RECREATIONAL AVIATION FOUNDATION TO COLLABORATE WITH USFS AND BLM

The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) brought two major initiatives to fruition on a mid-March trip to Washington, D.C.. RAF  President John McKenna  and Public Lands Director  Mark Spencer  completed national Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) documents with the US Forest Service  (USFS)   and the Bureau of Land Management  (BLM). The stated purpose of the USFS MOU is to:

“develop a framework for cooperation between the Forest Service and the RAF relating to support of Forest Service airstrips programs, including support for the operation, rehabilitation, maintenance, and public use of existing backcountry airstrips; assisting in collecting and sharing information about backcountry airstrip recreation opportunities; and enhancing recreation opportunities through funding, volunteerism and sharing technical advice. Collaboration under this MOU can occur at the national, regional, and local levels through mutually beneficial programs, projects, training and other activities that may be planned and accomplished on NFS lands by the FS and the RAF. Such programs, projects and activities will complement the respective missions of the Parties and serve the mutual interest of the parties and the flying public.”

“After eight years of dedication, the RAF is celebrating this enormous accomplishment,” McKenna said. The MOU follows on the heels of the USFS Final Planning Rule Directives released in February that form the basis for aviation use on 193,000,000 acres of National Forests. The new directives were largely the result of the constant RAF advocacy for the aviation community. “Now with this formal MOU, we are ready to roll up our sleeves to maintain, preserve and create backcountry airstrips in Forest Service locations,” Spencer added.


Framework for aviation formed with BLM –


The RAF delegates also secured a national MOU with the BLM. Over six years in the making, this MOU is the first of its kind and recognizes aviation and how it relates to the 245,000,000 acres of BLM lands. In summary, the MOU’s stated purpose is to:


“establish a framework for collaboration between the BLM and the RAF relating to the responsible use of recreational airstrips on BLM-managed lands and to serve the mutual interest of each party and the flying public. Both parties agree to collaborate in identifying opportunities and possible locations throughout the country for the RAF to pursue its mission.”

 “The RAF cannot be more pleased with these accomplishments and that we are considered a trusted partner on matters relating to recreational and backcountry aviation. Were it not for the efforts of many before us – the numerous pilots and aviation organizations that have dedicated time and effort to represent aviation as a good steward of public lands – our accomplishments would have been much more difficult to attain,” McKenna said.

Attachment Size
MOU between USFS and The RAF 3.46 MB
MOU between BLM and The RAF 364.08 KB

Submitted on March 26, 2015.

Posted in News

Recent Posts

IF WE COULD . . .

By Kodi Myhre • December 23, 2025
At about this time, every year, we have this conversation at the RAF about what our year end letter (code for asking for your financial support) should say to you, and about the RAF and the accomplishments of the past year.

WORTH THE READ: STEF GOZA GUEST EDITORIAL

By Taylin Trafton • December 23, 2025
Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This guest editorial is by Stef Goza, a pilot and an RAF Alaska liaison.

BILL DUGAN IS NEW NEBRASKA LIAISON

By lellington • December 21, 2025
Bill credits aviation for much of his success in business and the ability to serve his companies and family. What began in a Champ, and a Tri-Pacer owned by five people, turned into what Bill calls, “a key business tool” in which he accumulated 9,000 hours – in a Cheyenne, a Pilatus, and a TBM, where ninety-five percent of his flying was for business. “My retirement enabled me to recall ‘Why I Learned to Fly’, a slogan from an old RAF video.” Bill’s son, Patrick, purchased the C185 they now share. “While attending a business function, some associates arrived in corporate jets. As they joined up on the tarmac, the jet pilots gathered around Patrick’s 185, and one of the passengers asked, ‘What’s special about this?’ No explanation needed for this RAF audience,” Bill says. “My involvement in the RAF is, in a partial way, repaying the rewards aviation has endowed me with. Having been involved in many worthwhile nonprofits, this is one where financial support is only part of the picture. Physically participating in great projects that have a lasting effect, with good people, returns a great personal benefit,” he says. “My only regret is that I wasn’t there at the start.” Bill and his wife Jane are privileged to be able to split time between their long-time home in eastern Nebraska and Scottsdale, Arizona. While still serving on several boards, he enjoys golf “about every third shot,” biking, cars, and reading, but always looks forward to the time he can be involved in the RAF. “It’s flying with a purpose,” he adds. Bill can be reached at bdugan@theraf.org

Jake Hampton

December 15, 2025
AR Ambassador

RAF ADDS MICHIGAN LIAISON SCOTT ANTTILA

By Taylin Trafton • December 11, 2025
A Christmas gift of flight lessons from his parents started Scott Anttila’s aviation journey in 1985. “I learned at Johnson Field, a small grass strip tucked into the woods in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and that early exposure to simple backcountry flying stuck with me,” Scott says. Growing up in the U.P., he spent a lot of time outdoors and found that flying was another way to get to the places he liked to explore—especially the ones most people never saw. As he earned more ratings and eventually moved to the Detroit area for work, Scott realized he needed a way to stay connected to northern Michigan. He bought an airplane and used it to get back to the smaller airstrips and lake country he enjoyed. Along the way, he also flew gliders out of Frankfort, soaring along the Sleeping Bear Dunes and towing sailplanes over the Great Lakes. “Those flights gave me a different appreciation for the landscape and made me even more interested in the small, out-of-the-way airports scattered around the state,” he says. Visiting those kinds of places, Scott first came across the Recreational Aviation Foundation. He started using RAF-supported airstrips both inside and outside Michigan. “I noticed how well-kept they were and how much access they opened up,” he says, adding, ”Over the years, I’ve watched a number of grass strips close, which made the RAF’s mission feel especially important to me. Maintaining these airstrips keeps aviation connected to the outdoors and makes it possible for more people to reach the quiet, remote areas that inspired me to fly in the first place.” Scott joins the other two RAF Michigan Liaisons, General Grant and Tanmoy Ganguly. He can be reached at santtila@theraf.org . Submitted December 11, 2025.