The BRC challenges the Federal government in court in an effort to preserve a Wyoming trail for motorized recreation.
According to a press release by the The BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), the land use rights organization filed a complaint Thursday against the Federal government to challenge the arbitrary closure of, “Trail 38,” a high value single-track motorcycle trail in Wyoming.
The BRC Legal Program is representing a local AMA District club and local users in the case.
“Though the trail mileage is small, the stakes are high,” said J.R. Riggins, a plaintiff in the suit and Wyoming dirt bike rider. “The Forest Service apparently thought it could fly under the radar and close this trail without meaningful analysis or public process. We are calling their bluff,” Riggins concluded.
Since 1997, the BRC Legal Program has challenged arbitrary closures in and defended pro-trail agency decisions, according to the release. BRC has invested over $1.7 million in legal fees to adovcate for access since 1996. Many cases involve defense of attacks from anti-access groups, but some, like the Trail 38 case, are efforts to establish or restore access opportunities.
BRC says that its legal team has represented plaintiffs or filed cross-claims against the agency in at least 14 cases. BRC Legal has appeared in California 15 times, 9 each for Idaho and Utah, 7 in Wyoming, 5 in Montana or on issues of Nationwide importance like Roadless Rule(s), and 3 or less in the remaining states which include Oregon, Alaska, Colorado, Arkansas, Illinois, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Florida. The methods of access at issue have varied too, with 23 matters involving all forms of wheeled access, 14 focused on over-snow vehicles, 9 covering all motorized access, 5 exclusively 4WD, 3 exclusively ATV, 3 boating or personal watercraft, 3 including equestrian access, and 1 backcountry aviation case.
The BRC Legal Program relies on donations for much of its legal defense work. Persons interested in donating to either the BRC legal defense fund can visit the BRC website at https://www.sharetrails.org/support/join-or-contribute/?other=BRC-LEGALFUND
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