Rally for Ranger Foundation’s mission is to protect the world’s unique places one motorcycle at a time. We raise funds to purchase new motorbikes and gear for rangers, which they then use to patrol National Parks. We will be hosting two rallies in 2018 to deliver a total of 20 motorcycles to the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park rangers of Mongolia and the Patagonia parks in Chile and Argentina. The only thing more rewarding and exhilarating than riding 1,500 kilometers of dirt, mud, and river bottom is handing over the keys to an (almost) new motorcycle, so these rangers can better protect the incredible resources of their national parks.
In 2013, former U.S. National Park Ranger Robert “Mac” McIntosh was volunteering with the Mongol Ecology Center assisting managers at Lake Hovsgol National Park near the Russian border with Mongolia. As they reviewed planning documents with the parks chief ranger Enkhtaivan a call came in – there was an illegal campsite discovered on park lands nearby. Mac watched helplessly as the chief ranger hopped on his motorcycle only to have it immediately break down. He could not do his job. This happened routinely, and Mac learned rangers across the country could not pursue or keep up with illegal poachers, miners, campers and other spoilers of the parks. He had seen enough. Mac told Wesley Thornberry, co-founder of Rally for Rangers Foundation, and Ono Batkhuu, founder of Mongol Ecology Center, that he would take it upon himself to buy a new motorcycle, ride it across Mongolia, and personally deliver it so Enkhtaivan could successfully and safely perform his job. Upon returning to the States, Wesley related this story to friends and asked “Who’s in?” Rally for Rangers was born.
The first rally in 2014 was truly an experiment. The outcome unpredictable. Find 15 riders to buy 15 motorcycles and ride them over 1,000 miles across the roadless northern steppe of Mongolia, all to give them away to park rangers in need.
Every year, a group of intrepid adventurers from around the world band together to deliver new motorcycles to rangers patrolling the Mongolian heartland. Without these precious vehicles, park rangers working tirelessly to protect ecologically important regions would have to patrol thousands of miles on foot or horseback. Led by former U.S. National Park Ranger Robert “Mac” McIntosh, these motorcyclists make their week-long journey from the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar to Otgontenger National Park, passing through stunning vistas like the Flaming Cliffs, Ongiin Khiid Monastery, and the Singing Sand Dunes.
Watch Rally for Rangers on NXT Studios SHOWCASE.
Rally For Rangers film credits:
Directed, Edited and Produced by Jeff Colhoun
Written by Ethan Cunningham
Find out how you can contribute to the Rally for Ranger Foundation http://www.rallyforrangers.org/
