OHV RECREATION PREDICTIONS FOR 2026
The Great
Donstradamus has emerged from his cabin deep in an oak savanna located at a
secret location in the Pacific Northwest with his OHV and resource management
predictions for 2026. He offers insights
into key topics of the day such as a new “Trail Czar”, Moto Moms, OHV Safety, Presidential
recognition, Health Food, Wildfires, hybrid or all electric OHV, and other
issues that affect the outdoor recreation community.
10- A statewide alliance of CA OHV groups introduce
legislation to create an online E-Course OHV Safety Program to help educate new users of motorized
vehicles about trail ethics, wearing safety gear, regulations, different land
agencies, law enforcement, and conservation practices related to managed OHV
recreation.
9 -There will be at least one participant ride a hybrid or
all-electric motorcycle in the famous Oakland Motorcycle Club’s Annual SheetIron
Dual Sport/ADV Ride. This is the largest
DS/ADV coastal range-based DS/ADV event on the West Coast. This
event will test the bike’s range and reliability.
8 - Health experts and nutritionists within the outdoor
recreation community rediscover a potent high protein diet to be used by trail
enthusiasts who want to build/repair muscle, increase mental acuity, and
promote a strong gut. This health program
consists largely of steaks and other cuts of meat from wagyu or Angus beef raised
on family-owned cattle ranches. These steaks and other cuts will be offered in
select stores or can be purchased online.
7- DOGE effort helps refocus Forest Service leadership to
redirect fiscal and other resources out to local units to empower District
Rangers and Forest Supervisors to increase the pace and scale of on-the-ground
projects that benefit natural, cultural, and recreation programs.
6- Ivanka Trump purchases a dirt-bike for her 10-year old
son, Joseph, so he can pursue his passion to become a MX star. Ivanka also starts a new “Moto Mom” clothing
line for those moms out there who support their sons and daughters who want to
ride off-road motorcycles.
5- President Donald Trump recognizes the Sierra Buttes
Trail Stewardship non-profit trail organization for their vision and hard work
on their “Connected Communities” project to connect numerous small towns in the
Sierra Nevada with a 500-mile network of multiple-use routes.
4- Forest Service Chief, Tom Shultz, creates a new “Trail
Czar” position in the agency to promote the designation of roads, trails, and
areas for OHV and other outdoor recreation activities. That new Czar will spend a lot of time in
the field meeting with National Forests that already have a high quality trail
recreation program and, most importantly, those Forests that do not to
encourage them to get on the trail recreation train.
3- CA State Parks reverses course on creating and
maintaining artificial man-made vegetative islands that that
can be used by skunks, raccoons, and foxes to more easily access snowy plover
nesting grounds near the beach at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area and adopt the mechanical removal of man-made vegetation
structures used at the OR Dunes National Recreation Area so as to inhibit easy
access by predators to the plover nesting sites. This change in management direction could
restore a significant amount of acres closed over the last 15 years by the aforementioned
mitigation measures.
2- After significant push-back against the Coyote Creek
Solar Project from OHV interests, conservation groups, and Indian Tribes, the
Solar Industry commits to robust stakeholder engagement during pre-scoping and formal
scoping periods to avoid proposing solar projects that directly impact popular
OHV recreation areas such as the CA State Parks Prairie City State Vehicular
Recreation Area.
1- National and regional motorized and non-motorized
outdoor recreation groups will continue to collaborate and find common ground
on a growing number of access challenges realizing there is strength in
numbers. Those collaborative efforts take
on even more importance as they address new problems and find solutions.
# # #
Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and
recreation management profession for over 33 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 served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon
Coalition from 1996 until June, 2018. Don served on the California Off-Highway
Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. He has won numerous awards
including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and
the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don served as the government affairs lead for
AMA District 36 in Northern California from 2019 – 2023. Don is a Core-Team member
on FireScape Mendocino. Don served as an
AD Driver at the FS North Zone Fire Cache for the 22, 23, and 24 wildfire
seasons. Don is a contributor to Dealernews Magazine. Don writes from his home
in Cottonwood, CA.
