National and Regional News 

Washington, D.C. — The Bureau of Land Management recently announced it will invest nearly $9 million from the President’s Investing in America agenda to support increased recreational opportunities and create good paying jobs on America’s public lands. The funds from the Inflation Reduction Act — the largest climate investment in history — will allow the Bureau to hire an additional 30 recreation specialists, from park rangers to outdoor recreation planners. The additional hires promise to make BLM’s recreation program more resilient and able to deliver exceptional and one-of-a-kind recreational experiences on public lands.

In 2022, more than 81 million visits were recorded on public lands — a 40 percent increase since 2012, and a number that grows each year. The funding from the Inflation Reduction Act adds to other recent investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Great American Outdoors Act, which collectively are investing millions to improve recreation sites such as trails, campsites and visitor centers.

The Biden-Harris administration is also implementing America the Beautiful, a decades-long challenge to pursue a locally led, nationwide effort to conserve, connect and restore the lands, waters and wildlife upon which we all depend. The BLM estimates that recreation opportunities on public lands annually contribute more than $11 billion in economic output and support more than 70,000 jobs in communities nationwide. For more information on BLM’s recreation program, visit BLM.gov/recreation.

Washington, D.C. — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation has announced the establishment of the Motorcyclist Advisory Council for a two-year period. The MAC will coordinate with and advise the Secretary of Transportation, the NHTSA administrator and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administrator on transportation issues of concern to motorcyclists, including motorcycle and motorcyclist safety; barrier, road design, construction, and maintenance practices; and the architecture and implementation of intelligent transportation system technologies. NHTSA is also soliciting nominations for appointment to the MAC.

Consistent with the statute, the MAC shall be comprised of 13 members appointed by the Secretary of Transportation for a single term of up to two years. The MAC seeks to have a balanced membership with expertise in motorcycle and motorcyclist safety, highway engineering, and safety analysis.

MAC members will not receive pay or other compensation from NHTSA for their MAC service, but are entitled to reimbursement for their travel expenses, including per diem. The MAC shall meet approximately twice a Federal fiscal year. Members appointed solely for their expertise will serve as special Government employees and relevant ethics laws will apply. Members will be selected based on their expertise, training, experience and ability to represent one of the identified groups. Individuals interested in serving on the MAC are invited to apply for appointment by submitting a resume or curriculum vitae. Individuals also may submit letters of recommendation that highlight their qualifications as to expertise, training, experience or ability to represent one of the identified groups.

To apply (use only overnight mail) send your application to the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Safety Programs, Room W44–308, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, 20590 or emailed to MotorcyclistAdvisoryCouncil@dot.gov. 

For additional information, contact John W. Marshall, Director, Office of Safety Programs, Office of Research and Program Development, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, john.marshall@dot.gov or (202) 366–3803.  

Sacramento, Calif. — The head of the Bureau of Land Management’s California office that manages more than 15 million acres of federal land is leaving the BLM after a more than 30-year career. Karen Mouritsen, who has held several leadership positions during her time with the agency, including director of the bureau’s Eastern States Office and as acting director of the Alaska and New Mexico offices, is retiring at the end of the year.

BLM California manages a vast area comprising about 15 percent of the Golden State’s landmass. In addition to the 15.2 million acres of bureau land in California, BLM oversees 1.6 million acres in northwest Nevada. The state office also administers 47 million acres of subsurface mineral estate underlying mostly federal land in the two states. 

State News 

Sacramento, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol is conducting the Winter 2023 California Motorcyclist Safety Program Advisory Committee meeting on Dec. 7 via a WebEx video conference from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is to provide information about program achievements over the past year and includes activities planned for Fiscal Year 2023/2024. Members of the public are welcome to attend. However, due to strict departmental security policies, any public member wishing to attend must be known prior to the meeting date.  

To ensure your name appears on the meeting list and you receive an invitational email, send your contact information in an e-mail to cmsp_unit@chp.ca.gov or call CHP Special Projects Section at (916) 843-3370. Visit chp.ca.gov/programs-services/programs/california-motorcyclist-safety for more information. Be sure to notify the CHP of your interest no later than Dec. 1, to ensure your name is included on the attendee list. 

San Diego, Calif. — Registration is now officially underway for the 2024 Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program Technical Workshop being held on Jan. 17, 2024, in San Diego. Registration is required to participate in either the virtual or in-person workshop. To register, please visit the registration forum. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. If you intend to participate in person, please see the information on the workshop venue. The Division is pleased to provide a hybrid workshop this year, allowing Applicants and current Grantees the option to participate either in-person or virtually.

