Please review, and act, to the AMA release just put out.
May I suggest you personally sign up for these kind of releases.
It only takes a few seconds to respond if you wish.
Stay informed and protect OHV!
David Pickett, Director
Legislative Action Office
AMA District 36 - Motorcycle Sports Committee
“From: AMA [mailto:grassroots@ama-cycle.org]
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 7:53 AM
To: DAVE PICKETT
Subject: Congress to hold hearing on bill that supports greater access to public lands
Contact your Senators and Representative today
On July 26, 2011, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, chaired by Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT), will hold a hearing on H.R. 1581, the “Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act of 2011.” This bill would remove restrictions to motorized access on more than 40 million acres of public land nationwide.
To view a live webcast of the hearing scheduled for July 26 at 10 a.m. EDT.
Representative and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) along with Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT), and Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM), Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus introduced H.R. 1581.
On May 26, 2011, Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Dean Heller (R-NV) introduced the Senate companion bill (S. 1087).
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) support these bills and applaud Reps. McCarthy, Bishop, Pearce, and Sens. Barrasso, Murkowski, Hatch and Heller for helping every American achieve greater access to our public lands. On April 5, 2011, the AMA and ATVA sent McCarthy a letter of support for this bill. (To view the letter, get someone to forward the AMA email to you, or go to their website.)
These bills would remove the riding ban on 6.7 million acres managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and riding restrictions that may be in place for 36.1 million acres of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land.
“As strong supporters of multiple-use principles for our public lands, we should release public lands from restrictive management practices that are unnecessary,” Rep. McCarthy told his colleagues. “This bill also would preserve and strengthen the robust local land management planning process by returning emphasis to local stakeholders and local communities who know best how to manage their public lands rather than bureaucrats here in Washington.”
Specifically, these bills would “release” all Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) controlled by the BLM and Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs) managed by the USFS that have been determined by land managers to be unsuitable for congressional Wilderness land-use designations. Motorized recreation is banned on Wilderness land.
The AMA and ATVA support appropriate Wilderness designations that meet the criteria established by the Wilderness Act of 1964. A Wilderness designation is one of the strictest forms of public land management. Once Congress designates an area as Wilderness, nearly all forms of non-pedestrian recreation are prohibited.
These bills are long overdue and the AMA and ATVA thank Reps. McCarthy, Bishop, Pearce, and Sens. Barrasso, Murkowski, Hatch and Heller for introducing them. For years, anti-access groups have used WSAs and other tactics to inappropriately keep responsible riders off public land that is well suited for motorized recreation.
The AMA and ATVA need you to contact your Senators and Representative now to urge them to become a cosponsor to H.R. 1581/S. 1087, the “Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act of 2011.” Just follow the “Take Action” option to send a pre-written e-mail directly to your Senators and Representative.
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