CHINO VALLEY - The Superior Court's presiding judge has ordered the town government and a developer to split nearly $29,133 in legal fees to the plaintiffs in the
Kampgrounds of America rezoning case. Judge David Mackey on Feb. 8 ordered the town and developer Jack Tuls Jr. of Las Vegas, to pay
for "reasonable attorney's fees, nontaxable costs and taxable costs." Continued Page 2
Continued from Page 1 Mackey's two-page ruling requires the plaintiffs to prepare and lodge a form of judgment consistent with the Dec. 7 ruling of former Presiding Judge Robert Brutinel. Mackey took over the case because Gov. Jan Brewer appointed Brutinel to the Arizona Supreme Court. In the Dec. 7 ruling Brutinel ordered the town to conduct an election to let voters decide whether to overturn a Town Council decision July 22 in favor of rezoning land where Tuls planned to build a KOA off Highway 89. The town's Prescott law firm sought to prevent the referendum from going before the voters on the grounds that Protect Our Rural Lifestyle had submitted petitions past the filing deadline. Plaintiffs Charlie Marriott and James Conn hired Phoenix attorney Lisa Hauser of Gammage & Burnham to force the town to accept the petitions and call for an election. Candy Blakeslee, Protect's treasurer, expressed pleasure with Mackey's ruling while adding, "We get not a penny. All we got is
the citizens' right to vote. That is what we fought for. ... And now it will go on the May (17) ballot."
Arnold acknowledged neither he nor Tuls had a chance to review Mackey's order.
Tom Kack of Chino Valley's law firm, Musgrove, Drutz & Kack, said the town has no plans to appeal Mackey's decision. He acknowledged town officials faced lawsuit threats from both sides.
Meanwhile, Arnold and his supporters will try to win at the ballot box May 17. Brutinel ruled too late for the council to place the referendum on the March 8 ballot.
"We chose what we believe to be the proper legal decision" by rejecting the petitions, Kack said.
Voters in the mail-only decision will decide whether to uphold or overturn the
Referring to the town's dilemma, Hauser wrote in support for the legal fees dated Feb. 2: "But the town now claims that it faced a no-win 'pick your lawsuit situation,' which is true to some extent. The town just picked wrong and did not win. Had it moved forward to certify the referendum petition instead of rejecting it, Tuls could have sued claiming the referendum was untimely filed and legally insufficient" under state law. Tuls' spokesman Charlie Arnold retorted, "Jack never indicated publicly whether he would have filed (a lawsuit). For her to make that assumption I don't think is appropriate."
council's decision to rezone 17 acres on the south side of East Road 3-1/2 North about 400 feet east of Highway 89. Protect claims the rezone would allow commercial development that conflicts with nearby homes, while Tuls' supporters claim KOA will boost tourism and the overall economy. Full Article: www.prescottaz.com
http://issuu.com/industryenews/docs/getawayusamediakit1
Nearly 100 campground industry leaders from across the Carolinas will gather at Ocean Lakes Family Campground in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the Carolinas Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds Annual Membership Meeting & Trade Show Sunday, Feb. 13 through Tuesday, Feb. 15.
The trade show, which will take place on Monday from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., will feature software solutions, insurance, printing, promotional items, campground equipment suppliers and web marketing as well as cabins and yurts. There will be a 16-foot yurt on site in the Recreation Building.
The event is open to conference registrants, but on-site registration is welcome at the Ocean Lakes Recreation Building. Call the CARVC office at (800) 906-0907 or starting Sunday, Ocean Lakes at (843) 238-0130.
Other highlights from the conference include seminars from topics ranging from disaster planning to solar energy. Speakers will include National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) Education Director
Barb Youmans; Paul Merten, an entomologist with the USDA Forest Service; Dave Zoellner, managing attorney for the Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities; and Jack Murphy from Banana Jack Murphy Productions. Barb Krumm, director of marketing and public relations for Ocean Lakes, will lead discussion about green initiatives at RV parks. Ocean Lakes has a nationally-recognized iCare Program that aims to reduce the environmental impact of the campground and its guests.
For more information about Carolina Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (CARVC), visit www.campingcarolinas.com or www.carvc.org.
