Hondanews Online Newsroom

Rider Education: Honda Opens Unique "Environmental Learning Center" in Irving, Texas

Wed, 02 May 2007 09:52:00 -0700

Honda today opened an Environmental Learning Center (ELC) in Irving, Texas, the company's third such facility in the country. The ELC is designed to be a unique community resource that promotes a responsible land use ethic through a greater understanding of the varied regional ecology. Honda also has ELCs in Colton, Calif., and Alpharetta, Georgia.

Honda's Irving ELC consists of approximately four acres surrounding an existing four-acre Rider Education Center where more than 30,000 street, dirt and ATV riders have been trained since it opened in 1989. The ELC features a trail system and species of plants, grasses and trees representing ten different Texas ecosystems as part of the Center's state-of-the-art off highway training facility.

"Our ELCs serve as both an environmental resource for youth organizations as well as motorcycle training centers teaching environmentally responsible rider ethics to both beginners and experienced riders," said Dave Edwards, national manager of environment and education for the Motorcycle Division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

To create an ideal training environment for off-road and ATV riders, Honda followed proven U.S. Forest Service trail building practices to construct a number of training stations that represent real-world riding scenarios. Riding coaches instruct students on how to navigate common challenges, such as a dry rock bed, inclines and a sand pit, while teaching students to stay on the trail and respect the environment.

In addition to its use for rider training, the 1.5-mile trail in Irving will be used as walking paths for school children and youth organizations for hands-on discussion about nature aided by a Honda environmental education activity booklet and coordinator instruction.

"At Honda, being an environmental leader goes beyond developing products that are safe and environmentally sound. We are committed to cultivating a sense of ownership and respect for the natural world and look forward to hosting a variety of groups from throughout the greater Dallas-Ft. Worth area.," said Edwards.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Based in Torrance, California, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. was founded in 1959 as the U.S. sales & marketing subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda currently produces automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft, lawn mowers and engines at its ten major U.S. manufacturing plants - with two new plants currently under construction. Honda also maintains three major R&D centers in Los Angeles, Ohio and North Carolina that design and develop many of the products sold in America. Currently, Honda employs more than 25,000 associates in the U.S.

Rider Education: Honda Opens Unique Environmental Learning Center in Irving, TX

Wed, 02 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Honda Opens Unique Environmental Learning Center in Irving, TX

Rider Education: Honda Opens Unique Environmental Learning Center in Irving, TX

Wed, 02 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Honda Opens Unique Environmental Learning Center in Irving, TX

Rider Education: Environmental Learning Center

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Environmental Learning Center

Rider Education: Rider Education and Environmental Learning Center - Irving

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Rider Education and Environmental Learning Center - Irving

Rider Education: Rider Education and Environmental Learning Center

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Rider Education and Environmental Learning Center

Rider Education: Honda Rider Education and Environmental Learning Centers

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 08:40:00 -0800

Irving Rider Education and Environmental Learning Center
4529 Royal Lane, Irving, Texas 75063-2584

Opened:
Classes offered:

Fall 1989
Street:

Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic RiderCourse (BRC)
Motorcycle Safety Foundation Experienced RiderCourse (ERC)

ATV:

ATV Safety Institute (ASI) ATV RiderCourse

Off-Road:

Motorcycle Safety Foundation DirtBike School (DBS)

Classes:
Instructors trained:
Total students trained:
Bikes available:
Trails:
Site acreage:
Building space:

Approx. 280 per year
Approx. 350 per year
Approx. 2700 per year
38
1.5 miles
4
6000 square feet

Colton Rider Education and Environmental Learning Center
1301 Via Venita, Colton, California 92324-4009

Opened:
Classes offered:

August 1988
Street

Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic RiderCourse (BRC)
Motorcycle Safety Foundation Experienced RiderCourse (ERC)

ATV

ATV Safety Institute (ASI) ATV RiderCourse

Off-Road

Motorcycle Safety Foundation DirtBike School (DBS)

Classes:
Instructors trained:
Total students trained:
Bikes available:
Trails:
Site acreage:
Building space:

Approx. 500 per year
Approx. 130 per year
Approx. 3800 per year
54
1/3 mile
3
8640 square feet

Alpharetta Rider Education and Environmental Learning Center
1450 Morrison Parkway, Alpharetta, Georgia 30201-2199

Opened:
Classes offered:

July 1990
Street:

Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic RiderCourse (BRC)
Motorcycle Safety Foundation Experienced RiderCourse (ERC)

ATV:

ATV Safety Institute (ASI) ATV RiderCourse

Off-Road:

