E-News June 12, 2020


We Need Your Input for Our Next Strategic Plan!

The current OCTA Strategic Plan 2015-2020 expires this year.

An updated OCTA Strategic Plan was drafted during a workshop held in Yuma, Arizona on February 20, 2020. OCTA members are encouraged to review and submit comments by August 15, 2020 to Strategic Planning Committee Chairman Dick Waugh at: camalobo@comcast.net. A link to the plan can be found here:

Draft OCTA Strategic Plan 2020-2025

As you read through the plan, please consider how you and your chapter can build on OCTA’s reputation and its past success in addressing threats to the trails, in educating the general public about the trails’ legacy, and in working collaboratively with partners that share similar trail-related visions and missions.

OCTA’s future brings challenges for sustaining an active membership and financial stability. This plan offers specific objectives and actions that hopefully will achieve positive outcomes.

As OCTA members, we ask that you spread the word that the draft is available for review, and that you encourage your chapter members to provide comments.

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Great America Outdoors Act

Please contact your Senators immediately and encourage their support for the Great America Outdoors Act, S. 3422.

It is likely that a final vote on this bi-partisan legislation will come before the Senate on Tuesday, June 16. This is important legislation for OCTA and the Land & Water Conservation Fund. There have been a couple of important procedural votes in the past week that allowed the GAOA to move forward and it is likely there may be further procedural votes on Monday.

Please contact your trails-state Senators by email and phone and urge their support for this legislation, one of the most important parks-related bills in decades. It includes several billion dollars to allow the National Parks Service to take care of important deferred maintenance.

Of particular note, these Senators have voted “no” on the procedural votes and we will need their support as the measure moves forward. It is important that they know their constituents support this bill:

Barrasso (R-WY)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Enzi (R-WY)
Hawley (R-MO)
Lee (R-UT)
Moran (R-KS)
Risch (R-ID)
Romney (R-UT)
Sasse (R-NE)

If your Senator is not on this list, that means they have indicated support for the bill, but we cannot take that support for granted. Please reach out to your Senator’s offices as soon as possible and let them know of your support.