More than 100 off-road enthusiasts and members of the Texas Motorized Trails Coalition (TMTC) gathered Saturday to celebrate as BFGoodrich® Tires named Barnwell Mountain Recreational Area as one of its 2009 Outstanding Trails and awarded the club a grant. The Barnwell Mountain Recreational Area near Gilmer, TX, features a system of trails in an 1,800-acre park, featuring scramble areas, training hills and rock crawls. The BFGoodrich grant will be used to preserve the trail system and continue conservation efforts for one of America's premier areas for off-roading.

BFGoodrich Tires, working in conjunction with Tread Lightly!® and United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA), chose the Barnwell Mountain Recreational Area because it provides riding opportunities for many skill levels on varied terrain – rock, dirt, mud and hills.

"Barnwell is an off-roader's paradise because it offers activities for every type of off-roader and obstacles that cover the board in difficulty and skill levels," said Joe Mazur, light-truck brand category manager for BFGoodrich Tires. "We're honored to join with the Texas Motorized Trails Coalition to help in the conservation efforts for this amazing off-road park."

Texas Motorized Trails Coalition is a not-for-profit organization established in 1999 and is quickly becoming the leading "grass root authority" for establishing and managing off-road parks for motorized usage in Texas by all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and full-size 4x4 trucks and Jeeps. This Texas-based organization requires membership and is family-oriented with responsible members - young and old, who are concerned for safety and are aware of their responsibilities for proper land usage and natural resources - and is completely dependent on member volunteer participation.

Launched in 2006, the BFGoodrich Tires Outstanding Trails program is dedicated to the responsible use, and preservation of, off-road trails while providing aid in the trails' conservation efforts. Since its inception, the Outstanding Trails program has recognized 17 off-road trails in 14 states and two in Canada. The program has also given $62,000 in grants to clubs and seen more than 2,000 participants at trail events.

Aside from Barnwell Mountain, Fordyce Creek Trail, located in California in the Tahoe National Forest, was also named to the 2009 Outstanding Trails program.

Both Tread Lightly! And UFWDA are nonprofit organizations dedicated to responsible and ethical outdoor recreation. BFGoodrich Tires collaborated with these two groups to select the finest off-road trails, and will continue to work with these organizations on restoration and education initiatives.

Tread Lightly!
Tread Lightly! is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to proactively protect recreation access and opportunities. Tread Lightly!'s strategic educational message, along with its training and restoration initiatives is designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them. The program is long-term in scope with a goal to balance the needs of the people who enjoy outdoor recreation with the needs of the environment and it's leading the way to help remedy current and future recreation issues. Tread Lightly! is proud to be recognized by the USDA Forest Service and is its partner actively engaged in collaborating to implement solutions to the problems associated with outdoor recreation.

United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA)
United Four Wheel Drive Associations is the world's leading representative of all-brand four-wheel-drive enthusiasts. UFWDA benefits, developed and tested true over the past 30 years, include: four-wheel drive safety and awareness education; user ethics programs such as adopt-a-road, conservation volunteer, and volunteer trail patrol; assistance with new club formation; education seminars to aid four-wheelers through complex state and federal programs affecting trail access; Internet forums designed to connect members globally and instantaneously; and unrestrained member access to its full-time legislative advocate and nationally recognized attorney working exclusively for four-wheel drive enthusiasts to protect access and prevent road and trail closures. For more information on the UFWDA, log on to www.ufwda.org or call toll free 1-800-44-UFWDA (800-448-3932).

BFGoodrich Tires
Using motorsports as a proving ground for more than 30 years, BFGoodrich Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, sports car, drifting, drag, desert, dirt, rally and extreme rock crawling. BFGoodrich Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high performance tire for every type of vehicle.