Politics : politics@vcmc.info

The Bureau of Land Management released their Travel Management Plan last fall, which closed 58% of all routes in the Black Canyon Corridor area north of Phoenix, AZ. BlueRibbon Coalition joined a collection of OHV groups and mining organizations to appeal the plan and the BLM pulled the previous plan. In the meantime we have met with the new management of the BLM, and they are now requesting another round of public feedback on this plan. While some improvements have been made related to recognizing several technical rock crawling routes, the plan still suffers from several deficiencies. You can read the specifics on the BLM planning page.

You can review a draft version of our comment that we will be sending to the BLM once it is finalized.

We invite you to use our action alert to submit a comment of your own encouraging continued access on these public lands. If you agree with the concerns we shared in our comment, you can modify the action alert and add your own thoughts, concerns, and experiences. If you have strong familiarity with the area, we definitely need you to add your feedback and experience to this effort.

We are encouraged that the BLM has already made some improvements to this plan compared to what was prepared last fall. Part of the reason the BLM is reconsidering the plan is because of the unified coalition we were a part of last fall.

We will be sending our comment jointly with Arizona Backcountry Explorers, American Mining Rights Association, and Arizona State Association of 4WD Clubs. Together we are a strong united voice for access in this area. Our four organizations have created a special membership offer in connection with this effort called the Arizona Access Alliance. For one membership fee of $100, you can join all four organizations. You will be supporting our work to keep adventure open in Arizona, you will be supporting a strong alliance that can influence the BLM to develop a better plan, and each organization offers a range of benefits to members. Be sure to check it out.

Ben Burr

Executive Director

The BLM recently announced that they would be analyzing 195 miles of routes – Again – in the San Rafael Desert. This reconsideration is part of a recent settlement agreement between the BLM and wilderness advocates.

We have prepared a full briefing on this process as part of the 10,000+ Project. If you want to learn more about how you can help us keep these routes open, we invite you to review our full analysis. If you are familiar with the area and want to coordinate efforts, please reach out to us.

The deadline for submitting comment on the San Rafael Desert routes is August 26. Stay tuned for a full action alert once we’ve coordinated with our allies.

Simone Griffin

Policy Director

Defend Your Ground Podcast Episode 6: “They’re Wearing a Tank Top and Shorts in snow and Hail”

Chris Reed is one of Utah County's most experienced Search and Rescue volunteers. In this episode we share part 2 of his experiences that have left an impression on him. He also shares the most important pieces of gear that he wishes everyone who explores the backcountry would bring with them. This episode of our "Last Known Position series" was made possible by a generous grant from the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Vehicle Program.

The Defend Your Ground Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major distribution platforms. Every week we will discussing our most current work and taking a deep dive into our most important work. If you have a local issue that you think would be relevant to BRC members, we want to invite you to be a guest on the show.

We’re Hiring a Chief Storyteller/Communications Director

BlueRibbon Coalition is looking for a full time communications director who will help us develop innovative and effective ways to tell our story as we lead the fight to defend outdoor recreation access to public lands. A successful applicant will be someone who dreams of turning their love for seeking adventure in the great outdoors into a career. We will be looking for someone with extraordinary communication skills that include great writing, visual storytelling, and the ability to connect with different outdoor recreation communities.

This position will involve creating social media content across all major platforms, developing a robust email marketing program, drafting fundraising solicitations, developing marketing materials for events and presentations, developing paid advertisement campaigns, managing press relations and building relationships with reporters, and spending time sharing adventures with our members and supporters in wide variety of outdoor recreation activities. Having a successful and far-reaching digital presence will be a huge advantage.

As one of the few organizations leading the fight to protect the human need to seek adventure, we have an amazing story to tell. If you think you are the right person to tell this story, we want to hear from you.