News Updates

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments on the California State Parks, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, off-highway vehicle recreation proposals, which are available for review from March 3 to May 4 at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov. 

Reprinted from Whichcar.com.au, March 16, 2020

FCA announced Friday that its Jeep brand will not be attending the Easter Jeep Safari (EJS) this year due to coronavirus fears. However, as of Monday, the Red Rock 4-Wheelers who is the promoter of the event held on the red rock of Moab Utah, says EJS is still going ahead.

The EJS is an annual mass gathering of Jeep owners and fans in Moab, Utah that includes a week of trail drive, vendor displays and parties, and the reveal of Jeep’s EJS special builds.

We are happy to announce the launch of our new online member portal! The new system allows you to join and donate to United completely online.

By creating an account, you will be able to manage your contact information, see when your dues expire, set your dues to auto-renew and more! Eventually we will add features like members-only content.

The Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) calls on all trail organizations and trail enthusiasts to take action immediately to continue and to expand the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), the national trails assistance program that aids all trail activities nationwide through use of federal non-highway recreational fuel taxes. A huge step occurred late last year when the Congress instructed the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop a timely estimate of the fuel tax generated through non-highway recreational activities in its FY2020 budget and included RTP reauthorization in key Senate legislation creating the next-gen surface transportation program. Now, action in the House of Representatives is underway and underscores the bipartisan and coast-to-coast support RTP enjoys in the Congress.

Washington, D.C. (January 26, 2020) –The Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) expressed appreciation for bipartisan Congressional efforts which moved the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) forward recently and offer real hope that additional federal non-highway recreational fuel taxes will soon provide better and safer trails. Led by U.S. Senators Shaheen, Risch, Klobuchar, Burr, Daines and Van Hollen, Hill champions of RTP succeeded in including preparation of an estimate of non-highway recreational fuel usage to facilitate Congressional determination of future RTP funding levels in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FY2020 budget.

Earlier this month the Council on Environmental Quality issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking -Update to the Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This proposed rulemaking is intended to “…revise and modernize… NEPA regulations to facilitate more efficient, effective, and timely NEPA reviews by Federal agencies.”

Act now to defend the future of racing! Tell Congress to support the RPM Act (Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act)—a bill to protect our industry and hobby. Send a new letter today, even if you have done so in the past.

State Parks is preparing a Public Works Plan (PWP) for Pismo State Beach and Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA). A PWP is a long-range land use management plan for compliance with the California Coastal Act (Coastal Act) that is reviewed and certified by the California Coastal Commission. The PWP will document existing conditions, consider improvement projects and management programs to improve access for motorized and non-motorized recreation opportunities, and develop policies and programs.

Outdoor recreation industry leaders including Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, REI and Outdoor Industry Association applaud Minnesota’s announcement of an Outdoor Recreation Task Force (ORTF) to study and identify economic and participation opportunities around the state’s robust outdoor recreation resources. The effort to create the task force was jointly pursued by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Explore Minnesota and was supported by many Minnesota outdoor recreation businesses- from boating and fishing to hunting and paddling. The Task Force will consist of 20 seats and be announced in January. Minnesota is well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities the Outdoor Recreation Task Force will create because outdoor recreation already accounts for 2.7% of Minnesota’s economy, supports 101,000 jobs and contributes $9.6 billion to Minnesota’s economy.

I recently attended the grand opening of the Escondido Draw Recreational Area in Crockett County. This is the largest off-highway vehicle (OHV) project ever by the U.S. Federal Highways Administration and the State of Texas Parks and Wildlife, including over 3480 acres for riding trails and 76 acres for events and camping, and is the product of over 13 years in the making.