Backcountry Sled Patriots

06/09/2026

On June 5, Washington Post reporter Lisa Friedman wrote an article outlining the review of a draft order prepared for Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, to allow off-road vehicles on millions of acres of National Forest land.

The key points are:

The Forest Service is directed to identify which “closed roads, trails, areas, airstrips and waterways” in each National Forest might be considered for year-round recreation access.

The order would also allow uses and levels in Recommended Wilderness Areas (RWA) prior to wilderness recommendation within 30 days.

This is a companion order to the Executive Order repeal recently signed by President Trump. It is a separate action from the expected roadless rule rescission.

What is not mentioned in the article is that this action/order is a direct result of a One Voice partner meeting with Tom Schultz, Chief Forester, in July 2025. Back Country Sled Patriots (BSP) and Citizens for Balanced Use (CBU) articulated the way RWA’s are being managed as wilderness outside of Congressional approval in Montana and Idaho. Chief Schultz was not aware of the management practice in this particular region. He asked a lot of tough questions, and at the end of the meeting he did commit to investigate our assertions, which has resulted in the draft order prepared for Secretary Rollins.

The 2025 meeting with Chief Schultz was the culmination of over 20 years of work by BSP and CBU to change the way RWA’s are managed in MT and ID.

I would emphasize this is not an official Press release from the USDA

06/02/2026

The One Voice Coalition enthusiastically welcomes President Trump’s withdrawal of Executive Orders 11644 and 11989 and the improved access that will result.

The executive action will now ensure multiple use of public lands means just that. Motorized recreation will now be given equal access consideration to non-motorized recreation. At this point, I do not know if there will be any retroactive aspects to the repeal of the two executive orders. My understanding is that any future RWA’s will have to include multiple uses. BSP is a member/partner with One Voice and attended the July meeting mentioned.

05/27/2026

New Adventures Ahead.

After cruising the BC, Vancouver Is, and Alaska coast for the past 30 years Kayrita and I are switching modes to a land-based adventure. We will spend this summer on a few short trips getting the glitches out of the new motor home and then next summer head north to Alaska, Yukon and??. A cross-Canada trip is on Kayrita’s bucket list. Back in my truck driving days as an owner operator, I hauled a lot of mining and oilfield equipment into Alaska and the Yukon. It will be interesting to see how things have changed, or not, over the last 50 years. I grew up in the Bukley Valley in BC, and the North has always held a special place in my heart.

Our boat “BRANCH OFFICE” is now for sale.

It is listed at Van Isle Brokerage in Sidney, BC. If West Coast cruising is on your bucket list, this could be an opportunity to get a boat in pristine, like-new condition for less than ¼ the price of a comparable new one that would be well north of $1,000,000.00.

You can view all the details at the brokerage website, but some highlights are. Camargue 48ft, 3208 425 HP cat Diesel engines, (annual oil sample records) two heads, three staterooms, $220.000.00 refit completed in 2020.

https://vanislemarina.com/boat-listings/?boatId=10122068

Surveyed in 2022 and noted as above average condition. Transferrable moorage available at Van Isle Marina. US-flagged vessel.

05/01/2026

Lolo Forest Planning Review Update

For those of you who did not attend the Lolo Forest planning review update in Missoula, there wasn’t much new info, except right at the end when the subject of planning if the Roadless Road Rule repeal is passed.

The short answer was they were developing a 2 pronged strategy depending on the outcome. The Deputy Forest Supervisor then interjected and stated they had several options to manage those areas if the rule is repealed. Those options included more RWA’s etc,etc.. Not sure how all this would play out, but based on those comments, the Lolo Forest Plan could end up with even more motorized restrictions if the Roadless rule is repealed.

I had been concerned this was a possible outcome when the proposal to repeal the rule was introduced with no replacement plan as part of the package. This is an outcome that could also apply to the 3 WSA’s Sen Daines is working to repeal.

Again, I urge everyone to get engaged in the Lolo forest plan review. I had hoped that after discussions with Tom Schultz and Mike Boren, the above scenario would not be an option, but after hearing those remarks, my antenna is on high alert.

04/03/2026

Here is a deep dive into the FS reorg.

Check out the specific details on the USFS changes and where the locations will be based.

As part of the USDA reorganization plan, the Forest Service is realigning its organizational structure to strengthen local leadership, streamline operations, and improve mission delivery. The changes include moving headquarters to Salt Lake City, transitioning to a state-based leadership model, buil...

04/03/2026

UPDATE
USDA Moving Forest Service Headquarters to Salt Lake City.

