NYTRO, Inc. - About Us

About Us

Mission Statement

NYTRO's mission is to stimulate and advance the general welfare and safety of off highway (OHV) recreation; to promote the safe and responsible use of OHV's; to serve the interests of off highway vehicle enthusiasts; to foster a positive public image for OHV recreation; to defend enthusiasts against discriminatory legislation and regulation; to stimulate the development of OHV trail systems on public and private lands; to develop a fraternal spirit among OHV enthusiasts and affiliated clubs of NYTRO; to exchange information among members; and to perform all desirable and lawful functions for the successful operation of the club.

NYTRO has been a leader in the New York off road community since 1992. We provide our members with access to riding areas around the state, the most informative off road newsletter in the state, and discounts at many businesses.

NYTRO is a founding member of the New York State Off Highway Recreational Vehicle Association, Inc., (NYSORVA) established in 1993. NYTRO is also a chartered club of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and ATVA; a supporting member of the National Off Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC); Blue Ribbon Coalition, and Tread Lightly.

The NYTRO philosophy is now, and always will be, trail access through safety, education, conservation, and legislation. We will continue to lobby for the reinstatement of our trail construction and maintenance fund. This fund, created in 1985 through the registration process, was abolished in the early 90's by former Governor Mario Cuomo, and to this date, it is estimated that millions of dollars have been diverted to the general fund. We need dedicated members and enthusiasts to help us overturn this prejudicial decision. Join NYTRO and offer a helping hand, we both will be glad that you did. Access all our club information at www.nytroatv.org.

Our Code of Ethics

	Always wear protective gear while riding. This seems to make sense, and is a good practice to help keep you from being hurt. The questions that are asked are what is the proper protective gear? Over the ankle boots, Jeans, Long Sleeve shirts or Jacket, gloves, goggles and helmet.
	Always wear a helmet. Not only is this good sense, but it is also a New York State Law.
	Never ride alone. This is good sense for many reasons, if you get hurt, lost, or break down you have help! Those are all important reasons. There are many times when you might ride alone. Hunting, to and from your watch. Getting to a meeting point to ride with others. If you do ride alone remember that many things can happen, and if you do ride alone, at least make sure someone knows where you are going and when you will be expected back again.
	No drugs or alcohol while riding. Many people like to drink, and that in itself is not a problem. What you must remember is that an ATV is a motor vehicle and to drink and drive is not only stupid, it is against the law. It is also enforced. The police now have ATV’s and ATV patrols. If you drink and drive the worst part would not be hurting yourself, but the others you may hurt. Like your car, put the ATV away before you drink. It is the Smart thing to do.
	Ride within your limits. I would hope that everyone rides within his or her limits. If you ride you already know what you can or cannot do. If something is too difficult you should not do it. Learn how to ride properly, and expand your limits safely. You are the only person who knows what you are capable of, so do not let others encourage you to do stupid and foolish things when riding.
	Respect the Environment, stay on the trail. There are many people who work very hard to get trails for us to use. When you leave the trail you are taking the chance that the trail might be closed. Do not ruin it for everyone! Do I get off the trails? Yes, but only when I have the permission of the landowner to do so, and then I am very careful of where I go so as not to cause any damage that I cannot fix. We have a bad reputation of destroying the area’s we use, and it is only when we show we can ride responsibly and protect the area’s that we ride that we can move ahead in our battles to gain more legal riding on area’s such as public lands. If I am scouting out for new trails I also try to find the best routes to accommodate riders and protect the lands in the way in which I would want them if they were mine. I hope that our members ride and treat the property, as they would want others to treat their property.
	Register and insure your machine. Like wearing a helmet and drinking and driving this is more than a good rule to live by it is also a New York State Law. There are also many good reasons to register your machines. Right now those who do not may say we do not get that money back so why register? Well, if we do not register they do not know how many of use are actually out there! The numbers that DMV sees is what will help make a big difference when it comes to things like legislation. We NEED to have our numbers speak, and with-out the majority of the machines registered we look like a group of people who do not obey the law, and so why should they work to help us? As for insurance I would not want to be the person who damages someone else’s property or hurts someone and does not have insurance. Protect yourself with the small expense of insurance.
	Respect the rights of others. Remember that you are not the only person in the state, there are other users out there, and regardless of what they may think of us, we need to not only promote a good image, but show all users that we are responsible. Showing a little respect and consideration can do wonders for our sport! If I see a bicycle on the trail, not only do I pull over, but I also talk with that person, trying to always build a positive experience for that trail user to remember. We need allies not enemies; the more we can win over to our side the easier our future battles for trails, and trail funding.
	Less noise equals more trails. In many cases this statement is very true. There are legal limits to the noise your machine can make, but it is always better to be quite. If others do not know you are there, they cannot complain, and cause problems for your sport. We have lost the ability to even create trails in some areas because people complained about the noise that might be there, and they did not what that. It does not matter that you may be on private property we can still be closed down, even if we have never had access to start with. There are many people who are ready willing and able to stop us before we even get started. Let’s not give them a reason. We work with many landowners, and many are also hunters, they sure do not want to hear a tune pipe scaring the deer or other animals. If you want to be able to ride remember that limiting noise and showing respect for others will go along way in keeping things open for us all. We have this code of ethics because it makes sense to do so. Are they all the law? No, and although we cannot all follow them all at all times, you should at least try to remember why we have them. They are there to help you and the rest of the riding community. It takes many people to get legal riding for us to enjoy, and it can all be stopped when one person does something stupid. We should try to not only follow this code as best we each can but encourage others to do that as well. Do not let the code of ethics we try to follow keep you or a friend form joining. Explain to prospective members why these are important issues, and we can only ask that they try to remember them to help us all.

