July 22, 2026
USDA
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-0003
We, the undersigned members and partners of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK), write to share our views on the Department’s implementation of Executive Order (EO) 14408 entitled “Removing Unnecessary and Counterproductive Restrictions on Access to Federal Lands.” This EO directs the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service to revise or rescind its “Travel Management” regulations governing motorized recreation on public lands.
OAK does not oppose motorized recreation on public lands. However, we are concerned that a widespread expansion of motorized access could pose significant safety risks to children and families and could adversely affect the quiet recreation experience. We urge you to preserve key elements of the Travel Management regulations to reduce the risks of this outcome. OAK is concerned that the Department’s revisions of the Forest Service Travel Management regulations could restrict community input and local decisionmaking about the right balance between motorized and nonmotorized recreation access on roads and trails used by youth groups, families with children, seniors and those with limited mobility to get outside.
OAK is a leading national alliance of more than 100 businesses and non-profit organizations representing more than 60 million individuals across the U.S., with a common interest in connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors. One-hundred million people in the U.S. – including 28 million children – do not live within walking, biking, or rolling distance of a safe park or green space. Our members and supporters believe that the need for ample opportunities for all to recreate and work in the outdoors has never been more apparent. Providing these opportunities will promote health and wellness and drive a sustainable outdoor recreation economy.
OAK represents families with children that like to adventure in the outdoors. In addition, many of OAK’s members are organizations that provide guided recreational and educational experiences to children and young people. The programs and families we represent take kids hiking, backpacking, camping, paddling, fishing, hunting and bird watching in our National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, National Forests and on Bureau of Land Management lands. To the best of their ability, these outdoor leaders seek to provide safe and enjoyable experiences to their children and their participants. To do that, they need to be able to accurately predict what they will encounter when they venture out onto public lands.
Providing safe experiences on public lands requires careful management of different types of recreational uses. Without careful management, speed conflicts between user groups occur more frequently, and this increases the risks of high speed collisions that can cause serious injury or death to both non-motorized and motorized users.
For twenty years, the Forest Service’s Travel Management regulations have provided a framework for balancing the interests of motorized and non-motorized recreationists. As the Department considers revisions to these regulations, OAK believes that key elements of these regulations must be preserved to ensure that all users can continue to have safe and enjoyable experiences on public lands without facing unnecessary risks of high speed collision. We urge the Department to preserve the following elements in any revision of the regulations:
- The regulations should continue to require the agencies to develop motor vehicle use maps and over snow vehicle use maps that designate and identify areas that are open to motorized use.
- These maps should be developed at the local level through a process that is open to input from all user groups.
- The designations should be made to reduce the risks of adverse effects to soil, water resources, wildlife and habitat, and to other recreational users.
- Areas that are not designated as open should be closed to motorized use.
Preserving these elements will help to ensure that families and young people can continue to have safe and enjoyable experiences on public lands.
We thank the Department for this opportunity to share our thoughts on the implementation of EO 14408. We invite you to use OAK and its member organizations as a resource as you consider the effects of revisions to the Travel Management regulations on the outdoor experiences of children, youth and families.
Sincerely,
| Appalachian Mountain Club
Asian Pacific Islander Forward Movement COFEM- Consejo de Federaciones Mexicanas Day One Everlasting Education Hacienda El Portal Nature-Based Services Hidden Villa Justice Outside Kish Kids Outside Latino Outdoors Mater Amoris Montessori School |
MyOutdoorJoy
Nature for All The Nuhop Center for Experiential Learning Refugee Education & Adventure Challenge (REACH) Reno Inspiring Connections Outdoors Salted Roots Sierra Club Wilderness Louisville The Wilderness Society |