While attendance is not mandatory to participate in the Grants Program, the OHMVR Division strongly encourages everyone to take advantage of this workshop as it offers valuable insights. A limited number of hotel rooms have been blocked for this event. To ensure your room reservation, please visit the Grant Workshop: Attendees Jan2024 – Start your reservation by no later than Dec. 19. For inquiries regarding the hotel’s policies, rates, or cancellations, please contact the hotel directly. 

 Regulation binders are no longer distributed; please visit the Grants Regulation’s webpage to download a copy. If you have any questions, email ohv.grants@parks.ca.gov. 

Industry News 

Minneapolis, Minn. — Polaris has announced a donation of more than $100,000 to off-road vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and snowmobile organizations across the United States and Canada as a part of its TRAILS GRANTS program. The program focuses on promoting safe and responsible riding, supporting trail preservation, and helping protect the environment and natural resources that are a part of the off-road trail systems. 

Eleven organizations were named Fall 2023 TRAILS GRANTS recipients and received awards up to $10,000 each: 

• Grand Lake Trail Grooming Inc. (Grand Lake, Colo.) 

• Lexington Highlanders Snowmobile Club (Lexington Township, Maine) 

• Mollyockett Sportsman’s Club (West Paris, Maine) 

• Alborn Sno-Devils Inc (Alborn, Minn.) 

• Woodtick Wheelers ATV/OHM Club (Hackensack, Minn.) 

• Lutsen TrailBreakers Snowmobile Club (Lutsen, Minn.) 

• E C Riders Snowmobile Club Inc. (Mora, Minn.) 

• Great North Woods Riders ATV Club (Pittsburg, N.H.) 

• Sno-Bees Snowmobile Club Inc (Barre, Vermont) 

• Sno-Eagles Inc. (Eagle River, Wis.) 

• Thompson Valley ORV Club (Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada) 

Since the start of the program in 2006, Polaris has supported more than 370 ATV, off-road and snowmobiling organizations across the U.S. and Canada with more than $3.3 million in donations. Awarded twice annually, TRAILS grants support the efforts of nonprofit organizations and local riding clubs who use the grant for trail development, maintenance projects, safety and responsible riding education initiatives and other projects. 

For more information, including how to apply for a 2024 TRAILS grant, visit polaris.com/en-us/trails-application/. 

AMA News 

Fond Du Lac, Wis. — After an added year of anticipation due to last year’s cancellation, the AMA Ice Race Grand Championship GP and Oval events are set to make a return in 2024, with the GP set for Jan. 21 and the Oval for Feb. 10 at Lake Winnebago. 

The AMA Ice Race Grand Championships are the only amateur ice racing opportunities in which a racer can earn an AMA National No. 1 plate. Not only will AMA No. 1 plates be on the line, but racers will also compete for the AMA Ice Racer of the Year, AMA Vet/Senior Ice Racer of the Year and AMA Youth Racer of the Year.

The GP event will run alongside the Steel Shoe Fund 3 Hour Endurance Race, an annual endurance ice event that serves as the main fundraiser for the Steel Shoe Fund — a non-profit organization that assists flat track racers who have sustained serious injury during competition. In the event of a cancellation, the GP event will have a makeup date of Jan. 28.

For more information regarding the AMA Ice Race Grand Championships, visit americanmotorcyclist.com/racing/ice-racing/. 

Pickerington, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association congratulates the United States World Trophy Team and Women’s World Trophy Team, who each brought home first-place finishes at the 2023 International Six Days Enduro in San Juan, Argentina. In addition to these resounding victories, the U.S. Junior World Trophy Team added a second-place finish.

The U.S. also saw success from its club teams, with the U.S. Club Team XC Gear finishing first among club teams, while the U.S. Team GTBN earned second. Several riders also forged individual success during the grueling six-day competition, with Women’s Trophy Team rider Brandy Richards taking the overall win in the Women’s class while Josh Toth emerged victorious in the C2 Club Class and Jaden Dahners triumphed in the C1 Club class. 

Despite battling extreme heat throughout the six-day event, the U.S. World Trophy Team and Women’s World Trophy Team outpaced the field to claim their third and fourth respective ISDE titles. Members of the U.S. World Trophy Team included Dante Oliveira, Taylor Robert, Johnny Girroir and Cole Martinez, who outpaced second-place France and third-place Great Britain for the world crown. Oliveira, Robert and Girroir finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in individual competition enroute to the team victory. 

For more information regarding the 2023 ISDE, visit fim-isde.com/. 

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AMA News & Notes is a monthly publication compiled and edited by the American Motorcyclist Association. Designed to inform motorcyclists of rights-related issues and events in the United States and around the world, AMA News & Notes welcomes your input. Suggestions and editorial contributions can be sent to AMA Director of Communications Matthew Miles at mmiles@ama-cycle.org.

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