Post by chevit on Aug 31, 2006 14:45:35 GMT -5
Washington Newsletter
September, 2006
Dog Days of August
As I prepare this newsletter, Labor Day is just a few days away. Parents are busy getting their children ready for school, but beyond that, things are generally quiet in the Nation’s Capital. The Congress is away for its August recess and the President is in and out of the city as he spends time in Texas, does a few campaign stops here and there, and spends a few days with his family in Kennebunkport.
The Redskins gave a very poor showing in two pre-season games and the Nationals recently lost 11 out of the last 16 games, meaning local fans have little reason to celebrate. With the politicians away and local major league sports leaving a lot to be desired, there just isn’t a whole of excitement around here these days. And what excitement there is, is strictly homemade.
A local garden center in our neighborhood each year holds a one day sale called the Dog Days of August. Customers get to buy any item with a discount equaling their age, proof of age required, of course. This is a great marketing idea on their part. The garden center gets to clear out old inventory to make room for cold weather merchandise. All the customers walk around smiling because they are getting a great bargain, especially if you are north of 50 years of age. (This is the only day of the year that I will gladly admit my age.)
I got there nice and early Saturday morning and found the parking lot full. I had to compete with dozens of people many years my senior. It was almost like being in the middle of a yard sale at a retirement community. I had thought about bringing along my 82 year old mother-in-law to help ease the financial burden of my big purchase, but then reconsidered when I realized that I was taking this bargain hunting just a little too seriously. But then again, what else do I have to worry about before the post Labor Day rush?
NPS Management Policies
Well, one issue that’s been a worry is the status of the National Park Service’s Draft Management Policies put forth by retiring Director Fran Manella and Secretary of the Interior Kempthorne. Many of us have expressed concerns about the direction of the proposed policies including the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Parks, Rep. Steve Pearce, (R-N.M.). Rep. Pearce recently sent a letter to Director Manella suggesting that the National Park Service clarify its language in the draft policies to ensure “public access.” Chairman Pearce suggested that the current draft could “provide park managers with future authority to eliminate recreational opportunities and services that support and enhance the visitor experience.”
Director Manella released the final policy on August 31st and seems to have generally ignored the suggestions of Rep. Pearce and others. We find this very disappointing. We are very concerned that the Park Service seems to be taking a less than positive attitude towards parks visitors and recreation, in general.
In our next newsletter we will write more about the new Management Policies and what this all means for the Park Service and the American public. With attendance declining at our National Parks, a top to bottom review of Park Service operations seems to be in order.
OHV Workshops
As we have previously reported to you, the first OHV workshop will be held in Tempe, Arizona from September 7-10. A second one is now scheduled for the Black Hills National Forest area for the week of October 12-15. These workshops are designed to develop expertise on the part of both Forest Service personnel and OHV enthusiasts on how to identify, plan and create OHV trails as a part of the route designation process associated with the Forest Service Travel Management Rule.
As more workshops are scheduled, we will keep you informed. If you have an interest in having a workshop is an area close to one of our National Forests, please let us know of your interest by contacting the ARRA webmaster.
Politics, Politics, Politics
The Congress returns on September 5th after a month-long recess. The legislative calendar is full of “must do” items particularly in the area of appropriations for FY 2007.
Overshadowing the legislative work in the House and Senate is the upcoming November elections. We have written about this before, but the current political trend lines lead us to believe that we will be seeing major changes in the House and Senate when the new Congress convenes in January.
In the Senate, five Republican incumbents currently seeking re-election are trailing their Democratic challengers in various opinion polls. Only one Democrat incumbent seems threatened and that’s Senator Lieberman. Now that he is running as an Independent Democrat, his re-election seems more assured. Democrats only need to pick up 6 seats in the Senate to take control. With five Republicans already in jeopardy, Senate Democrats are optimistic that they might just achieve their goal.
The House of Representatives also seems to be looking towards a major shift in control with many Republican incumbents concerned about their political future. As a result of political tension on the part of all officeholders in the Congress, we expect that many of the issues that we are concerned about, especially access issues relating to public lands, could become even more politicized in the coming months.
In the meantime, we are going to try and enjoy the remaining peaceful days of summer seeking bargains here and there, knowing only too well that the good days are about to come to an end. The fall season is going to be tough, politically, so we are resting up in preparation for some interesting days ahead for the recreation community.
