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In February 2023, BCHA Chairman Sherry Copeland and National Park Service(NPS) Director Charles F. Sams, III, signed a 5-year General Agreement orientedtoward mutual cooperation. It’s a long-awaited renewal of BCHA’s previousagreement with the agency. The agreement encourages national park unitsthroughout the nation to partner with local BCH chapters for service, education-related and trail maintenance projects. Park units across the nation … Read More

By Randy Rasmussen – BCHA Director of Public Lands and Recreation Public debate is likely to intensify in 2021 regarding the appropriate role of motorized electric bicycle (e-bike) use in outdoor recreation, including the appropriate role of electric mountain bikes (e-MTBs) among backcountry trails. The issue is not going away any time soon. This Public Lands Update summarizes recent changes … Read More

Becoming A Member We are a volunteer-driven organization! Get involved by becoming a member and help us to protect our American trails for future generations. Put your skills to work and join a Back Country Horsemen Chapter, be part of a work party to clear your favorite trail, teach Light on the Land ethics. Get to know your local forest … Read More

When is a motor on a mountain bike not considered a motor? When the Secretary of Interior commands it. Nothing could be more crazy, but here we are. Electric bikes (e-Bikes) soon could be sharing multiple-use trails with horsemen. On August 29th, Secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI), David Bernhardt, issued Secretarial Order 3376, titled “Increasing Recreational Opportunities through … Read More

Secretary of Interior Declares: A Motor is Not a Motor. On August 29th, 2019, the Secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI) issued Secretarial Order 3376, titled “Increasing Recreational Opportunities through the use of Electric Bikes.” The Order applies to all DOI agencies (National Park Service, BLM, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). Essentially, it orders the agencies to adopt policies … Read More

How Can Kids Reach Out To Congress Just because you can’t vote yet doesn’t mean you can’t voice your view on things that matter to you. Your representatives in congress represent everyone in their district, including children. By reaching out to your congressman or woman, you can help influence their vote on potential laws and regulations that affect you, your … Read More

BCHA needs your help: Calls to Congress Needed this Week! We have learned that Congress could begin negotiations this week regarding 2018 funding for a number of programs important to horsemen, including the Land and Water Conservation Fund and recreation and trail programs administered by the federal land management agencies. There is much at stake for horsemen and trail users. Congress … Read More

Comment Online with BCHA Talking Points Below Yosemite National Park recently issued “Preliminary Concepts & Ideas” for its forthcoming Wilderness Stewardship Plan. The plan covers over 704,000 acres of designated Wilderness, or 94%, of Yosemite National Park. The park identified four topics that have substantive effects on wilderness and wilderness management. Those topics are visitor use and capacity, stock use, trail management, and commercial … Read More

OUR PUBLIC LAND The 1964 Wilderness Act established a National Wilderness Preservation System of federal lands “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” The act designated 54 wilderness areas with 9.1 million acres within the national forests and reserved to Congress the authority to add … Read More

Contacts for BCHA Craig Ferdig Chairman chairman@bcha.org Latifia Rodriguez Vice Chairman vchairman@bcha.org Heather Schultz Treasurer treasurer@bcha.org Mark Himmel Past Chairman markahimmel@gmail.com Randy Rasmussen Director for Public Lands & Recreation WildernessAdvisor@bcha.org Michelle Wade Executive Administrator michellewade@bcha.org Brad Pollman Executive Committee ec@bcha.org Jim Allen Executive Committee ec@bcha.org Heather Cox Executive Committee ec@bcha.org VACANT Executive Committee/Non-Director ec@bcha.org Greg Schatz Executive Committee/Non-Director ec@bcha.org John … Read More