Post by chevit on Jun 30, 2006 17:49:30 GMT -5
Washington Newsletter
July, 2006
Happy Independence Day! With the 4th of July being one of the busiest holidays for family get-togethers, we hope that all will enjoy the holiday but do so safely.
We can finally see the sun here in Washington and it has begun to dry things out after we received more than 12 inches of rain in little over 47 hours. Some families needed to relocate because of rising waters and hundreds of residents found they had flooded basements. In Maryland, some tragically lost their lives due to raging streams and rivers.
Even the Federal Government was not spared. Buildings housing the IRS and the Justice Department had to close because of too much water. No need to fear, however, the IRS is still collecting your taxes and the Justice Department is still prosecuting criminal cases.
Eight feet of water flooded the basement of the National Archives Building. The Archives safeguards the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in a special vault so these historic documents were left untouched by the water. As you know, water, parchment and ink generally do not mix very well, so I think the folks who work at the Archives are much relieved that they were able to contain the water damage to the basement level.
Of course, had the documents been destroyed or even damaged, historians would be apoplectic and I think all Americans would feel a genuine loss. But as important as these documents are, it’s the meaning behind those documents and the decisions taken in creating them that is most important. Each one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were not only declaring “that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States,” they also knew that by adding their name to that document they were also signing their own arrest warrant and death sentence. Each knew that if they were captured by the British, they would have been found guilty of treason and would have either faced a firing squad or a hangman’s noose.
As you celebrate the 4th of July with family picnics and community fireworks, pause for a moment and remember the Signers and what they declared back in 1776 and all who fought in the Revolutionary War and wars since to make the meaning of that Declaration a reality.
OHV Use in National Forests Under Attack
The increase use of OHVs in our national forests was erroneously highlighted by one environmental group this past week An organization called Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has alleged that “attacks and threats against U. S. Forest Service employees increased more than five times from the level in 2004.”
The charge, however, didn’t go unchallenged. Mark Rey, the Undersecretary of Agriculture, the senior official responsible for the Forest Service, acknowledged that there has been an increase of incidents against Forest Service personnel. But he went to charge that the group manipulated the 2004 Forest Service data to make a political point. Secretary Rey said, “Most of the assaults in 2004 were as a result of encounters with drunks, drug users or deranged environmental protesters.” And speaking about the agency’s OHV policy Rey said, “It doesn’t mean the policy is bad or OHV users are bad people.”
ARRA has consistently supported efforts to increase law enforcement on public lands and for strengthening fines and penalties for bad behavior. We are pleased that the Forest Service has requested a $12 million budget in FY 2007 for law enforcement. This is a step in the right direction and we support such an increase.
There is no question that OHV recreation in our National Forests is growing. More and more American families want to enjoy our National Forests. We need to remain mindful that some anti-access groups will manipulate data in order to justify their position that OHVs should be banned from our National Forests. The best way for us to counter such attitudes is to recreate responsibly and to challenge those, both motorized and non-motorized, who misuse our public lands as well as those who misuse public data.
Forest Service Appropriations
In the March newsletter, we wrote extensively about the proposed FY 2007 for the Forest Service and our concerns about the impact it would have on outdoor recreation. We have kept you up to date on what has happened in the House of Representatives and so now our attention is turning to the Senate.
The Senate’s approach to funding the recreation and trails budget is less encouraging that what we witnessed in the House. The Senate Appropriations Committee is proposing some drastic cuts more in keeping with what the President proposed. The spreadsheet below will give you a comparison of the funding for these two programs starting with the FY 2006 Enacted Bill, the President’s FY 2007 budget request, the House Passed FY 2007 Bill, and the reported Senate Appropriations measure. Once the full Senate adopts this appropriations measure, the issue will then go to a House/Senate Conference Committee to work out the differences between the two passed measures.
We remain concerned about the direction the Senate seems to be taking with these two important recreation related Forest Service programs. ARRA will continue to work towards supporting the funding level as adopted by the full House. As this process goes forward, we will keep you apprised of any developments.
In the meantime, we would encourage you to contact your Senators asking them to support status quo funding for these two programs (FY 2006 funding level) and to reject the cuts as proposed by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Yellowstone’s Snowmobiles
Not all the news coming out of the Senate Appropriations Committee is discouraging. In fact, the Committee accepted an amendment by Senator Conrad Burns, R-Montana, that will keep Yellowstone National Park open to snowmobiles until 2010. Currently the park is operating under a temporary plan that permits up to 720 snowmobiles to enter the park on a daily basis. The existing plan is set to expire at the end of the 2006-2007 winter season. The extension by Senator Burns will allow local businesses and winter travelers to plan beyond the 2007 season. This is good news for snowmobile enthusiasts. While this extension still has to be accepted by the House of Representatives, but I think the chances of that happening are excellent.
Forest Service Implementation Process for the OHV Route Designations
ARRA is planning to become very involved in the all stages of the OHV route designation process that will be occurring in national forests throughout the country. ARRA has partnered with a number of organizations to sponsor a series of workshops on the OHV designation process for both Forest Service personnel and OHV enthusiasts. Please click here to read the ARRA press statement announcing this undertaking. We are now in the process of determining the timing and locations of these workshops. As that information becomes available, we will be notifying ARRA members in hopes that many of you will want to participate in a workshop being held in an area close to where you live or recreate.
In addition, we will soon be announcing the release of a new database that OHV enthusiasts can utilized in sharing information about the implementation process. The release of this database will be coming soon, so please stay in touch with the ARRA website for this important announcement.
Enjoy summer recreation and do so responsibly.