Brief Excerpt from Industry Overview Chapter: The US recreational vehicle parks industry includes more than 4,000 RV parks and campgrounds with combined annual revenue of about $2 billion. Top RV park operators include Kampgrounds of America (KOA) and Thousand Trails. Most RV parks and campgrounds are single locations and privately held. The RV parks and campgrounds industry is highly fragmented: the 50 largest companies account for about 25 percent of industry revenue. A typical campground has less than $500,000 in annual revenue and about five employees. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE Demand is driven by personal income and tourist travel. The profitability of individual campgrounds depends on site occupancy rate and effective marketing. Large campgrounds have advantages in diversity of site offerings and amenities. Small campgrounds can compete effectively by marketing to their target demographic and through favorable site location. Campground
operations are laborintensive: average annual revenue per employee is less than $100,000. PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY Major services are campground rentals (75 percent of industry revenue) and groceries and meals (10 percent). Other revenue sources include dues and fees for membership campgrounds. Campground rental generally includes utility hookups for power, water, sewage, and propane gas. Typical RV park amenities include a grocery store or snack bar, coin-operated laundry facilities, and a swimming pool or natural swimming area. More expensive campgrounds offer golf course, tennis, and spa facilities. Most RV parks and campgrounds are independently owned; even many chain campgrounds are independently owned franchises. Campgrounds generally offer inexpensive recreation-oriented accommodations... Article: www.marketresearch.com
KENNEWICK, Wash. -- A judge ruled Thursday the city of Kennewick must pay $3.5 million to the operators of Columbia Park Golf Course, after the operators sued the city for not allowing an RV park to be developed, reported KEPR. The case dates back four years, when the operators originally talked about bringing in the park. The city squashed the idea, so the operators sued and won, but the city appealed the decision. The court threw out the appeal, along
with a motion to lower the price of the judgment. According to an email KEPR obtained between the city attorney and the attorney for the operator, the operator offered to resolve the dispute in September for far less money, so it wasn't a burden on taxpayers. The city responded with "duly noted." The city's attorney has failed to comment. Article: www.keprtv.com
There was a time not too long ago when you could only guess at what your image was among your potential customers. The Internet has changed a lot of that. Now, word of mouth has been transformed into words on the net. People don’t hesitate to write their opinions on forums, review sites, facebook and twitter. The good news is that you can trace those opinions and determine what your image is on the web. It will take a bit of work on your part for the initial setup and then you need to schedule time on a weekly basis as a minimum to review the information. It would be better if you could do your reviews on a daily basis in order to stay on top of any negative information and respond in a positive way. Before we get to the details, let’s talk about how to respond to bad reviews…and responding is a must. Once someone types your name into a comment, it will live for a long, long time. Your only hope to combat a bad impression is to respond, but you need to respond in such a way that you don’t start an internet war.
How many of you heard about the war of words between Steve Jobs and a college journalism student asking for a response to a problem she had with Apple’s PR department? After several emails back and forth, Jobs finally basically told the student to “Leave Us Alone.” To make a long story short, this all happened last fall and instead of dying down and disappearing, it is still out there on the web as a case study of what not to do. When you respond, be sure that you stay positive, try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes, and be as tactful as you can possibly be. Start off by acknowledging that the person had an issue with your park. Then begin stating your side of the story in a positive manner. Whatever you do, don’t give in to the impulse to say things like “Jerks like you…”, “Why are you such a Liar…” or “Dealing with idiots like you…” We have all been there but keep those thoughts in your mind and not on the keyboard. To find out what your image is on the web, take the following steps: 1.) Set up Google Alerts for your park name. While I am at it I also set up an
alert for my competition. It never hurts to find out what people are saying about them. Go to www.google.com/alerts to get started. Once you are set up, you will receive an email anytime Google picks up your specific keywords. 2.) Check out the park review sites on a regular basis. www.RVparkreviews.com, www.rvbuddies.com, etc. for any comments regarding your park. If there is a particularly nasty
review, email the webmaster asking if you can reply. There is currently a push to make review sites more responsive to posting the business answer. Whatever you do, don’t engage in posting bad reviews about the competition even if they have done it about you. This definitely won’t help your position or your image because you will be found out and then the world will know. Continued
Continued 3.) There are a number of programs that aggregate monitoring Social Media. Some are free but most are pay sites. I would suggest starting out with a free program until you determine what you want to see and how much information you need. Be sure to check on what the program covers 4.) Facebook is more difficult to monitor than other programs. Facebook users are able to limit their openness to the rest of the world. That means that you will only be able to monitor those users who have opened up their pages to more than family and friends. When you sign in to Facebook, enter your business name into the search bar and look for results from all public profiles. 5.) If you have a blog, you need to register with Technorati. Once you have registered, Technorati will
track any blog reactions or blogs that link to you. While we are at it, make sure that your blog accepts comments from your readers. Once again, the information you can gather will be invaluable. For Twitter, you have a wealth of sites that will gather information for you. FriendFeed will find all instances where your search words have been mentioned. You can use HooteSuite and TweetDeck for the same purpose. The last two have the added advantage of allowing you to schedule your tweets as well as a number of other features. 6.) Do regular Google searches for your name.
