AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS MAY NOT ALLOW
ACCESS FOR YOU

Dear Herndon,
I thought you would want to know about President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative "listening session" in Los Angeles last Thursday and what this means to you and access to public lands.

The President's Outdoor Initiative has TREMENDOUS potential to HELP or HARM recreation interests, private property interests, our children's future and many other aspects of our way of life. We have a rare opportunity to positively influence National Public Land Policy and protect public access, so I hope you will take just a few minutes to speak up now by VOTING to keep your public lands open.

If we do not speak, we stand to lose access to millions of acres of our dwindling Multiple Use Lands through new inappropriate Wilderness and Monument designations.

Some say there is no point in taking action, but THAT IS DEAD WRONG AND EXACTLY WHAT THE CLOSURE FOLKS ARE HOPING FOR.

We can make a difference and most certainly IF WE REMAIN SILENT WE WILL LOSE.

President Obama has specifically invited us as Recreationists to be involved in this plan.

Our challenge then is to influence this Initiative by demanding the preservation of Multiple Use lands for Multiple Use for current and future generations.

After all Multiple Use lands are where the majority of the public recreate, as well as where much of our timber products and beef come from, creating jobs and paying taxes. Yet Multiple Use Lands have been closed at an alarming rate and there are not enough Multiple Use lands for current or future generations.

TAKE ACTION- VOTE TO KEEP YOUR PUBLIC LANDS OPEN

Click on the link and VOTE for IDEAS about keeping Your Public Lands Open for you and your children http://www.savethetrails.us/AGO-Vote.html

We need to urge the President and the New Congress in November to preserve Multiple Use lands permanently.

Another challenge is to demand the protection of our private property rights and supporting local control instead of one size fits all national programs.

Private Property is proposed to be purchased under a proposal to fund the Land Resource Conservation Fund, but removing these lands from the tax roles will cripple rural areas ability to pay for schools, roads and other local needs. Strict regulations will then be placed on these lands so they perversely cannot be managed for the best health of the land. Jobs and business taxes will also be lost as these lands are removed from sustainable grazing production or timber harvesting.

Thomas Jefferson once said, "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for a people of good conscience to remain silent". Many of us have remained silent. Now is a good time to speak up.

One look at the agency heads leading this program and speaking at the Thursday meeting in Los Angles makes one realize the amount of power being applied to this program

Over 800 attended the Listening Session Your help is needed to ensure your interests are given greater weight and consideration

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
• Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
• White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley
• Agriculture Under Secretary Harris Sherman
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Assistant Secretary Jo-Ellen Darcy

The Secretary of the Interior stated the results of this Initiative would be on the President's desk on 11/15/2010 and would determine future budgets and legislation. Power and money that will determine if the public can continue to access their public land.

I made the 7 hour drive to attend and am pleased that folks representing AMA, CA4WD, CORVA, ORBA, Blue Ribbon Coalition, Fishing, Hunting, Horseback riding and other organizations attended and some were able to speak about the need to protect Multiple Use Lands, OHV access and the need to work with stakeholders to help stop closures of public lands to any of those interests, but let's not kid ourselves- we were not the majority of the over 800 attendees

The reality is Recreation organizations need more people to speak up to provide the influence needed to change the direction of the America's Great Outdoors Initiative. Much as we might like to think that someone else can do the work, sometimes everyone needs to help. I believe that time is now. One easy way you can help is to VOTE for IDEAS to help support your continued access to public lands.

TAKE ACTION-VOTE TO KEEP YOUR PUBLIC LANDS OPEN

Click on the link and VOTE for IDEAS about keeping Your Public Lands Open for you and your children http://www.savethetrails.us/AGO-Vote.html

The stated purpose of the America’s Great Outdoors initiative is to promote and support innovative, community-based conservation efforts and to reconnect Americans with the great outdoors. At this early stage this appears to mean supporting parks in inner cities and so called conservation efforts on public lands in rural areas that unless we speak up loudly will include locking the majority of the public out of their lands through millions of acres of inappropriate Wilderness and Monument designations across the West.

