Professional poker player Phil "The Unibomber" Laak is well on the way to recovery after he crashed his ATV while riding with Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari in Oregon a few weeks ago.

Laak suffered substantial injuries to his arm and face in the accident and has undergone surgery to repair some of the damage he suffered in the accident.

It's good to hear he's getting back on track, and I'd like to point out that a little safety goes a long way. Without having actually been there, I think it's safe to say that if Laak had taken a little time to familiarize himself with the terrain he would have made different decisions that could have prevented his accident.

With the economy in the toilet and people spending less money it makes sense to buy a used ATV instead of a new one, if you know what to look for. And I'm not talking about only the mechanical aspects of it...

Paperwork is paramount. Especially when buying used. No matter what, make sure you get the actual title and don't settle for a simple bill of sale if you decide to buy used.

If you don't have the actual title of ownership, often referred to as a "pink slip" or simply, "the pink", you could face registration problems and even risk having the actual holder of the title claiming ownership.

That could cause a real headache and a lot more money than you anticipated. Make sure you get the title when you buy a used ATV.

The Fruitland City Hall in Maryland will be having a zoning board hearing on September 7th to discuss the proposed ATV Park.

As mentioned, the benefits of having an ATV park in the area are many. It's a place where ATVs can ride legally, in a controlled environment. It will be much safer and much more profitable for the area's citizens and visitors.

Help make the new ATV Park a reality by attending the hearing at the Fruitland City Hall at 7:00pm and voicing your opinion.

There will be people there to oppose the planned ATV park because they don't want to have the "eye sore" in the area.

$50,000 GRANTed to Five Recipients in Q2; Nearly $1.5 Million to Date Promoting Safe, Responsible OHV Riding and Sustainable, Open Access for Motorized Recreation

The funding program, Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation's Trails (GRANT), provides funds and equipment for ATV clubs, national forests and others in an effort to give back to the community and to ensure that our kids will still have a place to ride.

Since the introduction of the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative in 2008, 129 organizations have received GRANT funding for projects that directly support responsible OHV riding and open access for motorized recreation.

The recipients of the GRANT money are:

- Arkansas Trail Blazers ATV Club
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management - Pocatello, Idaho
- Mountain Trail Riders Association - Jonesborough, Tenn.
- Red Rock Rider s ATV Club - Pengilly, Minn.
- Washington State Department of Natural Resources - Capitol State Forest

Thanks to Yamaha and their support of offroading.