Can-Am Will Donate Money To OHV Trail Projects If You Complete This Safety Class

The company aims to donate $35 for every rider who completes Tread Lightly!'s Responsible Rider program.

Photo by: Justin W. Coffey, WESTx1000

By: Jonathon Klein

Jun 17, at 9:49am ET

Add RideApart as a preferred source in Google

Comment

Over the years, I've seen a litany of trail etiquette offenses by every single off-road group. From 4x4ers to dirt bikers to UTVers to ATV folks and everyone in between. I'm paying special attention to these folks today, but know that the campers, hikers, backpackers, hunters, fishermen, and other non-motorized users are not without sin, either.

And I've advocated for being better on the trails, as when someone sees one of us doing something stupid, the rest of us pay the price. That, in an age of social media and our public lands being attacked, spells disaster and gives those folks ammunition to fight against us. It's not just a bad look, it could mean a bad outcome in preserving what rights and access we still have.

Which is why I love the idea of Tread Lightly! and Can-Am coming together to not only offer responsible rider/driver classes for free, but Can-Am will donate $35 to the organization's OHV stewardship projects for every rider who completes the brand's masterclass series. So you get good knowledge and training on how to not be a butthead while also supporting OHV access and trail conservation.

Win/win.

The donation will occur whenever someone takes Tread Lightly!'s Responsible Rider Masterclass program, which features a raft of videos hosted by Can-Am's brand ambassadors, Terry Madden and the late Ken Block's daughter, Kira Block. According to the press release, $35 will be sent to Tread Lightly!'s stewardship, which, "support[s] on-the-ground stewardship projects across North America."

There's a small caveat, as the donation will only apply to the first 2,000 attendees and not go past that. That said, maybe we can bully the company into extending that further, as it not only supports a great cause, i.e., OHV stewardship, but it supports a great cause at a time when we need it most. And we need to hear from companies like Can-Am, as well as Polaris, Honda, Kawasaki, CFMoto, and others, as without our public lands and these projects on them, their consumers won't have a place to go.

That seems to be what Can-Am wants, too, as Jérémi Doyon-Roch, Can-Am Off-Road's Global Marketing Director, stated, "As a leader in the off-road powersports industry, we have a responsibility to encourage our passionate community to ride responsibly. That way, riders can go off-roading with their families and friends for generations to come," adding, "As the summer begins, we'd like to encourage riders of all brands to take the Responsible Rider Masterclass and have a great season enjoying the outdoors."

What do you think?

View

Comments

The class itself will cover rider and driver safety, as well as safe use of trails, environmental stewardship and not being a blockhead when out using the trails, trail etiquette, and more, as it's a great introduction to ensuring you don't end up as the 10% in the 90/10 Rule—90% of people of any group follow the rules, while 10% doesn't and those who make the news and people's opinions about said group.

You can sign up right now for the class on Tread Lightly!'s website, and not just gain some useful know-how, but also help support our continued OHV access.