Representative Lauren Boebert
Att: Ashley Higgins
1609 Longworth Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Ashley:
Please accept this correspondence as the vigorous support of the above organizations for the LOCAL Act and its requirements for the BLM National Office permanently remaining in Grand Junction, Colorado. Our Organizations have directly experienced the significant benefits of the recent move of the BLM National Headquarters to Grand Junction, as many of our members have partnered with BLM for the maintenance and development of recreational resources on BLM lands through the State level OHV registration programs our member have created and through targeted funding from industry partners. Historically, our members have made annual visits to the Washington DC headquarters of the BLM to address issues involving BLM lands. While this annual communication was effective, there were obvious limitations on this model to convey information in a timely and effective manner. Many times, there were long periods of limited communication between in person meetings.
Since the BLM National Office moved to Grand Junction, Colorado the timely and effective communication with BLM leadership has greatly improved. Often our members would encounter BLM National leadership at meetings on other issues and have informal meetings with BLM leadership over coffee at breaks. Often these unscheduled meetings were highly effective in simply conveying information in a timely and effective manner on whatever issue BLM might be encountering. These discussions have included coffee maker discussions on the use of electric bicycles on BLM lands and how funding from the Great American Outdoors Act was being administered on BLM lands. While issues such as this can been addressed over phone calls, in person meetings and contact eases transfer of information and allow limited resources to be targeted most effectively.
These in person based meetings also facilitated building personal relationships with managers and these existing relationships proved highly valuable in addressing issues around the explosion of usages on BLM lands as a result of the COVID outbreak. This free exchange of information was highly effective in using exceptionally limited resources from partners to respond to the COVID outbreak. The creation of these relationships with partners is a huge basis for keeping the BLM National headquarters in the Grand Junction location.
The Organizations would welcome a discussion of these opportunities and any other challenges that might be facing the GMUG moving forward at your convenience. Please feel free to contact Don Riggle at 725 Palomar Lane, Colorado Springs, 80906, Cell (719) 338- 4106 or Scott Jones, Esq. at 508 Ashford Drive, Longmont, CO 80504. His phone is (518)281-5810 and his email is scott.jones46@yahoo.com.
Scott Jones, Esq.
CSA Executive Director
TPA & COHVCO Authorized Representative
Don Riggle
Director of Operations
Trails Preservation Alliance