Who To Contact For What (In Land Use)?

   (aka: How Do I Get Involved?)

Are you looking for information on land use, conservation, closures, and getting involved in keeping our public lands open to public access? You came to the right spot. Here I’ll give you a head start on moving around the Internet and the recreation world to find out where to look for "stuff."

Note: if you write me and ask what you can do to help with all the road closures, you’ll get this answer as the first step:

1. Join your local club (four wheel drive, snowmobile, whatever).

2. Join your regional/state club (in CA such as CA4WDC).

3. Join a national organization like the Blue Ribbon Coalition.

   Get the point? Join. Pay your dues to an organization that fits what you think is doing the right thing. Support them with money and your volunteer time. It’s takes dues and membership to make something happen. That’s where it all begins. Honestly, if you can’t go to meetings, just send money (dues, contributions, etc.). Be part of organized recreation to show the public what we’re really made of. It’ll be those of us in organized recreation that eventually give us a credible image.

Then,

1. "Adopt" your local fed (USFS Ranger or BLM Manager).

   The "Adopt-a-Ranger" idea comes from my friend and compadre, Tom Crimmins (USFS ret.). Tom is a trails consultant who used to work in the OHV efforts of the Forest Service. He tells me that recreationists by far are out-numbered when it comes to being a familiar face around federal office buildings. Environmental radicals, on the other hand, are well known. So that means we gotta get our faces in the offices of our local federal land managers and get to know them on a first name basis. Take them on club runs. Take them on rides. Go with them on field trips. Get on their mailing list. Be part of their local list of contacts when "input" is needed to a decision. "Adopt" them as one of your own.

Next,

1. Recruit others to do the same things you’re doing.

We’ve got to re-establish our image (motorized recreationists of all types), so the public sees that we’re really the good guys. The opponents to off pavement motorized recreation have developed our image for us: they make us look like we’re bad guys. We’ve got to change that. We’ve got to police ourselves also. It’s takes all of us working together and doing our part. We need to build membership in organized recreation by recruiting anyone and everyone who has an interest in keeping public lands open to the public. Get others to write letters, adopt their local fed, and reach out to recruit even more folks.

So, now, where do you start joining and getting involved?

These are just my suggestions and this page will be updated as needed.

IF you want to join a national/regional organization, or specialty group, start with these links:

Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC)

United Four Wheel Drive Associations (U4WDA)

East Coast Four Wheel Drive Association (EC4WDA)

Pacific North West (PNW)

NOTE: I RECOMMEND EVERYONE IN RECREATION AND/OR MULTIPLE USE ACTIVITIES JOIN BLUE RIBBON COALITION.

If you want to know about land use in general or current issues, check these out:

Land Use Network (LUN)

Carla Boucher’s Report from United 4WDA

Dave Christensen’s Web Site

Calif. Assoc. of Four Wheel Drive Clubs Web Site

Blue Ribbon Coalition Action Alert Page

If you want to find out about a particular group or topic, call up your web browser or search program, and do an internet search.

If you want to see my writings, do an Internet search of me (Del Albright), or try the CA4WDC Home Page.

Follow this link if you want to visit my web site. http://www.delalbright.com

Thanks and keep recreating on your public lands, DEL

Feel free to contact me if you have additional questions or need any help.