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| Show up; give back; make access happen |
Public Lands Day: Show Up, Give Back, and Earn Your Seat at the Table
Saturday, September 26, is National Public Lands Day, and I almost let this one sneak past me. That would have been a mistake.
Adventurer, outdoorsman, four-wheeler, author, and defender of sustainable outdoor motorized recreational access.
Showing posts with label public land. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public land. Show all posts
THE LONG HISTORY OF MINIMIZATION IN PUBLIC LAND ACCESS
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| The long history of "minimization." |
Nothing in OHV/Motorized Recreation Happens by Accident.
By Del Albright, Sustainable Motorized Recreation Advocate
As a former Executive Director and Ambassador for the BlueRibbon Coalition, I was on the ground floor of developing the minimization concept and working with special interest groups to find common ground for OHV management on public lands. Back in the 1990s, countless hours spent “at the table” by Paul Turcke, Don Amador, and the entire BRC legal team helped build an unequaled foundation at the time. There is far more to this story than many people realize today.
"SHARE AND CARE" FOR OUR PUBLIC LANDS
Share and Care
Share with Others How to Care for our Public Land
By Del Albright, Motorized Recreation Advocate
SHARE AND
CARE!
Please share
with others how to care for our land and motorized sports.
"Share and Care" is a simple slogan that reminds us what we should do on our lands and waterways. Please share your knowledge and awareness of the environment, showing other people how to care for the land while still enjoying our motorized sports and trails. The future of our sport lies with each of us doing our part, whether small or large. Sharing is a form of education that is essential in this day and age.
All of us in
Cal4wheel have seen four-wheeling incidents that made us grimace. Not everyone
knows the rules these days. Maybe their mamma didn't "bring them up
right." Perhaps they have never been exposed to doing it right. Or maybe
they are so new to our sport that they have no clue how tenuous our wheeling
can be in some areas.
The
opportunities we enjoy hinge on using our rigs while respecting the land and
ensuring the sustainability of our lands and trails. We cannot take our
recreation for granted.
The worst
thing we can do is sit back and let someone destroy our opportunities through
ignorance. Now, if they are deliberately being stupid, well, then that
requires law enforcement. But many people JUST DON'T KNOW or have not
been taught how to care for the land while still enjoying it.
So what do we
do about it, and what does "share and care" really mean?
Take the
TreadLightly! Awareness 101 Course: study the land use sections on your
favorite forums and blogs; live by the Code of Ethics of your organized
groups/clubs; and be the example of how to recreate responsibly!
Here are some
more simple things we can all do to "Share and Care" for our future:
Follow the
rules! While this seems simple, not all the rules are well-signed on some
trails. So, take the time to research and learn before you go.
Set the
example (and start with the TreadLightly! Principles). People watch what you
do. Show your neighbors and fellow wheelers the right stuff! Be sure to pick up
that trash that everyone else missed. Always put out that campfire completely.
Stay on the
trail. Be that person who tackles the obstacle rather than going around it and
widening the trail.
Never be the
drip. Always maintain your rig so that it does not leak on the trail.
Never do
resource damage. Be that person who avoids driving over brush/vegetation when
pulling off the trail.
Camp where
legal. Know and follow the land management agency's specific rules on where to
locate your camp.
Be courteous.
Treat others on the trail as you would like to be treated.
Yield to
uphill traffic, horses, motorcycles, and bicycles. Yield to larger convoys on a
tight spot in the trail.
Share your
knowledge, concerns, care, and experiences around the campfire and on the
trail. Holding it in does no good. Instead, let others know what you have
learned in your wheeling experiences.
We all need
to take it personally -- this land is ours. Then, show others how to keep
it that way.
"Share
and Care." We can all do it and have a sustainable future in
four-wheeling.
##
HELPFUL LINKS:
DEL'S BOOKS (LAND USE, WILDFIRE, DEATH VALLEY, COWBOY POETRY, AND MORE)
WEBSITE (HOME PAGE)
PINTEREST (BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND MORE)
DEL'S ARTICLES (LAND USE, LIFE, WILDFIRE, VOLUNTEERISM, AND MORE)
More land use and volunteerism help here:
- MEETINGS:
- RUN A BETTER MEETING
- NEPA:
- LEARN MORE ABOUT NEPA
- LETTERS:
- WRITE A LETTER
- SPEECHES:
- GIVE A SPEECH
- FACILITATE:
- LEARN TO FACILITATE MEETINGS
- CLUBS:
- WHY JOIN A CLUB
- CONVOYS:
- ORGANIZE A CONVOY
- JOIN:
- JOIN THE RIGHT GROUPS
- TRAINING:
- GET VOLUNTEER TRAINING
- LEAD:
- LEAD VOLUNTEERS
- JOBS:
- CHOOSE THE RIGHT JOB FOR YOU
PERMIT PROCESS ON PUBLIC LAND - YOU NEED ONE!
YES YOU NEED A PERMIT ON PUBLIC LAND!
By Del Albright,
Ambassador, BlueRibbon Coalition
Commercial,
competitive or organized group events or activities ALL require a permit
to be held on public land, and depending on the level of environmental review, REQUIRE
at least 6 (six) and up to 12 (twelve) months to process.
Businesses and
clubs/organizations need to pay particular attention to the permit process as
it can sneak up on you quick! We’re talking BOTH public land agencies --
BLM and USFS. This blog will focus on the BLM permit process, but the
USDA Forest Service (USFS) is about the same.
Depending on the
scope of your activity or event, you might have to cover some healthy Cost
Recovery to recover costs associated with monitoring, law enforcement,
enviro-studies, inventories, travel, administration, etc. Again, the minimum
time frame for submitting a COMPLETE permit application is SIX MONTHS
ahead of time. Just figure on it and GET YOUR PERMIT started well ahead
of time.
DO I NEED A PERMIT?
The Pre-application Interview Checklist
for events on public land involving vehicular use typically includes the
following questions:
·
Are you
charging a fee?
·
Do you
expect to make money on the event or is the fee to cover expenses?
·
Will there
be a competition?
·
Will you
advertise, have a public sign up page, take reservations?
·
Will you
mark a course?
·
Will there
be cash prizes?
If you answered yes to ANY of these,
you NEED a permit. So yes, if you advertise on a website, have a sign up
page (even if you are NOT charging a fee), you ARE advertising and must have a
permit. I like to look at it in simple terms, you are using public land
to your advantage or commercial gain, so get a permit.
You should note
that if there will be any vending (selling on site), your permit just got more
complicated (and will cost more).
These permits are
called Special Recreation Permits (SRP’s) and depending on permit availability,
are usually not hard to get; they just take planning well ahead of time!
Get your permit
well in advance of your event – perhaps a YEAR before the activity would
be a good target.
Here are some links
for more research and information from my good land use buddy, John Stewart:
ALL ABOUT HOW NEPA AFFECTS PUBLIC LANDS
http://www.delalbright.com/access/nepa_intro.htm
SOUNDSCAPES AND MORE WAYS TO CLOSE PUBLIC LANDS
"SOUNDSCAPES" AND MORE ODDBALL WAYS TO CLOSE AND RESTRICT PUBLIC LANDS.
Is your rig noisy? Does your lawnmower bother your neighbor? Do you snore in camp? Well, if you answered yes to any of these, you may find yourself with new restrictions on your personal freedoms!!
So, OK, I'm being a bit cute here, but the reality is there are new and oddball ways that folks are dreaming up to close us out of public lands.
Here are some explanations and what we can do about it:
http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/soundscapes.html
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