PLANNING THE WILD - RECPRO INTERVIEW WITH DON AMADOR ON RECREATION MANAGEMENT

Photo Credit - RECPRO

PLANNING THE WILD – PODCAST ON RECREATION MANAGEMENT

 

Just want to thank Rachel Franchina and the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals (SORP) for giving me the opportunity to speak on a recent podcast that is part of their Planning the Wild series designed for U.S. Forest Service professionals and partners who work on National Forest Service lands in the Pacific Northwest.   These educational podcasts are done in partnership with USFS Region 6.

 

PLANNING THE WILD – EPISODE 2  (24 minutes)

https://www.recpro.org/viewdocument/s1-e2-trailblazing-together-don-a

 

 While this podcast covers my recreation and resource management journey spanning 70 years from growing up in Eureka to currently living in Cottonwood, CA,  I think it is more about highlighting the important role that relationships and collaboration have in successfully managed recreation programs, forest health efforts, and wildfire mitigation projects.

 

The interview hits on a lot of topics including the DOGE cutbacks,  explosive growth of recreation use during COVID,  creation of a culture of trail stewardship and volunteerism, and collaboration between diverse interest groups.

 

Important concepts and strategies such as mentorship, paying it forward, servant leadership, and finding zones of agreement are part of the interview.

 

The interview went by fast.  However, I did try and cite some real world examples of how groups such as the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance, Nevada County Woods Riders, FireScape Mendocino work with their Forest Service partners on projects to build generational support for access to managed recreational opportunities on public lands in CA and the West.

 

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Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for 35 years.   Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing LLC. Don serves as the Western States Representative for the Motorcycle Industry Council. Don is Past President/CEO and current board member of the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance.  Don is a Co-Founder and Core-Team member on FireScape Mendocino, a forest health collaborative that is part of the National Fire Learning Network.  Don served as an AD Driver for the Forest Service North Zone Fire Cache during the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Fire Seasons.