BLM Signs Five-Year Agreement With Off-Road Business Association on Responsible Recreation on Public Lands
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) entered into a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) in Washington on November 2, setting a national framework for responsible recreation and stewardship on public lands and supporting practical coordination at the state and field-office level.
'Public land stewardship works best when we bring people to the table early and focus on solutions,' said BLM Director Steve Pearce, adding that the agreement strengthens the partnership with ORBA, improves access, and gives field offices and local communities tools to support responsible recreation on America's public lands. Laura Butcher, ORBA's legislative director, said ORBA is thrilled to engage formally with the Department of the Interior and BLM on a shared mission to better understand and promote responsible recreation and stewardship of public lands, calling public lands a national treasure and saying everyone benefits when stakeholders pull in the same direction in service of preserving access for all.
The memorandum covers workforce awareness and career outreach; stewardship and public lands projects; recreation opportunity coordination; and economic impact and research collaboration. It is also designed to support recreation infrastructure improvements and data-driven evaluation of the economic contributions of motorized recreation on public lands. Immediate initiatives include developing a practical 'Do I Need a Permit?' session and pursuing opportunities to offer it across the Overland Expo series of enthusiast events, and practical support and basic education from ORBA for Title III and Special Recreation Permits, Paleontological Resource Use Permits and Scientific Research Permits and Authorization.
No federal funding is tied to the memorandum, and it does not change BLM's permitting authority or ORBA's ability to advocate independently. The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land, located primarily in 12 western states including Alaska. ORBA, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), is a national advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and expanding motorized recreational access. The two organizations have worked together at the national level for years, including ORBA's involvement with BLM's Nevada and California offices on special recreation permitting and education and economic impact work, and meetings in Washington in June with the White House, the Department of the Interior, congressional offices and House Natural Resources Committee staff on travel management and motorized access.
（Source: Off-Road Business Association (ORBA)）
Source: Off-Road Business Association (ORBA
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：越野车辆在犹他州的土地管理局公共土地路线上行驶（资料图）。美国土地管理局犹他州办公室 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Off-road vehicles on a Bureau of Land Management route in Utah (file photo). Photo by BLM Utah, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
