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Articles: Overlanding
The legal fight over 2,200 miles of closed OHV routes in the Western Mojave has moved to the Ninth Circuit, and BRC filed to intervene to represent the voice of riders. If this precedent stands, it will not stay in California. Learn how this differs from our previous legal action and how you can help below.
Filing Seeks to Secure OHV User Representation as Federal Government Appeals Order That Closed 2,200 Miles of Motorized Routes
Executive orders dating back to 1972 created the “minimization criteria” that agencies now use to justify closing OHV access across public lands. What started as a balancing tool has become a legal weapon for litigation groups to lock riders out and collect legal fees. Sign the petition and tell Congress to rescind these orders.
Today, BlueRibbon Coalition filed a Motion for Leave to Intervene in the federal lawsuit that triggered sweeping closures across the West Mojave OHV route network. This is a direct legal action to get a seat at the table and protect your access. Read more about why it matters and how you can help below.
Anti-access orgs have used the Endangered Species Act to close thousands of miles of public land routes with little evidence those closures are recovering any species. Congress is now proposing ESA amendments through budget reconciliation that would require agencies to show their work, weigh economic impacts, and speed up delisting when recovery goals are met. Fill out the form below to urge your representatives to support ESA reforms.
Agencies are quietly eliminating free, dispersed camping across the West. The SR9 decision outside Zion is the most recent example of a strategy designed to end it permanently. Here’s how they do it and what you can do about it.
The BLM has approved the SR9 Camping Management Plan, closing dispersed campsites near Zion and replacing them with a controlled campground system that may never fully be built. The agency appears to be leaning on a SUWA-commissioned literature to justify the decision, not actual field data from the SR9 corridor. Tell the BLM State Director this is not acceptable and recreation policy must reflect the public interest.
A new WDFW rule proposal would reverse the current open-unless-closed policy on more than one million acres of state-managed land, effectively closing every unsigned route with no realistic path to reopening them. The cost to rural communities, volunteers, and emergency responders will be significant. Contact WDFW now and demand they keep these lands accessible.
A fast-moving bill in the Minnesota Legislature could close 4.2 million acres of state forest to snowmobiles, ATVs, and motorized vehicles, dismantling one of the country’s best trail networks through litigation, petitions, and sweeping restrictions. SF 1245 is not just an OHV issue; it puts every user’s access at risk. Contact Minnesota legislators now and tell them to oppose SF 1245 today.
A federal law already on the books directs the government to develop technology that could disable your vehicle without your input. For off-roaders and overlanders in remote areas, that is not just a privacy issue; it is a safety issue. Urge your representatives to support H.R. 1137 and repeal this mandate before it becomes a reality.