Local four-wheeling club disbands, cites inaccessibility

Citing lack of membership, a local off-roading club has disbanded and donated its treasury to local non-profits.

The Kootenai Ridge Riders, an off-road ATV, UTV and four-wheeler riding club, saw years of attrition take its numbers down from 72 in 2011 to just 12 today.

According to Lenny Pauley, the president of the Ridge Riders, the reason for the drop in interest stems from the U.S. Forest Service and restriction of multiple-use trails.

“The low membership is due to lack of trails,” Pauley said. “The Forest Service is shutting down trails. People can drive 50 miles from here, and they’ve got nice trails to use.”

Pauley claims that the Forest Revision Plan caters to environmentalists and not to people who want to responsibly use forestlands.

Malcolm Edwards, District Ranger for the USFS, said the service would be willing to reopen some roads and trails if there was public interest, but the allegation that roads were being shut down arbitrarily is incorrect.

“If there’s some trails people are interested in, we’d like to hear about them,” Edwards said. “We’re looking for partnerships with riding groups. The first thing to do is merely give me a call, and we can meet face to face.”

The Snow Kats, Libby’s snowmobiling club, has dealt with the Forest Service regularly and come away with a different impression.

David Nitschke, the Snow Kats’ president, said he has had no real restrictions placed on the use of snowmobiles by the Forest Service, yet his membership is also flagging.

   “We have the same problem (Kootenai Ridge Riders) has,” Nitschke said. “Forest Service is not a factor in membership. People don’t want to donate their time.”

   Nitschke’s group is able to ride where they historically have, on trails and off-road. The Snow Kats have more than 100 registered members, yet only a handful show up for meetings.

Where the Snow Kats have difficulties is in volunteers hours. Nitschke said some of his groomers can easily put in 200 hours over a season, all volunteered.

   Cami Winslow, Supervisory Public Services at the Forest Supervisor’s Office, acknowledged the restrictions weren’t perfect for recreation, but wanted people to feel they had a voice.

   “If these folks want to work on individual roads, I would encourage them those folks to call (Edwards) and work with him,” she said.

Despite the USFS’ assurances, the leaders of the Kootenai Ridge Riders said they have hit walls in negotiations with the Forest Service.

“It takes years to get something done,” said Ken Rayome, the club’s vice president. “We’re upset about it, but we don’t really have a choice.”

Rayome and Pauley are forced to ride on paved roads and a few nearby trails. Variety is hard to come by, and tourism is lagging, say the club’s leaders.

As a result, the club has donated its raised money to Wings and David Thompson Search & Rescue. Dues for members were only $10 a head, but several community fundraisers also helped pay for nonprofit status.

Susan Ague, treasurer of David Thompson, accepted a check from the club for $1,000. She is also a vocal supporter of responsible multiple-use in the forest.

“Fish & Wildlife dictates road closure,” Ague said. “Forest Service has to implement it. The driving concept is game management.”

Edwards said protecting game isn’t something to be afraid of. 

“I wouldn’t describe it as limiting,” he said. “It’s just more layers of consultation. It could be fairly simple or it could be an extended time.”