Club Name: Nebraska Off Highway Vehicle Association (NOHVA)

Year Founded: 1987

Who Founded: Dan Nitzel and Gary Gibbs

Home City: Grand Island Nebraska with six chapters across Nebraska.

Website: NOHVA.com

Club Email: danno@nohva.com

Member dues: Single member $30 or family member $40 for at least one year. Business memberships are $50 and $125.

1. Is NOHVA a riding club or more an advocacy group?

NOHVA is a riding group and an advocacy group. The Nebraska Off Highway Vehicle Association (NOHVA) is a 2,500 member non-profit organization formed to benefit all terrain vehicle (ATV), off-road motorcycle (dirtbike) and UTV riders. Our six chapters and main organization help manage and fund trails and parks at six locations in Nebraska. These areas are open to the public at no charge, where no trail or machine registration of any kind is required. Nebraska is one of the last states in the nation were no fees or registration is required.

We hold family based events throughout the year and our memberships are low cost. We provide riding area information and news to our members. Most of the NOHVA membership fee is used to fund and maintain trails in Nebraska.

2. Are members individuals or motorcycle clubs?

Riders are members of the NOHVA organization and can choose to be affiliated with a chapter of their choosing. All members have voting rights in NOHVA and chapter issues. Our Board of Directors consists of 30 elected officers from across Nebraska. Members designate which of our six chapters they desire to support. Last year 45 percent of the membership fees paid by members were refunded back to the designated chapters. The chapters use the refunded membership dues for chapter expenses, and to operate local trails and parks. In addition to the refunded membership dues, NOHVA issues grants to the chapters as requested, and funds liability insurance and other resources used by the chapters.

3. What's been NOHVA's biggest legislative victory?

We have been successful in preventing legislation where ATV, dirtbike and UTV owners would be charged a state-based trail registration fee that would have resulted in little or no benefit to riders. While many states have successful programs where riders are charged a fee to maintain and build trails, in our state the estimated administration fees involved with managing trails in Nebraska would have cost more than the potential collected fees, thus leaving no funds left over for trails.

All of our state's riding areas exist on federal lands such as the U.S. Forest Service and Army Corp of Engineers lands, municipal lands and public power district owned lands. Recreational ATV, dirtbike and UTV use is not allowed on State of Nebraska owned or managed land.

4. What is NOHVA's biggest contribution to off-road riding?

Preserving the existing places to ride in Nebraska. Nebraska has very little public land. There is virtually no support from state and local governments for recreational ATV, dirtbike and UTV trails. If it were not for the involvement of our organization and the work of our hundreds of volunteers in keeping places open in Nebraska to ride, they would not exist today.

5. What is the Jamboree?

The Jamboree is a fund-raiser for the Headworks OHV Park and to help our organization fund other places to ride in Nebraska. Our Summer Jamboree was held the second weekend of June this year and attracted 1530 riders. Another Jamboree will be held this fall on the second weekend of October. Our typical Jamboree attracts 1200 riders and jamborees are held twice a year. We hold rider events such as sand drag races, barrel races, timed trail races, sled pulls, mud runs, poker run and redneck games.

6. Why is ATV riding so big in the mid-west?

Many small towns allow ATV riders to ride on the streets and roads. Rural populations are usually involved in farming where they can find private land to ride. Farmers and ranchers in Nebraska have pretty much un-restricted riding as they can use county roads to ride, often times pursuing farm and ranch duties. The urban dwellers are not as lucky. If they don't know anyone in the rural areas with private land to ride, towns over 10,000 people don't allow ATVs on the streets. There are no riding areas or trails in Nebraska near larger towns and cities. People often drive hours to ride.

7. Why "ride" Nebraska?

Nebraska has some unique country side. The Nebraska National Forest near Halsey is the largest stand of hand planted trees in North America and has about 29 miles of ATV trails that NOHVA built and are open to the public. At the McKelvie National Forest near Valentine this area is extremely remote and consists primarily of shallow rolling hills.

8. Why join NOHVA?

We ask riders to support us to keep existing riding areas open and to find new places to ride. We promise to continue our work supporting trails as long as riders support us with voluntary memberships and/or attend our fund raising events. We keep our members informed of the latest news concerning ATV, dirt bike and UTV related issues.