We live in a world of acronyms. But of all the abbreviations we shorten our conversations to, there are a handful that stand above the rest – especially to the devoted outdoor enthusiast. ATV. All Terrain Vehicle. You would think that fun on a four-wheeler is all there is to it, but ask Angela Arthurs – who enjoyed the sport and started wondering what it would take to begin a Grand Bay- Westfield chapter of the ATV Federation – exactly what’s behind the scenes. She and her husband, Jeff, did a lot of riding on their own, participating in different runs, and in February, 2010, she suggested to Jeff, ‘What about having a Club in Grand Bay-Westfield?’ “He agreed immediately,” Angela was happy to say, “and at our first meeting I was voted in as President because I was a little more outspoken. Jeff was voted in as Vice-president.

“We now have 56 members. We meet monthly the second Thursday of the month and only take a break from meeting in July and August.”

The great thing about becoming a chapter of the ATV Federation is that for every registration bike fee paid that’s a member of a Club, the Federation will return a percentage of that registration fee, which sits in a trust fund, back to the individual ATV Club for their specific club-related use. For something like the GB-W ATV Riders, that’s a big deal since having to start from scratch building bridges, mending damage (and, yes, sadly - vandalism) and, until recently, building a warming shack. Through fundraising efforts they raised $1500 and were able to put up a warming shack in mid-November. And recently the Club has purchased a groomer to keep the trails clear to better enjoy winter riding.

“This is kind of a test pilot though,” Angela claims, “we’ll see how it goes and hopefully not have a lot of damage.”

Known for not having the trails, it becomes a challenge to solicit to new members for Grand Bay-Westfield. To get new members, there needs to be trails. “We need trails,” Jeff implores, “proper trails mean safe riding, bridges built to code, and to find the land for the trails means appealing to the private landowners who may not be warm to the idea, but by entering a Federation open policy agreement for access means they are insured for what could happen. Right now, without credible trails, someone gets into an accident on private land means claims against the owner.

“Safe and insured trails gets ATVs off the road, away from illegal use of private property, out of mischief - it’s a win-win situation.”

Along with their own area (Central Greenwich, Musquash and Eastern Charlotte County), the ATV Riders also enjoy runs to Evandale, Gagetown, Pennfield, and Turtle Mountain.

“A lot of our riders like the terrain this area offers as compared to up in northern New Brunswick where the runs are flatter and less challenging.

“But until we can get more members to engage, we’ll keep on taking care of the fundraising, socials, communications, club run and trail maintenance committees,” says Angela. “Somewhere you find the time to fit it all in, but I’m definitely going to keep on having fun too!”

And LOL! (Lots of Laughs)