We are very grateful to Tom Medema, co-founder of Rally for Rangers for bringing us a wonderful presentation on their organization. This worthy 501(c)3 organization is a project of Mongol Ecology Center (MEC) based in Tucson, Arizona, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Rally for Rangers was formed in 2014, after former NPS Ranger Bob McIntosh volunteered at the Lake Hovsgol National Park near the Russian border in Mongolia and realized the great need. He vowed to personally buy a new motorcycle and deliver it himself to the park ranger.
The first rally brought together 15 riders from around the world, who rode over 1,000 miles across the roadless northern steppe of Mongolia, to deliver 15 new motorcycles to Lake Hovsgol. Every year since, the foundation has attracted riders who raise the money to buy the motorcycles and ride them over 1,000 miles to deliver them to park rangers around the world. As a result, over 120 new bikes are helping park rangers in Mongolia, Argentina, and Nepal, pursue or keep up with illegal poachers, miners, campers and other spoilers of the environment.
Watch the recorded event on the Poolesville Seniors’ Facebook and YouTube channels. Get more information on the Rally for Rangers’ 2022 rallies to Bhutan, Peru, and Mongolia at Rally for Rangers – Rally for Rangers and the Rally 4 Rangers YouTube channel.