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By: Robert Janis
Guidelines on
Behavior Proves Trails Can Be Shared By All
There are times when divergent groups meet
over the same issue. Each group has its own
agenda which may appear at first to be contrary
to others who are concerned over the same issue.
When prejudices of the different groups surface,
then it may seem impossible for all the groups
concerned to be able to amiably settle the issue
each has in common.
That would appear to describe the situation of
trail use and access. The trails of the nation
are used by a divergent group of people. There
are off-road enthusiasts, horseback riders,
hikers, environmentalists and more. Each has
their own particular reason and way to enjoy the
trails. Also, each, when not thinking of the
concerns of others, can make the trail
experience a bad one for people of other groups.
But what happens when each of the groups work
together for the common good? That is what
happened involving the creation of a Share Our
Trails Guideline, which provides suggestions on
how users of the trails should behave.
A major participant in the creation of the
guidelines was the National Off-Highway Vehicle
Conservation Council (NOHVCC). The reason for
the guidelines became apparent in an incident
involving local trail user groups in Northern
California.
Jack Terrell, senior project coordinator for
NOHVCC, explained. “The need for the guidelines
grew out of an incident on state land in
California. There was an encounter between OHVs
and equestrians. The OHVers spooked the horses
that equestrians were riding. As a result, local
OHV and equestrian groups, the Loomis Basin
Horsemen’s Association, the California
Department of State Parks, and other
stakeholders decided to form a group to discuss
the event and see if something could be done
that could prevent similar encounters.
“As the group discussed possible , it became
clear that a set of behavior guidelines, or
trail ethics, could be the answer. Discussions
continued and more groups that have a vested
interest in using the trails joined or were
invited to participate. Soon the group became
aware that this was a state issue not just a
local issue, and then state groups that had a
vested interest in the trails joined in. That
included the Off-Road Business Association
(ORBA) and the California district of the
American Motorcyclist Association as well as
NOHVCC. NOHVCC got on board because we saw it as
an education issue.
“Discussions continued, and it soon became
obvious that it was not just a local or state
issue but a national issue. Therefore, the U.S.
Forest Service and national groups that
represented a wide spectrum of trail enthusiasts
became a part of the process. These new groups
included the American Motorcyclist Association,
United 4Wheel Drive Association,
BlueRibbon
Coalition, Equestrian Land Conservation
Resource, Back Country Horsemen of America,
Tread Lightly!, Leave No Trace Center for
Outdoor Ethics, International Mountain Bicycling
Association, Americans for Responsible
Recreational Access, Motorcycle Industry
Council, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America,
Recreational Off-Road Highway Vehicle
Association, and more.”
NOHVCC took the lead when the participating
groups decided to actually create guidelines and
set up the infrastructure which led to the
publication of the Share Our Trails Guide. “We
tried to put each group in the shoes of the
other user groups so that they could all
understand each other’s concerns,” added
Terrell.
“By the time the process was completed, there
were as many as 22 organizations involved,” said
Terrell.
The Process
The actual process of drafting the guidelines
involved a number of periodic conference calls
during which all groups had an input. Notes were
made and passed on to NOHVCC which put an order
to them, and then an actual draft was written
using the notes as a source. The text was passed
around to the various groups and each suggested
changes which were incorporated after review and
approval by all participants. “It was a very
lengthy process,” said Terrell. “Every group had
their own views, but in the end we got unanimous
agreement.”
Once the guidelines were complete then the
involved groups sent them out to their members
and promoted them on their websites. In
addition, press releases were sent out by the
groups including NOHVCC to the media. State
agencies like the California State Parks are
distributing them.
You can find the guidelines on the websites of
the NOHVCC, Tread Lightly!, and Americans for
Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) as well
as other groups, (www.arra-access.com/arra/sharing_our_trails.html)
and you can download the guidelines from the
NOHVCC website (www.nohvcc.org/index.asp)
According to Terrell, the guidelines are just
suggestions. “It doesn’t have a regulatory or
enforcement aspect to it. It is an educational
piece. It is a starting point for people to
think about how they should interact on the
trails with other user groups.”
Terrell added that the guidelines should not be
looked on as a guide for state legislatures to
write law on trail behavior. “We at NOHVCC
looked at it as an educational thing rather than
a regulatory thing. If individual groups or
state agencies want to take it to the next step,
it is their option to do so,” said Terrell.
Terrell noted that in the immediate future--the
rest of the year and during the recreation
season--the guidelines will be published in a
variety of formats and will appear in magazines
and newspapers as well as hand outs that will be
given out at trail heads and on the trails
themselves.
According to Terrell, the whole process was an
eye opener. “As different groups got involved,
there seemed to be a better understanding of the
concerns of the various groups.” He also
volunteered that the group has not been
disbanded. “The group can be used to help settle
other issues,” said Terrell. “In the long term,
it provides a good structure to work on other
issues because the people involved are now
comfortable working with one another and that
took awhile,” concluded Terrell.
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