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22 Years of Nationally Saving Trails — NAMRC is on Today! 22 Years of Nationally Saving Trails — NAMRC is on Today!
NATIONAL LAND USE ALLIANCE CELEBRATES 22 YEARS OF SUCCESS Today, Monday October 29, 2018  in Las Vegas, NV in conjunction with the SEMA Show,... 22 Years of Nationally Saving Trails — NAMRC is on Today!

NATIONAL LAND USE ALLIANCE CELEBRATES 22 YEARS OF SUCCESS

Today, Monday October 29, 2018  in Las Vegas, NV in conjunction with the SEMA Show, a historically significant organization meets for the 22nd year in a row.  In my 35 years of land use experience and 50 years of jeeping and off-roading, I have yet to encounter a more powerful or effective alliance than NAMRC — the North American Motorized Recreation Council.

 

NAMRC Background

In 1996 the East Coast 4 Wheel Drive Association proposed the idea of a national off-road (4wd) coordination group they called the “Great American Four Wheel Drive Council.” Their intent was to bring more groups together who were not necessarily members of other groups. In November of 1997 and May of 1998 a few of us got together and  orchestrated meetings that were held to firm up the idea of a national group, but with a more diverse representation than just jeepers or 4×4.

Motorized and non-motorized (multiple use groups) were represented in the initial meetings. Eventually the group decided to focus on motorized access, no matter the type of sport or modality, and became known as the North American Motorized Recreation Council (NAMRC).

NAMRC is like a Knights of the Round-table group, loosely organized with an informal structure, dedicated to sharing information about common problems and finding unity in national solutions. BlueRibbon Coalition provides the facilitator and annual arrangements for the meetings. SEMA hosts the meetings as part of their annual show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Two of the original founders, R.I.P. Ken and Sugar Fields, East Coast 4WDA

 

Typical NAMRC meeting at the SEMA snow (this one 2011)

 

Building “unity in our community”

Two decades ago our motorized community was in near upheaval with the iron grip of radical environmentalism taking hold, combined with the lack of something as simple as email.  If you remember 1994, Halloween day, the Desert Protection Act locked up 8 million acres of southern California deserts overnight.  The rest of the country was experiencing similar landscape changes.  Motorized enthusiasts were about to lose the game!

We had to write letters that needed envelopes,  and use fax machines back then. Email and the internet were really just getting a good start.  For me, it was plain — without unity in our community we were going to find less and less access to our freedoms and the motorized sports we love.

National leaders come together

NAMRC was born with the idea of bringing the leaders and activists together from all types of outdoor recreation on a national level to work together towards conserving our outdoor heritage and recreational opportunities.

By their mission statement, NAMRC is an alliance of organizations that facilitates communications, shares information, expertise and resources to enhance unity. NAMRC helps the organized motorized recreation community and other interested groups become more effective in their efforts to maintain, improve and expand opportunities and experiences in our many forms of recreation.

Building unity in our community — all forms of motorized recreation

 

NAMRC welcomes the leaders of all motorized groups, clubs, organizations and associations to our annual meetings. There are no dues or “memberships.” NAMRC does not detract from, but rather enhances, the mission of the entire motorized community.  NAMRC comes together, face-to-face, in the spirit of giving leaders and land use advocates from around the country a seat at the table and a voice in our recreational pursuits nationwide.

The team

For 20 years the meetings were facilitated and organized by me, at first in my role with Cal4wheel.  Now the NAMRC team is Rebecca Antle (AZ), Matt “Big Sarge” Westrich (UT) and Todd Ockert (TX).

Please email Todd Ockert at [email protected] if you would like more information

More about NAMRC here at http://www.namrc.com

Original video explaining NAMRC (when the author still represented BlueRibbon Coalition)

The entire team at NAMRC is dedicated to saving trails for motorized recreation and ensuring you have a nationally coordinated effort to keep our sports alive and well — with unity in our community.

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Del Albright Ambassador

Internationally published author; WorldWide ModernJeeper Abassador and 2014 Inductee of the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. Del has been involved in the Jeeping Lifestyle for longer then most of us can count. His educational and mentorship programs have helped developed warfighters in the ongoing battle to keep Public Lands Open to the Public.

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