National OHV Route Designation Workshop Program

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) will undertake an extensive and important project regarding the upcoming U.S. Forest Service OHV Route Designation Rule. The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) and the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA) are providing the resources to develop and conduct a series of workshops for U.S. Forest Service (USFS) personnel and OHV enthusiasts. The workshops are aimed at ensuring that the new OHV Route Designation Rule results in quality OHV trail systems that are adequate for demand, sustainable and fun. The “Travel Management; Designated Routes and Areas for Motor Vehicle Use Rule” requires each National Forest or ranger district to designate those roads, trails, and areas that are open to motor vehicles. The implementation of the rule will be a massive undertaking that will require individual forests to carry out an extensive process of route identification, evaluation, designation and mapping.

MIC, SVIA and Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) are partnering with the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) to design the workshops, in collaboration with the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) and United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA). The workshops will be conducted by NOHVCC and held at selected locations throughout the country.

NOHVCC Executive Director Russ Ehnes stated, “I can’t stress enough how important it will be for riders to be involved in this process. The route designation process is truly a once-in-a lifetime opportunity that could result in either good or poor results, depending on how involved riders are. The workshops will be aimed squarely at building the skills that both the agency and the riders will need throughout the process in order to designate successful trail systems that meet riders’ needs”.

The agendas for both the Agency and OHV Enthusiast Workshops were developed at a collaborative summit in Salt Lake City in April. MIC, SVIA, ARRA and NOHVCC invited representatives from AMA, UFWDA, and BRC to meet over two days to generate outlines of course topics and content. 

The Agency Workshop objectives are:

• To develop a better understanding of the needs and concerns of OHV enthusiasts in implementation of the USFS Travel Management Rule
• To improve the quality and the sustainability of trails, trail systems and areas through the implementation process
• To improve OHV enthusiast input and support for implementation process
• increase partnerships between the USFS, industry and OHV enthusiasts
• To facilitate better communication between the USFS and OHV enthusiasts

Enthusiast Workshop objectives are:

• To develop an understanding of the FS Travel Management Rule
• To help enthusiasts become more effective in influencing route designation decisions,
• To help enthusiasts understand how to improve the quality and sustainability of trails, trails systems and areas through the implementation process
• To increase partnerships between the USFS, industry and OHV enthusiasts
• To facilitate better communication between the USFS and OHV enthusiasts     

Four workshops will be conducted in 2006 and a significant number of additional workshops will be held in 2007. Enthusiasts interested in initiating a workshop in their area should contact the NOHVCC at trailhead@nohvcc.org or can call 1-800-348-6487. Riders interested in attending can be notified of workshops and other access related information in their area by registering with Americans for Responsible Recreational Access at http://www.arra-accesscom/arra/join.html

The workshop concept grew from a number of discussions over the past year with U.S. Forest Service staff in Washington, DC regarding ways in which MIC and SVIA could work with the Forest Service to implement the OHV Route Designation Rule.

MIC’s Senior Vice President for Government Relations Kathy Van Kleeck stated, “The importance of successful implementation of this Rule to the future of OHV recreation on our National Forests cannot be overstated. The Industry is committed to working with the United States Forest Service and the rider community over the next several years to achieve the goal of putting quality OHV trail systems in place.”