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Access, Land Use & the Rubicon Trail
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Access, Land Use and Rubicon Trail Newsletter
June 2008 Del Albright
's Del-a-Gram

Del-a-Gram Newsletter from Del

This is the newsletter online version. If you'd like a printable (.pdf) version, please drop me a note. Thanks, Del

Hi, Del Albright here, four-wheeling Ambassador for the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), Trail Boss, Friends of the Rubicon, and Environmental Affairs Coordinator for the Calif. Assoc of 4Wheel Drive Clubs. Welcome to my June 2008 Del-a-Gram of land use and access news.

In this letter, I’d like to give you a quick run down on six important subjects, and let you know how you and your club or group can make a difference to the future of our outdoor sports. I want to tell you about:

Rubicon Trail issues and news
1) The Rubicon Trail recent closures and new opportunities;
Grant money for your trail
2) The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) and how you can get grant money for your trails;
Join what you can afford to join
3) The importance of belonging and having our voice heard;
One of the good guys -- Arabia's Overkill
4) Manufacturers/vendors of off road parts and what we need to do about them;
Online correspondence leadership course
5) My online leadership course for volunteers to help you better inspire, motivate and facilitate folks into action and avoid burnout.
Help with Travel Management

 

6) The Travel Management Rule (OHV Rule) and what it means to us nationwide.

Get my latest article on Collaboration (more group hugs in access?) right here

Sponsors/Partners of Note

MetalCloak

T&T Customs

Raceline Home Page; Landuse Supporters

 

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1) Rubicon Trail: The Eldorado National Forest has issued their Final EIS and many folks have appealed it. Most spur roads and several bypasses are closed throughout the Forest -- unless future legal action changes this. The Rubicon Trail is a county road that runs through the Forest, but side roads and dispersed camping are left out in the Final EIS. BlueRibbon Coalition and many others have appealed on these points alone.

What you can do!
Be sure you are supporting those organizations like the BlueRibbon Coalition that will be there if a lawsuit is needed. Join Friends of the Rubicon if you can make work days or major events. Donate to the Rubicon Trail Foundation if you want to support the FOTR maintenance efforts.

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2) Recreational Trails Program (RTP): RTP is grant money is still out there and available for YOU to save YOUR trail. It’s available in nearly every state. It comes from the Federal Highway Administration and it is gas tax money collected for the sole purpose of giving us opportunities to enhance our trails. Read all about RTP and how to get involved at your location by visiting my web site: http://www.delalbright.com/RTP/rtp_enter.htm

What you can do!
Help your local federal or state agency get RTP money for your trail. They may not know of the program, and any help you can give them will increase your chances of saving your trail or riding area. Learn about RTP; meet with your agency folks; and help them get grant money.

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3) Membership: Join whatever you can afford to join. It's imperative that we all support as many organizations as we can. Believe it or not, it is dues (membership) that keeps our access fights alive and well. It’s that simple. BlueRibbon Coalition, for example, is a grassroots organization, and their funding to keep folks like me in the game comes from folks like you joining up.

What you can do!
Join those organizations like BlueRibbon Coalition that you believe in and see in action. Don't delay. Our time is now to build our memberships. The Travel Management Rule and changing political winds will have huge impacts on motorized sports.

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4) Manufacturers and Vendors: The plain truth of the matter is that we have some manufacturers and vendors that support us in keeping our trails open, and we have others that don’t do squat but sell us stuff. It’s time to send them a message! There are also companies out there like REI or Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream that not only don't support motorized recreation, but actively oppose us.

What you can do!
We need to support the folks that support us, and quit buying from those that don’t (if we can’t convert them). Nothing drives home a message like money. If we spend our money with folks that support us, and cut out the others, then we’ll be saving our trails as we build up our rigs.

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5) Recreational Leadership Training Course (RLTC): I offer a correspondence course that helps folks get more organized and develop more trained leaders in recreation. On site (hands on) workshops are now also available. No where else can you find leadership training like this for volunteers. Learn how to inspire, motivate and facilitate volunteers with this online course that has ten Modules with over 200 pages of down to earth leadership help. Work at your own pace. Exams are open book. Over 200 students nationwide. 30 students just signed up from the Northeast Association of 4WD Clubs alone.

What you can do!
Send me an email and say, "sign me up!" for RLTC. We'll get you started with the first Module right away. Pay later if needed.

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6) Travel Management Rule (OHV Rule): National efforts at route designation (USFS, BLM) dictate the future of our recreation and outdoor motorized sports. If your trail/route is not on their map at the end of all this, then it does NOT exist. It will be gone. Get in the game now. Find out if your trail is going to still be there.

What you can do!
Visit the web site of the BlueRibbon Coalition or your national Forest (or BLM office) and find out when your local meetings are being held, and what actions are being proposed. Get in the game. Please.

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Also in the News: Tellico Lawsuit and Southern CA lawsuit. Recreation groups are getting mad! Time for the CLOSURES to STOP!

SUMMARY

I appreciate you taking time to read this letter and review these important updates with your club and friends. I also encourage you to have your Land Use/Conservation person contact me directly by email so I can get you on my access and land use email network. I write monthly columns and articles about access issues and I would be happy to make these available to you and your club. Just drop me a note with your contact information.

If you are not a BRC member, please consider joining today. If you want grant money for your trails, please look into the RTP program. If you want to learn how to manage a trail, check out what we’ve done with the Rubicon Trail.

Buy your parts from folks who support us. If in doubt, merely ask them what they've done to help with our access fights.

Del's Latest (and most popular) Articles for your use/club

Article on Compromise To Compromise or not (in access issues)
Wilderness Train Coming Your Way The Wilderness Train is coming your way. Can we save the damsel in distress from this impending monster?
Collaboration -- working together Collaboration is the popular trend. It goes by many names. Should we play or not?


Let me know if you’d like more information on the leadership course or the hands-on workshops. And lastly, let me thank you for your involvement in keeping our lands and trails open.

Sincerely, and in the spirit of cooperation and unity,

Del Albright

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