Required Reading- National Forest Travel Management rule

[GrizzlyBear]

This rule was just published in the Federal Register.  It affects ALL national forests and grasslands.  Most important is that it states what and how the Forest Service is going to allow ORV to use its land. EVERYONE who uses these facilities should read the news release AND if you have the time go to the Federal Register and read all 29 pages.  There is room for misinterperation and we shold comment here and see if we can come up with a general consenus amoung ourselves then proceed to question the Forest Service as a group.

http://www.fs.fed.us/

terry

[GrizzlyBear]

This is important, we must keep it visable for a while.

[GrizzlyBear]

I'm serios about this.  This affects how the Ocala National Forest is going to be in the future.  People need to understand how it is going to work, OR stop complaining when you lose riding areas.

[themensh]

  Grizzly,
   What suggestions do you have?  I have only ridden in Ocala twice.....so I have no idea what trails are what or where most of them go.
  You mention we should contact the Forest Service as a 'group'.
  What 'group'?
  Earlier in a post, I asked if there were any ATV clubs around and
someone replied "This one right here!" (meaning ATVFLORIDA.COM
I guess)
  In my oppinion, this site is not organized enough to contact anyone as a group.  There is no leader, no accountability, no agenda or goal.
  I would like to see more land available for ATVs. I am trying to find out
who, in Volusia County (Deland, Daytona Ormond Beach area) is in charge
of the ECHO (Ecological Cultural Heritage Outdoor) grants. http://echotourism.com/
These grants could be used to buy land for use.    There is power in numbers.  I will contact them, but I am only one person.
  What do you suggest Grizz?

[AintSkeered]

ARRA Washington Newsletter

March, 2006

Federal Budget for FY 2007

If you don’t like to read about budgetary issues, then this newsletter isn’t for you.  You may as well hit the delete button and turn your attention to something more fun.  But, if you really care about recreation on public lands, then be prepared to receive some troubling news.
 
On February 13th, President Bush submitted his FY 2007 budget recommendations to Congress.  Budgetary pressures required some budget cuts and unfortunately, recreation interests are taking it on the chin.

Of major concern to us is the proposed budget for the U. S. Forest Service.  Overall, the budget as proposed by the Administration means the Forest Service would receive $177 million less in FY 2007 than it received in FY 2006. As a part of the cut, the Recreation, Wilderness and Heritage programs saw a 4% reduction, $250,880,000 vs. $261,229,000 enacted in FY 2006.  This might not seem like much in the overall scheme of things, but this wasn’t the only thing affecting recreation that is slated for a budgetary haircut.

For example, under the trails program account, the Forest Service maintains and rehabilitates more than 133,000 miles of recreational trails. These are the very trails that ARRA members use for both motorized and non-motorized recreation. The budget for this important activity is proposed to be cut by 19.4%!  FY 2006 funding stood at $74 million and the proposed budget by the President calls for only $60 million in FY 2007.  Historically, funding for trail maintenance has been inadequate and these planned cuts will only make things worse.

Funds for road maintenance in our national forests didn’t fair any better.  The proposed budget calls for a reduction of 17.7%.  The adopted FY 2006 budget provided funding of $222 million and the proposed FY 2007 budget comes in at $182 million.  In short, access to our national forests is being threatened because of inadequate funding for trails and roads.  If the Forest Service doesn’t have the means to do the job, then the only recourse available to land managers is to close off access to those trails and roads most in need of repair or routine maintenance.

ARRA is focusing all of its attention on restoring the Forest Service trails’ and recreation budgets to the FY 2006 levels of $74 million and $261 million respectively, adding back $25 million.  In other words, we are forced to fight to maintain the status quo!  Normally, the fight is to increase a budget item.  In this case, we are trying to prevent a costly cutback.

We have expressed to you before our ongoing concerns that the Forest Service does not having any specific funding for the implementation phase of the OHV designation rule.  Our original strategy for this year was to seek specific appropriations for that very rule. Since the purpose of the rule is to designate OHV trails, we thought this merited our attention. Unfortunately, we have a more immediate crisis, a fire if you will, in terms of the existing recreational trails system. Our worry now is that if the agency does not have adequate funding to maintain the trail system that it already has in place, some agency officials might be reluctant to recognize and designate additional trails under the OHV rule.

The halls of Congress are filled with many folks lobbying on a variety of issues, including the FY 2007 budget.  We are joining the fray in defense of the Forest Service’s trails program and we are going to need your help if we are to succeed.  In the next few days we will be asking you to contact your House member and Senators in support of full funding of the Forest Service recreational trails’ program.

Your assistance can make a critical difference in this fight.  Please watch for the special ARRA alert that will be coming your way.

Sincerely,

Larry E. Smith
Executive Director
ARRA

[AintSkeered]

 NEWS ALERT!!!!!

U.S. House Subcommittee Restores Funding for Recreation and Trails

May 4, 2006

Washington, D.C.

The Interior Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee today approved legislation that provides the Forest Service with funding for FY 2007.  As a part of the overall Forest Service appropriations, the Subcommittee approved $262 million for Recreation Programs, $11 million more that requested by the Administration. 

For trails programs and maintenance, the Subcommittee appropriated $73.4 million, $13 million more than was in the President’s budget request.

ARRA members have been very active in lobbying for more federal funds for these worthy programs and your comments to your Members of Congress have paid off.

This measure now goes to the full House Appropriations Committee for approval and then to the entire House of Representatives. The U.S. Senate will need to take similar action before this measure becomes law.

Congratulations to all those ARRA members who took the time to contact their Representatives and Senators on these important programs.  Progress is being made, but we will need to do more work in the coming weeks to ensure success.

 

 

[AintSkeered]

http://www.arra-access.com/arra/TakePride2006NationalAwardNomination.html?member_key=e6i63n425b3mdd&

[AintSkeered]

http://www.arra-access.com/arra/press_increase_trails_budget.html

[AintSkeered]

http://www.arra-access.com/arra/washingtonnewsletter_jun2009.html

[AintSkeered]

http://www.nohvcc.org/

[AintSkeered]

Please read. More choices for you to get involved; http://www.nohvcc.org/