Rounding the bend, I spied a group gathered around a 4x4 vehicle on its side halfway down a steep trail section.  Thankfully, there were no injuries.  But, there was a problem with recovery efforts.  While the group did have a vehicle with a winch, the cable had come off the spool and was useless.  I positioned my jeep on a trail section above the truck and prepared my winch for action.  And, this was an opportunity to test the new addition to my recovery gear tool set. 

The day before, while checking the various vendor displays at Tierra del Sol Desert Safari, I found a handy gadget offered by OffRoadTrailTools.com -- a folding wheel chock; just the ticket for blocking the wheel while winching or lifting a vehicle.  Safety is a must for off-road fun.

GREAT FALLS, MT (March 11, 2010) — A coalition of recreational groups has prevailed on the merits of their lawsuit challenging the Travel Management Plan for a portion of the Lewis and Clark National Forest in north central Montana.

The order was issued on March 10th from the Great Falls Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The Court ruled in favor of the recreational group plaintiffs, finding that the Travel Plan violated the procedural requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as the Montana Wilderness Study Act (MWSA).

Redondo Beach, CA (Mar 10, 2010) – Badlands Off-Road Adventures today is announcing the release of a new off-road learning DVD.

The winch is a useful off-road tool that can quickly become dangerous and potentially lethal to the operator and spectators.  Proper use requires good working knowledge and, since winches are not used too often, thorough training is a must to retain that knowledge.

This new DVD covers safety related issues, basic operation, simple and complex riggings, stuck assessment, winch capability and minimizing environmental impact. The DVD provides broad working knowledge including the skill to assess each situation and the means to retain a working knowledge of winch use.

Public Scoping Report for the Northern Arizona Proposed Withdrawal Environmental Impact Statement Released

St. George, Utah (Mar 8, 2010) – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently completed a Scoping Report for the Northern Arizona Proposed Withdrawal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). As part of the Department of the Interior’s evaluation of whether to withdraw nearly 1 million acres of federal lands near the Grand Canyon from new uranium mining claims, the report provides a summary of the scoping efforts and the comments received by BLM.