4x4Wire

WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 21, 2020 – “During this difficult time for the outdoor industry, one bright spot has been Americans’ increased appreciation for time spent outside. A major congressional proposal that could help our nation’s economy, jobs and rural communities come back from this pandemic, and Americans safely experience all the outdoors has to offer, is the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA),” said Jessica (Wahl) Turner, executive director of Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. “We appreciate all of Senator Gardner’s efforts, and many others’ support, to secure this vital vote on GAOA in early June. We urge all congressional members who care about small businesses, resilient communities and healthy people to vote for this legislation.”

Agency will use final list to identify and resolve public recreational access issues on priority parcels as part of nationwide Dingell Act implementation efforts

WASHINGTON--As part of its efforts to implement the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, the Bureau of Land Management today released a draft list of public lands with limited or restricted public access for hunting, fishing or other outdoor recreational opportunities, along with a draft map of priority access nominations received from the public and partners. When finalized, this priority list will guide the BLM’s efforts to resolve access issues and expand public recreation opportunities on these parcels of land across the West.

WASHINGTON – After careful consideration and at the direction of Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, the Bureau of Land Management will temporarily suspend the collection of all entrance fees until further notice.

As a result, site-specific day-use fees at BLM recreation sites and areas will be waived for the foreseeable future. Other fees, such as overnight camping, cabin rentals, group day use, and use of special areas, will remain in effect.

“I’ve directed the Bureau of Land Management to waive entrance fees at recreation sites and national monuments that remain open. This small step makes it a little easier for the American public to enjoy the outdoors across the 245 million acres of public lands managed by the agency,” said Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt.

As the response to the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, NOHVCC will strive to keep our readers up to date on the impact it is having on OHV recreation. While every individual must make decisions based on their own health, willingness to take on risk, and recommendations and mandates from local, state and federal governments, at the moment, being outdoors and isolated (dispersed recreation) meets current “social distancing” recommendations. Currently, federal land managers seem to agree with this assessment. The National Park Service is modifying services to meet current realities (details here), and recommends users to contact individual parks for specific details on park operations. Please take this situation seriously and do all that you can to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our communities.

Please note that the response to COVID-19 is evolving rapidly, and the situation could change at any moment, including guidance from land management agencies. Please continue to monitor the news and other sources of information for the latest updates to the situation in your area.

The US Forest Service recently issued the 10-Year Trail Shared Stewardship Challenge which is billed as “…a call to action to increase our collective capacity to care for trails and increase on-the-ground results.” To read a brochure about the Trail Challenge click here.

The Trail Challenge consists of three phases. The Forest Service describes phase one, “the Launch and Learn” phase:

During the Launch and Learn phase, we are focusing on adaptive “learning lab” approaches that invite and encourage innovation and sharing. Success is driven by Forest Service regions and units working in collaboration with trail community stakeholders at local and broader levels to implement Trail Challenge elements (or portions of elements) when and where it makes the most sense. Successes and lessons learned during the Launch and Learn phase will help in refining, standardizing, and setting requirements of the two remaining phases of the Trail Challenge.