Editorial Keep mountain bikes out of wilderness areas Mountain bikers ride up the Cholla Trail in the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park April 29, 2008. (Los Angeles Times) The Times Editorial Board The federal Wilderness Act of 1964 was not vague about its intent: to protect significant and as-yet unspoiled land and wildlife habitat from the ravages of “an … Read More

BCHA needs your help: Calls to Congress Needed this Week! We have learned that Congress could begin negotiations this week regarding 2018 funding for a number of programs important to horsemen, including the Land and Water Conservation Fund and recreation and trail programs administered by the federal land management agencies. There is much at stake for horsemen and trail users. Congress … Read More

Uphold the Integrity of the Wilderness Act Voice Your Opposition to H.R. 1349 Mountain bikes in designated Wilderness? For over 50 years it’s been prohibited by the landmark Wilderness Act. But a new group, the Sustainable Trails Coalition (STC), intends to change that. The STC’s president proclaimed that legalizing mountain bikes in wilderness is inevitable. We need your help to … Read More

Public Law 114-245: National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act, was signed by President Obama on November 28, 2016. We did it! BCHA, our partners and “Trails bill” sponsors have brought national attention to the trail maintenance backlog on our national forests. There is much more work ahead, however, as the agency has yet to enjoy increased funding and capacity to … Read More

The Senate passes the National Forest Service Trail Stewardship Act of 2015 (H.R.845 S.1110). See other related news –  National Forest Trail Maintenance Legislation H.R. 845 Passes House Back Country Horsemen of America(BCHA), The American Horse Council(AHC) ,  and the Wilderness Society were significantly involved in the creation and passage of this bill. This follows House passage of the bill earlier … Read More

Groups hail legislation that will preserve America’s trails Washington D.C. (September 26, 2016) Today the House of Representatives approved H.R. 845, the National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act by Representatives Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Tim Walz (D-MN). The legislation would keep more trails across the nation open and accessible by expanding the use of volunteer and partner organizations and providing … Read More

This Bill in Congress Would Benefit Trails and Horsemen in Three Ways As the 114th Congress looks toward its final months of work, we urge you to support the bipartisan agreement to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund that passed the Senate in April as part of the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015. BCHA is a member of the LWCF … Read More

Comment Online with BCHA Talking Points Below Yosemite National Park recently issued “Preliminary Concepts & Ideas” for its forthcoming Wilderness Stewardship Plan. The plan covers over 704,000 acres of designated Wilderness, or 94%, of Yosemite National Park. The park identified four topics that have substantive effects on wilderness and wilderness management. Those topics are visitor use and capacity, stock use, trail management, and commercial … Read More