Backcountry Sled Patriots

08/19/2026

We must get engaged!

Many of you are probably aware that the US Department of Agriculture this week posted in the Federal Register 36 CFR Part 294, Special Roadless Area Conservation (Roadless Rule Recission), and is opening a comment period.

You can easily Google the document. It does not throw regulation to the wind. In fact, if the proposal is codified, it will generally not change existing land management plans but will come into play in future plans, notwithstanding that existing plans can be amended. The overriding intent is to put management of these areas into the hands of the Forest Service regional supervisors. This can work both ways, less restriction or more restriction. It would eliminate the argument that “our hands are tied by the roadless rule”.

Now the wilderness folks don’t want the rule rescinded because the status quo has pretty much shut out motorized recreation in roadless designated areas. They don’t want any risk of change.

They will comment heavily on all the alleged impact expanded motorized use could have on their private recreational areas within public lands.

As a motorized recreationalist, it is easy to sit back and think “it can’t get worse and probably will get better so why comment”. Wrong. It could get worse and, at the very least, will invite litigation when/if forest supervisors try to balance multiple use of the forest. We must get engaged!

One thing that caught my eye when reading the document was that it stated that the proposed rule could have a negative economic impact on recreation. I don’t see that. While there is the potential for alleged conflict between motorized and non-motorized users, that statement overlooks that motorized recreation is the fastest-growing segment in the US. More access should have a more positive economic impact.

I can’t stress enough that all motorized recreationalists need to comment on the positive benefits of the proposed roadless rule rescission. The key points from my perspective are: positive economic impact, decision-making at a local level instead of at a national level “one size fits all”, balanced multiple use of public land. Better fire and insect management due to better access almost goes without saying. Back to the regional decision-making, the Clearwater National Forest supervisors on two recent forest plans supported snowmobile access in RWA’s yet were overridden at the DC level. The proposed rule change would be a step to stop that interference.

Comment link: https://www.regulations.gov/ Docket number FS 2025-0001. We need to support this rule proposal so we can work with the regional Forest Supervisors outside of DC oversight.

06/17/2026

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved language last week to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule. It will now go to the Senate for a full vote. No date set.

One Voice is going through a bit of restructuring. I will send more detailed info at a later date, but long story short, the off-road group that included a foundation supporting One Voice merged with another national off-road group, and while the merged entity will continue to support One Voice, the foundation is being dissolved. This necessitated installing a new board of Directors at One Voice. No work product dilution will occur. Nine new directors were selected, and all agreed to serve on the new board. I am one of the new directors. Kerry White is also on the board, so Mt. and Id. have pretty good representation. One Voice is an all-volunteer group. There are some very talented people (much younger than me) with diverse backgrounds volunteering and serving on the new board.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) the Forest Service signed earlier this year giving One Voice the position of being the National liaison to the Forest Service for motorized recreation has evolved into a positive and energized dialogue ongoing at the senior levels.

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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.