When you put the name into the search field use a quotation mark before and after the name. This will help to limit the number of references that are actually linked to the individual words in your name and will return results for your full name only. 7.) Don’t forget to watch Workamper News forums to see what workampers are saying about working for you. Listen to the comments and use them as constructive criticism. It can be hard not to take the comments personally, but unless you look at the comments objectively you won’t be able to use the information to your advantage.
This list should at least get you started on determining what people are saying about you. Once you know what is being said, you can determine how you want to react. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to track what is being said about you on the web. The internet has become a way of life for us and it is only going to get more important to your guests as time goes on. If this is overwhelming, don’t give up…give me a call. Let’s talk about what you need right now and what can wait till later. By Pamela Wright See my ad on page 12
BOULDER, Colo. -- Winter storms blanketing much of the United States combined with tempting late-season promotions lessen seasonal inventories and boost sales across the broad U.S. retail market in January. According to retail point-ofsale data compiled by SportScanInfo for OIA VantagePoint, the market wrapped up a stronger-thanexpected fiscal year with total outdoor product sales ringing up over $715 million in retail sales for the fourweek month ending Jan. 29, a 2.3 percent increase over January 2010 levels.
The full 2010 fiscal year, which ended Jan. 29, saw sales of outdoor products increase 4.0 percent to $10.85 billion over the 2009 fiscal total. Outdoor specialty channels grew 7.3 percent to $2.95 billion for the twelve-month fiscal period. “Some of the marketplace apprehension seems to be lifting as we enter 2011, with consumers spending more optimistically and mother nature making quality outdoor products a wise and timely investment,” said LaRae Marsik, vice president of
business intelligence at Outdoor Industry Association. “Solid growth in the outdoor specialty business bodes well during this traditionally slower retail timeframe, as consumers wanted to pick their products off the shelf and use them immediately,
resulting in a surprising dip in Internet sales this month to beneath January 2010 levels.” Outdoor Industry Association press release
If you modify an existing structure or building, change the design of your pool or add a new one, the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design applies to you. These new design regulations do not apply to existing buildings, structures or pools that are compliant with the former standards. The following is an excerpt from the ADA website fact sheet found at http://www.ada.gov/regs201 0/factsheets/title3_factsheet. html Effective Date. The rule will become effective March 15, 2011. On March 15, 2012, compliance with the 2010
Standards will be required for new construction and alterations and barrier removal. In the period between September 15, 2010 and March 15, 2012, covered entities may choose between the 1991 Standards and the 2010 Standards. Covered entities that should have complied with the 1991 Standards during any new construction or alteration of facilities or elements, but have not done so by March 15, 2012, must comply with the 2010 Standards. Element by Element Safe Harbor. The rule includes a general "safe harbor" under
By Kenneth Roy, AIC – Risk Manager EvergreenUSA Insurance
which elements in covered facilities that were built or altered in compliance with the 1991 Standards would not be required to be brought into compliance with the 2010 Standards until the elements were subject to a planned alteration. A similar safe harbor applies to elements associated with the "path of travel" to an altered area. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires the Department of Justice to publish ADA design standards that are consistent with the guidelines published by the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. To minimize compliance burdens on the businesses subject to more than one legal standard, these design standards have
been harmonized with the Federal standards implementing the Architectural Barriers Act. These new standards address amusement rides, recreational boating facilities, fishing piers and platforms, exercise machines and equipment, golfing facilities, miniature golf, play areas, swimming pools, wading pools, spas, saunas, and steam rooms. For more information: The final rule and fact sheet are available in electronic format on the Internet at: http://www.ada.gov/. For additional information or to order copies of any documents, call the ADA Information Line (800) 5140301. Compiled by Evergreen USA Insurance
