Trail Riding, Land Use and Zoning —  Action Alerts

Equestrian Land Conservation Resource Releases Guide to Equestrian-Friendly Conservation Easements

The Equestrian Land Conservation Resource has released the 2008 edition of the Guide to Equestrian-Friendly Conservation Easements. The 188-page publication provides valuable information on equestrian-friendly conservation easements including sample conservation easements with provisions for equestrian use. The Guide is an invaluable resource for landowners, land use and conservation attorneys, riding, driving and hunt clubs, and land trusts. Cost for the publication is $45 plus shipping. To order your copy, visit www.ELCR.org and click on “Publications.”

Also, two publications concerning the design, construction and maintenance of equestrian trails, trailheads and campgrounds are now available.

The Equestrian Design Guidebook for Trails, Trailheads, and Campgrounds, written by Jan Hancock in conjunction with U.S. Forest Service, has been released by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This manual provides trail design and construction details, while explaining the particular physical and psychological needs of equines and their riders that necessitate them.  The information in this guidebook is applicable to trails at all levels of development and locations. 

Recreational Horse Trails in Rural and Wildland Areas: Design, Construction, and Maintenance, was written by Gene W. Wood, in conjunction with 16 contributing authors. This guidebook concentrates specifically on horse trail development in rural and wild land areas. An emphasis is placed on trial design, construction and placement that will make long term use by equestrians possible. The American Horse Council was involved in facilitating the funding of this book.

Equestrian accessible trails are of the utmost importance to the horse community.  Both of these books are needed and will be of great help to recreational riders throughout the country.

Equestrian Design Guidebook for Trails, Trailheads, and Campgrounds is offered free of charge online at the FHWA website http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/fspubs/07232816/index.htm or a hard copy can be ordered through the FHWA Report Center: Recreational Trails Program Reports Order Form.

Recreational Horse Trails in Rural and Wildland Areas: Design, Construction, and Maintenance, is available for a fee from Clemson University's Forestry and Natural Resources website at www.clemson.edu/forestres/.

Preserving our Equine Heritage on Public Land Act

Shawnee NF Fees

Trail System Fee Increase Proposed

MOUNTED HERITAGE

Interlake Property Update!!!


 

Right to Ride Bill Passes House

 

PRESS RELEASE  June 19, 2006 from the AHC                                                                                     The Right-to-Ride bill has passed the House of Representatives.  We need help getting it moving in the Senate.  Attached is a memorandum explaining what you and your members can do to keep this important legislation moving.  Please contact your Senators and pass this information on to your organizational and individual members interested in keeping public lands open to horseback riders.

Deadline: November 15, 2004

Make Your Views Count on Roadless Rule Proposal

The comment period for the Forest Service’s proposed new Roadless Rule has begun.  The proposed regulations would give states and local communities much more input in the process to determine areas that can be designated as roadless.  ARRA encourages you to learn about the Roadless Rule by clicking here and then submitting your comments to the Forest Service by November 15th.

Comments should be sent to:

Content Analysis Team
Attn: Roadless State Petitions
USDA Forest Service
P.O. Box 221090
Salt Lake City, UT 84122

By fax:  (801) 517-1014
By e-mail:  statepetitionroadless@fs.fed.us

Comments also may be submitted by going to the following website:  http://www.regulations.gov.

For more information, please contact:  Dave Barone, Planning Specialist, Ecosystem Management Coordination Staff, Forest Service, USDA, (202) 205-1019.  To read the original notice in the Federal Register, click here. 
http://roadless.fs.fed.us/documents/id_07/fr_pr.html

Support full funding for the Recreational Trails Program

The House of Representatives and the Senate have passed their individual versions of the Transportation Equity Act, which provides funding for the RTP.  Check to see which members of the House and the Senate have been appointed to the conference committee.  If one of your Representatives is on the committee, ARRA asks you to write them and encourage them to keep the higher funding level for RTP. 

The RTP was established in 1991 as a part of ISTEA and improved through TEA-21. This program utilizes a portion of the federal tax receipts attributable to off-highway recreational activities including ATV riding, motorcycling, snowmobiling and 4x4s for purposes of maintaining and improving recreational trails throughout the country. Since its inception, literally millions of Americans have benefited from the recreational trails that have been developed and maintained in every state of the union with monies from this program. And, it is important to note that these trails are developed for both motorized and non-motorized recreation.

