BLM Action Plan Project Moving Forward with Visits to Oregon and Washington

During the week of September 10 – 15 National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) staff members Geoff Chain and Marc Hildesheim, along with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) OHV Subject Matter Expert, Brad Colin, visited five cities in Oregon and Washington. At each city a listening session was held with local OHV enthusiasts to determine what the BLM can do to provide a better OHV recreation experience. These meetings were part of the larger BLM National Motorized Recreation Strategy which came out in 2014. NOHVCC and the BLM have partnered to apply that strategy at a state level by engaging in a grassroots process that allows local users to help determine what the BLM’s trail program will look like.

NOHVCC collects feedback from local users at the listening sessions and then provides a comprehensive report on that feedback to the BLM. From there Brad Colin works with local recreation planners to create a statewide action plan based on the enthusiasts’ comments. This action plan then serves as a blueprint for recreation planners and field office managers as they move forward with local travel management and resource management plans. This means that BLM staff is able to align the needs of the riding community with its planning processes.

NOHVCC and the BLM have partnered to develop a National Motorized Recreation Action Strategy that will help the BLM develop individual state strategies for providing high quality OHV opportunities and develop partnerships to help maintain those opportunities. The strategies will guide the BLM in future Resource Management Plans (RMP) and Travel Management Plans (TMP); however, the strategies are NOT part of a specific travel management plan. In developing these strategies, enthusiasts will have a chance to share thoughts on the following topics:

• What activities are taking place on BLM managed lands?
• Where in general are OHV activities taking place?
• What experiences are you looking for on BLM managed lands?
• Where might these missing activities fit on BLM managed lands?
• What could the BLM do better to enhance your recreation experience?

NOHVCC has completed this meeting and reporting process in Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada with Colorado being the next stop on the list. If you wish to find out more about this process and review the NOHVCC reports and BLM action plans, please visit http://nohvcc.org/nohvcc-initiatives/blm/.