“Trails, Rangelands & Community: Idaho Project”
MWRA is dedicated to promoting responsible land use and preserving Idaho’s ranching heritage. We will be working directly with ranchers to bridge recreation and agriculture—two communities that often intersect on Idaho’s shared landscapes.
- Addressing Shared Land-Use Challenges: Many public trails and recreation areas overlap with working rangelands. Together with ranchers, we are building solutions to reduce conflicts between OHV users and livestock operations while keeping these lands accessible to the public.
- Educating Recreation Users: By highlighting Idaho’s ranching heritage, MWRA helps OHV riders, hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts better understand the importance of rangelands and how to recreate respectfully around livestock and grazing areas.
- Promoting Responsible Access: Joint events and outreach efforts emphasize the importance of staying on designated trails, closing gates, respecting livestock, and preventing resource damage—key steps in maintaining long-term access.
- Strengthening Multi-Use Stewardship: This partnership expands MWRA’s role beyond trail work, positioning us as a trusted convener between recreationists, ranchers, and land management agencies.
By combining trail stewardship programs with this new rangeland collaboration, MWRA is uniquely positioned to unite recreation, ranching, and conservation communities. Together, we are advancing the shared goal of responsible land and trail access, ensuring Idaho’s public and working lands remain open, safe, and sustainable for future generations.
Key Components of this project-
Trail Maintenance & Restoration: Conducting volunteer-driven projects to repair, restore, and maintain approximately 20–30 miles of trails.
Signage & Education: Installing 30–40 signs at key trailheads, gates, and rangeland crossings, promoting responsible use (“Stay on Trail,” “Close the Gate,” “Respect Livestock”) and safety.
Rangeland Protection: Installing fencing, repairing gates, and placing habitat protection measures in sensitive areas to reduce unauthorized OHV use and resource damage.
Volunteer Mobilization: Training and equipping volunteers to contribute more than 1,000 hours of service through stewardship projects.
Community Outreach: Partnering with ranchers to deliver educational messaging that highlights Idaho’s ranching heritage and promotes respectful coexistence on shared landscapes.
This project is special because it is one of the first in Idaho to directly bridge recreation and agriculture, demonstrating how OHV users and ranchers can work together to maintain access while protecting land and heritage.By combining stewardship, education, and partnership, MWRA will create a replicable model for responsible OHV access that benefits ranchers, riders, and the broader community across the Mountain West.
This project is made possible through financial support, in-kind contributions, and collaborative partnerships with agencies and organizations committed to responsible recreation and land stewardship.