Two months after the expansion groundbreaking of Memphis Jellystone Park in Horn Lake, owner Keith Russell is remaining upbeat. It's all about staying optimistic despite the snowy weather woes that won't exactly allow the project to be finished by the original completion date. "We hoped to have it ready by (March 15), but we're not going to make it," said Russell, "but we've got nine days of good weather, so we hope to make a lot of headway this next week." When the 30 acres off U.S. 51 reaches capacity, the number of recreational vehicle sites will grow from 114 to 154. It's also going to include six cabins, which doubles the current amount. "We should have a good summer and fall," said Russell, who along with his
May," he said. "They'll be here four or five days and that's good business for us. They do a lot of eating out and they'll do Graceland, Beale (Street) -- all of the tourist stuff. wife, Penny, will be celebrating four years in DeSoto County on June 7. "We think we're good for the area and the area is good for us." Entering the week, Jellystone had already locked in four rallies, which according to Russell is RV enthusiasts traveling together and visiting different parts of the country. "We've got one coming out of Northern Michigan in
"Most of them are retired. It's kind of neat, though, when we get a call out of Michigan to come to us." Russell didn't disclose the financial figures of the expansion project, yet he did confirm it was a great time to build. "We got good prices on everything," the 63-year-old Russell said. "Some of the contractors are struggling, but with everything fixing to
happen, I think there will be work for everybody." Buoyed by the smiling face of Yogi Bear, Jellystone is enhancing its kid-friendly look with a new basketball court and blowup water attractions. Horn Lake Mayor Nat Baker says everything about the Russells has been a positive. "It's been an impressive journey with those two because they've done exactly what they said they wanted to do," Baker said. "It's really put Horn Lake on the map as far as a destination." www.commercialappeal.com
If it were a bunch of kids who had caused so much damage they would have been issued with an ASBO and made to clear it up. But what can you do when you are stuck with a ÂŁ10,000 clean-up bill following an invasion by a flock of starlings? Trevelgue Holiday Park in Newquay, Cornwall, is facing just that problem after suffering major damage to caravans, roads, trees and grass areas following a bizarre 'attack' by tens of thousands of birds. The starlings descended on the holiday park en masse, leaving behind up to seven inches of droppings, and are only showing signs of moving on after the site resorted to a bird scarer. Trevelgue is now faced with an enormous clean-up operation to ensure the park is ready for the season when it opens on April 1. Managing director Mike Finnigan said: 'The starlings flocking is a wonderful force of nature. The flying formations are magnificent but like everything, every action has a reaction. Unfortunately there are some health hazards associated with that. 'The starlings are coming in to roost at about 5pm every night, congregating on the
electric wires, telegraph poles and trees. 'The bird droppings are causing a major, major problem. It's acidic and the sheer quantity is phenomenal. The roads on the campsite are absolutely covered and the trees and caravans are lagged. 'It's taking major branches off some trees because of the sheer weight. In some places its up to seven inches deep. Thankfully none of the major buildings on the site are particularly close to the trees so they are not affected. 'As soon as the starlings go we will have to decontaminate the affected areas which will cost in excess of ÂŁ10,000. The starlings are due to head back within a month so it is a matter of accelerating the process. 'If they decide it is not the time to go back they will find another place to roost.' The birds' presence is believed to be the result of the cold weather further north in Europe. Mr Finnigan added: 'I have no idea why the birds have chosen this area. I have worked here for 15 years and I've never seen anything like it.' Article: www.dailymail.co.uk
Thousands of Starlings leave up to 7" of bird droppings for campground to clean up.
