ANTI OHV HEARING IN WASHINGTON D.C. COULD BE OPPORTUNITY F..

BLUE RIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT!

ANTI OHV HEARING IN WASHINGTON D.C. COULD BE OPPORTUNITY FOR
POSITIVE ACTION

ACTION ITEM REQUESTED

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

This Thursday, March 13, the House Natural Resources Committee,
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands has
scheduled a hearing on the impacts of unmanaged off-highway
vehicles on federal lands.

Although as of this writing no witness list had been posted on the
Subcommittee's website, both BRC Executive Director, Greg Mumm,
and our Western Regional Representative, Don Amador, have been in
contact with Subcommittee staff. Pending any last minute
changes, the witness list will include representatives from the
U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, as well as a
sheriff from New Mexico, a doctor from Children's Mercy Hospital,
a Tribal representative and a retired Game and Fish officer.

Also testifying will be Ken Rosevear, American Sand Association
(ASA), and Russ Ehnes, National Off Highway Vehicle Conservation
Council (NOHVCC).

More info on the hearing can be found on the web, including a link
to view the hearing live via internet: CLICK HERE

The hearing appears to be designed to bring both Congressional
scrutiny and another round of bad press (here we go again), again
vilifying the tens of millions of OHV users.

But it is also an opportunity to let your Congressional
representatives know how important OHV use is to you and your
family, and to bring Congress's attention to the fact that they
have not funded recreation commensurate to its importance to the
American people. So we are asking our members to send email to the
House subcommittee.

We've put together some very simple instructions below for a "cut
and paste" email, including suggested comments from both BRC and
from Larry Smith at Americans for Responsible Recreational Access
(ARRA). Follow the simple instructions and send your email today.

Come Thursday morning, I imagine we'll be reading in the
newspapers how eeeeevil OHV users are. Please know that BRC and
other national OHV groups talk to the media often, it's just that
most of them are biased against OHV users and rarely print what we
say.

Thanks in advance for your action.

Brian Hawthorne
Ric Foster
BRC's Public Lands Department
(208) 237-1008 ext 107

PS: BRC will be submitting formal written testimony as well as
attending in person. But your emails will make a difference.
Please take a minute and use our step-by-step instructions.

______________________________________

Easy Step-by-Step instructions on how to send your comments to the
House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands for
the hearing on the impacts of OHV recreation on Federal Lands:

NOTE: Your email will be considered Congressional Testimony. You
must be polite and scrupulously accurate and factual.

STEP 1: Open your email program and start a draft email. Address
it to david.watkins.TakeThisOut@mail.house.govand
casey.hammond.TakeThisOut@mail.house.gov. Also, please cc to BRC at
brlandsinfo.TakeThisOut@sharetrails.org.

STEP 2: Cut and paste the following comments in to your email:

I understand that OHV use should be managed, but I want to be
clear that wholesale closure does not equal effective management.

OHV recreation is a legitimate use of federal lands, and has been
recognized as such by federal land managers.

OHV recreation can be managed and sustainable, while also
providing a valuable recreational experience for OHV enthusiasts.

Motorized recreation is a family activity that offers an
opportunity for parents and children to experience all that our
public lands have to offer in a unique manner.

The U.S. Forest Service has identified "unmanaged" recreation as
one of four key threats to forest lands. If unmanaged recreation
is such a top threat, then why won't the agency put recreation
management as a top priority in their budget?

The Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management both
indicated that partnering with local constituents through
effective volunteer programs is essential to long-term success,
yet very little to that end is taking place on the ground. When
OHV users ask "can we help," all too often the answer is "no."

Education and enforcement, including useful maps and signage, are
crucial elements to resolving OHV issues, and yet the agencies
have not made any of these components a priority in their efforts
to move to actively managed OHV recreation.

STEP 3: Take just a minute to add a bit about where you live and
where you like to ride. Be certain to include your name and
address. A return email address is NOT sufficient! ("anonymous"
emails are often discarded) Then click "send" and you're done!







----
Go fast and aim for where the trees aren't.
----

In article <rd9et3lq8eah1247muganmkfjutqrhcu0g.RemoveThis@4ax.com>,
scrape <scrapeNOTHANKS.RemoveThis@nc.rr.com> wrote:

> This Thursday, March 13, the House Natural Resources Committee,
> Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands has
> scheduled a hearing on the impacts of unmanaged off-highway
> vehicles on federal lands.

done

--
Charles
'99 YZ250