Hug it, litigate it, and watch it burn. Oregon Wild’s serial litigation narrowed and stalled the Mt. Hood fuels work designed for this landscape, and sixteen days before the Grasshopper Fire started they served notice to sue over four more projects. The fire has since burned 77,000 acres and closed 50 trails through the end of the year, and BRC is documenting the pattern in its NEPA Jail tracker.
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Articles: USFS
Grizzly Bear Recovery Shouldn’t Mean Road Closures: Comment on the FWS 4(d) Rule
Grizzly populations in Yellowstone and the Northern Continental Divide recovered and expanded for three decades with the existing forest road network in place, which is the opposite of what road-density models predicted. BRC is asking the Fish and Wildlife Service to write the revised 4(d) rule around that record instead of around formulas from the early 1990s. Submit your comment before August 17.
Bears Ears Recreation Restrictions: What the 2025 Monument Plan Actually Banned
The Bears Ears recreation restrictions were real, they were written down, and almost none of them had been enforced yet. That gap is what lets groups defending the 2025 monument plan claim it never restricted recreation. See what the plan actually said about hiking, OHV, mountain bikes, camping, climbing and dogs across 1.36 million acres of public land.
Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act Heads to Senate Vote July 29 With 38 Other Public Land Bills, Including New Wilderness
The Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act, a bill BRC helped write to keep existing roads open, goes before a Senate committee on Wednesday, July 29. The same agenda carries wilderness bills that would permanently ban motorized use across millions of acres. Contact your senators today to support the Outdoor ADA and oppose the new designations.
EXPLORE Act Pilot Projects Will Count OHV and Dispersed Recreation, Help Shape How It’s Counted by July 29
A new federal recreation monitoring program under the EXPLORE Act will decide how OHV riding, dispersed camping, and snowmobiling get counted on public lands. BRC supports better data but is telling the agencies that visitation counts must never become a standalone excuse for closures or permit systems. Submit your comment before the July 29 deadline.
RELEASE: BlueRibbon Coalition Launches “NEPA Jail” Litigation Tracker, Exposing the Lawsuits Blocking Wildfire Prevention on Public Lands
New public database documents 273 forest and fuels-reduction projects delayed, reduced, or killed by litigation, and over $34.4 million in taxpayer-funded attorney fees.
H.R. 9248 Recreation Permitting Improvement Act Could End Years of Permitting Delays for Trails, Campgrounds, and OHV Facilities
Recreation projects that improve access to public lands, from trail systems to OHV facilities, often sit stuck in federal permitting for years before construction can start. H.R. 9248, the Recreation Permitting Improvement Act, would fix that by giving recreation projects the same predictable timelines Congress already provides to other infrastructure, without cutting environmental review. BRC Executive Director Ben Burr testified in support of the bill on July 1. Contact your members of Congress today and tell them to support H.R. 9248.
Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision to Shape Access on 5 Million Acres – Add Your Voice
Oregon’s Blue Mountains forests are being rewritten for the first time since the 1990s, and one alternative would recommend 34,000 new wilderness acres and lock in 722,000 roadless acres where OHVs and mechanized use are banned outright. The choice between access and closure is on the table right now. Use the form below to submit your comment and stand up for access.
Tell Washington: Abuse of Antiquities Act and Oversized National Monuments Must Be Reined In
Oversized national monuments have locked up millions of acres of public land and set the stage for road closures, OHV restrictions, and lost access. A June 2026 court ruling in a case BRC helped bring confirmed these designations can now be challenged and reduced. Take action today and tell Congress, the Administration, and the courts to bring these boundaries back in line with the law.
Forest Service Over-Snow Vehicle Rule Restricts Snowmobile Access: Tell the Agency to Rescind 36 CFR Part 212 Subpart C
Snowmobilers rode National Forests for decades until Subpart C turned winter access into a paperwork permission system where riding outside lines on a map is prohibited. Congress never ordered this rule, and the agency already has full authority to close areas where actual damage occurs. Sign BRC’s action alert telling the Forest Service to rescind Subpart C and restore common-sense winter access.