RV Education 101 releases the first episode of “Mark’s RV Garage”, an Internet based RV how-to TV show. The show is available for viewing at www.rvconsumer.com and on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=kUM0yxAn6QY
To the Editor.. I wouldn’t gloat too much about Lake City FL kicking overnight RV’ers from Wal*Mart’s parking lot. The City just over-turned their earlier ruling and allowed the store manager to enforce the ban or remove the signs. He chose to remove the signs and allow overnight parking, once again. Obviously the commerce that RV’ers represent won again! While it is understood that your organization does represent campground owners, it would be
worthwhile to consider that without happy consumers/campers, there would be no reason to have campgrounds. The tone of your article had a "good vs. evil" air to it ...............................it might be wise to remember who lives downstream and if this emerging issue becomes a campground owner vs camper situation, I probably don't need to point out who loses in the end. Campgrounds come and go, RV ownership & use is on the increase. A Concerned Reader
Mark Polk, video producer and founder of the long standing RV Education 101 instructional video series stated, “We are very excited to release the first episode of the show. This show was designed with the RV consumer in mind, and our goal is to give them the RV information, education and training they want, when they want it.” Mark’s RV Garage will feature RV product reviews, RV product installations, EZ RV upgrade projects, a vintage trailer restoration project, RV destination spot and more as the show progresses. Dawn Polk added, “Episodes of Marks RV Garage will be archived for easy retrieval and viewing
at the consumer’s leisure. Right now the show is available through our RV consumer site at www.rvconsumer.com while we work on additional distribution channels to increase viewing options for the audience. We are proud to offer the RV consumer this new Internet based how-to show in addition to our other comprehensive RV training programs.” Episode # 2 of Mark’s RV garage will be available at www.rvconsumer.com on 21 February 2011. For more information on these online RV training programs contact Dawn @ 910-484-7615 or e-mail dawn@rveducation101.com
President Obama's FY12 budget request, if approved by Congress, would give the National Park Service a $2.9 billion budget, an increase of nearly $138 million above current funding levels. While the budget would slow the agency's attack on its staggering maintenance backlog, at a time when doom and gloom highlights talk around the federal budget the president seems determined to invest in the Park Service and its 394 units. Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, in a prepared statement, said investing in the country was exactly what the proposed budget does. “Taxpayer investments in national parks result in far more than the obvious recreational and educational dividends,” said Director Jarvis. “National parks also are tremendous economic engines for their gateway communities. In 2009, park visitors spent $11.9 billion and supported 247,000 jobs. "The budget includes tough choices to cut spending in construction and certain grant programs to address our nation’s critical budget deficit," he continued. "However, a proposed increase in investments through the Land and Water Conservation Fund will step up our commitment to states and
communities, many of which are facing serious cutbacks of their own." Among the highlights of the proposed Park Service budget: * The overall request totals $2.9 billion, up from $2.75 billion the Park Service has been operating on under a Continuing Resolution. * Base park operations funding would increase $39.5 million. * It would provide $360 million for the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is tapped to make land acquisitions for the National Park System. * A $5.7 million increase, to $19.2 million, to fund youth engagement and education programs in the parks. * $1.8 million for the U.S. Park Police operations. * $3.2 million for cyclic maintenance and $7.5 million for repair and rehabilitation projects, two areas that can help slow the growth of the Park Service's maintenance backlog. * $7.2 million to strengthen the Park Service's staff recruitment, training, and retention programs. * $8 million for the Everglades Modified Water Water Deliveries project.
* $4 million towards the settlement of the North Shore Road project in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. * $61 million for the Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund. At the same time, however, a review of the details shows a lot of red ink: * Nearly $81 million is proposed to be cut from the Park Service's construction budget, a subtraction that would directly impact construction projects, equipment replacement, and planning. * Both the Save America's Treasures ($25 million) and Preserve America ($4.6 million) grant programs would be zeroed out. * Nearly $6 million in congressional earmarks targeted for projects in specific parks would be eliminated. * Funding for Heritage Areaswould be cut by $8.8 million. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar acknowledged to reporters Monday afternoon that a freeze on new construction across the National Park System would slow efforts to reduce the Park Service's maintenance backlog, which is in the neighborhood of $8 billion.
