August, 2005 Newsletter
Recreational Trails Program
Miracles do happen in Washington, even in July! After months of writing about it, we are pleased to report to you that the Congress has finally passed the highway authorization bill. This means the Recreational Trails Program has been reauthorized for five more years with an increase in authorized funding of $370,000,000.
This is a major accomplishment! Many recreation groups have worked very hard to shepherd this program through a very lengthy reauthorization process. The fact that RTP was not only reauthorized but also received a significant increase in authorized funding is very good news. ARRA members have consistently been in touch with their Senators and Representatives urging support for RTP, and this hard work has finally paid off. Congratulations to all who have supported this important program.
New Forest Service Report on OHV Recreation
Hot of the press, the Forest Service has just released a major study on OHV recreation. This is an excellent report with a wealth of information. OHV enthusiasts will find this to be a very good resource for OHV data. The report is called: Off Highway Vehicle Recreation in the United States, Regions and States. To access this report, please go to this link:
http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/OHV_final_report.pdf.