OGDEN, UT (March 2004) - Off-highway driving and environmentalism don't always seem like the best of friends. In fact, the New York Times recently called the sport one of the most politically volatile land-use issues in the country. But the nonprofit organization Tread Lightly!® has developed a new training program called Tread Trainer™ that hopes to help maintain a vital friendship between environmental ethics and outdoor play.
Initiated in March of 2003, Tread Trainer is a national, volunteer-based program that seeks to train people all over the country to become "Master Tread Trainers," or official representatives of Tread Lightly! Master Tread Trainers are trained in the principles of minimizing environmental impact and presentation skills. They then teach others to become "Tread Trainers"- thereby creating a growing network of volunteers prepared to reach millions of recreationists within a few years.
The program has been successful in training 118 Master Tread Trainers in over a dozen states in less than a year. These include government employees from the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, National Parks, as well as representatives from enthusiast associations and clubs. "Tread Trainer is a vital program because it shows that we can have the enjoyment of recreation while still preserving the land," said Lynn Noltner, a National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council project coordinator.
Included among the graduates of the eight-hour course are over half of the ATV Safety Institute Chief Instructors. ASI is by far the most prominent ATV instruction course in the country-conducting 200 to 300 courses each week nationwide. Tread Lightly! principles are incorporated into every class.
An All-Terrain Vehicle Task Force in the ATV-heavy state of Wisconsin also completed the training. Their goal was to be prepared to give presentations on the Tread Lightly! message to everyone from new riders to politicians.
Master Trainers from Blade Productions helped incorporate Tread Lightly! principles into an event that trained Porsche's entire sale's force on the off-highway abilities of one of its new vehicles. Blade Productions designs and builds courses for training events and its Master Trainers have committed to include the principles as much as possible.
"Tread Trainer fills a gaping hole in America's recreation education," said Lori Davis, Tread Lightly!'s executive director. "Its early success is apparent as we get reports of our trainers watching experienced as well as new riders embracing Tread Lightly! habits."
Tread Trainer is sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund and the Federal Highway Administration. To find more information about the Tread Trainer program or to become a member of Tread Lightly!, call (800) 966-9900 or go to Signup Here