onX Offroad Champions Off-Road Stewardship and Access

Bolsters efforts through grants, partnerships, trail cleanup guides, and more

onX Offroad, the industry’s leading off-road navigation app, is doubling down on stewardship efforts to help improve and conserve public land access across the country. As trail season kicks off, onX is bolstering its stewardship team, offering grants, calling on its users to help clean up local playgrounds, and partnering with prominent off-road organizations to promote ethical and responsible trail use.

“Trails and public lands are at the heart of what we do,” said onX Offroad General Manager, Rory Edwards. “But if we aren’t good stewards of these shared places, we risk losing our access to them. Both on-the-ground action and stewardship education through our app platform are crucial to maintaining these public playgrounds for generations to come.”

A New Stewardship Role 

onX Offroad strengthened its stewardship commitment by adding Becky Marcelliano to the team in the newly created role of Stewardship Manager. In this position she will use the onX Offroad platform to raise awareness for stewardship best practices, provide the public and policymakers with information around the challenges of off-road access, and host on-the-ground stewardship projects. She will be an active advocate on behalf of the off-road community, bringing onX Offroad’s resources to bear through multiple channels.

“Outdoor enthusiasts become stewards when they find personal connection to the landscapes they enjoy and have knowledge of what responsible recreation looks like,” said Becky Marcelliano, onX Stewardship Manager. “As a company that encourages outdoor recreation, we have a responsibility to help inform and empower our audience to leave a positive impact on the trails they drive and do their part to conserve the great places we all love so much.”

Stewardship Grants

Since 2018 onX has committed a portion of its sales to secure and protect access, and to help restore and maintain trails of all types. In 2021 onX opened a grant program designed to support access and stewardship projects, with funding generally ranging between $7,500 and $15,000 per project. To date, the onX grant program has improved access to 60,000 acres of public land, and built or maintained 40 miles of trails. Over the next few years, the company is committed to helping secure or improve public access to 150,000 acres and 150 miles of trails.

The next round for onX grant applications closes May 22, 2022. The company encourages trail associations, clubs, and other groups to submit applications to fund projects ranging from trail building, creating easements, performing maintenance, and installing signage.

Find out more about onX’s Access and Stewardship Initiatives and grant program on the onX website.

Action via the onX Offroad App

onX Offroad has identified off-road hot spots that are well-loved by enthusiasts, but also need more stewardship attention. Starting in Sedona, AZ  and working across the country, onX Offroad is integrating regionally-relevant stewardship tips into the app-platform, notifying users who are recreating in those areas.

In addition to bolstering stewardship awareness, onX Offroad is calling on its users to join in trail cleanup efforts this spring. In partnership with The Public Land Stewards of Bend, onX developed a Trail Cleanup Guide, a step-by-step resource to creating a safe, organized, and successful event that off-roaders can use to get the most impact out of their stewardship efforts. The Trail Cleanup Guide will launch on Earth Day, April 22, 2022. 

Lastly, the onX Offroad app offers thousands of miles of trail information, providing users with the tools they need to confidently navigate to a new adventure. As a result, onX hopes to help spread out the impact and reduce over-trafficked and over-loved trail systems.

Education through Industry Partnerships

onX Offroad has renewed its partnership with TreadLightly!, a premier nonprofit dedicated to promoting responsible recreation through stewardship and educational programs. Through this partnership, onX will help support TreadLightly!’s ongoing trail access improvements and will continue to promote ethical and responsible trail use through in-app features, such as trail width information and the most up-to-date maps.