As needed, ARRA will continue to send alerts when your action is required on an important legislative or regulatory issue affecting access to outdoor recreation. We appreciate your continued involvement with ARRA and believe that your participation will become all the more important in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Larry E. Smith
Executive Director
ARRA
September, 2006
Dog Days of August
As I prepare this newsletter, Labor Day is just a few days away. Parents are busy getting their children ready for school, but beyond that, things are generally quiet in the Nation’s Capital. The Congress is away for its August recess and the President is in and out of the city as he spends time in Texas, does a few campaign stops here and there, and spends a few days with his family in Kennebunkport.
The Redskins gave a very poor showing in two pre-season games and the Nationals recently lost 11 out of the last 16 games, meaning local fans have little reason to celebrate. With the politicians away and local major league sports leaving a lot to be desired, there just isn’t a whole of excitement around here these days. And what excitement there is, is strictly homemade.
A local garden center in our neighborhood each year holds a one day sale called the Dog Days of August. Customers get to buy any item with a discount equaling their age, proof of age required, of course. This is a great marketing idea on their part. The garden center gets to clear out old inventory to make room for cold weather merchandise. All the customers walk around smiling because they are getting a great bargain, especially if you are north of 50 years of age. (This is the only day of the year that I will gladly admit my age.)
I got there nice and early Saturday morning and found the parking lot full. I had to compete with dozens of people many years my senior. It was almost like being in the middle of a yard sale at a retirement community. I had thought about bringing along my 82 year old mother-in-law to help ease the financial burden of my big purchase, but then reconsidered when I realized that I was taking this bargain hunting just a little too seriously. But then again, what else do I have to worry about before the post Labor Day rush?
NPS Management Policies
Well, one issue that’s been a worry is the status of the National Park Service’s Draft Management Policies put forth by retiring Director Fran Manella and Secretary of the Interior Kempthorne. Many of us have expressed concerns about the direction of the proposed policies including the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Parks, Rep. Steve Pearce, (R-N.M.). Rep. Pearce recently sent a letter to Director Manella suggesting that the National Park Service clarify its language in the draft policies to ensure “public access.” Chairman Pearce suggested that the current draft could “provide park managers with future authority to eliminate recreational opportunities and services that support and enhance the visitor experience.”
Director Manella released the final policy on August 31st and seems to have generally ignored the suggestions of Rep. Pearce and others. We find this very disappointing. We are very concerned that the Park Service seems to be taking a less than positive attitude towards parks visitors and recreation, in general.
In our next newsletter we will write more about the new Management Policies and what this all means for the Park Service and the American public. With attendance declining at our National Parks, a top to bottom review of Park Service operations seems to be in order.
OHV Workshops
As we have previously reported to you, the first OHV workshop will be held in Tempe, Arizona from September 7-10. A second one is now scheduled for the Black Hills National Forest area for the week of October 12-15. These workshops are designed to develop expertise on the part of both Forest Service personnel and OHV enthusiasts on how to identify, plan and create OHV trails as a part of the route designation process associated with the Forest Service Travel Management Rule.
As more workshops are scheduled, we will keep you informed. If you have an interest in having a workshop is an area close to one of our National Forests, please let us know of your interest by contacting the ARRA webmaster.
Politics, Politics, Politics
The Congress returns on September 5th after a month-long recess. The legislative calendar is full of “must do” items particularly in the area of appropriations for FY 2007.
Overshadowing the legislative work in the House and Senate is the upcoming November elections. We have written about this before, but the current political trend lines lead us to believe that we will be seeing major changes in the House and Senate when the new Congress convenes in January.
In the Senate, five Republican incumbents currently seeking re-election are trailing their Democratic challengers in various opinion polls. Only one Democrat incumbent seems threatened and that’s Senator Lieberman. Now that he is running as an Independent Democrat, his re-election seems more assured. Democrats only need to pick up 6 seats in the Senate to take control. With five Republicans already in jeopardy, Senate Democrats are optimistic that they might just achieve their goal.
The House of Representatives also seems to be looking towards a major shift in control with many Republican incumbents concerned about their political future. As a result of political tension on the part of all officeholders in the Congress, we expect that many of the issues that we are concerned about, especially access issues relating to public lands, could become even more politicized in the coming months.
In the meantime, we are going to try and enjoy the remaining peaceful days of summer seeking bargains here and there, knowing only too well that the good days are about to come to an end. The fall season is going to be tough, politically, so we are resting up in preparation for some interesting days ahead for the recreation community.
As needed, ARRA will continue to send alerts when your action is required on an important legislative or regulatory issue affecting access to outdoor recreation. We appreciate your continued involvement with ARRA and believe that your participation will become all the more important in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Larry E. Smith
Executive Director
ARRA