(Photo credit: Mike Passo, American Trails)
The 2023 Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program Annual Achievement Award Winners Announced
The Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) has selected 12 trail projects as recipients of its 2023 Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program Annual Achievement Awards. The awards – honoring former U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (Wis.) – recognize outstanding use of Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds. The recipients will be honored in the Rayburn House Office Building Café Left (B357) on March 6 at 6:00 p.m. in Washington, DC. In addition to the award winners, special guests will include members of Congress and key trail champions. The categories and respective winners are:
- Accessibility Enhancement – Danada-Herrick Lake Regional Trail – Cromwell Drive Connector (Illinois)
- Community Linkage – Capitol to Tahoe Trail (Nevada)
- Construction and Design – Cacapon State Park Foundation Mountain Bike Trail Program (West Virginia)
- Construction and Design – Hawks Rest Pack Stock Bridge Installation (Wyoming)
- Education and Communication – Avalanche Beacon Checking Station Signs (Oregon)
- Education and Communication – Sensible, Courteous, Off-Road, Enthusiasts / SCORE, (Pennsylvania)
- Enhancement of Federal Lands – Cle Elum Ranger District Annual Liberty Work Party (Washington)
- Engaging Public-Sector Partners – Tires to Trails: A Full Circle Project (Tennessee)
- Maintenance and Rehabilitation – Royal Palm Beach Pines Trails System (Florida)
- Multiple-Use Management and Corridor Sharing – Prospectors Loop Trails (Minnesota)
- Public-Private Partnerships and Access to/Use of Public Lands – Statewide Youth Volunteer Trail Maintenance (Washington)
- Youth Conservation/Service Corps and Community Outreach – Statewide Conservation Trails Crew (New Jersey)
For more information about CRT or RTP, visit https://www.americantrails.org/crt.
(Photo credit: Don Amador)
There is No Place Like Chappie Shasta
The BLM’s Chappie Shasta OHV Area is located in Northern California, just a few miles from Redding near Lake Shasta. Many dirt bike enthusiasts consider it the “Crown Jewel” of OHV recreation in California’s North State region. It provides access to a 200-mile network of sustainable, high-quality, single-track trails and SxS/ 4WD routes.
The recent THAT DAM ENDURO ISDE Qualifier and AMA District 36 Sprint Enduro held Feb. 24 – 26 showcased just why a number of ISDE champions from across the country who raced to secure a spot on the U.S. ISDE Team commented that Chappie provides an unmatched mix of technical single-track and high-speed two-track with major elevation changes not found at other competition venues.
While the terrain and trails are considered world-class recreational opportunities, the feather in Chappie’s cap is the strong partnerships that exist between the BLM, local OHV clubs such as the Redding Dirt Riders, the Black Sheep 4×4 Club, and the California State Park Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division & Grant Program that make this a premier destination for thousands of outdoor enthusiasts.
It was also great to see the Mount Shasta-based Mountain Medics EMS Team shifting gears from providing on-scene medical support for wildland firefighters during fire season to taking care of any off-road racing medical emergencies that might occur during the qualifier.
The resoundingly successful event is thanks to a dedicated team of OHV club officials/volunteers and committed BLM recreation staff who managed the enduro with support from sponsors and the local business community. Record attendance by 56 ISDE competitors, along with hundreds of amateur racers, made it all worthwhile.
The Biden Administration Invests $41M in Ecosystem Restoration
The BLM announced a $41 million investment for ecosystem restoration through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. This funding will support 74 projects in 16 states, building on proven programs and partnerships to protect wildlife and natural resources while creating good-paying jobs that strengthen communities. This is the third investment of ecosystem restoration funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed by Congress in November 2021.
“Resilient landscapes are our best natural defenses against climate change,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “As we continue to see unprecedented wildfire, plants blooming uncharacteristically at different times of the year, warmer waters in our streams, and more, these investments are critical to providing clean water, reliable habitat, and resilience to wildfire for future generations.”
The first two BLM investments from this program totaled about $61.5 million and were announced in 2022 and 2023. From the $41 million investment, about $1.8 million will be distributed to eight projects in six states that will improve recreation sites or public access. Some of these projects will expand campsites and day-use sites, construct trails, and enhance visitor accessibility.
Legacy Restoration Fund Projects
As part of an ongoing series, we will feature the 37 motorized and non-motorized infrastructure projects totaling $20 million funded through FY23 in the ARRA newsletters. Click here to access projects funded in your state. Below are the projects featured this month:
Lower Cinder Cone and Connecting Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Deferred Maintenance and Improvements ($101,000)
Tongass National Forest, Alaska
This project is part of a 30-mile motorized trail that accesses two public-use recreation trails and play areas. It will reduce deferred maintenance of the motorized trail, making a safer, more sustainable riding surface. This project will recondition the trail, replace culverts, and improve trail marking.
