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Weekly Newsletter Issue 61 | Mar 9, 2024

2 Million Acres at Risk in Montana's Lolo National Forest

The United States Forest Service is updating the Lolo National Forest Plan. This plan will dictate how the 2 millions acres in central Montana are managed for the next several decades. All other plans will follow this overarching land management plan – such as travel management planning to determine which roads will stay open. This is scoping, the first step in the revision process. Comments on the proposed plan will be accepted until April 1, 2024.

The Lolo plan is long anticipated with years of prep with public meetings and studies. The forest currently provides world class snowmobiling and off roading recreation opportunities. Submit a comment by entering your information below to send a comment to the USFS letting them know that the current proposals for the forest management plan is unacceptable as it designates far too much of the forest as non-motorized.

The biggest restrictions will come from the increase in Recommended Wilderness. The 1986 forest plan has 223,915 acres of Recommended Wilderness (RWA). The current plan has identified  1,157,133 ADDITIONAL acres for RWA consideration.

We need everyone to add their voice to yet another effort to kick the public out of their public lands.

Action Alerts

1. 55 Million Acres Up for Grabs for Solar Projects

There is a shift happening on public lands with two main drivers: recreation and renewable energy, solar and wind power. The climate agenda is shifting the priorities of our public lands.

There has been a significant increase of solar farms on public land in recent years. Currently, a Western Solar Plan created in 2012 that identifies public lands eligible for fast-track solar farm development in 6 of the western states; Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. With this current plan there is a variance process that potential solar projects have to go through in order to be approved for the solar project. BRC has been engaged in a number of these proposals throughout these southern states, and we often find that these developments conflict with recreation use.

The Bureau of Land Management is updating the Western Solar Plan in order to expand areas of public land suitable for solar energy development in order to meet a net carbon electricity goal by 2035. Currently the BLM is accepting public comments on the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Since they are prioritizing solar farm development on land that are already impacted near transmission lines, we need you to tell BLM to exclude your favorite OHV riding areas from the plan.

2. Oppose the Dolores National Monument

Along the Dolores River in Southern Colorado families camp, raft and recreate. We have recently seen a surge in social media posts promoting the creation of a national monument out of the Dolores River Canyon. Surprisingly, these posts suggest that the motivation for the advocates supporting the monument is because they used to camp along the river when younger with their families. National monument designations usually lead to the kinds of restrictions on recreation use that we see in wilderness areas or national parks. As such, it is highly unlikely that there will be any primitive dispersed camping allowed in a Dolores River Canyon National Monument. To the extent that any camping will be allowed at all, it will be in restrictive developed campgrounds that require a reservation, and they won't be anywhere near the riparian corridor of the river itself.

It is because of restrictions like this that we are opposing the creation of giant national monuments through the abuse of the Antiquities Act in court.

We also encourage you to send feedback to your members of Congress that you oppose this national monument.

Combat Offroad - Newest Sponsor of Build Your Dream Rig Sweepstakes!

We're excited to announce Combat Off Road as the newest sponsor of our Build Your Dream Rig Sweepstakes. The grand prize will now include $600 worth of Combat Off Road products that will be installed by Best Off-Road.com.

Defend Your Ground T-shirts Still Available 

I'm a new paragraph block.Our Defend Your Ground t-shirts were a hit at the Salt Lake Off-Road Expo, and we had a lot of folks messaging us on social media if there was a way to get them outside of the show. We are still offering a free Defend Your Ground t-shirt to everyone who enters the Build Your Dream Rig Sweepstakes using Promo code: DYG.

We have unisex shirts available in S, M, L, XL, XXL, and 3XL

We have ladies fit shirts available in S, M, L, XL and XXL.

To receive your shirt, enter the sweepstakes by making a donation of $25 or more. When you receive the receipt for your entry, forward the receipt to BRC@sharetrails.org, with your fit and size preferences. We will then ship the shirt to the address used to enter the sweepstakes.

Defend Your Ground Podcast Episode 45: A Deep Dive into the San Rafael Swell

The BLM recently released their preliminary maps for the San Rafael Swell travel plan. We expect a public comment period on this plan soon.

In the latest episode of the Defend Your Ground Podcast, Ben and Simone discuss the planning status of the San Rafael Swell in Utah. They provide an overview of the recent developments and the upcoming public comment period. 

This conversation discusses the potential closure of roads and trails in the San Rafael Swell. The hosts emphasize the importance of public involvement and documentation to protect these routes. They provide a detailed overview of specific roads and trails that are at risk of closure, including their locations and potential impacts. The conversation highlights the need for users to explore and document these routes to gather evidence for legal protection.

If you want to know what you should be doing right now to prepare for the fight to protect our access to the San Rafael Swell, this podcast is where you need to start.

Lost Trails Guidebook Sponsor Highlight

We would like to thank DRATS for supporting the Lost Trails Guidebook. They were a sponsor of Volume 2 of the Lost Trails Guidebook, and during SLOREX they presented us with a $36,000 donation from Winter 4x4 Jamboree!

NEWSLETTER CLUB AND ORGANIZATION SPOTLIGHT

The BlueRibbon Coalition is excited to announce that the following organizations have recently either donated to our Moab Fight or joined as organization members:                                                                                                                                                                         Roadside 4 Wheelers Inc

Havasu 4-Wheelers                                                                                                                                                                    
We love to see all these businesses and organizations joining the fight! We know that we couldn't do what we do without the support of these organizations. If your business or club isn't on this list: Business/Organization Members, contact us today. As passionate recreation enthusiasts, these clubs and businesses understand the importance of fighting for and protecting our public lands and trails for future generations to enjoy. By renewing their support, they are helping to ensure that the BlueRibbon Coalition can advocate for responsible access to our public lands. We are grateful for their ongoing commitment to our mission and look forward to working together to keep the trails open and accessible for all.            

BlueRibbon | ShareTrails
PO Box 5449
Pocatello, ID 83202
United States

BlueRibbon Coalition is a 501c3 non-profit organization. We are able to protect your adventures because of charitable contributions from our members and supporters. Please consider making a sustaining contribution to BRC today!

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