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By: Robert Janis
Community
Participation a Major Element of the North
Alabama Trail Riders Association
Community concerns are also the concerns of
the North Alabama Trail Riders Association
(NATRA). The group includes the community in its
events, is involved in keeping trails clean, and
makes certain that riders use the trails in a
safe manner.
Founded in 1987, the mission of
the NATRA is to provide fun, fellowship, social
interaction, and family activities with
meetings, events, and riding opportunities while
promoting the sport of off-road motorcycle and
ATV riding through safety and education. The
group also lobbies for more riding areas as well
as to acquire additional land for off-highway
vehicle recreation.
According to Paul
Traufler, president of the NATRA, the
association is based in Huntsville, Alabama and
includes residents in the regions of North
Alabama, Tennessee and North Mississippi. In
fact, it was instrumental in the development of
the Tennessee Off-highway Vehicle program and
worked with Tennessee government authorities to
create a fee and license program in that state.
Although it does not have a lobbyist, the group
gets its views across to the community by
involving the community in its events. “We have
opened up to the local area money making options
for all of our events,” said Traufler. “For
example, a weekend Enduro event involved the
local community center where food and meals were
sold. They make good money, we enjoy the great
food, the local community sees us as a good
bunch of folks, and they want us to come back.”
The group also attracts good will from the
community because safety is a major part of its
agenda. “We are all about safety and learning to
do it right,” said Traufler. “We require helmet
use while on the land, and we work to make all
riders understand it is important to always do
the right thing on the land. And it is working.
Landowners have noted we are making a big
difference in the area.”
As mentioned,
keeping the trails clean and well maintained is
also part of the NATRA agenda. It encourages its
members to get involved in trail maintenance and
clean up by sponsoring work days and events as
well as clean-up days. “We ask for folks to come
join in the fun,” said Traufler. “We do NOT
require work from a member, but we try to
convince them to participate by educating them
on why we are doing this and how important it is
to help.”
Again, to pass on the philosophy of
community assistance, the NATRA, which is a
local club, assists other local clubs with
hosting events. “We have a great deal of
experience doing this,” said Traufler. It also
works with national organizations like the
American Motorcyclists Association (AMA), the
All Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA), and the
BlueRibbon Coalition. “We are an AMA-sanctioned
club. For us, in a nut shell, it is all about
education on proper use of the ATV and the
land,” added Traufler.
Land closures and
environmental issues are the major concerns of
ATV riders in the Tri-State (Alabama,
Mississippi, and Tennessee) area. “We just had a
review of the trail system by the Tri-State
environmental agency, the TDEC. As a result of
their review, we were required to move some
trails and build bridges over some troubled
spots. In the end, they were happy about what we
did to correct the issue,” said Traufler.
As
you can see, cooperation instead of
confrontation is part of the mantra of the
NATRA. It does not get involved in lawsuits, but
it does work closely with the U.S. Forest
Service. “Although it is hard to talk with them,
we’ve worked to correct past errors and now have
a good relationship with them,” said Traufler.
The association promotes the sport of ATV racing
and recreation with events, races, and general
trail rides. “We open up the trails for groups
to enjoy and see what we have to offer. In
general, we provide a safe place to ride 24-7.”
The group has made an agreement with a number of
private landowners so that its members have
access to 5,000 acres of land 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Rides, cookouts, and
fund-raising events are held on the land.
Members have access to all sorts of trails
including single-track tight woods, open
two-track trails, fire roads, hills, creeks,
gravel, grass, and more. The trails are marked
with paper signs of various colors stapled to
trees or whatever is available.
The NATRA has
more than 2,000 members. Anyone can become a
member. Yearly dues are $50 per family, and the
membership terms run from January 1 through
December 31. There is a discount for those who
join late in a year.
The group also has a
website (http://natra.dirtrider.net).
The site provides a way for people to join the
club and also includes news, a classified
section where machines and equipment can be
bought and sold, and it also covers hot topics
that are of interest to off-roaders.
Besides
the sponsored events, the club holds meetings on
the last Tuesday of each month. Topics discussed
include riding adventures, upcoming events,
financial status of the club, and more.
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