Save the Date for the 2022 NOHVCC Annual Conference!
The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) is in the planning stages for its 2022 annual conference. NOHVCC is looking forward to meeting in person after missing the 2020 conference and hosting a virtual conference in 2021 due to COVID-19. Mark your calendars as this year’s conference will be August 18-20 in Knoxville, Tennessee at the Crowne Plaza.
NOHVCC is planning for the mobile field workshop and indoor sessions that many of the attendees have experienced before along with some new features as well.
Please check the NOHVCC website for updates over the coming months!
Senate Confirms Fifth CPSC Commissioner
On June 23rd, the U.S. Senate confirmed nominee Mary Boyle as Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The confirmation by a vote of 50-48 comes nearly a year after President Biden nominated her. For more than a decade, Mary Boyle has worked at the CPSC as an attorney in the Office of General Counsel (OGC), as General Counsel herself, and currently as the agency’s Executive Director.
Since October 2021, the CPSC has been operating with four commissioners- two Republicans and two Democrats. Boyle joins Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric and Commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr., forming a Democratic majority on the Commission alongside Trump appointees Dana Baiocco and Peter Feldman. With Boyle’s confirmation, the CPSC has its full five-member strength for the first time since 2019, and the leadership appears set for the next two-plus years. The CPSC regulates many outdoor recreational products.
USDA Invests $503M to Improve Outdoor Recreation
In early June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would be investing more than half a billion dollars through the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to address deferred maintenance, improve infrastructure, increase user access, and support rural economies while also meeting conservation goals.
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh made the announcement at the Denny Creek and Franklin Falls Trailheads. Both are popular recreation sites along the I-90 corridor in Washington state and are part of the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area. This area receives more than 1.5 million visitors to the site every year. In FY 2021, the Mountains to Sound Greenway received more than $14 million from the GAOA and will receive an additional $7.1 million in FY 2022 to upgrade failing infrastructure.
“Projects like the one here on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest have incredible impacts on how visitors experience their national forests and grasslands,” said Dr. Bronaugh. “The Great American Outdoors Act and President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are betting on America — our special places, communities, and people. Even beyond improved access, facilities, and infrastructure, these investments create economic opportunity and good jobs where projects like this have the most impact.”
Total funding for the GAOA is split between the Legacy Restoration Fund and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Legacy Restoration Fund addresses the backlog of deferred maintenance on federally managed public lands and provides $285 million for 450 projects in 38 states and Puerto Rico. In addition to the Mountains to Sound Greenway Project work, examples include improving campgrounds on the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia and rebuilding roads leading to popular trails, campgrounds, and wilderness areas on the Gila National Forest in New Mexico.
“Thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act, we have already seen tremendous impact on our ability to enhance visitor access and land conservation efforts through the Legacy Restoration Fund and Land and Water Conservation Fund projects,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “Repairing and enhancing the infrastructure on the national forests and grasslands and expanding forest conservation ensures that the Forest Service continues to meet the need for outdoor recreation for current and future generations.”
Through voluntary land acquisition, the Land and Water Conservation Fund received permanent funding from the GAOA and expanded Forest Service conservation efforts on national, state, and private lands. This fiscal year, the Forest Service is investing $218 million into these programs, launching 25 new projects to open up new fishing, hunting, and recreation opportunities across tens of thousands of acres nationwide. One example is the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Project, a $20 million investment to improve public access to forests in Montana for hiking, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, berry picking, and more.
Click here to learn more about the USDA Forest Service’s work through the Great American Outdoors Act.
Recent BLM Activity
- Las Vegas, Nevada – The BLM Southern Nevada District has finalized a Recreation Area Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Calico Basin area of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The planning effort was undertaken to balance high-quality visitor experience with natural resource protection in one of the region’s most popular recreation areas.
- George, Utah – Due to another year of on-going drought and record low precipitation levels, Color Country Interagency Fire Managers implemented fire restrictions on June 2 on the Arizona Strip and all unincorporated county, state, and federally administered public lands in the following Utah counties: Washington, Kane, Garfield, and Iron.
- El Dorado Hills, California – The BLM Mother Lode Field Office issued seasonal fire restrictions effective Monday, June 6, for all BLM-managed public lands in Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Yuba counties. Seasonal fire restrictions are in addition to the BLM year-round statewide fire prevention order and will remain in effect until further notice.
- Bishop, California – The Inyo National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office implemented fire restrictions effective on all Federal lands under their jurisdiction on June 6. Seasonal fire restrictions for the Eastern Sierra Region are being implemented in close coordination with other state and local county agencies.
- Fairbanks, Alaska – The temporary closure to motor vehicle traffic to prevent trail degradation and resource damage on the White Mountains National Recreation Area’s Wickersham Creek, Trail Creek, and Quartz Creek trails was on Saturday, June 11. The trails are open to off-highway vehicles (OHVs) following the area’s summer use limitations.
- Cortez, Colorado – The BLM Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center & Museum has begun hosting interpretive programs, guided hikes, and will resume tours of its curation program starting July 6, 2022. Tours are open to the public and free with the $7 admission fee to the Visitor Center. Federal recreation pass holders and people under age 18 always enjoy free admission to the museum. Curation tours will take place at 2:00 pm on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, July through October.
- Billings, Montana – Due to recent extreme weather and unprecedented flood levels in the region, the BLM has temporarily closed the following: Ruby Creek Campground (south of Ennis, MT), Carbella Campground (north of Yellowstone National Park), Sundance Lodge Recreation Area (just outside Laurel, MT), and Howrey Island Recreation Area (near Hysham in Treasure County). Subsequently, BLM is advising the public to stay off the water until flows subside to a safe condition, including BLM boat launch sites.
- Redding, California – The BLM will implement fire restrictions for public lands managed by the Redding Field Office in Shasta, Siskiyou, Butte, Trinity, and Tehama counties, beginning Wednesday, June 15. Seasonal fire restrictions are in addition to the BLM year-round statewide fire prevention order and will remain in effect until further notice.
- Montrose, Colorado – Stage 1 fire restrictions began June 15 for all BLM public lands administered by the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Field Offices within the boundaries of Delta, Gunnison, Montrose, Ouray, San Juan, San Miguel, and portions of Hinsdale and Saguache counties, including Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and the Uncompahgre Field Office side of Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area. The restrictions align with local orders and guidelines to protect the public’s safety during high fire danger.
- Dolores, Colorado – Stage 2 fire restrictions began June 15 for all BLM public lands administered by the Tres Rios Field Office within the boundaries of Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, southwest corner of Montrose, and western portion of San Miguel counties, including Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. The restrictions align with local orders and guidelines to protect the public’s safety during high fire danger.
- Fairbanks, Alaska – Due to ongoing wildland fire activity associated with the Fish Fire #319, the BLM Central Yukon Field Office is evacuating and closing the Arctic Circle Campground, near Dalton Highway Milepost 115 effective immediately. The lightning-sparked fire is estimated to have burned 500 acres and is only one-half mile from the newly renovated Arctic Circle Campground.