The Associated Bird Dog Clubs of Ohio had their annual meeting and picnic at the soon to be opened Tri Valley Wildlife Management Area in east-central Ohio this past Saturday. The weather was perfect for checking out the new grounds, with sunny skies and warm temperatures. Over 60 people representing several field trial clubs in Ohio were present. The area director for ODNR was on hand to make a short presentation and answer questions. Following his presentation, the attendees broke into several groups and rode the grounds; afterwards, all assembled in the soon to be completed clubhouse for the first ever meal at the new grounds!
Here are some short video clips of the day...
This clip is taken from the north end of the parking lot. The video begins with a shot to the north, showing the incoming drive; good shot of the parking facility... it's long and narrow, and will necessitate some coordinated parking for bigger trial. Lot has a good solid base of gravel, a bit rough but very stable. Steep drop-offs on each side, I would recommend chocking rigs as a safety measure. The grounds are very wide and open, and running an all-age dog will not be an issue here! While the video shows wide panaramas, there is a surprising number of objectives, once you get out on the grounds. There are definately a lot of places on the grounds that will hold birds. There are quail coveys on the grounds, part of an exchange program that was done in 2006, exchanging quial for turkey. Quail were heard calling throughout the day.
Out on the trail... (sorry about the jittering, I was on a horse!)... you can see that the cover is not overly thick (there has been no mowing on these grounds)... the area is reclaimed stripmine land, and the soil is poor, so vegetation is not too flush. The grounds are rolling, and they will give a horse a workout. There are a couple of lakes on the grounds, but access is questionable, depending upon how the courses will be laid out. There is a well at the clubhouse, but the well is running at only 1 GPM, so bringing water for horses and dogs will be highly advisable. The old kennels from Killdeer are being moved to this facility, so there will be dog kennels available. The clubhouse will have electric. Sorry I can't ID everyone in the video, but I do see some familiar faces... Tim McClurg, Chris Ryder, Randy Hopkins, Dave Hawk, Ed Bartlett, Brian Smith, Ted Goodyear...
First "official" meal and meeting at the clubhouse. Glad it wasn't raining !!
These grounds have a lot of potential... there needs to be a lot of work put in as well, as these grounds right now are just that... no courses yet, no mowed areas, things under construction. Looks like a great potential trial grounds for Ohio (and no mud!!)
Traveling to the area is an easy drive... mostly four lane or good 2 lane highways... the nearest town is Dresden Ohio. Do NOT use Rt. 666 to the south of the grounds... there is a bridge that is too low and narrow for a horse rig. Avoid Rt. 666 ! Otherwise, the roads to the area are good.
Al Faze
Here are some links of interest...
ABDCO website...
http://associatedbirddogclubsofohio.com/
Link to ODNR map of TriValley...
Yahoo Map for Dresden Ohio (the nearest town)...
http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40.119923&lon=-82.010226&zoom=13&q1=dresden%2520ohio
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