Friday, December 7, 2007

CA Letter to Cycle News

Motorized recreation in National Forests is in grave danger and our current national advocacy groups can’t respond effectively.

As part of a nationwide effort deceptively called OHV route designation, forests are closing thousands of miles of long-existing routes to all public motorized wheeled travel. For example, the El Dorado Forest will close about 1500 miles, nearly 50 percent, of its roads and trails. Some remaining routes will be closed November 1 through April 30 - with additional closures due to wet conditions and fire danger. There is no guarantee that designated routes will remain open in the future.

We desperately need an aggressive national organization representing all types of motorized recreation – including manufacturers, dealers and consumers. Instead, we have an alphabet soup of UFWDA, AMA, ATVA, BRC, NOHVCC, ORBA who duplicate staff and diffuse effectiveness. They are gradually losing the battle against well organized, radical environmental groups who demonize motorized recreation.

The boards of directors of our advocacy groups must start thinking outside their respective corporations and initiate a series of joint organizational meetings leading to creation of an effective national organization. The alternative is extinction of motorized recreation as we know it today.