Where Access is Actually Decided

By Del Albright and Don Amador

If you care about access to public lands, sooner or later you run into a hard truth about getting some skin in the game:

Letters matter. Lawsuits matter. Policy matters.
But day-to-day access is most often shaped by local relationships. Trail by trail. District by district. Ranger by ranger.

This is where volunteers stop being “users with opinions” and become partners in stewardship—people with skin in the game.

Why Local Relationships Matter More Than You Think

National organizations play a vital role. State-level advocacy matters. But when gates swing open—or stay locked—it’s usually because of decisions made by local land managers working under real-world constraints.

That includes agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S.D.A.  Forest Service (USFS), where field offices juggle:

• Limited budgets
• Staff shortages
• Conflicting user demands
• Environmental compliance requirements
• Fire, flood, and emergency response priorities

Local staff don’t need more complaints. They need reliable partners at the local level.

Skin in the Game Changes the Conversation

When volunteers show up consistently—on workdays, in meetings, and during tough seasons—the dynamic shifts. You’re no longer just someone asking for access. You’re someone helping carry the load.

That credibility matters when:

• Routes are being evaluated
• Travel management updates are drafted
• Emergency closures are discussed
• Limited funding forces hard choices

Trust isn’t built online. It’s built in the dirt, over time.

Learn the System Before You Push Against It

Bureaucracy can be frustrating—but it’s also predictable if you learn how it works.

Know Who Does What

Titles matter more than many volunteers realize:

• District Ranger vs. Field Manager
• Recreation Planner vs. Engineer
• Seasonal staff vs. permanent staff
• Park Ranger vs. Law Enforcement Officer

Understanding roles helps you aim suggestions where they can actually land.

Respect Process (Even When It’s Slow)

Most decisions follow defined steps:

• Environmental review
• Public scoping
• Internal sign-offs
• Budget cycles

You don’t have to like the process—but you do need to understand it to work effectively within it.

Be Available When They Call – That’s Skin

One of the strongest signals you can send as a volunteer group is simple:

Show up when asked.

• Trail repair after storms or fires
• Sign replacement or route inventory
• Monitoring projects
• Emergency response support

These moments are remembered—long after the latest social-media argument fades.

Bring Solutions, Not Just Complaints

Pointing out problems is easy. Helping solve them takes effort—but earns respect.

Instead of:

• “This trail is falling apart.”

Try:

• “We can staff a workday.”
• “We have volunteers and tools.”
• “Here’s a phased approach that might help.”
• “Let us help you find grant money.”

Land managers live in a world of tradeoffs. Volunteers who help reduce those tradeoffs stand out.

Relationships Change—That’s Normal

Yes, local staff rotate. Promotions happen. Transfers happen. Budgets shrink.

That’s exactly why relationships must be continuous, not personality-dependent.

Strong volunteer groups:

• Brief new managers early
• Share institutional memory
• Maintain professionalism through transitions

Access survives turnover when the relationship outlives the individual.

The Long Game of Access

This work isn’t flashy. It doesn’t always trend online. But it’s how trails stay open year after year.

Letters protect access on paper.
Relationships protect access on the ground.

If we want to keep doing what we love, we need more than passion—we need participation, presence, and partnerships where it matters most.

Closing Thought

Access isn’t defended only in courtrooms or comment portals. It’s protected by people willing to put in the work—locally, consistently, and constructively.

That’s real skin in the game.

Read more from ASA about Saving the Dunes here.

(Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for over 34 years.   Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing LLC. Don serves as the Western States Representative for the Motorcycle Industry Council. 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.)