WHAT IS A SORVA

ALGER COUNTY SORVA/FACEBOOK

BY JIM DUKE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It’s amazing that there are still so many folks that enjoy snowmobiling, and for that matter any motorized activity, who have no idea what a SORVA is or how important such organizations are to the existence of the activities they seem to take for granted. Although the acronym has only gained popularity in the last decade or so, it has been around for many years beyond that, but with a slightly different meaning. In the original version, the term SORVA identified clubs and user groups as an organization of sportsmen who utilized an off-road vehicle of some sort to make the activity they were experiencing more successful, and quite honestly, enjoyable.

Sportsmen’s Off-Road Vehicle Association or SORVA was used for almost every recreational sporting group that employed the use of a motorized conveyance, whether it was for hunting, fishing, camping, or just going for an enjoyable ride on a country backroad or forest twotrack. Eventually, when the snowmobiling community and some of the All-Terrain Vehicle clubs began joining forces to bolster memberships, the “S” was to identify the snowmobile rather than the sportsman, and many clubs became known as SORVA’s.

During a series of interviews and discussions with some members of both the combined clubs and those that have elected to remain a single entity whether it be snowmobile, ATV, or a different form of off-road motorized recreation, and the reasons for either merging or not, both have merit. For example, there are snowmobile clubs that have been in existence for many years, but for some reason have failed to recruit new members. As the sustaining members grow older their numbers become fewer and they find themselves unable to perform the required maintenance to keep the trails in a safe condition. Without new and younger members, it may become necessary to dissolve the club.

Their salvation comes in the form of an ATV club willing to merge and take on part of those responsibilities since both use the same multi-use trails. For the most part, members of the ATV club are much younger and certainly more energetic. It becomes a win-win for both groups, the membership grows, and the club flourishes.

While there are a number of clubs and other groups that still employ the Sportsman portion of the acronym, there are snowmobile clubs also that prefer to remain snowmobile exclusive, and so it should be for those with no desire to mingle or can see no benefit in a merger. Still, for the most part, with just so many trails available for all categories to use, it only makes sense that combining efforts to improve on existing trails and for the development of new ones would be of benefit to all user groups.

In discussions with administrators of the programs governing both snowmobile and ORV’s, there is limited funding available for trail maintenance, equipment purchases, and other expenses related to the overall upkeep and everyday operations of clubs and/or grant sponsors responsible for those activities. Snowmobile grant sponsors have priority of trail usage for just four months while the other off-road groups have the other eight months to enjoy the trails, but as far as funding is concerned, the snowmobilers pay the bulk of the cost to keep the trails smooth and safe year-

round, and keeping records is a necessary (mandatory) requirement.

For those dual-use clubs and sponsors that maintain trails throughout the entire year, they are still required to keep separate records and logs in order to be eligible for reimbursement of expenses. There are other requirements and restrictions that must be adhered to as well, for example, equipment purchased with snowmobile program funds cannot be utilized in the maintaining of ORV trails, even though those same trails are designated snowmobile trails from December 1 until March 31. The reasoning is the grooming equipment is not manufactured for smoothing dirt, therefore, the clubs, or grant sponsors, must procure separate equipment, either using ORV program funding or by other means.

While it is true the dual clubs, or grant sponsors, are eligible for and have access to funds from both programs, those funds must not be inter-mingled and every dollar from each program must be accounted for. As complicated as it may appear to someone not familiar with the ins & outs of each program, the SORVAs have made it a compatible endeavor and consequently, both programs have benefited from it.

Within the past decade more and more snowmobile clubs have merged with their dirt riding counterparts with some very positive results. In fact, a few years ago the Michigan Snowmobile Association, at the urging of the cognizant DNR agencies, amended their Articles of Incorporation and bylaws to accommodate both the snowmobilers and the offroad vehicle enthusiasts and became the Michigan Snowmobile and ORV Association, or MISORVA.

Of course, as it is with any change in structure from the long-established association to a new & improved organization, there will be a percentage of members in both groups that oppose the changes and any attempts at a merger. So it was within the MSA Board of Directors and caused a few to resign their positions, and some to even quit the groups altogether. Be that as it may, the state association not only survived the dissension, but from all outward appearances, has flourished in spite of it

Don’t look for a definition of SORVA in the dictionary, it isn’t there, but for those who enjoy outdoor motorized recreational activities regardless of the month, or the season, they already know what a SORVA is, what it does, and why everyone just described here should belong to one. For those few still uninformed, an unofficial description of a SORVA is a group of like-minded individuals, usually volunteers, whose dedication is unmatched for making everyone’s experiences with nature’s beauty one to remember through a safe and smooth trails system regardless of season. Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, it’s the SORVAs that are working for the motorized recreation community. A huge Thank You to all SORVA groups, truly our unsung heroes. •

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