference will be in Charlotte, North Carolina and 2004 will be in Oregon, so we’ll keep you posted.  For a look at what else NOHVCC has to offer, visit their website at:  www.nohvcc.org  or call: (800)348-6487.

            And finally, a message from Cajun NOHVCC Louisiana State rep., Jim Barrett is below (You probably won’t understand some of these unless you’ve been there).  Thanks Jim for an awesome experience:

 The following is a self-test to see if you were over exposed to Louisiana culture during the recent 2002 NOHVCC Conference. If indeed you were over-exposed, the only known cure is to come back for more!

AYEEEEE!

You might be a Cajun if:
*You've ever worn shorts at Christmas time.

*You pronounce Lafayette as "Laffy-ette" not "La-fy-ette."

*You learned to drive a boat before you could drive a car.

*You offer somebody a "coke" and then ask them what kind: Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper,

Pepsi, 7Up?

*You greet people with "Ha's ya momma'an'dem?" and hear back "Deyfine!"

*When you refer to a geographical location "way up North", you are referring to places

like Shreveport, Little Rock or Memphis, "where it gets real cold"!

*Your burial plot is six feet over rather than six feet under.

*You can pronounce Tchoupitoulas but can't spell it. (also, Thibodeaux, Opelousas,

Pontchartrain, Ouachita, Atchafalaya).

*The smell of a crawfish boil turns you on more than HBO.

*You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.

*You don't realize until high school what a "county" is.

*You pronounce the largest city in the state as "Newawlins".

*The four seasons in your year are: crawfish, shrimp, crab and King Cake.

*If the majority of your food comes from a ditch!

AYEEEEE!

(Warning: Bourbon Street wildlife scenery below!  Click on thumbnails for a larger picture)

