Rhonda and I made the trip to Idaho for the Fall Board Meeting of the Blue Ribbon Coalition last week. This year, we decided to take the scenic routes there and back since the weather was so cooperative.

On the way there, we traveled the southern pass through the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming, then up that stunning canyon on the other side of Thermopolis that leads up to Boysen Reservoir and over to Dubois for the first night. The next day, we made an early start up through the Wind River Canyon and over the pass into the Tetons. The final leg of the trip led us through parts of the Targhee and the Caribou National Forests and up the valley to Pocatello.

On the way back, we took a more northern route up to West Yellowstone where we spent the night in the "Flea-Bag Inn" (literally). After buckwheat pancakes at a quaint little joint the next morning, we paid the price of entry and drove through Yellowstone to Cody, Wyoming, across the span to Shell and up the northern pass of the Bighorns.

All in all, we drove pretty close to 1400 miles through what is considered to be some of the most scenic country in the west. The weather was wonderful, the vistas were unbelievably dramatic and the fall colors in the mountains were absolutely breathtaking (which is all girl talk for pretty darn cool). We saw moose, turkeys, elk, deer, antelope, fox, buffalo, and listened to the wolves howling outside of West Yellowstone. We saw people that were hunting, fishing, white-water rafting, snowmobile racing on the grass, wheeling, biking, riding their ATVs and just plain gawking around.

I tell you all this because everywhere I turned, I was reminded of how important it is that we keep up the good fight both for recreation and for the harvest of natural resources. Sometimes I think we can get complacent or busy in our daily worries and forget how important it is to stay involved on issues that relate to this.

As we drove through the Bighorns, we couldn’t help but notice the trails that led off the highway with big gates closing them off. In the Targhee, we couldn’t see the forest for the unhealthy trees. In Yellowstone, we wondered what hadn’t burned. Casually sitting around the table at the meetings, I had the opportunity to talk with other board members from around the country and learned how good we have it by comparison.

The formal board meetings that should have bored me for two and a half days, this year served instead to rejuvenate something inside me to press on and I hope in the coming months I can pass that enthusiasm on to you. Over the course of this past year, the Blue Ribbon Coalition has done a lot of good things to help preserve access in several big ways for all sorts of recreation. I am also happy to report the coming year will be no different.

There were several key decisions made at this meeting that will charge the efforts already underway and for some that will be soon in coming. To begin with, Clark Collins, original founder of BRC 16 years ago, is stepping down as Executive Officer and moving in to full time funding efforts. Two things came as a result of that which will have a profound effect on the future of the Blue Ribbon Coalition. We interviewed and selected a new Executive Officer who brings a tremendous background in Land Use/Access Issues to the table. Clark Collins, who for years has done a remarkable job in securing funding as well as running the BRC on a daily basis, will now be able to turn his efforts full time to fund raising and thereby allowing the BRC greater involvement across the country.

As you well know, we changed the format of the Blue Ribbon Magazine over a year ago from a newspaper type publication to a true magazine format and have met with measurable success. Blue Ribbon hired a full time person to sell advertising in that magazine and in the course of the last year, her efforts have gone a long way toward fully funding the magazine from its advertising. Del Albright, the BRC Ambassador to the 4-wheeling community, with help from Clark Collins has secured enough sponsorship from businesses related to 4-wheeling to nearly pay for his entire expense to the BRC. Don Amador, the western representative of the BRC has done the same thing.

Additionally, donations by individuals, businesses and club organizations have been remarkable this past year. At this meeting alone, there were checks received by several organizations represented on the board of directors notably including a $3000.00 check from the Pacific Northwest Four Wheel Drive Association and a $2000.00 check from the Dakota Territory Cruisers.

With all of that in mind, we were able to agree on the largest budget we have approved since I have been sitting on the board of directors of the BRC. The best thing is that the majority of that budget goes to preserving access. We are by no means flush in the big business millions like the Sierra Club and other radical organizations that stand in opposition to us, but we are having a profound effect on the course of issues that arise and growing stronger daily.

Part of the budget we passed includes the financial backing to secure a lobbyist in Washington to represent our interests. The person we are already into negotiations with is one of the best in the business and we are all excited for that to come to fruition. I can’t tell you how important that will be to recreation.

On the legal side of things, we have had success on several fronts including the Clinton Roadless fiasco, the Lake Powell and Lake Meade PWC issues, the Yellowstone snowmobile issue and others. It is incredibly amazing to me how the legal side of things tangle things up. We have seen issues and lawsuits stretch on for literally years once they go legal. Unfortunately, that is what happens and it is part of the preservation process.

All in all, it has been a good year for the Blue Ribbon Coalition and we are looking forward to an even better year to come. In the mean time, we need to remember to enjoy the things we fight for.