Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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VOL. 54 ISSUE 3 JANUARY 24, 2017 P35 around in five minutes. "Sometimes the bureaucracy of the federal government is our friend, believe it or not!" Amador said with a laugh. "It takes a long time to enact change." As for President Trump, what are his exact viewpoints on land use? "From what I understand, both of Donald Trump's sons, Eric and Don Jr., both ride off-road," Amador said. "And they're also big outdoorsmen, hunters and fishermen. So even though Don- ald Trump doesn't do a lot of out- door recreation, his boys do and from what I heard he does have an understanding and apprecia- tion of the role that federal lands play in providing recreation to the public. So I think he under- stands it and appreciates it and I think that under his administra- tion that we'll get a fair shake." That said, Amador also pointed out that we might have more work on our hands under a Republican congress—another somewhat counter-intuitive point. "There's a number of rea- sons," Amador said. "First of all, sometimes people make the as- sumption that when you have a Republican congress that some- how they will understand and appreciate our access issues better. I found it almost just the opposite that we need to spend extra time communicating with their legislatures on important access issues. It's really a time when we need to be engaged. "Secondly, there are a lot of planning efforts going on with the Forest Service and BLM. A few years ago they started to do more up-front planning where they spend more time meet- ing with the public and getting ideas and suggestions before they start crafting their planning document. It's really important to clubs and individuals to make that time to go to those early planning meetings and offer sug- gestions and get engaged. I've actually seen a growing trend where those types of comments and input are being integrated to a much greater extent today than they have been in the past." The good news is that land- use organizations are listening to us, and seeking our input. The bad news is that we aren't very good at being proactive in providing that input. "We're sort of a crisis-oriented user group, historically," Amador said. "But the Blue Ribbon Coali- tion, myself and others have been trying to shift motorcyclists toward being more proactive rather than reactive. You're much better served and your time is better spent getting engaged in the plan- ning process in the early stage. That early involvement oftentimes will mean that we won't have to file appeals or lawsuits at the end of the planning process. Just spend that little bit of quality time up front rather than trying to spit in the wind at the end of the process. "I always tell people, if you're not engaged, I can tell you for a fact, you're not going to like the product you get. But if you take the time to be engaged, you might actually be surprised at what the agency is willing to designate for your use." It was in fact Trump's son Donald Jr. who reportedly vetted Zinke for the position, personally. Like Don Jr., Zinke is a lifelong hunter and fisherman, and fan- cies himself a "Teddy Roosevelt Republican," and has proudly stated "This land is your land." A Trump tweet several months ago likewise declared, "Hon- oring the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, we will conserve and protect our beautiful natural resources for the next genera- tion—including protecting lands for anglers, hunters and all who enjoy the outdoors." Off-road motorcyclists certain- ly fall under the umbrella of "all who enjoy the outdoors," and we have every reason to hope the new administration will be friend to OHV activities. However, Ama- dor stresses that no matter who is in charge, the cause is still in our own hands. "At the end of the day, off- roaders are in charge of their own destiny to an extent," Ama- dor said. "If there's one thing I can stress, it's the importance of being engaged at the early portion of the planning process. It's very effective and much more productive to be engaged early than to be reactive and stand on a hilltop and spit in the wind. I've tried it, it doesn't work!" Jean Turner