This will be a “run what you brung” format. Competitors will run four courses each day with the top six finishers qualifying for the shootout.

Entry forms can be downloaded from the WE Rock website or by clicking here. The event has a $300 entry fee with 80% payback.

Check out this PBB thread for some more info.

Starting on Saturday the 27th at 9am, 4×4Cross travels to the Mud Devils Playground for an Open Invite and a FREEROCK competition, all in an effort to raise funds for the Efird Memorial Project.

Come out to either event and help raise funds for the cause. 4×4Cross will have a special Efird Memorial Shirt for sale at both events. All proceeds from the shirts will go to the cause as well.

It’s gonna be one sick event! All for a great cause! For more info, check out this thread in the forums or the 4×4Cross website.

“The BlueRibbon Legal Team, in conjunction with Rescue Tellico and other interested parties, is in the process of implementing a multi-faceted response to the Forest Service appeal decisions dated January 15, 2010. These decisions affirmed the Forest Supervisor’s decision to continue closure of the Upper Tellico OHV Area to meaningful vehicle use. Federal court litigation, particularly in this setting, requires experienced counsel and other professional staff able to create or take advantage of unique circumstances to allow for any likelihood of success. Such a challenge will be heard not in a court of opinion, fairness, or even justice, but one of law. These steps cannot be properly taken in the heat of the moment, and we ask for the understanding and patience of our supporters as we proceed in this important effort.”

SFWDA and the Rescue Tellico Committee are proud of the efficiency of our legal effort and what we have done with limited resources. Any future success at Tellico will require further support from the OHV community and others implicated by the Tellico closure. To assist these efforts, you may make a contribution which will be fully dedicated to project Rescue Tellico via the following portals: http://sfwda.org/trails/tellico/donate.html

The Deciding Officer has decided for the Forest Service, concurring with and affirming the ARO’s, Supervisor Hilliard, October 14, 2009 decision for closure of the Upper Tellico OHV trails!

This constitutes the FINAL administrative determination on this issue by the Department Of Agriculture. Those who filed appeals are now free, under due process, to file suit in federal court.

At issue at the moment is their blatant malfeasance in not following their own mandated Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR 215, in deciding the administrative appeals that were filed following the Decision Notice.

According to 36 CFR 215, and the time line as I understand it, the Forest Service Appeals Deciding Officer should have made a decision on the appeals by January 14, 2010. We have heard nothing from the Forest Service concerning this decision. Are these public servants not responsible to follow the same regulations that ordinary citizens are to follow?

Who is watching out for the American public’s interest in this attempt to close public lands to public use? Who will hold these employees of the American public accountable for doing what they are supposed to do? Why are the rules and regulations not being followed by those that work for us? Who will stand in the gap?

I continue to urge you to not let this issue be swept under the rug! Call, write or email your elected representatives, both state and federal! Call, write or email the NC Forest Service Supervisor and her managing agency, the US Department of Agriculture!

Continue to support, both financially and with your membership, those organizations that are fighting for YOU! Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, Blueribbon Coalition and United Four Wheel Drive Association need your voice to make them a strong and viable advocate for 4wd rights!

If you’re interested in lending a hand, RSVP in the organization thread.

Go here: http://www.votesmart.org/index.htm , type in your zip and get a list of your elected officials email addresses. Copy and paste the following and send it to them ASAP!

Dear Congressman/Senator,

I know you are busy, especially at this time of year, but I wonder if you are actually aware of the issue at stake in the public’s struggle with the Forest Service over access to the Upper Tellico OHV trails! In short, The Forest Service has been negligent in performing maintenance on OHV trails at the Upper Tellico OHV area for 15 years. Now they have decided to close public access instead of fixing their mess! This type of shoddy work on behalf of the American public CANNOT be allowed to happen! WHO will be held accountable? If the FS is allowed to proceed with this closure it will open a door to closure of public access in the entire United States! Who will stand in the gap?

Here is a link to the appeal filed by the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association & Blueribbon Coalition: http://www.sfwda.org/forum/uploads/5/Tellico_215_appeal_11-30-09.pdf

Here is a link to the appeal filed by SFWDA Member Flint Holbrook, Flint is a Registered Professional Engineer in TN, KY, OH, WV, NC & SC and is a Registered Professional Hydrologist with over 25 years of experience in the field. http://www.sfwda.org/forum/uploads/3/Holbrook_Appeals_plus_FOIA_27Nov09.pdf

The FS has insisted on conference calls for contact instead of face to face meetings, has denied all off the requests in Flint’s appeal including 1 day access to the trails by vehicle to confirm FS assertions and his FOIA requests.

The FS is stonewalling access advocates at each turn and “checking off their box” as having followed the rules of mandate if not ethics!

Both of these appeals are professionally written and contain numerous scientific, procedural and ethical examples of FS malfeasance in managing the Upper Tellico OHV area!

I know my elected officials are having a hard time in DC right now with everything else going on but if the FS is allowed to exhibit this type of malfeasance and get away with it where will it stop? Who will be held accountable to the American people for not doing their job and when?

Without some type of pressure from responsible agency USDA and my elected officials the FS will continue to close public access to public lands at their own discretion!

The 45 day appeal window is now closed. The FS Deciding Officer, one of their own hand picked representatives, will make a decision by January 14, 2010. PLEASE help motorized recreation Americans protect our access to public lands!

