American Motorcyclist April 2018

AMA Meets With Interior

Discussion Centers On Access Issues

► AMA members get exclusive access to American Motorcyclist every month! Join The AMA Today!

L-R: Rob Dingman, Rick May, and AMA Government Affairs Manager Steve Salisbury.

AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman met with Rick May, senior adviser to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, in February to highlight issues facing America’s off-highway enthusiasts.

Among the topics discussed were:

  • Increased funding for the federal Recreational Trails Program.
  • More timely completion of Travel Management Plans. Some have taken seven years or more to complete.
  • Misidentification of trails on BLM maps and other literature.
  • Adherence by the Interior Department’s to its mission of ensuring multi-use recreation.
  • Leaving Wilderness Study Areas in limbo for years and managing them as designated Wilderness areas, restricting access to user groups.
  • Creating obstacles to volunteer labor, including burdensome training requirements.
  • Employing difficult managers and creating lack of continuity when regional leadership changes.

May, a motorcycle enthusiast and former U.S. Navy Seal, was appointed in late 2017 to “oversee recreational activities on public lands, with the aim of creating access and opportunities.”