Yamaha Employees Rehabilitate OHV Trails
Yamaha Motor Corp. employees continued their annual tradition of volunteering under the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (OAI) in support of work projects on public lands – this year in both California and Georgia.
“Yamaha employees are investing personal time and actively working to protect access to land for outdoor recreation,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s Motorsports group marketing manager. “What started with a small group of Yamaha volunteers in Southern California has grown over a decade into coast-to-coast efforts with employees in multiple states on two different National Forests getting hands-on with their friends and families. As shown from our dedication for over a decade, the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative is an important program to all of us at Yamaha and all who value our public lands.”
In October, employees visited the San Bernardino National Forest, working alongside the Southern California Mountains Foundation crew planting seedlings, mulching, watering, slashing, and generally improving trails and areas around the popular Big Pine Flats OHV staging area.
Then in November, Yamaha employees supported work projects in Georgia on the Davenport Mountain OHV trails in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest alongside members of the United States Forestry Service (USFS) to clean and restore trails, along with improving entry for public recreation.
“Outdoor recreation is a major part of our lives, and with Yamaha’s longstanding history to giving back, and continued expansion in Georgia, we’re proud to grow the volunteer event to our new headquarters on the East Coast, allowing Yamaha employees across the country the opportunity to support and aid the outdoor community,” Nessl said.
In addition to Yamaha’s employee volunteer events, Yamaha OAI contributed nearly $4 million in funding and equipment to more than 300 grant recipients across the country over the past 11 years and has pledged $500,000 to support projects in 2019. Yamaha continues to seek OAI grant recipients for projects from ATV, Side-by-Side, motorcycle, snowmobile, and outdoor enthusiasts and associations – all of whom share the common need for land access to enjoy their lifestyle.
