Dromero wrote:How do we stop them? What's the best route of action?
I fixed the link in my original post so you can click on it and get full info. Also I have quoted from the rest of that article here:
URGENT ACTION ALERT:
TELL YOUR CONGRESSMAN NO! ON GRIJALVA LETTER TO USFS
THREE STEP ACTION ITEM:
1) Click HERE and enter your zip code to find the phone number for your Representative. Then use the talking points below in your call. Be brief and be polite, but make it clear: NO on Grijalva's Dear College letter.
2) If you live in a state with a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, your call is particularly important. Key states include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
3) Ask your friends and family to sign up for BRC's Action Alerts. BRC will keep an eye on this issue and we'll let you know if YOUR Congress Critter signed on to the letter.
Talking Points to Use In Your Calls and Letters
Congressman Raul Grijalva, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, is circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter regarding the management of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands that have been recommended by the agency for Wilderness designation. Please DO NOT sign Representative Grijalva's letter.
These lands are commonly known as Recommended Wilderness Areas or "RWAs." The letter expresses a concern about the agency's continued authorization of activities in RWAs that are disallowed in Wilderness areas, including the use of motorized vehicles. It supports managing RWAs as if Congress had actually designated them as Wilderness.
Only Congress can designate Wilderness. This is logical because Wilderness is the most restrictive land management designation on the planet. It is not wise, nor legal, for any federal land management agency to establish de-facto Wilderness areas.
The policy suggested by Representative Grijalva creates a situation where currently authorized mountain bike and motorized recreation does not preclude lands becoming RWA's - but then mandates those uses be all but eliminated. If the existing uses do not stop the lands from being recommended as Wilderness, then why should those activities not be allowed to continue until Congress acts?
More importantly, the RWA policy precludes collaborative solutions such as those reached in recent land use legislation. This policy presupposes the agency's desires on what is properly between Congress and the American people. By doing so, it eliminates the opportunity for mountain bike and motorized users to reach acceptable compromise with Wilderness advocates, State and local governments, and other stakeholders.
Please DO NOT sign Representative Grijalva's letter.