KTMrad 508 Posted March 25, 2009 PLEASE take a few minutes to make the call............. March 25, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pete terHorst Phone: (877) 877-8969 E-mail: peter.terhorst@sympoint.com Omnibus public lands bill scheduled for vote: Take action now PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is urging all motorcyclists to contact their U.S. representatives to vote "No" on H.R. 146, known as the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program. This bill was formerly known as S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. If passed, it will prohibit all motorized vehicle access on more than 2 million acres of public lands. Congress' first attempt to pass this measure, S. 22, was defeated two weeks ago in the House. However, following this defeat, the Senate leadership, using a little known parliamentary procedure, brought H.R. 146 to the floor, inserted the language from S. 22, and passed the bill on March 19 by a vote of 77 to 20. "AMA members stepped up and helped defeat this unfair measure the first time, and we can defeat it again," said AMA Vice President for Government Relations Ed Moreland. "All motorcyclists, all-terrain vehicle riders and anyone who favors open and fair government must deliver Congress a strong message: Do not attack our right to recreate responsibly on public land, and do not enact leglislation without open and balanced public debate." H.R. 146 is now up for consideration in the House. It consists of a daunting collection of more than 160 pieces of legislation and more than 1,300 pages of text. Normally, this legislation would require a two-thirds majority to pass. However, the House Democratic leadership wants to consider H.R. 146 under regular order so the bill would pass with only a simple majority. For this bill to be considered under regular order, the House must first pass a rule. To help preserve access to public lands, the AMA is encouraging its members to contact their representatives and urge them to vote "No" on the rule regarding H.R. 146 and also insist they vote "No" on the final passage of H.R. 146. Immediate action is critical to help keep more than 2 million acres of public land open to motorized recreation. With such a short time frame for action, the best way to request that your representative vote "No" on H.R. 146 is to call. Visit the Issues & Legislation section of the AMA's website at www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com to get the phone number for your representative. Enter your zip code in the "Find Your Officials" box and click on the name of your representative. If you would prefer to contact your representative with e-mail, you can also do that on the AMA's website. The government relations staff has provided a pre-written letter for your use. "Every representative must know that responsible motorized recreationists want them to vote "No" on the rule and "No" on the final passage of H.R. 146," Moreland said. "Please call your representative and tell everyone you know to do the same." About the American Motorcyclist Association Since 1924, the AMA has promoted and protected the motorcycling lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world's largest motorcycle organization with nearly 300,000 members, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists' interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition events than any other organization in the world. Through its Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, the AMA preserves the heritage of motorcycling for future generations. For more information, visit www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted March 25, 2009 My representatives to call are Dennis Hollingsworth (Republican), who favors motorized recreation. Also Christine Kehoe - Democrat....not sure, but I think she's against motorized recreation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joliet 0 Posted March 25, 2009 My representatives to call are Dennis Hollingsworth (Republican), who favors motorized recreation.Also Christine Kehoe - Democrat....not sure, but I think she's against motorized recreation. This is being voted on at the federal level correct? Did Duncan Hunter used to be your House Rep? Obviously I am confused with this. I think Darryl Issa is my rep. up here in distrist 49. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted March 25, 2009 YOu have to look up your zip code and that will tell you who your rep is.......Duncan Hunter is the Congressman, but not my representative for my area. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted March 25, 2009 It passed - 285-140 :clapping: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted March 26, 2009 :clapping: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 25, 2009 California Wilderness Coalition Applauds Passage Of Historic Public Lands Bill California Wilderness Coalition celebrates long-fought victory to preserve California’s precious wild lands and rivers. The U.S. House overwhelmingly passed today a major public lands protection act that will preserve some 700,000 acres of wild lands and 108 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers in the Golden State. "We are thrilled that this long process has ended in victory" said Barbara Hill, executive director of the California Wilderness Coalition. “Today’s challenging economic times seems to reinforce the public’s desire to protect wild public lands and the solace they provide.” The California Wilderness Coalition has worked since 2001 to win passage of the California Wild Heritage Preservation Act to protect areas in H.R. 146 and other threatened wild landscapes in California. “We are grateful for the leadership of the California Congressional members who never gave up even when facing formidable opposition from special interests,” said CWC Policy Director Ryan Henson. Henson has played a pivotal role in the process from the beginning, helping to craft bill language and address the concerns of diverse constituencies. The California areas to be protected are in Riverside County, the Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Mountains and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. The Riverside and Sequoia-Kings Canyon bills passed the House of Representatives during the last Congress, and the Eastern Sierra/San Gabriel bill was approved by a key Senate committee last fall. The measure also would authorize $88 million in funding to launch an ambitious effort to restore the San Joaquin River, which has been drained for decades to supply Central Valley farms. More water would be left in the river, and populations of spring-run Chinook salmon would be returned under terms of a legal settlement in a long-running environmental battle over the river. California Congressional leader Senator Barbara Boxer worked diligently with Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Santa Clarita), Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (R-Palm Springs), and Congressmen Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Devin Nunes (R-Visalia) to introduce these bills. Senator Diane Feinstein has also cosponsored all three bills. Key bill measures include: The California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act will protect approximately 190,000 acres of pristine and ecologically sensitive land in Riverside County as wilderness, including parts of Joshua Tree National Park, and four wild and scenic rivers totaling 31 miles. The Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act will preserve nearly 450,000 acres of wilderness and four wild and scenic rivers totaling 73 miles near Santa Clarita and in the magnificent Eastern Sierra, including the White Mountains. