OUR TRAILS NEED YOU AND NOW IS THE TIME!

NOW IS THE TIME: LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

By Del Albright

Right now — before the summer chaos hits, while clubs and groups are gearing up for events, fundraisers, and land use battles — is the time to ACT.

Our trails are on the table. Some are threatened. Some are already locked up. Others are barely hanging on. Some have been reopened! But together, we can help the new Administration and supportive elected officials keep the rubber on the dirt and the access in our hands. The key? More voices. More hands. More of YOU.

LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN:

🔹 Join a land use organization: Whether it's national, regional, statewide, or your local club — we need numbers and muscle.
🔹 Get on a committee: Policy is shaped by those who show up.
🔹 Volunteer for trail maintenance: Sweat equity matters.
🔹 Donate or fundraise: Advocacy isn't free — but a locked gate costs way more in the long run.
🔹 Speak up on social: Be loud. Be visible. Be positive. Your voice influences others.

WHY NOW?

Because public land policies are shifting faster than ever. Because recreational use is growing. Because agencies are setting their summer priorities right now — and if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.

TRAIL ACCESS IS NOT A GUARANTEE — IT’S A FIGHT

And it’s one we can win. But it takes more than just enjoying the ride. It takes standing up, speaking out, and showing the world that our trails are worth protecting. And it takes JOINING organized recreation associations/groups.

Let your commitment be known — get involved before the gates are closed.

👉 Learn more, join up, and take action at www.delalbright.com

Learn more of the tips and shortcuts to saving trails and keep our access alive and well in my book now available on Amazon here.

##

 

The Accursed Hunger for Gold

"Auri sacra fames"

By Del Albright, Sustainable Motorized Recreation Advocate

with Todd Ockert

Always seeking something better!

In the off-road/OHV world, it seems we are always seeking a bigger, stronger, and better toy. I think we can say the same about land use and trails – always seeking.

In Latin, there’s a phrase that covers this condition: “Auri sacra fames,” which means the accursed hunger for gold. It is from Virgil’s Aeneid (19-BCE). In his case, it focused on the insatiable desire for wealth and the lengths to which folks will go in pursuit of it.

Virgil made the point that greed and the pursuit of material wealth are dangerous at any cost. In my many years of motorized recreation, I can attest to the danger of pursuing a bigger, badder, better-built rig—let alone the perfect trail system or perfect volunteer.

Before I continue, I will consent that always seeking a better/badder rig keeps my mind active and my hopes up! It’s kind of like trying to keep up with the Jones'. That is a good thing. Heck, we all know that change is growth, and once we quit growing, well, you know…

The purpose of this article is not to remind us how much money and effort we spend on building better toys but to give some insight into pursuing perfection with volunteers.

Let’s transition this idea to land use and volunteerism. For example, we always want a cleaner, more pristine trail to enjoy, so perhaps we get riled up and angry over someone “who doesn’t get it.” In our pursuit for perfection, we might have overlooked the lack of a trail patrol or law enforcement. People don’t drive the speed limit on interstates because they want to; it’s due to speed limit laws and police on patrol.

For another example, let’s take an event you might be in charge of. You want it to turn out perfect with no glitches. So you work your volunteer staff to the bone in the pursuit of the “gold standard” of events. Using a military strategy, we start out thinking that every plan is perfect until first “contact” with reality. You might nit-pick, micro-manage, or just set expectations that are not realistic in your seeking of something better. Your crew bucks back at you and/or burns out in many cases. Perhaps, in this case, your “greed” for the best left you holding the bag.

If you want more on landuse and volunteerism, this is the book for you HERE.

 Expectations and Reality

So here we go. In volunteerism (and saving trails), we cannot expect perfection in my experience. We cannot expect the hunger for gold to be satisfied completely. However, that does not mean we can’t have a clean trail or a great event. It just means we must be realistic with people who sacrifice their personal time to help us in our pursuit of gold. And we must learn to live healthy and happy lives with the gold we do get.

I am not suggesting we lower our standards, but I am suggesting we find better ways to achieve a reality that meets our expectations.

The trick, I believe, is to learn how to impart your expectations to other volunteers in a way that can help you get the gold and not frustrate them or you. Imparting expectations clearly and completely requires practice and compassion. You must put yourself in the shoes of your volunteers and “feel their pain.”

We must learn what makes our volunteers excited or puts a smile on their faces at the end of the day. It is different for everyone, so learning to “read” people really makes communication more effortless (and finding gold).

And if you’re getting eaten up by self-doubt or the feeling of failure because your idea of perfection never happened, stop it! Please find a way to stop it. Take a look at how you set expectations for achieving your gold-hunting goal. Consider setting two goals/expectations at once – one high and one low ball so no matter where the effort ends, you are in your range of “gold standard.” Get to know your “crew” of volunteers better and find ways to communicate with them to help you achieve your “auri sacra fames.”

Allow me to add a caveat. Probably the biggest complaint I hear is how the job is not getting done the way you want, so you do it yourself. Trash is not getting picked up, so you stop and do it all along the trail by your lonesome. The event committees are not doing all the jobs they were given, so you jump in and just do them on top of what you’re already doing. This is a sure trail to burnout.

Volunteers do not like to be micromanaged. If a leader steps in and does all the work, volunteers just step back and let it continue. Burnout is around the corner for all.

We must avoid burnout in the volunteer world. We can’t afford to lose people who believe in our cause. Therefore, we must find ways to nurture, communicate, set expectations, and achieve the pursuit of gold together.

(Feel free to contact me if there is something specific I can help you with, such as volunteering or saving trails for sustainable motorized recreation. Visit www.delalbright.com)

 HELPFUL LINKS:

DEL'S BOOKS (LAND USE, WILDFIRE, DEATH VALLEY, COWBOY POETRY, AND MORE)

WEBSITE (HOME PAGE)

PINTEREST (BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND MORE)

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

DEL'S ARTICLES (LAND USE, LIFE, WILDFIRE, VOLUNTEERISM, AND MORE)

SHORTCUTS TO LANDUSE; KEEPING TRAILS OPEN BOOK

TIPS, TRICKS, AND A FEW TAP DANCES ON HOW TO KEEP TRAILS OPEN

Stand Up for Our Trails: The Ultimate Guide to Land Use and Volunteerism

By Del Albright

If you're looking for a one-stop, practical guide on how to keep trails open and prevent closures, my book delivers. Based on over 40 years of volunteerism and landuse advocacy experience, I lay out proven tips, real-world strategies, and volunteerism shortcuts that make a difference.

Our motorized recreation groups, clubs, and associations are stretched thin and struggling with membership engagement. Without stronger grassroots action, our ability to fight back weakens.

Now is the time to act!

My book, Shortcuts to Land Use & Volunteerism: Creating a Sustainable Future for Motorized Recreation, offers solutions, motivation, and the roadmap we need to secure our trails for generations to come. If you are or going to be a club leader, you will learn how to inspire, motivate, and facilitate volunteers into action, leading them to victory!

Check it out today—and join the fight to keep access alive!.