My father had a saying “believe nothing you read and only ½ of what you see”. We got an updated report on the FS re-org from our Vice One partner lawyer, Scott Jones, last night. The number of admin. people being transferred to SLC and/or west locations is approx.. 3000 and 1500 staying in DC. I had reported much lower numbers yesterday taken from a AP release. That equates to around one admin person for each field person at Ranger district level, and doesn’t even take into account other staffing positions. Any business will have a metric / ratio of admin to operations, but I am pretty sure there isn’t any that have more admin than operations!. I’m sure the FS isn’t the only agency with outsized admin positions. We, as taxpayers, are funding this inefficiency, plus the Fed has to borrow money to make up the shortfall.

Moving on, the re-org will be somewhere between 10 and 15 regional districts under the SLC umbrella. The system of independent management by region will be disbanded. Most regional districts will cover several States but Mt and Id will be their own region. The headquarters for Mt will be located in Helena. The Fire Center will remain in Missoula.

Scott Jones was on a group invite phone call with Chris French, Deputy Chief Forester, yesterday, and one of the reveals is how cash-strapped the FS is right now. I can’t release numbers given, but one outcome is likely more ‘PAY TO PLAY” FEES. The motorized folks have been paying most of these fees for years to support services for non paying, non-motorized users. The consensus is non -motorized users will likely have to start paying their fair share. Pressure will be on recreation groups to step up and provide sweat equity into many projects.

04/02/2026

USDA Moving Forest Service Headquarters to Salt Lake City.

The USDA announced on Tuesday that they are moving the Forest Service headquarters from DC to Salt Lake City. 260 people will be relocated, and 130 will stay in DC. The underlying reasoning for the move is that approx.. 90% of National Forest land is in the West. The move is expected to be completed in 2027. While this seems like a common-sense decision, the wilderness folks are very upset, as many of their national groups are headquartered in DC, meaning their lobbying access will now be somewhat inconvenienced. They don’t mention this aspect, but deflect their criticism that the move will threaten air and water quality, public land access, etc. Go figure.

I will be on a Zoom meeting on Thursday with the Forest Service National Trail Program folks. I would expect this topic may come up, and I might have more specific info to report.

03/26/2026

Lolo National Forest Plan Revision April Engagements

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service staff continue to work diligently on the draft plan and draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Lolo’s land management plan revision. This month, our colleagues in the Mountain Services Planning Group completed the draft plan for internal review. The draft plan is the first iteration of the Lolo’s revised land management plan complete with the range of alternatives created from the significant issues you helped us identify in our last public comment period. We have worked hard together to come this far, and I’m grateful for your patience with this process.

Based on this timeline I look forward to hosting a series of community meetings in April to share more about our progress, the overarching framework of the range of alternatives, and learn more about what is on your mind as we move toward our next public comment period. While sharing much about the draft plan content must wait until both documents are complete, these in-person meetings are an excellent opportunity to learn about leader’s intent and the process we’re following at this phase of plan revision.

Schedule of Events

April 21, 2026: Lolo National Forest Plan Revision Community Meeting, Thompson Falls High School 601 Golf St., Thompson Falls, Montana, 5:30-7 p.m.

April 22, 2026: Lolo National Forest Plan Revision Community Meeting, Seeley Lake Community Foundation Building West Wing Room 3150 MT-83 N., Seeley Lake, Montana, 5:30-7 p.m.

April 23, 2026: Lolo National Forest Plan Revision Community Meeting, Superior Ranger Station Conference Room 209 W Riverside Ave., Superior, Montana, 5:30-7 p.m.

April 27, 2026: Lolo National Forest Plan Revision Community Meeting, ALI Auditorium in the Education Building at University of Montana 32 Campus Dr., Missoula, Montana, 5:30-7 p.m.

April 28, 2026: Lolo National Forest Plan Revision Community Meeting, Virtual 5:30-6:30 p.m.

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/26582503584490?p=HZprlmkpF3Y9HwbNR8

Dial in by phone +1 202-650-0123,780990375 #
Phone conference ID: 780 990 375 #

03/25/2026

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

Justin and Mary Elings were the high bidder for a BSP guided snowmobile trip into the Big Hole area a few years ago. First year snow level not good, second year schedule conflict, finally came together this year. The picture of the three of us is at 10,500 ft on the State line where you can see Salmon Id. on one side and the Big Hole valley in Mt on the other side.

Thanks to Dennis Wessels for being our guide.
Awesome group to ride with….
oh, and not another soul/track in the area.

03/14/2026

CORVETTE TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP

Congrats to Matt Whetzel shown taking possession of the Corvette he won in the BSP raffle on Feb 14. Neal Olson, the donor, is handing him the keys for his new ride.