Webinars explaining U.S. Forest Service Travel Management Plans set for July

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) has announced it will present free webinars in July dealing with route designations in national forests.

The webinars – entitled “Route Designation: How Did We Get Here?” -- will be held on July 21 at 10 a.m., July 22 at noon, and July 28 at 6 p.m. All times are Central Daylight Savings Time. Registration can be done at NOHVCC.org.

This is the first in a four-part Public Land Advocacy webinar series. The series is designed to help government agency personnel, OHV enthusiasts, and other interested parties create and maintain sustainable OHV trails.

The workshops in the series were developed in cooperation with the AMA, BlueRibbon Coalition, Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), Off-Road Business Association, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA), and United Four Wheel Drive Associations.

Thanks to funding provided by the MIC, SVIA, and the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association, as well as the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative Program, this webinar series is free.

"Route Designation: How Did We Get Here?" focuses on the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Travel Management Rule, the planning process and structure.  This is a valuable session in which to participate even if your focus isn't on the USFS. The information presented regarding the route designation and planning process is similar to processes used by other government agencies, and it helps provide a foundation for other webinar sessions in the series.

The second and third parts of the series -- "System Trail Planning - Part 1" and "System Trail Planning - Part 2" -- will help riders and land managers understand how to plan, design, manage, and maintain trail systems that meet riders' needs by providing high quality and adequate quantities of trails that riders will want to stay on, not trails that they have to stay on.

The fourth webinar – “Making it Work” -- will help riders understand how to be effective in their efforts to influence the decisions that will determine where they can ride.

Russ Ehnes, NOHVCC executive director, said: "We are very excited to be able to offer this webinar series.  Since we will be holding several sessions of the same module, we will be able to accommodate as many people's schedules as possible.  This will be a great way to reach people who would not otherwise be able to attend a workshop due to travel budget constraints."

For more information and to register for webinar sessions, go to NOHVCC.org or call (800) 348-6487.