Why is there an Halsey Trails Club?
It's clear that the Forest Service could use some help with trail related work at Bessey.  Traffic and attendance at Bessey seems to be increasing.  ATV and dirtbike riders often do not know where they can ride and cannot ride.  There are conflicts among ATV/dirtbike trail users, horse riders, allotment holders (cattle grazers), campers and others.  The forest service has limited man power to address the situation.  There needs to be a group where trail work can get completed as needed and a group needs to bring together the various trails groups who recreate at Bessey to discuss their differences and see what can be done to improve the situation.  There are 90,000 acres at Bessey, there should be room for a lot of multiple use activities.   

What are the goals of HTC?
We have a page that directly addresses HTC goals.  Please visit the "About the Halsey Trails Club" page for more information.

Who is included in the HTC?
Trail users of all interests are invited to constructively participate in the Club.  With the help of the forest service, we hope to set up an HTC advisory board.  The advisory board may consist of the following interests:
ATV
Dirtbike (off-road motorcycle)
Bicycle
Equestrian (horse)
Hiker
Jeep/4x4
Snowmobile
4-H
Allotment holder/rancher
Local law enforcement
Local EMS/rescue
US Forest Service management

Is there a membership to the Club?
Yes.  Members of the Halsey Trails Club are also NOHVA members.  The club has it's own treasury and elected officers.  Over 50% of the fee's paid by members of the Halsey Trails Club are refunded back from NOHVA.  NOHVA also provides additional funding to the club as well.  Over the last ten years, NOHVA has supplied thousands of dollars in funding and NOHVA members have volunteers hundreds of hours to help maintain existing trails at Halsey.

Why is NOHVA sponsoring this Club?
NOHVA has been involved with trail work at the Nebraska National Forest since 1990.  Member volunteers have donated thousands of hours planning, working on and maintaining the Dismal River Trail.  Over the years NOHVA has provided thousands of dollars in funding for the Dismal River trail.   NOHVA is probably the most active trails group involved with Bessey.   Considering the conflicts that have been occurring over the years and considering the possible direction of the new forest plan to address travel management, officers of NOHVA thought that a group to help with trail related issues at Bessey was needed.  We want to develop a constructive dialog among forest users and promote volunteerism to benefit recreational trails with the general public at Bessey.

How much of a role will NOHVA play in HTC?
This depends upon the involvement of other trail interests. 

Will HTC play a role in the new travel plan?
As of this writing, the role of HTC is not political in nature.  HTC was formed to help secure volunteers for trail maintenance and trail user education.  Helping steer the new travel plan should be the responsibility of specific interest user groups. 

How can I make a donation to the HTC?
We hope to set up an HTC trails fund that will be used for trail maintenance purposes.  Possibly a locally based trail user 5013C non-profit club or a trails foundation could be assembled so that donations would qualify for tax deductible funding from businesses and individuals.

Do you have a Halsey Trails Club question that you would like addressed?  Contact our webmaster and we will post the answer on this page.