Del Albright

BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT! Attention BRC Action Alert Subscriber, HELP STOP THE FEBRUARY 10TH BAN ON YOUTH OHVS On February 10, 2009, a new law regulating lead content in certain products will go into effect. This could adversely affect companies that manufacture or distribute youth model all-terrain vehicles and off-highway motorcycles. Dealers that sell and service those products would be impacted as well. The Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA) and the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) have urgently requested the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and federal legislators to take a common sense approach to implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act's lead provisions. SVIA and MIC have announced their intention to join several of their member companies in filing petitions with the CPSC for emergency relief from the provisions. They are also seeking a temporary final rule to exempt ATV and motorcycle parts in order to avoid major disrupti...

Minnesota Court sides with conservationists in Superior National Forest lawsuit Decision allows US Forest Service to move forward Coraopolis, Pennsylvania - Sportsmen and women are among the winners in a significant legal victory in a case regarding the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota. The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) joined with others including the Minnesota Forest Industries, Inc., Minnesota Timber Producers Association, All Terrain Vehicle Association of Minnesota, Blue Ribbon Coalition , Lake County and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to defend important habitat management projects being proposed by the US Forest Service. In 2008 the Sierra Club and other preservationists had filed suit to halt implementation of the recently revised Forest Plan - claiming that because the Plan allowed habitat management projects adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) it would affect the wilderness character of the BWCAW and, therefore, should not ...

BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC. MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Brian Hawthorne Phill Morud Public Lands Director Past President BlueRibbon Coalition ATV Association of Minnesota 208-237-1008 ext 102 218-686-2748 DATE: January 22, 2009 RECREATIONAL GROUPS PRAISE SUPERIOR FOREST DECISION ST PAUL, MN (January 22) - Trail-based recreation enthusiasts are praising yesterday's court decision rejecting the Sierra Club's challenge to the 2004 Revised Superior National Forest Plan. The All Terrain Vehicle Association of Minnesota (ATVAM), along with the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), both recreation advocacy groups, intervened in the case on the side of the Forest Service. The lawsuit included challenges to the analysis of potential impacts to the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area, as well as the accuracy of the road and trail inventory used by the Forest Service. The decision, penned by U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, ruled in favor of the Forest Service and concluded...

If you get the annual Red Rock 4Wheelers Newspaper for Easter Jeep Safari, please check out our BlueRibbon ad on page 36. Wow, the Red Rock boys supported BRC with this comp ad space and great exposure. THANK YOU. Full page and in color. Be sure to get your name in the hat to attend Moab this year as it's going to be a good one, with fun for all and lots of great trails and activities. It's a one-of-a-kind event. There's nothing quite like Moab. See you on the trail, Del

Go Romping In Snow This Winter By Tom Severin, Badlands Off Road Adventures With the snow we've been getting in the mountains lately, a lot of four-wheelers are itching to fire up their vehicles and go plowing through the white stuff. Whether over Cajon Pass, through Big Bear area, or just to Grandma's house, driving off road in snow is a lot of fun. Winter driving offers its own set of challenges; the following tips will help ensure your trip is a pleasant one. As with all four-wheeling, remember the buddy system. That is, always go out with at least one other vehicle. It's fairly easy to get stuck in snow, and the cold just compounds any difficulties you may experience. Read the whole story here: http://www.4x4wire.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=9&Itemid=84 Del

United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA) has a new (short) video on the home page that is really awesome – and good to use/show at club meetings and public education workshops or gatherings. In a quick few minutes, this video captures a day trip (trail ride) with the drivers meeting, safety notes, a pack it out message, trail closures, and more. It's worth a watch. http://www.ufwda.org/ Del

On behalf of the BlueRibbon Coalition and my role as an Ambassador for BRC, I offer you a chance to become part of an elite team of access soldiers. BRC Senior Staff, Stacie and I are launching an effort to build a better network of communications in the Internet/Blog world for access and land use issues. We are determined to experiment with a variety of ways to improve Internet communications, help you better understand the recreational world, and provide you the opportunity to make a huge difference in saving our trails and our sports. We are looking to find a few select individuals to become the eyes and ears of our access efforts, in particular our BlueRibbon Kickin' Access Technology Team (KAT Team). The job is easy – post, listen, lurk, communicate and notify . There is no cost to you; you only gain. J We are hoping to take advantage of what you already do in the web world. We need to expand our army and improve communications across the board – and across the Internet worl...

If you'd like to keep up with the latest from Don Amador (be sure to bookmark this one), he has gotten into the Blogosphere. Check out Don's personal Blog (the General speaks). http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/ It'll be a great place to chat with Don too, if you have questions for him. Del

I’m really proud of Stacie. She is the featured star in a piece on “Leading Women in the Outdoors” of Sticks & Stones Outdoor Adventures Magazine (Fall 2008 Issue). It’s all good and she really shines. I’ve attached a pic to give you a taste of her new fame (no fortune tho). This is a pdf file of the story: http://www.staciealbright.com/Pages/sticks_stacie.html It’s way cool. Del

BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT! SEND A LETTER TO HELP SAVE JOHNSON VALLEY Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber, The Marine Base at Twentynine Palms is considering expanding because they claim to need more room for training purposes. The proposed expansion could functionally close most, if not all, of the Johnson Valley OHV Area. In order for the Marines to expand the base they need to go through a public process called the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In NEPA, it is very important that the OHV community submit letters during this scoping process requesting the Department of the Navy analyze impacts they feel would be made by the proposed project and to offer alternatives. Now is the time when we can have an impact on the proposed project. The deadline for submitting these comments is January 31, 2009. Get the whole story and letter details here (download/read the BRC Alert in WORD) http://www.delalbright.com/Access/jv_hammers-letter.doc Thanks for your help in continuing to...

URGENT NEWS from Ron Schiller, High Desert Multiple Use Coalition: The California Wilderness Coalition (CWC) is proposing to close off a large chunk of public land around Trona, Great Falls Basin, and the Slate Range outside of the China Lake Navy Base. A public meeting will be held Tuesday Jan. 13 th in Trona regarding the CWC proposed wilderness bill that they hope Senator Feinstein will soon introduce in Congress. Please be there and speak out against this new Wilderness. Read the notice here (pdf). Thanks, Del

There's a fairly new off-road website out there offering all kinds of OHV chat and tech talk. Street 2 Dirt has tons of good stuff to offer you no matter what you ride or drive (quad, 4x4, buggy, rail, bike, etc.). Stac and I have started posting up some land use info there as well. So trail-saving is on their list. Cool. Check them out and let me know what you think: http://www.street2dirt.com/ Del