This article is the third in a series to introduce NOHVCC’s Issue Area Representatives. This article focuses on Public Lands. Future articles in the series will highlight the Representatives from the other issue areas.
Background
At its Annual Conference in Grand Rapids NOHVCC announced a restructuring of its Partner system. NOHVCC Teams have been replaced by an Issue Area Representative (IAR) structure. This structure is designed to make it easier for NOHVCC Partners and others in the OHV community to access the assistance of those with knowledge in a specific area of expertise to help create a positive future for OHV recreation. The current Issue Areas are Public Lands, Private Lands, Youth and Education and Clubs and Associations.
In short, IARs serve on the NOHVCC Board of Directors and can form ad hoc committees to provide you with the information and assistance you need.
Public Lands – Barrett Brown
Barrett Brown is a longtime leader in the search for forest management solutions and expanded recreational opportunities which are important to all communities. Barrett has been a passionate advocate for teamwork and collaboration in regional recreation planning for decades. He has been riding, hiking, biking, and creating trails in Oregon’s Tillamook State Forest for fifty years.
Barrett, an Oregon native from North Plains, operates a small timber farm in northern Washington County which lead to roles as past director of the Washington County Small Woodland Owners Association, and a past member of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Woodland Management Co-op. Barrett started Single Track, LLC, a company dedicated to providing specialty tools to sustainably build and maintain recreational trails. Since 2015 he has served on the Board of Directors of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council.
Barrett has provided years of leadership and expertise in Oregon. He served as the long-time land-use director for the Oregon Motorcycle Rider’s Association and consulted on sustainable trail design projects both nationally and locally in Oregon and Idaho for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, the NW Trail Alliance, and SW Idaho Mountain Bike Association, among others.
Barrett co-authored the original Oregon ATV funding law which was created to establish an Oregon ATV fund to support maintenance and development of Oregon off-highway vehicle opportunities statewide. At Forestry, Barrett was a charter member, and a former chair, of the State Forest Advisory Committee – a group he still serves with, and he has contributed as a recreation liaison to the Alternative Forest Management Plan Stakeholder Committee, the Oregon Board of Forestry’s Public Advisory Committees on the Greatest Permanent Value rule and the Alternative Funding review process. He is among the six stakeholders of the Governor’s 2016 Alternative Forest Management Plan Stakeholder committee, and a principle author of one of the alternatives forwarded to the Board for consideration.
Barrett has long worked towards ensuring that outdoor recreation opportunities remain accessible and enjoyed by all – and that building that future is collaborative and transparent.
Barrett enjoys life on his rural timber farm and ownership of Single Track LLC with his wife of 38 years, Susan, also a native Oregonian.
If you are facing an issue related to public lands (or any of the other issue areas), all you need to do is contact NOHVCC at trailhead@nohvcc.org. NOHVCC staff will then put you in touch with the appropriate IAR who will work with you to make sure you get the help you need!