The Motorized Community Belongs In Our Public Forests, and National Trails Day Is Our Chance to Show It
Yesterday BlueRibbon Coalition leadership met with agency leaders at Forest Service while in D.C., and the meeting left a clear impression. The agency understands what the motorized community actually means to public lands.
They recognized that off-roaders are often doing the work that keeps access possible. OHV clubs, volunteers, families, and member businesses are the ones clearing trails, maintaining routes, hauling tools, moving downed trees, repairing damage, picking up trash, and reporting problems. They show up again and again because these public lands belong to all of us.
A Real Conversation About Volunteering
Much of the meeting focused on how to make volunteering easier. BRC, Utah Public Lands Alliance, Cal4Wheel and the Forest Service discussed reducing the barriers that keep good people from helping, and breathing new life into programs like Adopt-a-Trail so the people who love these places can do more to care for them. The Forest Service wants people out on the trails, and it wants to promote the kind of volunteerism that show Americans care about public lands.
National Trails Day Is Saturday, June 6
National Trails Day has been organized mostly around the hiking community, and the motorized community is admittedly a little behind in rallying around it this year. After this meeting, we believe the motorized community should not sit it out. The people overseeing our National Forests believe the motorized community belongs there, and that belief deserves a response.
How You Can Take Part
If you are out this Saturday, whether you are riding, driving, volunteering, clearing brush, picking up trash, maintaining a trail, helping your club, or simply recreating responsibly, take a photo or video and share what you are doing. Tag BlueRibbon Coalition, and tag your local forest if possible. Use the hashtags #NationalTrailsDay, #WeBelongHere, and #DefendYourGround.
Let us show the Forest Service they are right. The motorized community belongs on public lands, and few people respect or cherish them more.