“We have in this budget proposed what I consider to be a good investment in the National Park System. And we have made significant efforts over the last two years to cut down on that backlog, which, when I came into Interior, stood at some $9 billion. We were able to make some investments close to a billion dollars, from the (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) funds, and those have gone into our national park units all across the country, (and) the budgets over the last two years have allowed us to make some investments on that backlog," the Interior secretary said. "But there’s no doubt that ... the existing backlog is in the billions of dollars. And so this will slow down the major initiative, which we’ve had under way, which has been a high priority for me, and that’s to address that backlog. We have to deal with the fiscal reality, we don’t have the money to deal with the backlog." At the National Parks Conservation Association, President Tom Kiernan was supportive of the president's proposal. “We’re pleased that in a challenging budget year the administration has prioritized investments in our national parks. From Yellowstone to Gettysburg, Continued
our national parks protect America’s heritage and deserve this modest investment,” Mr. Kiernan said in a statement. “We’re grateful that our national parks would have the funding they need to keep visitor centers open and park rangers on the ground. People travel from across the world to enjoy these special places, so this investment not only preserves our national heritage, but also protects jobs in communities that benefit from park tourism.” It's doubtful, from congressional actions and discussions to date, that the budget will be warmly embraced by Congress. Already the House Appropriations Committee has targeted $51 million in cuts from the Park Service budget, and news reports have indicated some in Congress want large cuts in the Land and Water Conservation Fund. “These aren’t just difficult times, they’re serious times, and you can just feel it in the air in Washington," Park Service spokesman Jeff Olson said Monday. "So yes, we’re grateful for the budget the president has proposed. There’s still a lot that we can do. We’ll meet the mission of the Park Service." At the NPCA, Mr. Kiernan said proposed cuts in the Park Service's budget that have been discussed in the House of Representatives were disconcerting. "The Park Service is already underfunded with an (annual) operations
shortfall of $600 million,” he said. “We’re also quite concerned with the size of the House committee cut to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is critical to protecting national parks from the constant threats of development.” With the 150th anniversary of the Civil War beginning to be commemorated, the budget proposal holds $10 million within the Land and Water Conservation Fund for American Battlefield Protection Grants. These grants, which require a dollar-for-dollar match with non-federal funds, go to help state and local governments and nonprofit organization partnerships purchase and protect threatened Civil War and other battlefields. “The president’s budget will ensure that national parks continue to serve the 285 million visitors who come every year to relax in America’s great outdoors and learn about the people and places that make up America’s story,” Director Jarvis, who was unavailable for comment Monday, said in a prepared statement. “This is especially important as we prepare for the start of our second century in 2016 and begin commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which we hope will bring millions of new visitors to our more than 70 civil war sites.” Full Article: www.nationalparkstraveler.com
A Wellington scientist has admitted wilful damage and offensive behaviour after he put human faeces in a handbag during a dispute with noisy campers in the Marlborough Sounds. Andrew Francis Carman, 58, was staying at a Conservation Department campground at Cowshed Bay in the Marlborough Sounds on November 27 last year. Early the following morning he walked to a site where loud music had been playing all night, to tell the group what he thought and
to get their car registration numbers, Blenheim District Court was told last week. But there was no-one there. He saw a pile of human faeces and, in a spur-of- the-moment decision, shovelled it through the open window of a nearby car and into a handbag on the front seat. Yesterday Carman appeared in court, where he was fined $500 and ordered to pay court costs and $650 reparation. A charge of unlawfully interfering with a motor vehicle was withdrawn.
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A March 28 trial date has been set for a North Carolina businessman who contracted with FEMA to set up travel trailers in South Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina.
fraud, and false statements and claims.
Clarence Bundy Morrison IV of Fayetteville, N.C., is charged with conspiring to defraud FEMA.
Morrison was arrested May 28 and taken before a judge in Raleigh, N.C. He was released pending a hearing in Gulfport.
The charges against the Morrison include wire
The indictment alleges Morrison gave false information to get a contract to block, level and anchor travel trailers.
Eating fish is so healthy, right? Not necessarily. Unless you know otherwise for a fact, the assumption these days is that eating fish caught in any body of water will contain some amount of materials such as mercury, flame retardants, PCB, dioxines, plasticizers or pesticides. That is in addition to drugs and medicines that got flushed down somebody’s toilet.
Naturally, also, the cost of doing so is bringing counter pressure to not set the standards higher.
The national average deemed safe for consumption of fish caught naturally is less than one ounce per day. The controversy going on in Oregon highlights this issue: there the consumption of fish, largely salmon, is about 6 ounces per day, ten times the national average. Salmon are an age-old dietary staple for many of the Native Americans living near the Columbia River. Naturally, their leaders want Oregon to clamp down on pollutants draining into the river, setting the standards high enough to make the fish safe for the greater quantities of consumption.
So: if you have fishing waters on your premises, have the water tested periodically. If your patrons fish anywhere nearby, be sure to check out ahead of time and warn people of any known or suspected pollutants before they eat what they catch. Gone are the days of relying on the past. “We always ate what we caught and no one got sick” is no longer a safe guide, sad to say. We wouldn’t drink from a stream if there were cows grazing upstream. The possible contaminants in water, almost always invisible, are far more widespread and dangerous that cows upstream!
The coastal states, the Great Lakes states and the six states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (64,000 square miles) also wrestle with similar issues. The truth is that ALL bodies of water are suspect until proven otherwise.