Upcoming Listening Sessions for other areas. If you know of anyone in these areas please urge them attend and speak up

• Asheville, North Carolina: July 15, 1-4 pm
• Denver & Grand Junction, Colorado: July 16
• Albuquerque, New Mexico: July 17

You can learn more about these sessions and the program at http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/

You can read the leaked internal White House document showing secret plans to designate 13 million of acres as National Monuments and Wilderness without public input, President Obama announced on 3/29/10 his America Great Outdoor Initiative to encourage local involvement in the crafting of this new plan, which will supposedly encourage urban youth to get out and enjoy the Backcountry and preserve access to the outdoors.

Chris Horgan and your friends at Save the Trails

Please Forward this to everyone who wants to preserve public access to public lands and protect property rights

This alert sent by your friends at www.Save The Trails.us

BRC Recreation Advisory
America's Great Outdoors Initiative - What you need to know

On April 16, 2010 President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum that will radically reshape the U.S. Government's conservation policy. The Memorandum created the America's Great Outdoors Initiative which directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Council for Environmental Quality (CEQ) to coordinate with the Interior and Agriculture Departments on a program to promote conservation and outdoor recreation.

According to Obama's Memorandum, the goals of the Initiative shall be to:

1. Reconnect Americans, especially children, to America's rivers and waterways, landscapes of national significance, ranches, farms and forests, great parks, and coasts and beaches by exploring a variety of efforts, including: promoting community-based recreation and conservation, including local parks, greenways, beaches, and waterways; advancing job and volunteer opportunities related to conservation and outdoor recreation; supporting existing programs and projects that educate and engage Americans in our  history, culture, and natural bounty.
    
2. Build upon State, local, private, and tribal priorities for the conservation of land, water, wildlife, historic, and cultural resources, creating corridors and connectivity across these outdoor spaces, and for enhancing neighborhood parks; and determine how the Federal Government can best advance those priorities through public private partnerships and locally supported conservation strategies.
    
3. Use science-based management practices to restore and protect our lands and waters for future generations.

The Memorandum listed three "functions:" 1) outreach; 2) coordination; and 3) reports. The outreach function includes the listening session mentioned above and directs that special attention should be given to bringing young Americans into the conversation. The coordination function directs the EPA, CEQ, Dept. of Ag and Interior to work with various agencies of the federal government to "identify existing resources and align policies and programs to achieve its goals." The Memorandum also requires the Chair of the CEQ to issue a report by November 15, 2010, and Annual reports by September 30, 2011, and 2012.

Why this matters to you:
There is a very real possibility this might just end up being a giant vehicle to hand the "conservation community" whatever is on its latest wish list.

But you don't need to take my word for it. Here are a few excerpts from a speech New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson made at the April 16 conference:
http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/Americas-Great-Outdoors-Conference-Video.cfm

"We need new outdoor initiatives that retain the basics and core of conservation and I'm going to talk about them today. Expanding our wilderness systems and parks protecting our air, water and habitat the basics, the Mo Udall, the Stewart Udall, the Bruce Babbitt agendas that were so worthy of American support. And now with Ken Salazar emerging, somebody that is driving this excellent agency into another period of excellence."

"... We have to work together to develop landscape conservation legacies that include a new series of parks, new monument, new management strategies for public lands. This isn't a decades-long fight, it should happen now. What do we need first?"

"I would say an omnibus wilderness bill, wilderness legislation consolidated. The San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act in Colorado, Berryessa Snow-Mountain Conservation in California, the bills to provide Yute Mountain and Rio Grande Del Norte as well as the Organ Mountains in New Mexico and other proposed landscape protections in Arizona, in Idaho, in Nevada and across the west."

"Secretary Salazar has wasted no time in protecting treasured landscapes working in partnerships with the states. I urge the Interior Department to move forward quickly on its expanded national monument plan and I commend Secretary Salazar for engaging the governors early on this initiatives."

What you need to do:
First of all, don't panic. Governor Richardson's fondness for the "bad old days" of Clinton era land grabs notwithstanding, Secretary Salazar seems to be pushing back a bit from adopting the Wilderness Society's wish list, at least not all of it.  As if to hint at this, Secretary Salazar made the following comment to Governor Richardson immediately after his speech: "Governor Richardson, thank you for your presentation and your great ideas. We agree with most of them. But you were never shy."