Motorcycle Safety Foundation DirtBike School (DBS)

Classes:
Instructors trained:
Total students trained:
Bikes available:
Trails:
Site acreage:
Building space:

Approx. 300+ per year
Approx. 250 per year
Approx. 2800 per year
56
2.3 miles
8.5
10,000 square feet (includes Motorcycle Division regional office)

Troy Rider Education Center
101 S. Stanfield Road, Troy, Ohio 45373-8010

Opened:
Classes offered:

July 1990
Street

Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic RiderCourse (BRC)
Motorcycle Safety Foundation Experienced RiderCourse (ERC)

ATV

ATV Safety Institute (ASI) ATV RiderCourse

Classes:
Instructors trained:
Total students trained:
Bike available:
Site acreage:
Building space:

Approx. 180 per year
Approx. 140 per year
Approx. 1800 per year
38
3
3100 square feet

Rider Education: Honda's Commitment to Rider Safety and Training

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 23:00:00 -0800

Honda's commitment to rider safety and training is an integral part of the company's recognition of its social responsibility and its commitment to its customers, the industry and the communities where it does business.

Honda's approach to rider safety and training can be summed up in a single sentence: Top-quality products combined with responsible, skilled riding result in the most enjoyable motorcycling experience possible. Honda has consistently led the industry in developing and distributing training videos, brochures and classroom materials, and in promoting and supporting rider education programs, courses, open houses and demonstration rides.

Honda's efforts in the U.S. began decades ago and grew rapidly. In the 1970s the company first formed the Motorcycle Safety Department, which was to later become the Rider Education and Recreation Department. Today, the Rider Education Department is involved in a broad range of activities. This group is composed of rider education specialists who combine their years of motorcycling experience with specialized rider training skills. They actively support rider and instructor courses around the country, as well as work to improve existing programs and establish new training programs throughout the U.S. They also assist dealers, clubs and schools in training new riders, and they provide training information, materials and motorcycles through Honda's nationwide dealer network.

What's more, Honda actively promotes innovative programs for motorcycle rider safety and training. Specifically, Honda created the first rider instruction and training center for public use, the Colton Rider Education Center (REC), in August 1988. During the following two years, Honda opened three additional RECs in Irving, Texas; Alpharetta, Georgia; and Troy, Ohio. The Colton REC and its sister RECs were the first of their kind to be built by any manufacturer-multi-use facilities that provided training classrooms and ranges to teach street, ATV and off-road riding skills to riders on all brands.

The motorcycle training curriculum used at the RECs was developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) and is administered by the individual state agencies responsible for public motorcycle training in their states. Similarly, the ATV training curriculum was developed by the MSF's sister organization, the ATV Safety Institute (ASI). ASI training is administered nationally by ASI. Honda played a significant role in the creation of both the MSF and ASI.

While each REC offers the same basic rider curriculums, each center is also regional in nature, serving to promote the awareness of training both in their home states and throughout the states surrounding the RECs. The REC administrators fulfill this goal through extensive contact with local, state and federal regulatory agencies and elected officials.

In a concerted effort to become supportive community partners, the RECs support youth programs for the Police Activities Leagues (PAL), and the National Youth Program Using Minibikes (NYPUM), programs that seek to positively influence the lives of at-risk youth through the experience of off-road motorcycle training. A variety of government agencies, as well as riding clubs and school organizations, use the centers' classrooms for meeting space. Police and military agencies also use the centers on a regular basis to conduct their own specialized rider training programs.

Honda's goal is to deliver quality to its customers-quality that exceeds their expectations. This translates to a commitment to build high-quality products and to provide state-of-the-art rider education to as broad a spectrum of people as possible. By helping riders of all brands learn how to get the most from their motorcycle or ATV safely and responsibly, Honda delivers on the promise to provide a quality riding experience. Because the more skilled and the more aware the rider becomes, the more fun the ride will be.

Rider Education: Alpharetta Rider Education Center

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 23:05:00 -0800

Alpharetta Rider Education Center

Rider Education: Street bike class at Colton Rider Education Center

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 23:04:00 -0800

Street bike class at Colton Rider Education Center

Rider Education: Colton Rider Education Center

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 23:02:00 -0800

Colton Rider Education Center

Rider Education: Environmental Learning Center

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 23:01:00 -0800

Environmental Learning Center

Rider Education: Honda Opens Second Environmental Learning Center in Alpharetta, GA

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 09:42:00 -0700

If you ever thought that Honda's long tradition of commitment to rider training and environmental education couldn't get any stronger, think again. In late October, the company's Rider Education Center (REC) located just north of Atlanta in Alpharetta, Georgia held a grand opening for its newly completed Environmental Learning Center (ELC). This is the second such project for Honda; in October, 2004, Honda's Colton, California REC opened the first-ever ELC. The two centers share identical goals: to provide a state-of-the-art off-highway-vehicle training facility, environmental education for the community and a model for OHV recreation facilities in urban park settings.

