The end of 2011 is here already; Christmas has now come and gone. When you begin planning your offroad trips for 2012, take a moment to remember those who help protect the places we like to ride our vehicles. These groups include the Blue Ribbon Coalition and National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council, on the national scene. Many states also have localized groups, as well. For instance, Colorado has its Stay the Trails Program and the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition. Due to the recession, these groups, which rely on donations to survive, are in need of funding. Since it is time to start planning for the 2012 season, consider a donation and/or volunteering time to one of these groups. 

Blue Ribbon Coalition

In 1987, Clark Collins, Founder and the first Executive Director of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, was told by the Governor of Idaho at that time that recreationists were not politically significant. He was also informed that the wilderness was more important than motorized access to public lands. Collins’ idea was to gather recreationists to educate them as to how public lands were not being preserved for the public, but from the public. In other words, land officials wanted to keep our ATV tires and motorcycle tires off of public lands. This set the coalition on its course to promote national advocacy to protect off highway trail preservation.

Motorized vehicles are not the only groups that the BRC works to protect. They also work to help promote the sharing of trails with groups like hikers, horseback riders and cross-country skiers. The philosophy here is for all outdoor trail users to share the outdoors and preserve them for the future use of all users. Basically, this is a group who wishes to promote, educate and preserve responsible usage of public lands by all outdoor groups.

If you belong to one of the outdoor groups that uses these trails, it would behoove you to donate time or money to this cause. The folks at the Blue Ribbon Coalition are working hard to protect our recreational activities; sending a little help their way would be a good way to start the 2012 offroad season. More information can be found at sharetrails.org.

National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council

The NOHVCC is an organization that works to promote and provide information to individuals, groups and organizations in order to provide a positive future for the OHV community. This group values the fact that off roading provides quality family and social time. It provides for a physical, healthy outdoor activity. The organization promotes a responsible lifestyle on OHV trails; promotes the appreciation of natural and cultural resources. To me, an OHV is a release from the stress of daily life.

NOHVCC mainly targets its audience through state and local clubs; in Colorado, we have the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council. COHVCO then helps to stabilize local clubs such as the Northern Colorado Trail Riders Association or the Bookcliff Rattlers Motorcycle Club in Grand Junction. These clubs will then work to promote responsible trail use locally, through organized rides and trail maintenance days.

What can you do to help? 

Join one of the local clubs or donate money or time. We have donated money to these groups and have been members of COHVCO for nearly ten years.  Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to help with trail maintenance. However, in the next couple of years my volunteer service in an unrelated organization will end and my family and I plan to help with trail maintenance projects in Colorado.  For now, we will simply be sending some money their way.

Whether it is time or money, make sure to remember NOHVCC for a charitable organization when making donations in 2012. These folks are working to educate elected officials and the general public about our sport. They have a strong presence in legislative bodies; they are one of our voices when it comes time to fight trail closures. To find more information on NOHVCC, visit nohvcc.org.

Conclusion

These are just a couple of the groups working to maintain our off road trail systems. There are other groups that support the use of forest service trails. One in particular here in Colorado is the Stay the Trails program, which educates riders and the public to proper trail etiquette. Research the organizations in your area. If these programs do not receive our support, eventually we will have nowhere to ride. Get involved now before it is too late; these groups need our help in 2012!

James Parker