Advocacy

Speaking For Trails and Mountain Biking

NWTA actively works with land managers and partners to advocate for access to the outdoors through mountain biking/off-road cycling. Our vision is to not only maintain existing access, but to support efforts to bring new off-road cycling trails of all types to our communities. A primary advocacy goal of NWTA is to also make the mountain bike experience welcoming and accessible for all.

We represent a collective mountain biking/off-road cycling community voice in the regional area, and are actively involved in working with local land partners.

Advocacy Alerts

NWTA’s advocacy work also involves keeping YOU — our members, donors and supporters — appraised of where you can use your voice to speak for trails, bike access, and conservation. There are two areas in particular our staff and advocacy committee monitor, and will subsequently notify members where there is an option to have your voice heard:

• Public input in a huge part of the process for federal, state and local planning processes. In fact, it is often a legal requirement of permitting and planning processes that moves a project from concept to execution. We will notify membership when public lands projects have opportunity for public input to advance trail access and mountain biking opportunities.
• State and federal legislation is often proposed that affects public lands, trails, bike access, or nonprofits. In partnership with other local trail organizations and coalitions, we keep a pulse on these proposals and frequently submit comments in line with our mission, vision and values as an organization.

Share your support now with Senate Leadership and your State Senators for SB 1593-A.

Update 2/25/2026: Despite overwhelming opposition from the outdoor recreation and conservation communities, the Senate passed SB 1517A on a narrow 16-13 vote. SB 1517A does not address the liability risk or insurance issues of organizations focused primarily on trails stewardship and restoration activities. Trail maintenance and restoration are not covered in the list of recreation operators’ activities, while outdoor stewardship work carries the same kind of risks of other outdoor recreation activities that individuals sign waivers to acknowledge risks of to participate in. Without it, NWTA’s stewardship work is at risk.

Email the following Oregon State Senators and Representatives, and include your own Senator/Representative as well (look up your senator and representative):

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

—

Sample email (Please customize with a personal note):

Subject: SB 1517-7 Puts Outdoor Recreation and Stewardship at Risk!

Dear Legislators and House and Senate Leadership,

SB 1517-7 as currently written does not provide adequate protections for organizations leading outdoor recreation and stewardship activities. In fact, it contains exceptions to waivers that may put our organizations and our volunteer board officers at even greater risk if passed as currently written. We hope the bill will be sent to House Rules to address the following concerns:

1. Stewardship activities like maintenance and restoration are not covered in the list of recreation operators’ activities for which waivers can be enforced.
2. The long list of exceptions to claims that can be included in activity waivers leaves Oregon’s small businesses and volunteer organizations holding an untenable level of liability risk. We fully support the exception for “claims for greater than ordinary negligence, including gross negligence, reckless conduct, willful misconduct or intentional acts.” We believe some of the other exceptions could put non-profit organizations working to increase safe access to the outdoors and fostering volunteer stewardship of our public lands at even greater risk. Non-profits are often operating on public lands and using public equipment and must not be held liable for environmental hazards.
3. Lastly for any law passed to rebalance Oregon’s recreation liability laws, we would like to see the inclusion of all waivers signed by legal guardians included, not just those for minors. We put great value on all Oregonians having access to outdoor recreation and all members of our families participating together in outdoor recreation and stewardship activities as is safe and appropriate. 

We are simultaneously requesting that SB 1593A be scheduled for a hearing and work session in Senate Rules ASAP so that it has time for consideration on the Senate and House Floors this session. SB 1593A provides critical and balanced liability risk protections for conservation and recreation organizations increasing outdoor access and volunteerism for Oregonians while protecting individuals’ rights to redress in cases of gross negligence, criminal negligence, or willful acts that put them at risk. 

Please don’t leave our organizations, small businesses, and public agencies shouldering such a high level of liability risk. We work to provide safe and welcoming access to the outdoors for all Oregonians while leveraging thousands of volunteer hours to care for public lands. Please ensure the protections in SB 1593A have a path forward to being adopted into law this session

Thank you for your leadership,
<Your Name, City and/or the Organization or Business you represent>

Our Land Management and Agency Partners

United States Forest Service	Bureau of Land Management	Oregon State Parks	Oregon Department of Forestry
Oregon State University College of Forestry	Greenwood Resources	Metro Oregon	Portland Parks and Recreation
Port of Cascade Locks	Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation	Washington County Parks	City of Castle Rock, WA