One of BCHA’s most tangible advocacy wins is negotiating nationwide partnership agreements with federal agencies. These don’t fix every local issue by themselves, but they materially help chapters by creating a recognized framework for volunteering, training, and project cooperation.

Why this matters as “advocacy”: It turns “please let us help” into “we have an established national framework,” which reduces friction when chapters pursue local agreements, volunteer coverage, and project approvals.

BCHA also highlights—and sometimes helps drive—specific agency decisions where access was at stake.

A clear example BCHA itself points to:

• Bryce Canyon National Park: the superintendent abandoned a proposed rule for private horse use and instead moved toward cooperative working relations with a local BCH group (noted as October 2014).

BCHA regularly submits formal comment letters on proposed federal rules that could change non-motorized trail character and create safety/compatibility issues for equestrians.

Example (well-documented series):

• E-bikes and horses do not mix well. Each has their place and benefits. We are advocating for continued safety while riding horses on our public lands.
• BCHA filed formal public comments opposing aspects of proposed e-bike rule changes at multiple agencies, including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and also submitted letters related to Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service e-bike proposals in June 2020.

Accomplishment here: even when outcomes vary by agency/unit, BCHA is consistently “in the record” with detailed safety/compatibility and process arguments—which is often what determines whether agencies must modify, delay, analyze more deeply, or defend decisions later.

BCHA has pushed for federal investment in deferred maintenance and trails. One major example in the trails world:

• The Great American Outdoors Act became public law on August 4, 2020, establishing the Legacy Restoration Fund and making full funding for LWCF permanent. BCHA communicated and rallied member support around that opportunity in its publications during the push.

BCHA maintains a national presence in D.C. and participates in major trails advocacy coalitions/events:

• BCHA describes its Capitol Hill presence via its public lands program.
• BCHA participates in Hike the Hill (a major annual trails advocacy convening).

BCHA also advocates on policies that affect volunteer capacity and costs:

• BCHA has promoted support for legislation to improve the volunteer mileage/tax situation; for example, the Volunteer Driver Tax Appreciation Act of 2025 (H.R. 1582, 119th Congress) addresses charitable mileage rate policy.
  (That’s an example of advocacy in progress—intended to reduce barriers to volunteering.)

Historically, BCHA has described early advocacy successes around stock management rules—e.g., raising objections to wilderness permit systems and getting them resolved in ways acceptable to stock users (an example discussed in BCHA’s history document).