It’s a strange thing really… Through all my years with MEPCO Jeep, co-founding TeraFlex, RCAA, ARCA and finally UROC I have dealt with land use problems. Certainly with the competitive rockcrawling organizations I have worked with State Trust land, Tribal land of multiple nations, private and BLM land managers. One would think I am a land use guy. But I’ve never considered myself that. Full confession… I run from them and I always have.
Don’t point fingers and say bad crap. The truth is you run too, at least most of you do. You run because when people are speaking of HB123 and any other detailed political bill they turn into Charlie Brown's Teacher… Brah, blah, whah. We all know it is important. We see the closures, the restrictions and the rage. We know there is a fight and we throw a few dollars here and there towards it. I have thrown a good chunk towards the “Fight” too but that has been as far as it went, as far as I wanted it to go.
I think that any of us can say that if we looked back one year ago (feb 4 2020) we could not imagine the world as it is now. The events of the year seemed something we would only witness on the silver screen. But here we are… Sh!t show 2021. Riots, masks, the three ringed election… it's all been insane. For 2021 it looks as though if you are an off roader, your life there is going to change as well, and at the same scale.
As I write this the Bears Ear land grab is again in national news. The anti public land guys are rejoicing… and they are mobilizing like never before. Major land closures seem imminent. And they are if we don’t fight back.. Suddenly my land use attitude of “here's a few dollars now please stop talking” makes me feel sheepish. I should have listened, I should have moved the decimal position on those checks. I should have showed up to the meetings and written letters. I haven't done enough. Something must be done. I must get involved..and that is what I am doing.
I received a call a few months ago and an invite to dinner. It was with representatives from the Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC). In the past I probably wouldn't have answered the call, much less spent 6 hours discussing land use. But I knew it was real. This time I knew it was my time.
I was asked to accept a nomination onto the Board from BRC, and after hearing their plans I knew what my answer was. I would be happy to help!
I am honored to accept my appointment to the Blue Ribbon Coalition Board Of Directors. I am excited to join the fight. We have ideas, we have more passion from the off-road world than ever before. I wouldn’t join a losing fight. From where I sit I see a swell of growth for our cause. I see more determination, more creative thinking, more people wanting to be involved and make a difference. We need support. I should have been there in the past, I am happy to be here for the future and, as strange as it is, I'm happy to call myself a land use guy.