FORMING
STATE LEVEL MOTORIZED RECREATION COUNCILS
Following the national NAMRC formula
By Del Albright, BRC Ambassador
OVERVIEW: The solution to a
positive future for motorized recreation lies in more unity among users.
Statewide cooperation and coordination between different modalities (like dirt
bikes, 4x4, atv, utv, etc.) are key to ending the dauntless onslaught of
anti-access propaganda and closure efforts. This short article will explain how
to set up a state level group following the example of the national effort
NAMRC – North American Motorized Recreation Council.
NAMRC
has brought together dozens of off-highway groups, melding all modes of
recreation, making a huge difference in our national approach to securing a
future for our sports. The same thing needs to happen at every state
level, with all state groups coordinating with NAMRC. No chain of command
or change in authority is suggested; just information, communication,
coordination and cooperation -- from a multiple-use perspective.
NAMRC
is an alliance of organizations that facilitates communications, shares
information, expertise and resources to enhance unity. NAMRC helps the
organized motorized recreation community nationwide and other interested groups
become more effective in their efforts to maintain, improve and expand
opportunities and experiences in our many forms of recreation.
A
founding principle of NAMRC that has proven successful to its effectiveness for
nearly 15 years is the face-to-face element and human interaction – not just on
forums, webcasts or internet video conferencing. Bringing people together, at
the same table, knowing each other’s face and tone of voice, along with the
“extra” interaction that takes place during the meeting breaks have shown to be
significant. States can and should do
the same thing.
By
way of example for states considering a state-level council, here are some
accomplishments of NAMRC:
1.
Helped
establish several kid’s programs in multiple states from examples brought to
NAMRC meeting.
2.
Broke
down barriers and cured misunderstandings between several off-highway groups
that were hampering successes in gaining access in several regions of the
country.
3.
Established
completely new lines of communication and cooperation between dozens of state
and regional groups.
4.
Gave
new land use and club leadership folks a greater network for accomplishing
goals and improving access opportunities.
5.
Cleared
the way for more and better grant funding opportunities in many states/regions.
6.
Shared
untold number of “how to” tips in land use and leadership from different areas
of the country.
7.
Facilitated
better communications and land use networking nationwide.
STEPS: The author’s simple
formula has worked in forming coalitions and other groups all across the
country, beginning with the Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) in 2001. The concept
began as a way to establish “an alliance of factions formed for a specific
unified purpose.” Knowing that in off-highway recreation, enthusiasts shy
away from relinquishing authority or responsibility of their own organization,
it is a simple matter to ensure that doesn’t happen and make your state level
group non-threatening to existing efforts – but rather enhancing. Here
are the steps.
1. Step up to the plate. One person
with credibility, or a small core team of state level users can begin the
process. Someone just has to make the first move and get things rolling.
2. Communicate. Begin
collecting emails, perusing club websites, finding club leaders and all
affected sports, harvesting emails/contacts from forums, and start an email
network about unifying the state efforts. Set up a Facebook page if
appropriate. Make sure your message is non-threatening to existing
groups. You are not stealing memberships and you are not taking away anyone’s
authority. You are merely enhancing state level cooperation and
coordination.
NOTE:
It may be helpful to immediately schedule a state level “summit” to introduce
the idea of statewide cross-modality coordination such as the one in California
(March 2003): http://www.delalbright.com/access/summit.htm. Another idea is to
hold a field trip/event bringing all modalities together like the Multiple-Use
Shared Trails (MUST) Workshop here: http://www.delalbright.com/access/must_workshop.html
3. Advertise. Pick a (tentative)
name like “California Motorized Recreation Council” (CMRC), and make sure your
state’s name is included. Social networks and websites can be helpful in
this step of the formula. Just make sure you have enough support in the core
team before you launch too strongly on a name. But start getting
the word out that state level multiple-use coordination is about to take a new
turn. Core team members may have to set personal meetings or calls with
existing group leadership to ensure there are no perceived threats to
membership, dues, or their mission.
4. Develop the
organization. Build
your alliance with word of mouth, emailing networks and forums, etc. Set
up a state level meeting for your inaugural launch, and don’t worry if not all
groups are represented yet. The national group NAMRC started out with 15
people in the room and now we have over 60. Encourage participants to
reach out to other groups to bring them to the table, and in the meantime, add
them to your email network. If you think your email network will get
fairly large, you may benefit from an emailing service like iContact or
Constant Contact for a few bucks a month.
Run
your meetings well, with a trained facilitator or someone who is good at making
meetings productive. Always end your meetings with an action item list for follow
up. Appoint someone to do the follow up and keep track of the action item
list. Post your minutes/notes on a public forum/website (like NAMRC does at http://www.namrc.com).
IN
GENERAL: The
group can decide if dues, officers or any other officialdom is necessary, but
the success of NAMRC has partially been the lack of bureaucracy and the total
focus on communicating, sharing and finding solutions to common problems
without a bunch of “rules of order.” NAMRC has no dues, no
structure, or officers or anything that would make it appear to be distracting
from existing groups, associations and clubs. It is a Knights of the
Round Table approach.
You
can get some great additional help/information from the National Off Highway
Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) here with their Club State Up Kit: http://www.nohvcc.org/Materials/ClubStartUp.aspx
Here
is a very thorough list from the BlueRibbon Coalition of advocacy resources
that may be useful as well: https://www.sharetrails.org/about/advocacy-resources
NATIONAL
COORDINATION:
Once your group is started, automatically put on the calendar to have someone
take a report/update to the NAMRC meeting, usually held with the SEMA show in
Las Vegas, NV, the first week of November (www.namrc.com). Appoint
someone to be the national point of contact to sharing information and being on
the national NAMRC email list. Further enhance your efforts by setting up joint
meetings or trail recons with adjoining states where similar problems cross
state boundaries. Enlist national groups as appropriate to assist where possible.
SUMMARY:
Like
NAMRC, state level motorized recreation councils can break down communication
barriers and set new significant actions in motion for a better off-highway
recreation future without jeopardizing existing group/association missions.
National
groups like the grassroots oriented BlueRibbon Coalition (www.ShareTrails.Org)
is always available to help establish state level cooperative efforts. NOHVCC (www.nohvcc.org) has a wealth of
helpful web resources and materials as well.
Some
day in the future we may have the funds to hire full time land use and
leadership people in every state, fighting for access every day and helping to
keep trails open. But until that day comes, volunteers and existing club/association
members must band together with other modalities and clubs to ensure we are all
on the same page with unified voices, carrying the same message, and protecting
our access as a team. The author feels the best way we can do that
is to have state-level cooperative groups that cross not only club boundaries
but also modality differences – a multiple-use front of united voices.
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Del
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