Sincerely,
Larry E. Smith
Executive Director
July, 2006
Happy Independence Day! With the 4th of July being one of the busiest holidays for family get-togethers, we hope that all will enjoy the holiday but do so safely.
We can finally see the sun here in Washington and it has begun to dry things out after we received more than 12 inches of rain in little over 47 hours. Some families needed to relocate because of rising waters and hundreds of residents found they had flooded basements. In Maryland, some tragically lost their lives due to raging streams and rivers.
Even the Federal Government was not spared. Buildings housing the IRS and the Justice Department had to close because of too much water. No need to fear, however, the IRS is still collecting your taxes and the Justice Department is still prosecuting criminal cases.
Eight feet of water flooded the basement of the National Archives Building. The Archives safeguards the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in a special vault so these historic documents were left untouched by the water. As you know, water, parchment and ink generally do not mix very well, so I think the folks who work at the Archives are much relieved that they were able to contain the water damage to the basement level.
Of course, had the documents been destroyed or even damaged, historians would be apoplectic and I think all Americans would feel a genuine loss. But as important as these documents are, it’s the meaning behind those documents and the decisions taken in creating them that is most important. Each one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were not only declaring “that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States,” they also knew that by adding their name to that document they were also signing their own arrest warrant and death sentence. Each knew that if they were captured by the British, they would have been found guilty of treason and would have either faced a firing squad or a hangman’s noose.
As you celebrate the 4th of July with family picnics and community fireworks, pause for a moment and remember the Signers and what they declared back in 1776 and all who fought in the Revolutionary War and wars since to make the meaning of that Declaration a reality.
OHV Use in National Forests Under Attack
The increase use of OHVs in our national forests was erroneously highlighted by one environmental group this past week An organization called Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has alleged that “attacks and threats against U. S. Forest Service employees increased more than five times from the level in 2004.”
The charge, however, didn’t go unchallenged. Mark Rey, the Undersecretary of Agriculture, the senior official responsible for the Forest Service, acknowledged that there has been an increase of incidents against Forest Service personnel. But he went to charge that the group manipulated the 2004 Forest Service data to make a political point. Secretary Rey said, “Most of the assaults in 2004 were as a result of encounters with drunks, drug users or deranged environmental protesters.” And speaking about the agency’s OHV policy Rey said, “It doesn’t mean the policy is bad or OHV users are bad people.”
ARRA has consistently supported efforts to increase law enforcement on public lands and for strengthening fines and penalties for bad behavior. We are pleased that the Forest Service has requested a $12 million budget in FY 2007 for law enforcement. This is a step in the right direction and we support such an increase.
There is no question that OHV recreation in our National Forests is growing. More and more American families want to enjoy our National Forests. We need to remain mindful that some anti-access groups will manipulate data in order to justify their position that OHVs should be banned from our National Forests. The best way for us to counter such attitudes is to recreate responsibly and to challenge those, both motorized and non-motorized, who misuse our public lands as well as those who misuse public data.
Forest Service Appropriations
In the March newsletter, we wrote extensively about the proposed FY 2007 for the Forest Service and our concerns about the impact it would have on outdoor recreation. We have kept you up to date on what has happened in the House of Representatives and so now our attention is turning to the Senate.
The Senate’s approach to funding the recreation and trails budget is less encouraging that what we witnessed in the House. The Senate Appropriations Committee is proposing some drastic cuts more in keeping with what the President proposed. The spreadsheet below will give you a comparison of the funding for these two programs starting with the FY 2006 Enacted Bill, the President’s FY 2007 budget request, the House Passed FY 2007 Bill, and the reported Senate Appropriations measure. Once the full Senate adopts this appropriations measure, the issue will then go to a House/Senate Conference Committee to work out the differences between the two passed measures.
We remain concerned about the direction the Senate seems to be taking with these two important recreation related Forest Service programs. ARRA will continue to work towards supporting the funding level as adopted by the full House. As this process goes forward, we will keep you apprised of any developments.
In the meantime, we would encourage you to contact your Senators asking them to support status quo funding for these two programs (FY 2006 funding level) and to reject the cuts as proposed by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Yellowstone’s Snowmobiles
Not all the news coming out of the Senate Appropriations Committee is discouraging. In fact, the Committee accepted an amendment by Senator Conrad Burns, R-Montana, that will keep Yellowstone National Park open to snowmobiles until 2010. Currently the park is operating under a temporary plan that permits up to 720 snowmobiles to enter the park on a daily basis. The existing plan is set to expire at the end of the 2006-2007 winter season. The extension by Senator Burns will allow local businesses and winter travelers to plan beyond the 2007 season. This is good news for snowmobile enthusiasts. While this extension still has to be accepted by the House of Representatives, but I think the chances of that happening are excellent.
Forest Service Implementation Process for the OHV Route Designations
ARRA is planning to become very involved in the all stages of the OHV route designation process that will be occurring in national forests throughout the country. ARRA has partnered with a number of organizations to sponsor a series of workshops on the OHV designation process for both Forest Service personnel and OHV enthusiasts. Please click here to read the ARRA press statement announcing this undertaking. We are now in the process of determining the timing and locations of these workshops. As that information becomes available, we will be notifying ARRA members in hopes that many of you will want to participate in a workshop being held in an area close to where you live or recreate.
In addition, we will soon be announcing the release of a new database that OHV enthusiasts can utilized in sharing information about the implementation process. The release of this database will be coming soon, so please stay in touch with the ARRA website for this important announcement.
Enjoy summer recreation and do so responsibly.
Sincerely,
Larry E. Smith
Executive Director