Honda's Alpharetta ELC consists of 5.5 forested acres that flank the side and rear of the existing 3-acre, 14-year-old street, dirt and ATV training facility. The ELC addition is designed to simultaneously teach real-world off-road riding techniques and environmentally responsible rider ethics to beginners and experienced riders alike.

"We hope that by teaching people how to ride in a natural setting, we will instill in them a sense of how to leave a riding area just as they found it," says Rider Education Center Administrator Don Wilson.

In geographic terms, the Alpharetta REC is located in the Piedmont area between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Upper Coastal Plain. Dotted with small mountains, most of the region is characterized by rolling hills, rivers, ravines, and red Georgia clay. With an average annual rainfall of over 54 inches, many varieties of lush vegetation abound in the region.

When the Alpharetta Rider Education Center first opened in 1990, Honda offered rider training for street and off-road motorcyclists and ATV riders. It wasn't long before the wooded areas adjacent to the off-road training range were developed to teach off-road riders intermediate riding skills. To further develop this area into an environmental classroom, Honda enlisted the aid of several environmental experts for the ELC project.

"We worked closely with the city of Alpharetta's environmentalists to ensure that the project itself had no environmental impact," Wilson says. "It was a tremendous learning experience." He points to a nearby American Beech tree. "It's rare to see a beech so large, but that one is sitting on the bank of a small stream, so it always has plenty of water. We were careful to build our trail systems in a way that will not deter its growth or affect the water quality of the stream."

To create an ideal training environment for off-road and ATV riders, Honda followed proven U.S. Forest Service trail building practices to construct a number of training stations that mimic real-world riding scenarios. The trail head features a covered wooden pavilion that serves as an outdoor classroom. Once on the 1.2-mile trail, riding coaches instruct the riders how to navigate common challenges, including wet and dry rock beds, step-ups, a sand pit, rolling whoops, a bridge, inclines and descents. A bypass at each station enables less experienced riders to opt out of the exercise.

Wilson is quick to point out that the new center is not exclusively for motorcyclists and ATV riders. In fact, quite the opposite, as a number of non-riding projects have already been completed on the property. Four bluebird houses have been erected, and posters have been placed in an outdoor kiosk to enable visitors to identify native vegetation and birds. Wilson has even found a local beekeeper who is interested in developing an apiary education program, and plans are underway for the construction of a soil window-a see-through panel crosscut into the soil and covered by doors that can be opened briefly to view subterranean life.

Youth groups planning to visit the ELC include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, elementary school classes, and local PALs (police activity leagues for at-risk youth). "We are committed to educating everyone about the responsible use of outdoor areas, and look forward to hosting a variety of groups from this community and beyond," Wilson says.

What's next for the industry's education and environmental leader? Honda has already begun to construct an ELC addition at its Rider Education Center in Irving, (Dallas) Texas, and has plans for its fourth ELC addition at its REC in Troy, Ohio.

Rider Education: Colton, California OHV & Environmental Learning Center

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0700

A unique facility that demonstrates how off-road rider training and environmental stewardship can coexist.

Mission:
The Honda OHV & Environmental Learning Center teaches riders of all brands the proper operation of off-highway motorcycles and ATVs in a realistic setting designed to instill in them a responsible land-use ethic.

Goals:

To provide a state-of-the-art off-highway-vehicle training facility.
Provide environmental education to the community.
Provide a model for OHV recreation facilities in urban park settings.

An unusual venture is under way at American Honda's Rider Education Center in Colton, California, that provides the public with off-road motorcycle and ATV rider training in a setting that teaches respect for the back country riding environment.

The venture is Honda's Off-Highway Vehicle & Environmental Learning Center, a 2-acre addition to the 14-year-old training facility that incorporates 1/3 mile of trail and five distinct ecosystems. Students who come here learn real-world off-road riding techniques and environmentally responsible rider ethics at the same time.

"The Environmental Learning Center will be used to teach environmental awareness and the proper operation of off-highway motorcycles and ATVs," says Colton Rider Education Center Administrator Lowell Christensen. "It will help instill in students a responsible land-use ethic."

