Public Land Use Issues

[BamaTJ]

Not sure if everyone got this:

Hey, BamaSahara,

As you know, I rarely send emails to all of you. However this is of extreme importance!



U.S. Forest Service Land Use Restrictions Imminent


Did you know that our access to the entire United States Forest from coast to coast is in jeopardy?!?!?!
We are at DEFCON FIVE with the environmentalists and the U.S. Forest Service!



Now is the time to act!!!


I am very proud of the readers of Pirate4x4.com lately. Our Land Use forums have doubled in traffic over the past couple of months due to the outrageousness of what is going on out there. If you haven't been to our Land Use forums lately, I challenge you to take a look. I guarantee you will get pissed off! When I saw the Draft Plan the Forest Service put out for travel management on the Eldorado National Forest (where I happen to live, and where the world famous Rubicon Trail is) that was the last straw for me. I got pissed off and decided to do something about it.

And it isn't just the Eldorado National Forest. Travel management planning is going on in everyone's backyard whether it's Forest Service or BLM. Anti-access extremists are out in force pressing for closures everywhere. Tellico is threatened by an anti-access lawsuit. Moab access is threatened by overzealous BLM planning. Wilderness bills are rampant in Congress. Roadless area management is still being pushed in the courts. Even the little recreation that there is available in our Parks is still under attack. Check out the fight in Yellowstone.

It really is time to put up or shut up. I threw down the challenge last month to donate in the forums, and we were able to raise about $8,000 for BRC. While that is fantastic, I think we can do a lot better. Remember, without folks like the BLUERIBBON COALITION fighting for our rights to use public land, we might as well take up basket weaving. Join the Blue Ribbon Coalition and donate to the BRC Legal Fund. The beauty of BRC is they combine all the user groups into one big fist. I stuck $500 of my own money in the fight and you need to do what you can. If it's $20 or $5000, anything helps!!

While you are at it, get busy with your local club. Local involvement is where BRC does some of its best work. If you don't belong to a club, get off your butt and join one. You really CAN make a difference!

You can join BRC and donate to BRC Legal Fund online at a secure web location, set up just for Pirate4x4 at http://join.sharetrails.org . It only took me just a couple of minutes. If you aren't comfortable with that, then call them at 1-800-BlueRib. If you can't afford to do both, at least join BRC now and donate when you can afford it.

The members of Pirate4x4 can and will make a difference!

Lance Clifford
Pirate4x4.com

What can we do to help out as a club? I don't wanna be one of those clubs that sits by and does nothing while all our public land is shut down. We touched on it the other night, but what can we do to help?

 

[tonka toy]

that sucks the sport is growing and the land is shrinking i don't know what we should do but we need to give our 2 cents anyway

 

[Rich]

I'm not sure who to give money to SFWDA, UFWDA, BRC, or our own private attorney on a new and different front. I, personally helped keep public access available to a trail to the summit of Satulah Mountain in Highlands NC several years ago. The defendant was a private landowner so I'm sure the law may affect public land differently. Even though I lived in Bham, I used the trail regularly to get to the summit and the landowner could not prohibit me or others from having access.

 

[Rich]

We need to contribute to SFWDA as they send some of our membership money to BRC. Funds from Southern to BRC translate to help from BRC here locally (southeast). Monies sent directly to BRC would likely be funnelled to the west coast issues. Not that we shouldn't support offhighway enthusiasts nationally but I think we should look out for ourselves first. It was good to see the faces of SFWDA at the quarterly meeting this Saturday. We've got a long uphill row to hoe to save Tellico. Let's dig in.

 

[P]

What all was discussed in Tn ... I dollar and i think you (Rich) and don sanger were there as well. Just interested to hear the latest developments on that.

We do need to be involved with SWFDA, we have discussed this since the club was established. Lets do this and be done with it. I cant think of one feasible reason not to be included. Every bit helps, we need to show support. Lets have this money at the next meeting. We can wait on huggers and other BS , lets prioritize this. ;D

 

[BamaTJ]

I got this from Bob Sullivant today:

Matt,

We had the SFWDA 3rd quarter meeting yesterday and it was reported that the dues for United Four Wheel Drive Associations will be increased, thus our dues will have to increase also. So hold off on joining until we know exactly how much. United will have a decision at the end of September and the increase could be as high as $15 per member, which would make the SFWDA dues $45.

Thanks

Bob Sullivant
SFWDA Membership Director
[email protected]
[email protected]

As soon as I hear back from him I will post up the amount per person