I need to say this right off the bat, but the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) are good organizations. They do a lot of great advocacy work to ensure motorcyclists have good representation in the halls of Congress, and the BDR folks have made great strides in ensuring off-roaders and adventure riders can access off-road trails in spots where, historically, they didn't have access due to private land lockups.
And I've personally ridden with members of both groups, all of whom have been good folks and want better advocacy in the outdoor recreation space. So I fully support the idea of the two organizations coming together for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that aims to help protect adventure riding and public trails, focusing on local access issues around the country.
But I'm going to be brutally honest with these groups, and with our readers. While I applaud them fighting for local access, something that absolutely needs to be done, where's the same fire when it comes to the national stage and all the public lands issues we're currently facing from the current U.S. administration? Where's the public outcry over the public lands sell-offs, leases, budget and personnel slashes, and everything else that's been occurring over the last two years?
With two organizations that benefit so greatly from public lands, they and others (SEMA, ORBA, etc.) need to step it the hell up.
According to the release, the idea behind the MOU is to leverage both organizations' strengths to help the other, both in terms of trail stewardship, advocacy, and pushing each's members to the other organization.
"The AMA will support campaigns protecting and promoting BDR routes through AMA communication channels, encouraging AMA members to participate in volunteer efforts and route stewardship," says the release, adding, "BDR will support and promote AMA advocacy work, invite AMA participation in its route-release events and film tours, and actively encourage its riders to join the AMA to support motorcyclists’ rights."
All of which is good, as both—again—do good local access work. And local access work is absolutely necessary.
But while reading their statements, I went searching on each's site and couldn't find a single post about the public lands issues we've been dealing with since the big show down last year during the fight to keep land sales out of the "One Big Beautiful Bill." Nothing on gutting the Forest Service. Nothing on the Roadless Rule's rescision—there are roads there, despite the name. Nothing on land transfers to states who only want to sell them off. Nothing on gutting the Travel Management Plan. Nothing that actually affects either group's member's access to public lands and trails on a day-to-day basis.
And only BDR sorta came out against the Senator Mike Lee pushed land sales amendment in the reconciliation bill, with their statement coming at the 11th hour expressing "concern" over its scope, while also parroting the Utah Public Lands Alliance—which has ties to Lee and his campaign, as well as his family—talking points about land sales being necessary for affordable housing. An idea that's been disproven time and time again to be Lee's actual concern, as well as being a foundational pillar of subterfuge in Project 2025's aim in getting rid of public land.
So while I would love to applaud the organizations for teaming up to push for more advocacy, where's the advocacy for all trail users? Where's the advocacy for adventure riders right now? Because this is an emergency that needs an Avengers-style team up with the rest of the outdoor recreation groups, and that's not what I've seen occurring from either.
They can, however, rally their individual troops, join all the other outdoor recreation groups, and help ensure that not only do they have access to off-road trails for generations to come, but so can everyone else.
I saw a quote the other day that really resonated with me, and I immediately thought of it when I saw the press release. The post said, "People who only protect public land when it aligns with their own agenda should not be trusted to have the keys to public land."
