Washington NAPKA members need your help. As many of you know we have been working with Washington State Parks trying to get the beaches open to wind powered vehicles. I recently sent emails local businesses along the coast asking them to send letters to the Director of Washington State Parks, as well as their area representatives. Focusing on the economic benefits of the activity to their communities. Currently anyone wishing to travel to the Pacific Northwest to vacation and buggy has to go to Oregon where it is legal.
So, long story short here is what I would like. I have included a clickable link that will open up your email (thanks Morrie) with a prearranged address and subject. The recipients are director of Parks, and area State Representatives. I have included a short sample message also if you wish to use that.
Feel free to modify to fit your needs.
Thanks in advance for your support


(Copy and Paste message below or write your own)

Hello, I am a member of the North American Powerkite Association. When I, travel or vacation I look for places that I can use my wind powered vehicle. I would very much like to travel to Washington State and participate in powerkiting on Washington’s beaches. This would help the tourism of your state.
Please do whatever you can to help make wind powered vehicles legal on Washington's beaches.

Thank you,







Click here to open email

Done! I will forward this to other kite spots I frequent. I added a couple of my own words and will include them as food for thought.

Hello, I am a member of the North American Powerkite Association. When I, travel or vacation I look for places that I can use my wind powered vehicle. I would very much like to travel to Washington State and participate in powerkiting on Washington’s beaches. This would help the tourism of our state. We conduct ourselves in a safe manner, are respectful of others, and don't polute the air or the sand. I currently spend two to three weeks a year going to Seaside Oregon to fly and ride on wind powered friendly beaches. I am disappointed that I can't do that in my own state. Hood River Oregon is a perfect example of what these wind sports can do for a community. Thousands of people travel there and spend millions of dollars in Oregon because of the support recieved there. Manufacturing even takes place there to support the sport. I don't understand why Washington turns it's back on these opportunities.
Please do whatever you can to help make wind powered vehicles legal on Washington's beaches.

thanks Evans, will do the same with PNWBA.
I have a few extra words to add myself, :D I have alot of extra words to add.

Will it be OK for NAPKA members in Vancouver to send an email as well ? Driving all the way through Washington to ride the 1st beach over the state line looks like an opportunity lost to me ?

Gabe, well done! Thanks.
Bladerunner, by all means please send it on. I would like even the folks from Europe and beyond that come over for NABX and extend their vacations to add a note if it seems reasonable.
Jeff, yes, send it on to the Blo Kart group. Thanks to you also.

Done, Here is my twist on the message.

Hello,


I am a member of the North American Powerkite Association. I live in Vancouver B.C.. When I, travel or vacation at least 3 times a year I look for places that I can use my wind powered vehicle. I would very much like to travel to Washington State and participate in powerkiting on Washington’s beaches. Presently I drive right through your State and stop at the very 1st beach over the State line in Oregon. This would help the tourism of your state. Your unique hard pack beaches don't exist on mainlad B.C. .
Please do whatever you can to help make wind powered vehicles legal on Washington's beaches.


Thank You, Ken Dunion

Done

I'm in as well, my Brothers on the other coast.

Sent one from here as well!

Good evening I am new to this forum and have been flying for a little while but still learning. I do appreciate the information that you a have provided to me through your various posts. I also thank you for trying to influence the decisions to open WA beaches to kite boarding and buggies. I have also sent the following:

"Hello, I live in Marysville, WA and enjoy kite flying. I am also in the process of learning to kite-board and buggy. These are currently both considered wind powered vehicles and not allowed on WA beaches. I use kiting as a tool to spend time with my daughter, wife and friends. Unfortunately, I have to go to another State, to operate these to vehicles and teach my daughter the enjoyment of the beach, kiting, land-boarding and buggying. My family and numerous friends would appreciate anything you could do to open up our WA beaches to these vehicles.

Thank you,"

sent. maybe an altered version of this this can be sent out to a wide list, like nabx attendees?

done

done

Sent

Sent the following message off to your list of addressees this morning. Hope it does some good.


We are writing to you as members of the North American Powerkite Association, residing in Maple Valley, Washington. We both have recently taken up the hobby of power kite flying with three-wheeled, non-motorized kite buggies and find it disappointing that we can't do this legally in Washington except on very few occasions sanctioned by NAPKA. More and more frequently we find ourselves traveling to Oregon and other locations to be able to use our kite buggies. We would very much like to be able to kite buggy within Washington State and have the same opportunities that people do in many other states to be able to powerkite under a set of reasonable guidelines. In this day of tight economies, I have no doubt this would help increase tourist activity and business revenues within our state. If you look into it, we're confident you will find that members of this association are responsible, affluent and level-headed and self-police ourselves to avoid problems and any public safety issues.

We respectfully ask that you take action and do whatever you can to help our association make use of wind powered vehicles legal on Washington's beaches. It strikes us as unusual that cars and dune buggies are afforded much more access to Washington beaches than a much less environmentally destructive vehicle like a kite buggy does. If you should like to discuss this matter, we'd be pleased to speak with you at your convenience, and if you can suggest someone else we could speak with directly regrading this subject we'd be very appreciative.

Thank you for your consideration,

Sent the message , hope they listen.

Can someone explain why the State does this? Is it the razor clams they worry about? It seems very ironic that they allow motor vehicles on the beach but not wind powered vehicles.

Lots of Folks have a better understanding of how this came to be than me. The ban has been long standing and I think had to do with no brakes back then ????

Recently from as far as I can tell it has more to do with a revolving council + insurance issues?

A few folks have worked very hard and have gained access over many weekends each year using NAPKA and the land Sailors group insurance to secure the deal. If you are interested in riding there I suggest you join NAPKA and give input as to what beaches / weekends work for you.

Even if we got full access to Washington beaches we will still be stuck to a 30mph Max. speed. Not bad but it is nice riding Sunset and not worrying about getting a ticket ? :dunno:

sopitted,
The ban on the beaches came about 20 some years ago when the sport was rather new, when someone complained about the crazy buggies with kites out on the beaches.
While you can do most anything on the beaches kite bugging is one of the things banned along with powered parachutes, hover crafts, and other powered vehicles. Don't try to reason it out, it will drive you crazy. We have been working with the state to change the law, rework the permit proses, change the WAC, what ever it takes to gain access to the beach. This year we hope to have something new in place but it is still early in the season and a few more meetings worth the state and a few of us will tell how things are going.

As Bladerunner stated, join NAPKA and be a voice that can help with the work.
And the speed limit is, and has always been, and will be for ever more, 25mph.

Like Big Kid said, the ban has been around for awhile. Some of the reason is they (parks) at that time thought there should be some activities that should not be allowed on State Highways. Wind and sand sailers got dumped into the list. We are working on it, I have had many communications with parks staff. At this point, and probably the foreseeable future only NAPKA members will have access. Unfortunately at this time they have the upper hand. We don't have a strong enough lobby to persuade otherwise. We make an economic impact on the communities but it really is fairly small in the larger picture of things.
Hope to have a weekend in march coming up I haven't got final confirmation yet. We will go from there. This year will be a year of some changes however. Positive and negative, more later on this when I have more details.

I hope I'm not being to critical when I say you are doing one heck of a job, maybe I should say, "it' nice to see you are taking an interest in this subject, thank you fletcht".:P

Without Evans' help, we would be no where. I've been working this issue since 1995 and we've come so close several times along the way. I had pretty much given up and Evans came along with much more patience than I ever had! That's for everything you've done for us Evans!!!!!!