Final Touch Coach Works has begun the Phase 1 restoration of an authentic English horse coach originally built for the DuPont family. The coach was built in 1985 in the U.K. and shipped to the United States for the DuPont family, who had a passion for the equestrian lifestyle. It remained on the East coast for most of its life. Two equestrian enthusiasts on the West coast, Dave and Bonnie, wanted a coach with history and character. The Volvo F7 English coach was a dreamcome-true.They purchased the coach in early 2010. Designed to drive a million
miles or more, the Volvo engine was strong. However, the house part of the coach had fallen into disrepair. Leaking had virtually destroyed the sidewalls. After researching various facilities, Dave and Bonnie brought their coach to Final Touch Coach Works. They had become aware of their uncompromising quality in both finish work and repair. In this first phase, the sidewalls were removed, while supporting the roof with trusses. The old walls were simple sandwiched foam with skin that had been all but destroyed by leaking. The water damage had spread to the flooring,
as well. When the walls were pulled out, layers of linoleum and carpet were removed, uncovering decades of neglect. Even a sagging headliner that had been tacked up, was removed. With significant clean-up completed, the Final Touch crew built out framing using extruded aluminum, alder wood with furniture grade interior skinning, solid core custom-fitted insulation and an exterior skin ready for a seamless layer of filon. The entire process for the sidewalls will take about six months to complete. Then, Dave and Bonnie will have a solid foundation upon which to build in deciding
the aesthetic aspects of the exterior, as well as the interior. The F7 is quite a coach with a rear section designed to carry up to four horses in air-conditioned comfort. There are two ramps for easy ingress/egress. The owners' section up front is all function, with a small bath and living area. But when you are true equestrians, it's all about the comfort of your animals. Based in California, Dave and Bonnie plan to travel with their prized horses all over the United States. For more information: www.FinalTouchRV.com.
ARTWORK | LOGO DESIGN | WEBSITES | PRINTING SERVICES Contact Dennis Macready 865 387 5667 | 865 429 8344 E: dennis@voircreative.com W: www.voircreative.com
New Berlin, PA – “If there’s one thing we learned by producing the Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo last year, it’s that when using the Internet, “user friendly” is the most important element in a successful event.” So says Expo producer Art Lieberman who, along with co-producer Deanne Bower, have spent hundreds of hours evaluating the statistics which were garnered by the software that ran the event. Some of our sponsors and exhibitors had difficulty setting up their booths. A few of the speakers had difficulty broadcasting their webinars and, more importantly, attendees had problems maneuvering around the software. “We realized at the onset” says Lieberman, “that owners of outdoor hospitality businesses were not the most technicallyoriented people.” Their computer skills peak at a website, an e-mail address and, perhaps, a registration program for their facility. The average age of an owner of this industry’s business is nearly 50, with many owners much older than that. They weren’t born with a keyboard or a mouse in their hand. We’ve often heard them say ‘I’ll have to ask my kids about that’ when referring to something on the computer”.
Apparently, owners are quick studies though. Wi-Fi for their customers has become almost a necessity for most outdoor hospitality businesses. “We reasoned that if we could make the software easier to utilize for everyone, our attendance figures would go up and our exhibitors would be less intimidated by the methods of setting up their booths. That is what we concentrated on, during the past 4 months”, says Bower. The producers and their crew had contacted 922 prospective sponsors and exhibitors. Nearly 20% of them had declined to participate because the Expo was a first-time event. The producers now have a show “under their belts”. Also, the Producers pre-registered 3,300 campground owners, but barely touched upon owners of other outdoor hospitality industries such as, marinas, golf resorts, paddleboat facilities, ski resorts, dude ranches ad infinitum. That too will change this year. The producers will reach out to suppliers and possible attendees of these additional industries Finally, because there is no necessity for speakers to leave the comfort of their home or office, the Expo will seek a keynote speaker and presenters of webinars who are well
known to the general public who would never be a conference presenter at a physical event because of costs. There is one more consideration. Because Campground Expo is considering partnering with another organization, marketing of the event may be shared, as well as any profits from the event.
The Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo II is scheduled to take place on 11-11-11 for 2 days and another 60 days in an ondemand status. The producers may be contacted by calling 877901-EXPO (3976) or by email at campvirtualshow@yahoo.co m. Their website (currently being updated) is www.outdoorhospitalityexpo.com.