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness Act of 2008 will protect close to 70,000 acres of wilderness, including the new John Krebs Wilderness, named for the former Congressman and conservationist who worked to protect these lands in the Mineral King Valley. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted March 26, 2009 It's a sad day here in the dirt riding community...We are passionate about what we do, but I'm afraid our group as a whole we will never be able to overcome the unrelenting drive of environmental extremists to rally for what they believe is best for the majority of the population and planet. Could it be that the offroad community is too busy working to pay off the toys, toyhaulers and trucks they bought using their inflated home equity. Compare this to the environmentalists rented apartment, old Volkwagen bus and Birkenstock sandals and you can easily see what group would be able to miss a day of work to protest in the streets or spend a day writing/copying letters to send to their elected officials. I'm sure there are a multitude of reasons the bill passed, such as lumping it in under a "War of 1812" tiltle, but as much as "we the people" are entitled to enjoy our public lands the way we want to it is going to be hard to continue our fight for freedom to roam our lands as we choose unless we can organize our group as a collective whole. I have no propositions on how to do this. We are part of the fastest growing group in outdoor recreation, but can that compare to the rate in which the media blasts the American public on environmental issues? Certainly not. Quads ATVs and dirtbikes are very easy for the public to get against. Loud exhausts, spinning tires, riding off established trails, loud pipes, skidding down hills, trash all over the deserts and mountain parks. Essentially we are leaving a mark behind everywhere we go and then broadcasting our presence for miles around. This is going to kill us every time. We're all pissed that our designated areas keep getting smaller, but until we can clean up our actions and control ourselves we will fight a losing battle. It's very easy for any environmental group to get the public against against us with just a few pictures of tire ruts, trashed campgrounds, etc. Our argument is this is our land too and we want to enjoy it our way, but we need to let the next guy enjoy it his way too. If he/she has to listen to "uncorked" exhaust noise from the next mountain over while trying to enjoy the serenity of nature, we're done. Most of us here, recognize our problems and a number of posts have been made regarding trashed campgrounds and your attempts to clean up the areas around you. Somebody even got into an argument with the camper that was leaving his trash in the desert. I am not blaming us, us being SDAR, but I am blaming our extended family. "They" need to clean up their act and get involved. I volunteer when I can, and enjoy giving back a small amount of my time and paycheck for my recreation. Imagine how overwhelmed the Marines would have felt if all 20,000 some people that enjoyed Johnson Valley the weekend before the meeting showed up at the meeting to oppose the Twentypalms expansion. I don't know where I'm going with this, so I'm going to stop typing and get back to my taxes. Mostly I think I'm just venting my frustrations and disappointment. I think we all made a call or sent a letter/email, but still we lost. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted March 31, 2009 Just rec'd my "form e-mail" from Boxer......"friend? Appreciates hearing from me? Doubful but at least her office responds......imagine if they had HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people to respond to/answer to..... The OHV community only merits a "other interested parties" mention......perhaps the others are better organized...... > From: <senator@boxer.senate.gov> > To: > Subject: Responding to your message > Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:23:13 -0700 > > Dear Friend: > > Thank you for writing to me with your concerns regarding the public > lands package. I appreciate hearing from you. > > As you may know, President Obama signed this comprehensive public lands > package into law on March 30, 2009. It is a collection of more than 160 > public lands bills that were introduced in the 110th Congress. > > This law is a bipartisan effort, and my colleagues and I worked at great > lengths with many stakeholders at every level - including local > communities, ranchers, elected officials, mountain bikers, businesses, > federal and state agencies, and other interested parties - to ensure > that diverse points of view were considered in crafting the legislation. > > Again, thank you for writing to me. Please know that I welcome your > views and will keep them in mind as I continue working to protect our > priceless natural heritage for future generations to enjoy. > > > Barbara Boxer > United States Senator > > Please visit my website at http://boxer.senate.gov> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Audible 0 Posted April 1, 2009 Looks like less and less land for my son to enjoy...on two wheels. Sure he can hike, but it should not be his only choice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lemieuxmc@yahoo.com 0 Posted April 1, 2009 Frankly, I'm afraid that sending letters, E-mails and phone calls to Boxer, Feinstein or any other Democrat politicians will have about the same effect as sending them to Charlie Manson! Helter-Skelter... Helter-Skelter!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted April 1, 2009 If mountain bikers were involved enought to be mentioned specifically than perhaps there won't be more wilderness area. Wilderness designation blocks all mechanized travel. Although mountain bikers would certainly be "all in" for limiting "thier" trails to non-motorized transportion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