M10 Road Patching and Paving for Easier Access to Recreation Sites ($2,580,000)
Mendocino National Forest, Calif.
This project will fund 5.4 miles of patching and paving to repair M10. This road provides access to Letts Lake Recreation Area, numerous summer homes, Summit Springs, Deafy Glade, and Dixie Glade trailheads, multiple campgrounds, and off-highway vehicle riding trails.
M10 Road Storm-Proofing for Safer Public Use ($570,000)
Mendocino National Forest, Calif.
This project will complete 7.6 miles of storm-proofing, including riprap, rolling dips, and out-sloping. This road provides access to Bear Creek Campground, off-highway vehicle trails, and hunting areas.
Main Fork Rock Creek, Trailhead & Campground Repairs, Upgrades, Surfacing: Beartooth Highway ($1,454,000)
Custer Gallatin National Forest, Mont.
Main Fork of Rock Creek is a priority recreation emphasis area project that would complete the last 2.6 miles of the surfacing and drainage project to the Trailhead and the M-K and Greenough campgrounds and trailhead. At Greenough Lake Campground, units will be updated and added, and accessibility standards will be met and dispersed site resource protection along the length of the road with barrier rocks in various locations. This project supports the critical management of recreation, wildlife, watersheds, and fisheries resources. It supports access to Beartooth Highway All American Road, developed and dispersed recreation, motorized and non-motorized trails, wilderness, fishing, hiking, and outstanding scenic beauty. Recreation is the economic driver in this community, and this work will contribute to the contractor, recreational, and tourism sectors of the economy. Beartooth is an international destination connecting with Yellowstone National Park, serving millions of visitors annually and a high-priority area to make investments in recreation infrastructure. Work will promote safe travel on roads, campgrounds, and dispersed sites and support reducing negative wildlife interactions. This project has local community partners, outfitters & guides, and others in the tourism sector.
Motorized and Non-Motorized Trail Deferred Maintenance ($300,000)
Beaverhead—Deerlodge National Forest, Mont.
This project will relocate segments of trails across the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest to meet National Quality Standards and reduce deferred maintenance. Work will correct poorly designed switchbacks, steeply graded trails, etc. A high-quality system of trails creates opportunities to safely access the forest by non-motorized and motorized means, supporting hunters, outfitters and guides, and general recreation users and contributing to the local recreation and tourism economies.
Recent Bureau of Land Management Activity
- El Centro, Calif. – In preparation for the President’s Day weekend and to deter drunk driving, the BLM Law Enforcement Rangers conducted driving under the influence (DUI) and registration checkpoints from Feb. 16-19, noon to 2 a.m., on BLM-managed public lands in Imperial County, within the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. The BLM reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal. Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties and a suspended license.
- Kanab, Utah – The BLM is preparing to improve access to Whitehouse Campground and Trailhead in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. During the construction, access to the campground will be temporarily limited from Feb. 6 through March 29. During construction, crews plan to keep a temporary road segment open to allow continued vehicular access to the Whitehouse Campground and Whitehouse Trailhead. This improvement project, funded by The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), is approximately 43 miles east of Kanab, Utah.
- Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – The BLM Lake Havasu Field Office announced the temporary closure and restrictions of selected public lands for the Legacy Racing Event OHV race events in and around the Parker 400 course near the communities of Parker and Bouse. The temporary closure occurred on Feb. 2025, and the temporary restrictions from Feb. 19- 25.
- Las Vegas, Nev. – The BLM Las Vegas Field Office released the Decision Record, Finding of No Significant Impact, and final Environmental Assessment for the Logandale Trails Resource Management Plan Amendment. This planning effort was undertaken to balance high-quality visitor experiences with natural resource protection in one of the region’s most popular recreation areas. It now allows the BLM to manage Logandale Trails with recreation as its primary focus.
- Phoenix, Ariz. – The BLM’s Phoenix District Office finalized the Table Mesa Environmental Assessment of enhanced recreational facilities at the Table Mesa area north of Phoenix. The assessment designates appropriate recreational uses in specific areas to avoid user conflict, ensure visitor safety, and protect natural and cultural resources. Planned improvements include developed recreational target shooting areas, camping areas, interpretive sites, and non-motorized trails. The plan also establishes a developed recreation area boundary around 14,262 acres of the Table Mesa area on the west side of Interstate 17 between New River and Black Canyon City.
- Taos, N.M. – The BLM’s Taos Field Office opened the Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area for the season on March 1. The lake covers 121 surface acres at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and offers recreational boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking, and camping opportunities.
- San Diego, Calif. – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Biden-Harris Administration is investing nearly $500 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to expand work on the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy to reduce risk to communities, critical infrastructure, and natural resources from the nation’s ongoing wildfire crisis, which is exacerbated by climate change.