The goal of the Cow Tag event, which began in 2015 and actually limits the number of entries to help minimize environmental impacts, is to promote safe and responsible motorized recreation while highlighting the importance of volunteer work days to maintain and protect public access in one of the largest trail systems in the United States.

  

Proceeds from the event are directly reinvested to local advocacy groups for trail maintenance and rehabilitation efforts to keep singletrack trails open for off-road riding. 

On Sept. 14, KLIM awarded $6,900 to three local nonprofits for their volunteer efforts preserving and protecting public trails in the backcountry: The Idaho Single Track Alliance, Idaho Falls Trail Machine Association, two Idaho-based trail riding motorcycle clubs, and Advocates for Multi-Use of Public Lands, a Jackson, Wyo.-based organization with ties to Southeast Idaho, each received $2,300. 

 

“We appreciate KLIM’s willingness to help and give back to the trail system,” said ISTA President, Mike Evans. “It’s made a big difference for us as volunteers, so we'll continue to support KLIM in their efforts to help the trail system.”

 The unique event also shines a light on the importance of rider education, which is becoming increasingly more critical for an at-risk motorized community. Walk into any powersports dealership across the country and most first-time users can purchase a new or used off-road vehicle right off the showroom floor and walk right out without knowing how or where to access Idaho’s abundance of public trails, general rules for use or proper trail etiquette. 

“If we abuse it, it gives organizations ammunition for shutting zones down, and we've already lost so many miles of trail and acres of riding that we can't afford to lose any more,” said AMPL’s Executive Director, Will Mook.

 

With a global pandemic helping fuel the outdoor recreation industry while restaurants and shops remained closed, off-highway vehicle sales continue to climb with 2022 being the third-highest since 2008 (with only 2020 and 2021 outperforming) – a 40.7% increase since 2019 – according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. 

 

“If the pandemic had any positives, I saw a lot more families being involved all the way through, from little kids on up,” said IFTMA’s Ben Hawker. “I thought that was great. It kind of goes back to the basics: They were going recreating, whether it was camping and using motorized, non-motorized and everything else.” 

 

Yet, some recreationalists see OHV growth as a threat to wilderness and wildlife habitat, and OHVs are largely to blame for creating illegal trails, which can lead to trail damage and trail closures happening in an instant. The biggest problem, advocates say, is that a lot of new users just don’t know how to recreate responsibly.

  

“We motorized users can definitely have that smoker-in-the-room connotation,” said Mook, a Victor, Idaho, resident. “There’s a lot of folks who have no real understanding of the rules and regulations.” 

 

It hits closer to home in Idaho – a peak playground for some of the world’s most pristine single track – where a record 7.7 million visitors to the state’s 30 parks in 2020 and 2021 contribute $1.2 billion to the economy each year through camping and day use. 

“The trails are definitely getting used way more than they used to,” Evans said. “We used to ride in the middle of the week and never see anybody. Now we're seeing people like we do on the weekends. And then the weekends are just a whole other level. It's a free for all.”

 

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Scattered across the country are longstanding nonprofit groups teaming up to try and protect public access. Before this year’s event, the US Forest Service, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and various stakeholders worked together making sure open trails were “up to par,” and land management standards, closing trails with too much snow, digging water drainage and removing downfall trees.

“I really think it made a big impact on that forest,” Evans said, adding that ISTA volunteers are US Forest Service certified-S212, Chainsaw Level A, First Aid and CPR certified. “We spent hours and hours up there working on those trails. And we educated those users while they were there. You know, the trail fairies don't just show up. There's somebody actually working on it.”

  

Along with reimbursements, fuel, tires and chainsaw chains, donations are used to purchase supplies like fencing – last year, ITSA bought $2,500 worth of fencing to put up along the road in the Palisades district and in some of the campsites. 

 

“This year, we’ve spent $12,000 on fuel, parts, just operating costs,” said Evans, a retired Idaho Falls paramedic. “And that’s no wage to any of us at all. It’s a good thing we have volunteers that will do it for free.”

 

It’s hard to imagine how much work goes into maintaining Idaho’s trail system where nearly 65% of the state is public land. 

 

“Donations from KLIM have really helped that so that we can make sure that happens,” Evans said.  

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For AMPL, which advocates for preserving public lands for multi-use recreation, the donation from this year’s Cow Tag will benefit trail work in Southeast Idaho and Northwest Wyoming.

“It's been amazing to see the powersports industry really stepping up and contributing to these nonprofits that work to keep access open,” Mook said. “I think we're all in agreement that there's more trail work to be done on our public lands than there’s a lifetime to do.”  

This year, AMPL hired five part-time trail crew employees who are trained to maintain public trails. 

“We take it all very seriously,” Mook said. “We do everything to a T right by the book because we want to really show the entire community that motorized users are responsible and stewards of the land.” 

Through greater education and outreach, social media and newsletters, Mook said AMPL’s goal is doing as much trail work as possible for the public to have a great user experience, no matter how they're choosing to recreate. 

“The motorized community is most at-risk for losing access,” he said. “They're kind of the low-hanging fruit for certain organizations to try to close out to the public lands, so we really try to promote responsible motorized recreation.” 

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For IFTMA, a nonprofit devoted to single-track trail riding and maintenance, the donation will contribute to supplies as well as education efforts about what’s allowable on public lands, Hawker said.

 

“Unfortunately, we need more Jack Fence material bought for various areas to block access, restrictor gates and that type of thing,” Hawker added, who has served as club treasurer for nine years. “I just think that's where our focus is going to have to kind of go back to basics of trying to, you know, self-police.”

Without organizations like these working together to educate OHV users on the privilege of proper recreational land use – for instance, any user under age 16 must complete a free Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation-approved motorbike, ATV or UTV safety course – the growing outdoor recreation industry will continue losing motorized access to recreational trails due to irresponsible riders. 

 

“I think more education is critical,” Hawker said. “We don't want the powers that be to come in and say, ‘Oh, you guys didn't treat this area nicely. We're just gonna shut you out of it.’ We don't want that.”

At its best, the Cow Tag event transcends just another day of dirt bike riding. It’s a chance to bring to life the power of local communities working together for one common goal to advocate for multi-use recreation. 

“I don’t think that it’s going to be up to one group,” ISTA’s Evans said. “We all have to come together to say, ‘Hey, we are going to use these trails, let's do it responsibly.’ There's so many opportunities to ride here in Idaho, I don't know why you need to abuse what we have.”

For more information or how to get involved with local clubs and organizations, visit: 

Idaho Single Track Alliance: ISTA - istaofidaho.com 

Idaho Falls Trail Machine Association - iftma.org 

Advocates for Multi-Use of Public Lands - teamampl.org