TWO MINUTES TO HELP RELEASE WILDERNESS STUDY AND ROADLESS AREAS

[DangerMonkey 0]

Copied from another forum:

TWO MINUTES TO HELP RELEASE WILDERNESS STUDY AND ROADLESS

AREAS BACK TO MULTIPLE USE

(Provided as a Public Service - This affects all Off Road Enthusiasts)

Dear Fellow Off Roader,

People often think they are powerless to effect any change in the government, but we are here to show you this is just not true. Government is influenced by the people who speak up.

Congressman McCarthy has drafted a very important bill to release lands which were found to be unsuitable for Wilderness over twenty years ago.

Now we need you to speak up by taking Two Minutes to send a letter to your Congressman urging him to cosponsor and support this important bill .

• All Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) and Roadless areas have been evaluated by the BLM and Forest Service and 43 million acres have been found to be unsuitable for Wilderness Designation.

• The long overdue Release of Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) and Roadless Areas is hampering land management and harming the environment and reducing recreation opportunities on our National Forest and BLM public lands.

• Recreation and other land uses desired by the community and the public are needlessly restricted or prohibited, such as Mountain Bike, Off Road recreation and many other uses.

• A significant amount of resources and funding are wasted each year in patrolling and monitoring these lands for Wilderness standards, even though they are not suitable for Wilderness.

• Active Fire Management is needed, but prohibited in these areas.

Yet twenty two years later these lands continue to languish and be subject to inappropriate restrictive and costly management regulations as if they were Wilderness, merely because they have yet to be released.

Congressman McCarthy will soon be introducing the ‘Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act” to address these problems.

This is a rare opportunity. Normally those of us who value recreation can merely oppose bills which seek to reduce access and lock up more of our public lands. Today we can rally support for a bill to restore reasonable recreation access and responsible active management to our public lands.

Please take Two Minutes to send a pre drafted letter asking your Congressman to cosponsor the Wilderness and Roadless Release Act

Click here to send your letter now from the ARRA site

https://secure3.convio.net/arra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=277

You do not even need to know who your Congressman is. You just enter your address. It does not get any easier than this to help reclaim your public lands for reasonable access and management.

Please speak up and TAKE ACTION now

The Members’ “Dear Colleague” letter with a list of bill supporters can be viewed here

A summary of the bill provided by Rep. McCarthy’s office can be viewed here

It does not get any easier than this to help reclaim your public lands for reasonable access and management.

We need you to add your voice and contact your Congressman now

Thanks for your help and being pro active to ensure that these lands, many of which have languished for over two decades after being found unsuitable for Wilderness designation, can finally be released back to their intended appropriate uses.

Many thanks to Congressman Kevin McCarthy for drafting this important and long overdue bill, which I am pleased to have worked with his office over the past year to develop. This is Grassroots Activism at it's best.

~Chris Horgan and your friends at Save the Trails

Please Forward this to anyone who might be interested in supporting this important legislation.

This alert sent by your friends at www.Save The Trails.us

If you find the work we are doing is important please consider making a donation. Your support allows us to continue making a difference.

Save The Trails

225 Rainbow Drive

Livingston, Texas 77399

Click here to forward this to a friend

The American Sand Association

Unite, Inform, and Mobilize

Please DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Instead...

Please direct questions or comments to:

The aSa Board of Directors

[DangerMonkey 0]

I received this today after clicking the link in the above post which sent a letter/email to my representative. One small step forward.

Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts regarding the federal management of America's public lands. It's good to hear from you.

I appreciate your making me aware of your support for legislation that is expected to be introduced by Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act. You will be pleased to know that I have reviewed the draft of this bill and have agreed to become an original cosponsor of this legislation when it is introduced in the coming weeks.

As you know, this bill will release all Wilderness Study Areas and Inventoried Roadless Areas, which have been recommended as not suitable for wilderness by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management or the U.S. Forest Service and direct that these areas be managed for multiple use, including resource development. Like you, I have significant concerns with recent federal action that create public land designations and restrictions that limit accessibility. Our public lands are part of our national heritage, a gift for present and future generations to enjoy. Taking into consideration that it is almost impossible to reverse land use restrictions once in place, I believe we need to be very cautious and slow with any effort that seeks to place massive land restrictions on the public in the name of water, lands and wildlife conservation.

The Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act will preserve and strengthen the local land planning process by returning emphasis to local stakeholders and communities who know best how to manage their public lands rather than bureaucrats in Washington. Please be assured that I will keep your specific thoughts in mind as we continue to discuss this important issue.

Thank you again for contacting me. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Sincerely,

Duncan Hunter

Member of Congress

[Kris 0]

Sent!