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NOHVCC ADVENTURE TRAIL CD-ROM READY FOR NATIONWIDE DISTRIBUTION

Fun-filled interactive CD emphasizes safe and responsible riding behaviors for the next generation.

From the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council
June 29, 2006

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) is proud to announce the debut of its latest educational project, the Adventure Trail interactive CD-ROM for kids. Inspired by the original NOHVCC Adventure Trail (which is a ten-step safety and responsible riding educational program), the CD-ROM takes the messages one step further by incorporating them into fun and exciting computer activities.

"Our Adventure Trail poster series and activity books have turned out to be very popular and we get requests for them nearly every day," reports NOHVCC Executive Director Russ Ehnes. "For over a year now, folks from throughout the country have been distributing thousands of them at OHV events, trail agencies, and businesses, as well utilizing them in classroom and organizational youth activities such as 4-H and scouting. Because of the many OHV industry sponsors who continue to generously support our Adventure Trail projects, we are able to provide the posters and activity books for the price of shipping and handling only, and that is our plan for this new CD-ROM as well.

"It's all about getting the messages into the hands of as many of the next generation of trail riders as possible, and our thought was what better way than to bring the Adventure Trail to life on a computer screen," continues Ehnes. "Our organization's primary goal is to ensure that good trail opportunities continue to exist and expand in the future and we feel one of the most effective ways to accomplish that goal is to encourage young riders to develop the habit of always riding in a safe and responsible manner."

The general outline for an Adventure Trail CD-ROM was laid out at the 2005 Annual NOHVCC Conference where state representatives gathered to brainstorm new ideas for the upcoming year. "We feel our final product is pretty neat and our testing with kids so far has been very positive," explains Ehnes. "It's simple enough that even young kids with basic computer skills have no trouble navigating the games. I imagine that youngsters who are already riding, as well as those who are aspiring to, will enjoy the games and play them many times. Hopefully the CD-ROMs will eventually end up in the hands of their friends and siblings as well."

The new CD-ROM opens with an introduction from the main character Rascal, the OHV riding raccoon. The player then follows the Adventure Trail and stops off to hear about things like always wearing the proper riding gear, staying on the trail, riding the right-sized machine, keeping their OHV's muffler quiet, respecting wildlife, wetlands, and other trail users, etc. Most of the stops include short video segments and colorful, interactive illustrations that contain hidden surprises for wandering cursors.

In addition to the primary Adventure Trail section of the CD-ROM, there's a create-your-own-OHV feature where the player gets to pick the colors and backgrounds of his or her own machine and can then have them printed out. There's also a fast-paced trail riding game where the player gains points for avoiding obstacles and accidents, while picking up bonus points for picking up trash along the trail.

And finally, there's a clickable listing of OHV organization resources for weekend trail riders and OHV activists. The Adventure Trail CD-ROMs are currently available (for the price of shipping and handling only) from the NOHVCC national headquarters. Contact them at:

NOHVCC, 4718 S. Taylor Drive, Sheboygan, WI 53081
Ph: 800.348.6487 -- FAX: 920.458.3446
trailhead@nohvcc.org
www.nohvcc.org

A big thanks to the following sponsors who made the first production run of the NOHVCC Adventure Trail CD-ROMs possible:

• Polaris Industries
• Arizona Game and Fish
• Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
• Piaute ATV Trail Committee (UT)
• Southern Utah OHV Association
• Hatfield/McCoy Trails (WV)
• San Bernardino National Forest Association (CA)
• Motorcycle Industry Council
• Specialty Vehicle Institute of America
• Bureau of Land Management
• U.S. Forest Service
• Federal Highway Administration

High-resolution photos for publication are available on request. For more information on this press release, contact;

NOHVCC Communications Director Steve Casper at 608-527-4152 or stevecasper@msn.com

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