I made it to this meeting as the NEXTerra delegate and it was quite the eye-opener. Taking place in Derry, NH it was held at a local hall type location with numerous other events going on in different rooms at the same time we were there...the Democratic Party was gathering there to organize a voting campaign (strange that so many of the Democratic license plates were from MA while Derry is in NH....) I digress...

The NEA4WD meeting got off to a bumpy start as initially there were too few club delegates present in order to form a "quorum" or the minimum 2/3 of all NEA clubs necessary to vote on items of concern. Eventually a local Jeep club member was contacted and was able to come in and fulfill the quorum requirements so things could get done.

I guess this has been a real problem of late, with lots of clubs signing up for the NEA and paying their dues but not sending representatives to meetings. A number of resolutions were proposed to alieviate this problem but no resolutions recieved the mandatory 2/3 votes of those delegates in attendance to pass. So the rule was left as it was with no voting allowed unless at least 2/3 of the clubs in the NEA are represented at a given meeting.

Two new clubs were brought onboard (probationary members) by near unanimous votes--Cape Cod Jeep Club and another jeep club located out near the VT/NH border. A NH located "Toyota Crawler Club" was voted in on a full member basis as well.

I hadn't realized how much money the NEA raised until this meeting but from a number of events (a Fall Crawl and Bay State Jeep event) not only brought in well over $5K to the NEA but also donated an equal amount to local charities including childerns hospital wards, etc.

A number of NEA properties were brought up including Moose Mountain and Field and Forest both located in NH that are large 1000+ acre areas that are open for wheeling and a newer location in Sturbridge, MA that will likely see some development for wheeling in the near future. Moose Mountain is fee free where as Field and Forest and the MA areas do require minimal donations in order to wheel...But there is TONS of land that we have access to through the NEA to wheel on. There is no excuse for not getting out there and using your truck or wheeling in places you shouldn't be...

Lastly, the person who has served as the NEA's treasurer for the past 11 years has decided to step down from his volunteer position stating that it just involved too much of his time and energies to do for free any longer and said he could continue doing the position but only for a minimum fee of $6000 a year. This would have been a HUGE dent in the NEA's budget, one which would strip many local charities of the donations I mentioned earlier and leave the NEA depleted of cash. Requests were made for volunteers to take over the position and I and one other member (Paul Regish of a seperate club) volunteered to take over the position. Paul as the full treasurer and me as assistant treasurer. Together we will be tasked with handling the finances of the NEA and its events.

The 11/1 meeting was originally scheduled to run from 10-2pm but had run from 10-3pm when myself and a # of other delegates needed to leave. With all the voting out of the way we missed some discussion of future business but completed all our voting duties and current business. NEA meetings are every other month, always on the first Saturday, meaning the next meeting (which will take place in Worcester) will be on 1/3/09. I do plan on attending this meeting if anyone else wants to accompany me and see what the NEA is all about you are more than welcome. At this point I do not know if there will be any wheeling after the 1/3 meeting. I will post the minutes of the 11/1 meeting when they become available. Please ask any questions you may have or make any comments as I am simply representing NEXterra on your (the club members) behalf. Thanks!

Thanks for the update and going to this meeting for us. We really do appreciate your time, Dan.

X2 on what Scott said..

Thanks a bunch Dan. We all greatly appreciate it.

Not a problem...now that I will be "assistant treasurer" to the NEA and will be the recipient of all the NEA mail (as I live close to where their PO Box is located) it appears I shall be attending most meetings from this point forward...

so how do we get on that land?

Thanks Dan
Congrats on the new title

It was nice to meet you!!!

Thanks for representing NEXterra well!!!

Which land?? And whatever land we are talking about we can try and set up a run if a # of individuals get together and decide on a date so we can put in a request/notification...

these spots

Thanks Dan!

Become a supporting member

Dan,
Thank you very much for attending the meeting. I've done my best to make as many as possible, but my schedule hasn't allowed me to make the meetings that are farther away (even though going to one on my bike in the freezing cold was interesting all by itself).

Thank you again.

Michael