NCA Meeting Confusion...

[Grumpy]

Is this what we get to look forward to with these drones??...DW
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Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Conservation Easements and Confusion at Davis NCA Meeting


The Recreation HQ has for a number of months shared concerns about how OHV use will be treated in Obama’s Great Outdoor Initiative. The General has kept riders informed about the various FOIAs and other efforts to day-light information on either new National Monuments or National Conservation Areas.

Update on July 8 LA Meeting and Glaring Absence of OHV in Obama Plan and State Proclamations
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspo ... am-la.html




Today, the General, on behalf of BRC and my friend Dave Pickett AMA D36, attended the Great Outdoors Meeting hosted by Congressman Mike Thompson and U.C. Davis.
There were a number of other OHV representatives there including Amy Granat (Cal4WD) and Nick Haris (AMA). Several riders attended as well.

Rather than having a focused meeting on Outdoor recreation and the proposed Berryessa-Snow Mountain NCA plan, this meeting meandered on several non-recreation topics and was strangely bizarre and abstract. The panel included Cong. Mike Thompson and a several heavy hitters from the Obama administration including Nancy Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality.

I don’t think the topic of recreation was even mentioned by the main panel. Also, the sub-panel (mostly private land owners not in the NCA boundary) gave 3 presentations on conservation, conservation easements, and the need for Congress to fund various entitlement programs that benefit the aforementioned subjects.

While conservation programs are important, HQ felt the panel missed the opportunity present the proposed Berryessa NCA and to highlight outdoor recreation.

At the end of the two panel presentations, Congressman Thompson passed the microphone around the room for people to speak. Most speakers there praised the Obama administration and many asked for taxpayer funded eco-handouts from the federal government.

Several pro-access speakers got up and championed access to public lands. The General used his one minute of fame to pick up on what the EPA panelist said about how the feds should…â€