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Page 12 Nipigon-Red Rock Gazette Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 The Intrepid Snowmobiler Craig Nicholson Thanking Land Owners for Trails! By Craig Nicholson (©2007 Craig Nicholson All rights reserved.) Special to the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs: Each winter, much of rural Ontario transforms into a spectacular snowmobile paradise. After the snow falls, many families, friends and neighbours climb aboard their snowmobiles and ride from one back forty to the next, from one community to another, and to many out-of-the-way places that are only accessible in winter by trail. These travels are possible because of local trails opened and operated by the 230 member of Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC). And these trails are only possible because of generous landowners who volunteer the use of a portion of their land for snowmobile trails each winter. So everyone who goes snowmobiling owes a huge debt of gratitude to our landowners. Without their ongoing cooperation, look what we’d be missing... We go snowmobiling to reconnect with nature, to rediscover the joys of being on the land, to reaffirm our love of the great outdoors and to have some good, old-fashioned fun on the snow. We go snowmobiling for the winter scenery, the camaraderie, the escape from the ordinary â€" and the fresh air. We go because we love the adventure, the exploration and the freedom. We go snowmobiling because it keeps us active, healthy, together and happy. Yes, snowmobiling transports us back to a time when families played together, sharing a fellowship that is too often absent in today’s hurly-burly world. What’s more, snowmobiling is a quintessentially Canadian winter recreation activity that landowners play a key role in sustaining. Snowmobiling was invented here, thrives here â€" and along with ice hockey, captures the spirit of our great white north. It’s one of our national icons and it’s part of our winter heritage... a rural tradition for more than 40 years. Snowmobiling remains a grassroots pastime, motivated by strong volunteer commitment and community support â€" and deeply beholden to bigheaded landowners. Before organized snowmobiling began in rural Ontario, local landowners had little control over where sleds went. As a result, incidents of trespass, property damage, disturbance and bodily injury occurred, with no accountability. That’s why local volunteers â€" many of whom are also landowners â€" decided to secure legal, safe places to ride their sleds, while respecting and protecting the land and being responsible to landowners. Snowmobile clubs assumed this role and gave landowners an organized group to contact, work with and hold accountable. Today, 7,000 volunteers from community-based snowmobile clubs partner with over 15,000 obliging landowners. This unique, long-term relationship remains among the strongest and most important in Ontario. It’s an alliance that reflects the rural values and recreational heritage of small town Ontario. It is based on the longstanding tradition of people helping people, thereby contributing to the overall well being of their home communities. Today, a landowner gives the local snowmobile club permission to cross his or her property, with a clearly defined, legal trail for the exclusive use of snowmobiles in the winter months â€" a trail that is closed during all other seasons. The club is responsible for that snowmobile trail, maintaining and monitoring it to prevent trespass, protect land and property, and to ensure that it’s used according to the landowner’s wishes. At the same time, the OFSC provides a general liability insurance policy so that each landowner has comprehensive coverage related to the use of their land for snowmobiling. Today, snowmobile trails result in many social, recreational and economic benefits to the whole community. Local spending by snowmobilers boosts “mom and pop” businesses and helps keep dollars flowing among residents during a normally dormant season of the year. Best of all, trail operations are paid for by snowmobilers through the sales of trail permits, so local communities typically don’t incur infrastructure or maintenance costs for snowmobile trails as with arenas and curling rinks. And thanks to participating landowners, trails improve public safety, because sledders can use them to avoid riding in such dangerous locations as roads, waterways and ditches. Yes, everyone who participates in or benefits from snowmobiling owes all of our landowners a Big, Big, Thanks! But more than that, we also owe these landowners personal respect and high regard for their land, their land-based livelihoods, and their physical property. The best way to show our esteem is to stay off closed trails, and when the trail is open, to stay on the marked and designated riding corridor. Refrain from riding an ATV on these trails at any time without specific landowner permissions. And whenever you see a landowner, a friendly wave and a big smile will go a long way to show your appreciation! Until next time, the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs invites you to Go Snowmobiling this winter. Check out trail status reports at ofsc.on.ca Craig Nicholson is the author of “Canada’s Best Snowmobiling: Your Ultimate Ride Guide”(order at:www.snowgoercanada.com) and the National Touring Editor for Snow Goer Canada Magazine. As “The Intrepid Snowmobiler", he also pens a syndicated newspaper column and hosts a radio program, while appearing regularly on Snowmobiler Television. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author. Crime Stoppers pays cash for information that leads to the arrest of person(s) responsible for any crime. Remember, you do not have to reveal your identity. Call Toll-Free 1-800-222-TIPS My World... And Welcome To It I’m a little disappointed. In last week’s column, I stated that if need be, I’d hold my family at gun point if they didn’t eat what I servedâ€"and no one responded. I can only assume three thingsâ€"you know I was joking; you sometimes feel that way, too; society has become desensitized. I’m hoping it was the first, understanding if it’s the second, and leading into this column with the third. It use to be when we decided to watch a movie, it was a family event that everyone enjoyed, together. The last time we went out to the movies, the husband and most of the crew were at one show, while one daughter and I were at another. The reason-violence. I cannot sit through a movie filled with bang, boom and blood and walk out feeling entertained. And for the cost of going to the theatre, I can think of better things to do with a $7.50 admission, $5.67 small buttered popcorn and $3.99 small pop than sit with my hands over my ears and my head in my lap! Like sitting in the comfort of my own home and watching a romantic comedy with an extra large stainless steel mixing bowl full of buttery popcorn and a case of pop for a fraction of the cost! Many of the television shows are just too much for me to handle. When they start with the mantra about not being suitable for family viewing, that’s when I channel surf. From there, I usually end up on a retro channel that plays such treats as Happy Days, Love Boat, Fantasy Island (remember Tatoo!). I’m still looking for reruns of Walton’s Mountainâ€" imagine that, a story about the Depression that was simply uplifting and heart warming. The news channels have become daily reports of nightmare realities. It is at this point that I become stricken with the same health phenomenon that the husband does when I read from the ‘honey do’ listâ€"it’s called selective hearing. See you next week, Sunshine! Paulette Lalonde Forsyth CLASSIFIED ADS Call today for more information on placing your Adâ€" 887-3583 New way of getting high Continued from Page 9 talk about it. The other will only sleep in our room at night. And my wife, I can’t even describe how bad she is taking this. I thought we were safe because of Thor. I thought we were safe because we knew about drugs and talked to our kids about them. After Kyle died, another story came out. A probation Officer went to the school system next to ours to speak with a student. While there, he found a student using Dust Off in the bathroom. This student told him about another student who also had some in his locker. This is a rather affluent school system. They will tell you they don’t have a drug problem there. They don’t even have a dare or plus program there. So rather than tell everyone about this “new” way of getting high they found, they hid it. The probation officer told the media after Kyle’s death and they, the school, then admitted to it. I know that if they would have told the media and I had heard, it wouldn’t have been in my house. We need to get this out of our homes and school computer labs. Using Dust Off isn’t new and some “professionals” do know about it. It just isn’t talked about much, except by the kids. They all seem to know about it. April 2nd was 1 month since Kyle died. April 5th would have been his 15th birthday. And every weekday I catch myself sitting on the living room couch at 2:30 in the after and waiting to see him get off the bus. Submitted