NYTRO Club History

NYTRO, Inc. was founded in Fredonia, NY, back in 1992 by a handful of off road enthusiasts who were tired of losing their riding areas. We knew way back then that we must concentrate on the "big picture" and not just today's fun and activities.

In 1994 we grew to a size that required that we expand into chapters to adequately cover more area and assist riders in a more timely and convenient manner. We then split into NYTRO of Fredonia and NYTRO of Buffalo. We continued at that until 1996 with the adoption of NYTRO of Rochester. As we grew, we experienced some growing pains and suffered some loses. We re-organized and set forth to spread the word across the state.

We did this by collaborating with the dealers and worked out a program for discounts for our members. The dealers spread the word for us by passing out brochures to their customers. Soon we were on our way.

During this time we built our website which has been instrumental to our growth. We receive hundreds of emails weekly and many new applicants every month. Many of these people had no idea of where to ride or anyone to ride with. NYTRO has provided a necessary outlet for their needs.

Soon we started to receive requests for chapter status from new or existing clubs. We aided in the revitalization of the North Country ATV Association, based just outside of Albany, which became NYTRO of Porter Corners in late 1997.

At this time we decided to rename the chapters to NYTRO of Western NY, NYTRO of Central NY and NYTRO of Eastern NY. This made it easier for prospective members to find NYTRO by region rather than by city.

As we forged ahead, we found the need for a chapter in the Southern Tier and tried unsuccessfully at first to find interested people to take the lead on forming a new chapter. Finally in 1999 a few brave souls emerged and another chapter was formed. NYTRO of the Southern Tier, based out of Elmira, has been a great addition to our organization and has taken a positive role in the off road activity in the Southern Tier.

In 2000 we added another chapter in the Watertown area, calling itself NYTRO of Northern NY. There is a hotbed of activity up in that region and we want to assist in making a positive influence in the region. We were very fortunate to have a couple of enthusiasts with vast experience in off road and on road riding volunteer's to take on the startup of this chapter.

What's in store for the future of NYTRO? Only time will tell...

Remember, a club is much like a chain, in that it is only as strong as its weakest link. So become a part of what is going on, join in, attend meetings, work parties, fun rides and activities and meet some really great people. You will be glad that you did.