Greetings, Buggy Family!

Please read this most important notice which directly affects Public Lands access taxation and fees, specifically on BLM-managed recreation areas.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... take a few minutes to respond via your elected representatives in Sacramento, or Washington D.C., in the way suggested in this notice:

WESTERN SLOPE NO-FEE COALITION

P.O. Box 403, Norwood, CO 81423

970/259-4616

wsnfc@earthlink.net <wsnfc@earthlink.net>

ACTION ALERT

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE TO CONSIDER RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE REPEAL OF
FLREA FOREST FEES.

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED


A resolution was introduced in the California Assembly in mid-March, AJR 21, which urges Congress to repeal the public lands access fee law, the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA).

AJR 21 (which stands for Assembly Joint Resolution), authored by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena), will come before the Assembly’s Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee on April 10th . Then it will go to the Assembly floor for a vote.

The text of AJR 21 is at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/aj...
introduced.html

Similar resolutions have been passed by legislatures in Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, New Hampshire and by the Alaska House of Representatives. Together, these resolutions show our legislators in Washington DC how unpopular the FLREA is – and help move them to repeal it soon. (The House Resources Committee in DC has a list of topics in its website that they will be addressing, and it includes the FLREA.)

California’s Assembly and Senate have in fact already passed
(unanimously) a resolution against the FLREA’s predecessor, the Recreation Fee Demo Program, back in 1998. The current resolution, AJR 21, will, when passed, reiterate the California legislature’s opposition to access fees on public lands managed by the US Forest Service, the BLM, the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation.

WE NEED YOU AND MANY OTHERS TO DO THREE THINGS:

First- It is most important to have your organization send a “Support Letter” to the Committee via the Resolutions Author Assemblyman Portantino. The Support Letters should have some kind of letterhead, briefly explain the purpose of your organization, state that your organization supports AJR 21 and give a brief outline why.

These letters must be received no later than the afternoon of April 2nd to be considered by Committee. Your letter stays with the resolution and helps support AJR 21 all the way through the process.

Individuals are also strongly encouraged to send Support Letters.

You can send your Support Letters via e-mail to:
Diane.Shelton@asm.ca.gov <Diane.Shelton@asm.ca.gov>

Or fax them to: 916-319-2144

Next- Make phone calls to your Assemblyman or Assemblywoman right away to demonstrate support for AJR 21 and to urge the Committee, and the Assembly as a whole, to support it. Encourage them to cosponsor AJR 21.
Briefly explain why. The link below will take you to a map, where you can click on your home area and be directed to your Assembly member’s website and contact information.

http://www.legislature.ca.gov/legislators_and_districts/dist...
cts.html

Lastly-Please call and email as many as you can, through mid April, of the Assembly members who sit on the Committee for Water, Parks and Wildlife. They will be the first to decide on AJR 21. The Committee members are:

Lois Wolk, Chair (D), (916) 319-2008
Assemblymember.wolk@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.wolk@assembly.ca.gov>

Bill Maze, Vice Chair (R), (916) 319-2034
Assemblymember.maze@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.maze@assembly.ca.gov>

Joel Anderson (R), (916) 319-2077
Assemblymember.Anderson@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.Anderson@assembly.ca.gov>

Tom Berryhill (R), (916) 319-2025
Assemblymember.Berryhill@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.Berryhill@assembly.ca.gov>

Anna M. Caballero (D), (916) 319-2028
Assemblymember.Caballero@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.Caballero@assembly.ca.gov>

Charles M. Calderon (D), (916) 319-2058
Assemblymember.Calderon@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.Calderon@assembly.ca.gov>

Jared Huffman (D), (916) 319-2006
Assemblymember.Huffman@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.Huffman@assembly.ca.gov>

Doug La Malfa (R), (916) 319-2002
Assemblymember.lamalfa@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.lamalfa@assembly.ca.gov>

Ted W. Lieu (D), (916) 319-2053
Assemblymember.Lieu@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.Lieu@assembly.ca.gov>

Gene Mullin (D), (916) 319-2019
Assemblymember.mullin@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.mullin@assembly.ca.gov>

Pedro Nava (D), (916) 319-2035
Assemblymember.nava@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.nava@assembly.ca.gov>

Nicole Parra (D), (916) 319-2030
Assemblymember.Parra@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.Parra@assembly.ca.gov>

Mary Salas (D), (916) 319-2079
Assemblymember.Salas@assembly.ca.gov
<Assemblymember.Salas@assembly.ca.gov>

SAMPLE PHONE MESSAGE TO COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

You can keep it brief. Remember, unlike Congress in DC, which is responsible for the unpopular FLREA, these Assembly members are just being asked to support a resolution against it.

“My name is (…). I’m calling from (City and/or County). Please support AJR 21 when it comes before the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.”

SAMPLE PHONE MESSAGE TO YOUR ASSEMBLYMEMBER

“My name is (…). I’m calling from (City). Please coauthor AJR 21, the resolution opposing access fees on federal public lands in California. I visit the (Los Padres/Angeles/etc.) National Forest to (hike, hunt, ride my horse, mountain bike, etc.) and I oppose fees for access to undeveloped areas. Thank you.”

---------------------------------------
Please forward this email to your lists. We need legislators all around California to support AJR 21 and to vote for it when it comes before them.

Thank you for your efforts. Together we can put an end to Forest Fees and the FLREA!

For more information:

Robert Funkhouser, 802/235-2299, rfunk9999@earthlink.net
<rfunk9999@earthlink.net>

Kitty Benzar, 970/259-4616, wsnfc@earthlink.net <wsnfc@earthlink.net>


Folks, California is finally joining in the fight to repeal unfair recreation fees on America's Public Lands, which can mean unfettered access to California resources such as Ivanpah Dry Lake, our yearly venue for NALSA and NABX, and to El Mirage Dry Lake, which, as you know, is slated to become a rather expensive "fee area" for the BLM.

Thank you for reading this post, and for taking a few minutes of your time to respond to your State Assembly representative(s) with a message of your support for this action!

This is just another example of how a national, or even multi-national Buggy Association, with formal letterhead, duly elected representatives, and the "clout" of significant numbers of desert recreationists, can make a difference and influence the future of unfettered access to Public Lands!

Keep the faith... it actually seems to be working!

-Dooley :moon:

Thanks Dooley. I sent a note to my Assembly Member.