Going to Tally, DOF meeting

[lisa]

  Hello folks,

  In two weeks, I have been invited to attend a Divsion of Forestry meeting in Tallehassee. This meeting is being held by the Blue Ribbon Panel. A panel made up of evirnomental groups, lawyers, and timber industry has been given information gathered by DOF at public workshops, surveys conducted to state DOF employees, information gathered from the website survey, etc.

  A few of  us have been working hard since April to get a public interest representative on this panel. We weren't successful. When I requested information on the meeting this panel had in May, I was invited to attend. The final date was set for August 3. This may be a step forward and letting the state know that the public recreation groups can be represented by one or two folks.

  I am letting you know what is going on, and asking for help to defray the costs of going to Tallehassee. It is a five hour trip for me, so there are some major costs invovled. Since I am a stay-at-home-mom, my husband is taking off work to stay with our boys so that I may attend.

  The email address for the pay pal account I have set up for this is: blueribbonpanel@floridaequalaccess.org
  I have asked the 4x4 community to help as well. Together we can make our voice heard in Tallehassee.

 Thank you.

[J.D.]

Thanks for your efforts .

[backinsaddle]

check you paypal acct. 

[backinsaddle]

Anyone who's complaining about nowhere to ride in Florida, Lisa is one of the few on this site who's actually doing something with the state and trying to keep us up to date on what's going on.  No one else is going to help her out?

[lisa]

  Thank you so much! I have been looking forward to this meeting. I have been researching those on the panel. The more I learn, the more I realize I have so much more to learn! This is a huge issue, and one that goes back decades.

[lisa]

  Thank you all who donated. I will be leaving Tuesday. I hope to have a report up on my board on Friday.

  I have been doing a lot of research and think I may have a way that we, the public access crowd, can get our message heard. It will take time, persistence and more than one person to do this. There is a lot out there that the average person will just want to bury their heads in the sand and ignore, but we can't.

  So I don't get into a long, drawn-out soap-box stance, I will just say, folks, if you don't stand for what you have now, if you don't work to keep it (work in the right way) you are going to lose more than a few trails. You are going to lose your lands, and your rights!

  Thanks again to those who have helped. I will post here when I have my report up.

[qt314nfla]

it won't be much but i'll send you something tomorrow.  good luck and thank you.

[qt314nfla]

sent.  also i have a list of about ten ppl that would be willing to pitch in and to support research or what ever might be needed to help.  some of them have already posted here.  good luck, thanks and let me know if i can do anything.

[lisa]

  Thanks QT! I see you have a GPS, do you Geo-Cache?

After the meeting, I will know better what the DOF wants from us, and will be asking for help. Thank you for the offer.

  I look at the DOF and other groups like this with caution until they prove they are on the side of equal access for all, total equal access! No one group should be able to enjoy our forests and parks, at our expence. If we pay for it, we get to use it. PERIOD!

  Okay, off soap box now. Thank you for the support QT. 

[qt314nfla]

No prob.  Wish I could do more.  I just found out about Geo-caching last week.  I was thinking about trying to find some.  There seem to be atleast 10 w/in 5 miles of my house.  Unfortunately, I'm so busy w/ the office that I spend all my spare time riding.  Looks like fun though.

Good luck in Tallahassee.  Keep us posted.  Thanks for all the information you have already passed along to us.  Power to the people and freedom of land use.