Volunteer Stewardship Authority

Section 341 of the EXPLORE Act is arguably the single most important provision for disc golf on BLM land. It solves the two biggest practical barriers: legal authority for volunteer construction and the liability insurance question.

What changed

Before the EXPLORE Act, BLM lacked the clear statutory volunteer authority that the Forest Service had under the 1972 Volunteers in the National Forests Act. Section 341 extends that Act to BLM for the first time, explicitly authorizing BLM to recruit, train, and accept volunteers for:

• Recreation access
• Trail construction or maintenance
• Facility construction or maintenance
• Education

The insurance breakthrough

Critically, BLM may not require volunteers to obtain liability insurance. Under Section 341, volunteers working on BLM land are covered by the Federal Tort Claims Act — meaning the federal government, not the volunteer or their club, bears the liability.

This removes what has historically been a significant barrier. Many volunteer disc golf clubs lack the resources for commercial liability policies. Under the EXPLORE Act, a properly organized volunteer installation crew working under a BLM volunteer agreement needs no separate insurance.

Why this matters for disc golf

Disc golf course construction is overwhelmingly volunteer-driven nationally. A typical installation involves:

• 10–30 volunteers over 2–4 work days
• Carrying and setting basket posts
• Pouring or placing concrete tee pads
• Clearing minimal brush for fairways
• Installing signage and kiosks
• Laying erosion control materials

This is exactly the kind of “facility construction” that Section 341 authorizes. The match between disc golf’s existing build model and BLM’s new volunteer authority is nearly perfect.

How to use it

1. Contact the field office and request a BLM volunteer agreement (Form 1114-1 or blanket group agreement)
2. Coordinate with the recreation planner on scope, timing, and site-specific requirements
3. Organize volunteer crews with tool safety training and Leave No Trace orientation
4. Document everything — volunteer hours valued at DOL rates count as non-federal match for Challenge Cost Share and other partnership agreements
5. Combine with GNA (Section 351) if a county or tribal partner is involved

Maintenance, not just construction

Section 341 covers ongoing maintenance as well. A volunteer agreement can authorize regular course maintenance: basket inspection and repair, sign replacement, tee pad repair, mulching, litter removal, erosion monitoring, and invasive species management. Stewart Pond DGC in Oregon has operated under volunteer maintenance since 2016.