Dylan has also put together a few prize packages to help loosen people’s wallets. Donations of $5, $10, and $20 qualify for small, medium, and large prize packages respectively. You can even divvy up your donation of $20 into four $5 entries.

If you’d like to donate, you can send money via paypal to Brooked@yadtel.net or check the thread for additional options. The charity drive runs through December 24 at midnight. The fifth charity and the winners of each of the prize packages will be announced on Christmas Day.

Check below the fold to see what’s included in each prize package.

A $20 donation qualifies to win:

RIDES Of Conover – 1 set of black Pyle 8” wakeboard speakers and 1 Pyle amp
Ruff Stuff – 1 Diff cover
ECORS – 4 Event passes w/ 2 T-shirts
MudPro Metal Works – $250 Gift Certificate
URE Outpost – 2010 URE Season Pass
YOUR HOT DOG GUY – $25 Gift certificate that never expires and is fully transferable!
Oliver’s Custom Drive Shafts – $100 gift certificate

A $10 donation qualifies to win the medium prize package:

Mid-Carolina Line-X – $100.00 Gift Certificate for a spray lining
4 Wheel Parts (Raleigh) – Tool bag w/ gloves and a Tow strap
4×4Cross Racing – May Jam DVD
MudPro Metal Works – 1 Awesome MudPro Hat
4×4Cross Racing – 1 Way Cool T-shirt
Oliver’s Custom Drive Shafts – $50 Gift Certificate

A $5 donation is eligible for the small prize package:

Carolina Adventure World – 4 day passes to the park
MudPro Metal Works – 1 awesome MudPro T-shirt
4×4Cross Racing – 1 awesome T-shirt
MudPro Metal Works – 1 very cool and much sought after MudPro HAT!!
Oliver’s Custom Driveshafts – $50 Gift Certificate

Blueribbon Coalition counsel, Paul Turke, filed an appeal on Monday, November 30th. The appeal can be read here.

SFWDA member and registered Environmental Engineer Flint Holbrook also filed an appeal through his company’s legal counsel last weekend. After reading both of these well written appeals, it is hard to imagine that the Forest Service will be successful in closing the Upper Tellico OHV trails permanently. Reason would argue that at the very least the Forest Service will need to do more studies to justify their position.

The appeal filing deadline was Monday, November 30, 2009. The Forest Service will now have 45 days do decide the appeals. After this 45 day process is complete, all of the avenues of due process will have been exhausted. If the Forest Service Deciding Officer affirms the Forest Service Supervisor’s Decision Notice for the closure of the trails, the appellants can proceed with a suit in the courts of law as a final recourse.

SFWDA, along with their partners UFWDA and Blueribbon Coalition, is dedicated to fighting this unethical, illegal and immoral closure action by the Forest Service and will pursue any and all avenues available to support the public’s right to 4wd recreation on public lands!

Be assured that SFWDA is actively involved in advocating and protecting your interests in this matter and needs your continued support!

First of all, Ranger Walker assured me of her commitment to keeping the Uwharrie OHV trails open for 4wd enthusiasts to enjoy. She was very specific in mentioning that NC Forest Supervisor Marisue Hilliard is very aware of the animosity toward the Forest Service by the 4wd community and that both of them were desirous of continuing to provide a quality OHV experience on the OHV trails at Uwharrie National Forest.

One of my main concerns in meeting with Ranger Walker was the proliferation of bypass and spider trails in the forest. Just over the course of this year, major bypasses have appeared on the Daniel and Rocky Mount trials. Spider trails have sprung up, as usual, in many areas, especially in the high spectator areas.

Ranger Walker’s stance is that bypasses are a necessary part of the trail system. In order to provide access in the forest to all levels of motorized vehicles, bypasses around some of the more difficult sections are required. However, it is not up to the individual trail users to determine where bypasses are necessary and to create them. The Forest Service uses the winter closure period to survey the trail system and determine where bypasses are most needed and to perform the trail and signage work necessary to implement them into the OHV system. During the open season it is necessary that trail users to remain on signed trails and bypasses! One of the things the 4wd community could help with is to come up with ideas to improve awareness of all OHV trail users of the necessity of staying on marked trails.

Another area of concern we discussed was Forest Service Work Days. The number participants in these work days has decreased over the last couple of years to the point the work days have become ineffective. It is necessary that we, the 4wd community, give back to the effort to keep the trails open and clean. Just this weekend I witnessed members of the CNC club dumping several bags of trash collected on the trails at the double parking lot trash receptacles. This wasn’t a club trail cleanup project, just some good citizens doing their job. When was the last time you stopped on the trail, during one of your regular rides, and made the trails better for those coming behind you?

The Forest Service has several projects scheduled for the winter closure period including installation of culverts, erection of bypass barriers and a survey of the trail system to look at improvements and additions that could be made. If you are a member of a club that participates in keeping the trails maintained at Uwharrie, please be sure to attend your club work days in 2010. If you are not a club member, try to attend at least one Forest Service Work Day in 2010. At the very least, next time you are there; pick up one trash bag full of cans and bottles. Trust me, it won’t be hard or take very long to find an area to accomplish this small task which will help make the trails better for all of us to enjoy!