Participation in the "outreach" portion of President Obama's Memorandum is MANDATORY.

BRC is encouraging our members to attend the meetings in Asheville, NC, Minneapolis, MN, Hudson River, NY, Maine/New Hampshire, Anchorage and Denver. Meeting time and locations as well as additional meetings will be announced soon. (Subscribe to BRC's Action Alert email list for regular updates and info.)

IMPORTANT: The DOI has an online "idea generator." There are many good ideas that you can "vote" for and you might want to submit your own. http://ideas.usda.gov/ago/ideas.nsf/
We've posted a few ideas and talking points below. Feel free to use these if you wish.

The DOI also has a "tell your story" webpage. If you enjoy OHV and snowmobile riding with your family, please consider taking a minute to jot down a personal anecdote on this webpage. http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/Feedback.cfm

Finally, call your congressional representatives! With all that is going on in Washington these days, your Congressman and Senator may not even know about this initiative. Make sure he or she knows and remind them that it is their (Congress) responsibility for provide oversight and represent constituents' interests - especially when access to public lands is at issue. Easily find your Congressman's contact info via our Rapid Response webpage. http://www.sharetrails.org/rapid_response/

MORE ON THE WEB:
http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/
http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/Organizers-Toolkit.cfm
Remarks by The President at America's Great Outdoors Conference
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-americas-great-outdoors-conference

HOW TO COMMENT ON THE AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS INITIATIVE:
You can email your information to: ago@ios.doi.gov or mail a hard copy to: Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife and Parks, America's Great Outdoors, 1849 C St NW, Washington, DC 20240.

The DOI has a online "idea generator." There are many good ideas that you can "vote" for, and you might want to submit your own. http://ideas.usda.gov/ago/ideas.nsf/

We've posted a few ideas and talking points below. Feel free to use these if you wish.

The DOI also has a "tell your story" webpage. If you enjoy OHV and snowmobile riding with your family, please consider taking a minute to jot down a personal anecdote on this webpage. http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/Feedback.cfm

Ideas for America's Great Outdoors Initiative:
This initiative is partly motivated by a need to enhance recreational opportunities on public lands. But increased recreation opportunities will not flow from a whisk of a pen in Washington D.C.  Any successful recreation management policy must be accompanied by adequate budget, staffing, and above all, management's priority to achieve critical on-the-ground goals.

Federal agencies' allocation of budget, staff, and management effort should reflect the developing reality that outdoor recreation provides a greater good for more Americans than any other aspect of its multiple-use mandate. The time has come to make managed recreation the BLM and Forest Service's top priority.

Prioritize all efforts on clearing the repair/maintenance/improvement backlog in the National Park Service before designating any new National Parks or other similar protective area designations. (The National Park Service alone estimates that it would need an extra $9.5 billion to clear a backlog of repairs and improvements.)

All too often "conservation" means reducing public access and recreational uses. The AGO Initiative should explore ways to enhance a diverse range of recreational uses, including motorized and non-motorized recreational uses, across federal, state and private lands.

Federal land managers too often limit or restrict public recreation activities. Federal land managers should focus on recreation friendly management plans that are not restrictive and embrace a wide range of diverse recreational uses, including motorized and non-motorized recreation.

The administration has prided itself in being open and transparent, yet Representative Rob Bishop and Representative Doc Hastings have not yet received a response to their requests for documents. It will benefit the outreach function of this Initiative if the Department of the Interior would respond to H. Res. 1406.

The new National Park Service management policy emphasis is on preservation of our National Parks. This limits land managers' options insofar as what recreation opportunities a Park may provide. The initiative should study a supplement to National Park management guidelines to emphasize providing a wide range of recreational uses for the visiting public. Similar supplemental guidance may be appropriate for the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

The initiative and the public will benefit from a full understanding of the various public and private conservation efforts currently underway. Accurate information is critical for good decision-making. Statements that state large areas of our nation's natural landscape have been lost to population growth and development, or that a changing climate and new sources of pollution are affecting wildlife and watersheds, must be put into an accurate context. The initiative must disclose how much land is being conserved. The initiative should work with the over 1,600 privately run land trusts to find out how much land has been protected in recent years. The initiative should disclose how much land is conserved via federal conservation efforts, such as the Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program. In addition, it would help to disclose how many federal dollars are being spent on the various conservation efforts. Finally, the initiative should disclose the conservation efforts underway via the Land and Resource Management Plans of units of the National Forest System, the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service.