Click to see IMG_0731.JPG
Our gracious local host, Jim Barrett.
Click to see IMG_0732.JPG
$Bill Chapin with USFS rangers.
Click to see IMG_0734.JPG
$Bill being Mr. Goodwrench.
Click to see IMG_0735.JPG
Wednesday nickel tour with the USFS.
Click to see IMG_0738.JPG
Jim Barrett catching some air.
Click to see IMG_0744.JPG
Jim Barrett.  (Guess I needed a faster shudder speed on the camera.)
Click to see IMG_0746.JPG
Rodney (Jim's fellow club member).
Click to see IMG_0742.JPGClick to see IMG_0747.JPG
Jimmy Parrish on the Gas / Lewis on his new CRF450. Nice shades, Lew.  :-)
Click to see IMG_0749.JPG
Michigan Mafia member, Lewis Shuler.
Click to see Img_0750.jpg
Web dude, Aaron Small.
Click to see IMG_0751.JPG
$Bill wrenching yet again.
Click to see IMG_0753.JPG
Our authentic Cajun cook after Tuesday's awesome ride (Jim's Father in law). He cooked up some great Cajun food!
Click to see IMG_0755.JPG
Wednesday's rider's meeting.
Click to see IMG_0757.JPG
Tom Crimmons at rider's meeting.
Click to see IMG_0758.JPG
USFS trail inspection tour.
Click to see IMG_0759.JPG
Trail inspection discussion.
Click to see IMG_0762.JPG
Discussing about this great bridge the club built.
Click to see IMG_0764.JPG
Al "Chainsaw" McKenzie  showing the benefits of large fender wells. Good thing he still has one drinking hand.
Click to see IMG_0766.JPG
Jim filling up Cajun style at a gas station.
Click to see IMG_0780.JPG
New Orleans graveyard.  Tombstones are ALL above ground, due to the high water table.
Click to see IMG_0783.JPG
Tom Tribute.
Click to see IMG_0800.JPG
Slave cabin at Laura Plantation - birth of the Brer Rabbit Stories.
Click to see IMG_0804.JPG
Our great tour guide at Laura Plantation.
Click to see IMG_0805.JPG
Chicken pen in the back of the Laura Plantation.
Click to see IMG_0806.JPG
Slave cabin at Laura Plantation.
Click to see IMG_0808.JPG
Back yard of Laura Plantation.
Click to see IMG_0810.JPG
Notice the latch on the 'outside' of this slave cabin.
Click to see IMG_0811.JPG
Front of Laura Plantation.
Click to see IMG_0816.JPG
Front of Oak Alley Plantation - 300-year old, massive oak trees.
Click to see IMG_0817.JPG
Oak Alley Plantation.
Click to see IMG_0820.JPG
Steve Uhles and Ron Price.
Click to see IMG_0822.JPG
Tracy & Jim Barrett and Dave G. on the ferry to Nawlins.
Click to see IMG_0824.JPG
Brian Sears and the Wiff on Bourbon St. 
Click to see IMG_0825.JPG
Stormy Simms enjoying Bourbon St.
Click to see IMG_0829.JPG
Marie Laveau's Voodoo Store.
Click to see IMG_0830.JPG
"Gimme some beads!"
Click to see IMG_0831.JPG
Bourbon St. complete with Lawrence Welk bubble machine.
Click to see IMG_0833.JPG
Chainsaw about ready to take another Bourbon St. picture of... 
Click to see IMG_0834.JPG
...her!  Jim related the look on Chainsaw's face to the same as a puppy about ready to get some food. ;-)
Click to see IMG_0835.JPG
Jim, Todd, Dave and Chainsaw's cast on Bourbon St.
Click to see IMG_0836.JPG
What Bourbon St. is famous for. I like this place.
Click to see IMG_0838.JPG
Hurricane drinks for all at the famous Pat O'Briens.
Click to see IMG_0841.JPG
Getting crazy at Cafe DuMonde.
Click to see IMG_0842.JPG
More craziness from the Goils at Cafe DuMonde.
Click to see IMG_0843.JPG
Stormy with beer goggles.
Click to see IMG_0844.JPG
Chainsaw leading the way for the swamp tours.
Click to see IMG_0846.JPG
Lynn and hubby breaking the rules.
Click to see IMG_0849.JPG
Harold Soens tests a gator overbite.
Click to see IMG_0852.JPG
Gators like marshmallows, so don't wear a white t-shirt when swimming!
Click to see IMG_0853.JPG
Tom losing an arm as alligator bait with Julie's assistance.
Click to see IMG_0854.JPG
Swamp tourists.
Click to see IMG_0855.JPG
The swamps are beautiful in their special way.
Click to see IMG_0856.JPG
Scott Summers befriending a peewee gator.
Click to see IMG_0857.JPG
Julie making an attempt to actually touch a gator (with the help of her hubby, Joe, in the background).
Click to see IMG_0858.JPG
Grrrr!
Click to see IMG_0860.JPG
New Prez, Dan Kleen, gets serenaded. 
Click to see IMG_0861.JPG
Blake singing to Steve and Ernie.
Click to see IMG_0862.JPG
Blake doing his Garth Brooks imitation.
Click to see IMG_0863.JPG
Blake singing to Roy.
Click to see IMG_0864.JPG
Blake singing to Joe and Julie Barrell.
Click to see IMG_0866.JPG
Joe Vance showing his approval of his new popgun gift!
Click to see IMG_0867.JPG
The photographer, Lynn, getting photographed.
Click to see IMG_0868.JPG
The pre-bead party group grope.
Click to see IMG_0869.JPG
Beads for everyone! The bead party gains critical mass.
Click to see IMG_0875.JPG
Ann Vance obviously pleased with her collection of beads.
Click to see IMG_0878.JPG
Roy Garrett styling.
Click to see IMG_0879.JPG
Joe & Julie Barrell and Ron Rice, all from Orygun.
Click to see IMG_0880.JPG
Bob with an appropriate slide show.  Thanks for all you've done, Bob, you rock!
Click to see IMG_0881.JPG
Cold Ernie Lombard snuggling up with a table cloth.
Click to see IMG_0883.JPG
On the ferry again to Nawlins.
Click to see IMG_0886.JPG
This old boy was asleep in a little deli. He woke up and wasn't too pleased with my taking his photo.  Notice the reflections.
Click to see IMG_0892.JPG
Self portrait. [What a dentist sees]
Click to see IMG_0894.JPG
Sunday night dinner at the Red Fish: bad waiter, good food.
Click to see IMG_0896.JPG
Ernie likes Bourbon St.
Click to see IMG_0899.JPG
Again.
Click to see IMG_0900.JPG
Joe and Julie Barrell shopping?
Click to see IMG_0903.JPG
Ron Rice at the Dark Entry.  Hmmm...
Click to see IMG_0904.JPG
This is what you look like if you hang out and drink too much on Bourbon St.
Click to see IMG_0905.JPG
Hmmm...
Click to see IMG_0912.JPG
Bourbon St. scenery.
Click to see IMG_0913.JPG
Cafe DuMonde.
Click to see IMG_0915.JPG
Joe Vance driving back to Wisconsin.
 
Click to see Swamp_pano.jpg
Panorama of a swamp just East of Nawlins.