Pointers for Letter Writing

One thing you should know about writing letters to elected officials and land managers is that there is a right and a wrong way to do it. One way could result in favorable changes and the other could simply be a waste of your time or alienate someone against you or OHV users as a group. Well written, rational, considerate letters DO have an impact on decisions. Irrational, angry or poorly written letters usually don't get much attention other than a token response. Your letter should contain emotion but not personal attacks or venting of anger. We have listed some Dos and Don'ts for letters to land managers and elected officials. If you want to be super effective, write a letter to your elected officials about statewide or regional issues. Send letters regarding specific trails or areas to individual national forests or BLM districts. Be sure you carbon copy the Forest Service and BLM state offices. Keep in mind, land managers have to manage their resources balancing many different special interests including mining, timber, grazing, wildlife, endangered species, motorized and non-motorized recreation. Motorized recreation is a legitimate use of our public lands. So help us and yourself. Write a letter or two or three!

DO:
• Write your own letter.
• Use rational logic.
• Let the addressee know your concerns, be specific
• Emphasize your recreation as something of value to you and others
• Mention your love of the outdoors and the environment. (You wouldn't be riding if you didn't love the outdoors. Some non-riders think that it is our mission, our sole intent, to attack the environment.)
• Be specific about the areas you ride and are concerned about. (Include area or trail name.)
• Mention the beauty, quality and diversity of areas that you ride. (Some non-riders believe that any place that is open for riding is all you need, even if it is flat and boring.)
• If your whole family is involved, definitely mention it.
• Use positive emotion. If you feel deeply about the subject, let it flow.
• Just stay positive.
• Definitely mention that you are a responsible rider and adhere to the "Tread Lightly" code.

DON'T:

• Get nasty.
• Tell the addressee that you are their boss. (taxpayer)
• Get personal.
• Attack the environmental community.
• Attack the endangered species act. This is a law and land managers have to comply with it. (You can, however, express concerns about the ESA to your elected officials because they can change the law.)