New GAO OHV Survey - Garbage In/Garbage Out

Have you ever been asked a question that was designed to cast a
poor light on your character regardless of how you answered the question?

If the answer is yes, then you now understand the concern expressed by the BlueRibbon Coalition in a news release from yesterday.

As the release states, there is a new national OHV “survey” from the Government
Accountability Office that has been sent to one federal official
on each Forest or BLM Field Office. The General is familiar with the tone
and direction of the survey and shares BRC’s concerns about the survey’s
“Have you quit kicking your dog?” type questions. Any survey built upon
that foundation will be invalid and useless, unless, the survey was designed
to give political ammo to the anti-OHV crowd.

If this survey has actually gone out, The General urges the selected government agent
on each Forest or BLM Field Office to communicate with the GS5/7/9s that are in the field. They often have the best working knowledge of how OHV recreation is being managed on that unit.

Even though the survey does not ask for examples of successfully managed OHV programs, The General would urge the land manager to include that information somehow into the survey or better yet – Send the survey back and ask the GAO for a more balanced project.

There is an old saying…”Garbage in – Garbage out.” In the case of the GAO OHV survey, I think we all need to be ready to help Congress take out the trash?

BRC News Release on GAO Survey
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/media/?story=634

OHV Group Letter
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Letter_To_GAO.pdf

News Article on the Survey
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/pending-gao-study-on-off-highway-vehicles-fatally-flawed,706450.shtml


Thanks for your service!

# # #