Millions of American families enjoy motorized recreation.  It often forms a bond between parents and their children as they experience the great outdoors together.

The OHV community supports conservation efforts including support of the "travel limited to designated roads, trails and areas" paradigm as outlined in the Forest Service travel management regulations and BLM's planning directives. The OHV community also supports conservation through environmental review and analysis in route designation processes, as well as ongoing monitoring and maintenance of the OHV infrastructure. The OHV community supports conservation efforts by contributing substantial funds to implement OHV management and volunteers tens of thousands of man hours in volunteer work projects. Much of this funding is made available to federal land managers via state OHV programs. These programs exist today because years ago motorized recreationists voluntarily "taxed ourselves" via state OHV registration programs. Some of these funds are used to supplement the agencies' law enforcement efforts.

ATV and off-highway motorcycle riding encourages and promotes physical fitness. OHVs provide access to the Great Outdoors for Americans of all ages, shapes, and sizes.

If you participate in the idea generator:
The agency is asking for comment on four "topics."

Challenges - What obstacles exist to achieving your goals for conservation, recreation, or reconnecting people to the outdoors?

What Works - Please share your thoughts and ideas on effective strategies for conservation, recreation and reconnecting people to the outdoors.

Federal Government Role - How can the federal government be a more effective partner in helping to achieve conservation, recreation or reconnecting people to the outdoors?

Tools - What additional tools and resources would help your efforts be even more successful?

Here are some ideas for "Challenges"
The inefficiency of federal bureaucracy is a significant challenge. Disengaged or uninterested land management staff is also a challenge.

The problem known as "analysis paralysis" is a major concern. It should be a priority to review the reasons the U.S. Forest Service is having problems writing Forest Plans.

More and more land is being placed into protective designations. The increased focus on conservation in these areas lead to restrictive land use plans. In Wilderness for example, there are many restrictions including a group size limit. These group size limitations hurt scouting and other youth programs.

There are two key challenges related to funding federal outdoor programs. One problem is that much too much money is being spent on overhead and infrastructure and not on recreational infrastructure. The initiative should find ways to focus agency budget spending on recreational infrastructure, including roads, trails and winter sports areas (including ski areas).

The other problem is the lack of funding, especially appropriated funds. The initiative has ambitious goals but we must face the fact that federal budgets aren't going to be significantly increased, and may be decreased in coming years. The initiative must focus on locally based cooperative efforts to accomplish its goals.

An excellent example is leveraging the various State off-highway vehicle programs. Many states benefit from millions of dollars made available for OHV trails and snowmobile areas via these "user pay" programs. The initiative should enhance these programs where they exist and encourage their formation in states where they lack an off-highway vehicle program.

Here are ideas for "What Works"
Active management of recreational use works. With management (maps, kiosks, partnership agreements, adopt a trail, on the ground signing, etc) land managers increase capacity while decreasing impacts to natural resources.
Involvement of federal land managers with local communities works.  Community based FACA committees formed from a broad base of stakeholders can well serve as advisory councils to assist the land manager in critical planning and decision-making efforts.

Here are ideas for "Federal Role"
The federal land managing agencies serve a critical role in supplying a diverse range of recreational opportunity to the American public.  Recreation is a key multiple use value. The federal agencies should seek to enhance recreational opportunities on lands that they manage.
Training for local recreation program managers is essential, especially in the area of developing funding opportunities through private sector and federal grant programs such as the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative GRANT Program or the Recreational Trails Program at the federal/state level.

Here are ideas for "Tools"
Have units embrace substantive volunteer programs. Utilize proven management principles such as the Recreational Opportunity Spectrum and ensure that all aspects of ROS are served.