The Senate bill includes an increase from $50 million to $60 million in annual funding for the RTP.  The House version, H.R. 3550, provides more funding, starting with $70 million annually and increasing to $110 million after five years.  The Federal Highway Administration's most recent estimate of the amount of tax revenue generated by off-highway recreational activities is $286 million annually.  H.R. 3550 designates 21% of that revenue for the RTP.  Because of the importance of this program and the fact that every year more and more Americans seek to use recreational trails for a variety of activities, I believe that a more appropriate figure should be 50% of the $286 million annual revenue figure. Investing more revenue from off-highway generated taxes to improve the safety of such activities by constructing and maintaining recreational trails is an appropriate use of these monies.

As a member of the conference committee, you can make sure that the RTP receives the funding it deserves.

H.R. 3247, the TRAIL Act, Passed by U.S. House of Representatives

Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) congratulates the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 3247, the Trail Responsibility and Accountability (TRAIL) Act of 2004.  We also want to thank the sponsors, Reps. Tom Tancredo (R-Co.), Scott McInnis (R-Co.), and Mark Udall (D-Co.), for their support and persistent effort to pass this legislation.  Rep. Richard Pombo, the chairman of the House Resources Committee, is also to be commended for his work in moving the TRAIL Act from the committee to the full House of Representatives.

This is a critical win for those Americans who like to recreate on public lands.  By deterring and penalizing those who harm resources and willfully break the law, the TRAIL Act will help preserve recreational opportunities for responsible recreationists throughout our country.

From the beginning of the process, ARRA has been a strong supporter of this legislation.  We feel that strengthening these laws and providing consistent enforcement across all agencies creates a better, safer environment for recreation on our federal lands.  Instead of allowing those few who abuse our public lands to deny opportunities to everyone, the TRAIL Act makes it possible to repair any damage, penalize the irresponsible few, and keep our public lands open for all.

To read more about this legislation or the full text of H.R. 3247 click here.

Updates:

MEMORANDUM

Date:   December 5, 2004

From:   American Horse Council

Re:       New Fee Demonstration Program Established

A new recreation fee program will shortly replace the Federal National Recreation Fee Demonstration Program scheduled to expire at the end of this year.  It was created by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which was included in the huge omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 4818) passed by Congress in the recent lame-duck session.  The new program, like the prior “Fee Demo” program, calls for fees to be collected and used to enhance visitor facilities and services.  The new program has been authorized for ten years and covers the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service and includes an additional agency, the Bureau of Reclamation.    The new recreation fee program is based on legislation originally introduced by Congressman Ralph Regula (R-OH) and amended by the House Resources Committee.

The major provisions include:

  • The requirement that at least 80% of fees collected at a site be used to improve services and facilities at that site.
  • Direction to the agencies to coordinate fees and avoid multiple or layered fees.
  • Continuation of special fees for some and exemptions for others like children, seniors and those with disabilities.
  • Establishment of a Recreation Resource Advisory Committee for each state or region and public involvement in the development or changing of fees and for reporting on their use.
  • Calls for a new inter-agency annual pass and prohibition of all other national passes.
  • Establishment of site-specific annual passes.
  • Authority to issue special recreation permits for group activities and recreation events.
  • Authority for discounted and free admission days.
  • Limits on the use of funds to ways directly related to visitor enjoyment, access and safety and prohibitions on the use of finds for biological monitoring under the Endangered Species Act and for employee bonuses.
  • A 15% cap on total collections for administration, overhead and indirect costs of the fee program.
  • Authority to use volunteers to collect fees.
  • Authority to waive or discount fees in exchange for volunteer services.

The present “Fee Demo” Program has been somewhat controversial.  While it has been supported by federal agencies and recreational organizations, it was opposed by others for a myriad of reasons.  It is too early to tell how the new program will be received, but it appears to enjoy support because it requires that at least 80% of fees collected at a site be used to improve services and facilities at that site and recognizes the importance of volunteer efforts on federal lands by providing authority to waive or discount fees for them.