The Official Publication of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association. Since 1976 and Still Going Strong.

KEEPING TRAILS OPEN...

Greg Mumm is the Executive Director of the Blue Ribbon Coalition and a long-time TLCA member. Send him e-mail at brgreg@sharetrails.org.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007

THE OPEN GATE

by Greg Mumm

I wouldn't believe what you have heard or have been hearing in the media about the November elections being about the environment and thus bad for recreation. It is true that extreme and so called environmental groups did pour a lot of money into those elections in an effort to ensure defeat of certain political figures. Many of those groups are now claiming it is proof of their political clout and that the elections were about their agendas. It is not true.

Don't let history be rewritten to be something that it wasn't. Check the facts. You will find that where money was poured into the campaigns by extremist groups, rarely was the environment even mentioned. The big changes that came about in the last election were about something quite different.

“Fine,” some folks will say, “but the changes that did come will still hurt recreation. You cannot deny that we lost a lot of political friends.”

Yes, it is true that some of those who were not re-elected were friends and allies of recreation. But that doesn't make the above statement true. To begin with, we might have gained more political friends and allies than we lost. Time will tell and we are who make the difference there. Forget party lines, folks. Recreation—indeed the TLCA—is not a partisan entity. When you go wheeling with your buddies, do you first ensure that they are all Democrats or all Republicans? Certainly not! The common love of the vehicles we drive and of the great outdoors is the driving force. When it comes to politics, we play well with others. The fact that recreation groups are nonpartisan is true throughout recreation.

Secondly, I think it is important to express with plain and simple certainty that recreation and caring for the welfare of the environment are not mutually exclusive and never have been. The truth is, most of the motorized recreation enthusiasts that I know in the TLCA are more environmentally concerned (in belief and in practice) than many of the folks I know who consider themselves environmentalists. This fact is also true throughout recreation.

Finally, the question of recreation winning or losing only begins at election time. After comes the challenge for us to build critical new relationships with our representatives. We need to take the time to get to know them; they need to get to know us; and together we need to make sure our voice is heard. We need make that happen in Washington. And it needs to happen in your state and in your county and local governments.

When it comes to keeping the gates open, it is all about politics and politics is all about building relationships. To that end, there are four basic fronts we need to work on:

1. We need to get it done administratively through our involvement with the agency planning processes.
2. We can no longer abide and must continue to work hard at countering the extreme prejudice of anti-access in our nation's courts.
3. We need to build partnerships among other recreational entities and multi-use groups.
4. And, as I have said here, we now have a job in forging new relationships with the new faces in our government.

I'm not asking you to go to Washington (although if you can, you should). I'm just asking you to go to your county commissioner's meeting or write a letter to your state and federal representation. Welcome them to the job and introduce concerns on behalf of recreation. Make yourself known. Let them hear our voice.
If you don't, who will?