"When the MSF came up with an off-highway curriculum, it seemed like a good opportunity to expand what we were doing at Colton." Conventional MSF dirt bike training is done on a level, 150' x 200' range, with cones that delineate certain exercises.

"It was very apparent that training a new rider on a flat riding range, while appropriate, left some of them wanting more. The transition to a real-world situation, with rocks and turns and uphills and downhills, was intimidating for some people."

The initial solution was to model a real-world environment where students could take their basic riding skills and use them to learn to ride effectively in natural terrain. From that preliminary concept, Honda expanded the vision to include instruction on environmentally responsible trail riding.

Cam Lockwood, one of the premier trail builders in the U.S. Forest Service, conceived a set of challenging trail exercises situated in five distinct ecosystems found in the nearby San Bernardino National Forest and Mojave desert. The five native plant communities are grassland, chaparral, desert, woodland, and riparian (land that includes streams, rivers or ponds). Significant planning was also provided by the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division of California State Parks. The resulting OHV & Environmental Learning Center is a place where off-highway students learn proper riding techniques and responsible land-use ethics.

Honda trucked in 7000 yards of dirt-more than 300 double truckloads-to create the setting. Some 2541 plants representing 43 different species of plants and trees were utilized to create the five ecosystems. These plants are irrigated by 16,000 feet of PVC pipe and 49 different watering systems. The capital investment in the OHV & Environmental Learning Center range by Honda is nearly half a million dollars.

To broaden the use of the OHV & Environmental Learning Center, Honda associates at the Colton facility invite schools and other entities to study the ecosystems at the center. The site is available for student field trips, research and more.

The staff, at Colton ELC, wishes to bring young people here. For some, riding a motorcycle or ATV might be the farthest thing from their minds, and that's OK. Here we can help them to identify plants and soils, and talk about ecosystems in an environmental class-there are so many ways this center will fit into things they are doing in school."

Christensen has investigated additional uses. "Other possibilities are the Regional Occupation Schools (ROP), where they teach irrigation, irrigation planning and landscape planning. We've offered the center to them to come and study as well," he says.

The San Bernardino National Forest Association (SBNFA), a longtime partner with American Honda, sees more benefits.

"We're looking forward to expanding the partnership we already have with Honda," says SBNFA Executive Director Kris Assel. "We've created a 3400-acre Children's Forest so that children can study ecosystems in a real-life setting. We plan to utilize the OHV & Environmental Learning Center as an urban outpost for our environmental education and youth volunteer programs. Conducting programs here will help us involve more urban youth in conservation efforts and help us communicate that good stewardship is important in cities as well as in the National Forest."

In addition, adds Assel, "Honda's center will be a tremendous tool in helping us educate our OHV volunteers. At one site, we can expose them to five different ecosystems and educate them on environmental issues related to each. It would take days for us to visit such diverse environments out in the field."

For now, the Honda OHV & Environmental Learning Center is a remarkable example of how to merge two apparently diverse interests-off-road training and environmental awareness. And while that's exciting, what's really thrilling is the center's potential in the future.

"This place is in its infancy, the very beginning," Christensen says. "The Honda center is nothing like it will be five years from now. This is fresh, brand-new. So what we're doing now is a work in progress. It's a learning process to get all of this going in one direction, because what we're doing has never been done before. Working with community leaders and environmental educators, we'll change whatever is necessary to keep the concept fresh and viable."

The Honda OHV & Environmental Learning Center is another great example of how Honda has made extraordinary efforts to serve the community. The rider training and environmental education this center provides will help ensure an environmentally sound future for off-highway vehicle recreation.

Rider Education: Colton ELC Thrives In Local Community

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0700

In 2001, when Honda opened the first-ever ELC in Colton, California, even its most enthusiastic supporters could not have predicted its success. Situated on a 2-acre addition adjacent to Colton's rider education center, the ELC consists of 1/3 mile of trail and five distinct ecosystems. Given its urban setting at the eastern edge of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the ELC immediately became a destination for beginning and intermediate trail riders, including many families, wanting to improve their skills.

The Colton ELC attracted numerous youth groups and more than 140 elementary school children last year, many of whom have never seen life outside an urban area. For some kids, their visit to the ELC was the first time they had ever seen a trail sign. The youth groups were provided with workbooks, created by Summer Keller, a graduate from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Biological Anthropology. The workbooks serve as learning modules that educate the public about the geography, terrain and native plants and animals in their area. Color photos and description provide a ready reference so that those visiting the center can identify the native flora and fauna. The workbook is a valuable tool for promoting environmental awareness. People are much more likely to have respect for nature if they understand how plants and animals are an integral part of the environment.