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Colorado OHV sticker funds at risk!!!

Badbuggy

Badbuggy

rock star
Location
Fruita, Co
From Colorado 4X4....


Just got this from the Chairman of COHVCO, in short State parks wants to raid 2.3 Million dollars from OUR OHV funds to pay for state parks portion of the general fund.

This is money ONLY OHV pays for, we cannot ride in the parks, we reap no direct benefit from them (from an OHV standpoint). So we end up paying. Not the hikers, bikers, equestrians....we do.

Colorado State Parks has proposed to the Joint Budget Committee that they will sacrifice about 2.3 million dollars of OHV registration funds to help satisfy the the Parks portion of the General Fund shortfall. The decision will be made tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon when the JBC meets. We have until about 1:00 P.M. to get the attention of the JBC.

I have attached a document containing the names and individual phone numbers of the members of the JBC. Any phone messages will go to their voice mail, so it is OK to call tonight, or anytime up until about 1:00 Tuesday afternoon. Call every member of the committee.

There will be not time for testimony, and the message needs to be short and pointed. Jerry says to call and leave the message that "Parks should not steal our registration money, and that they should look somewhere else to find the money to fund their state parks operations, for which we receive no benefit.

We need to get the word out as far and as fast as possible.


You should call and leave a message to each member of the Joint Budget Committee. Tell them you DO NOT want them to raid the OHV funds to pay for the State Parks budget shortfall! (Unless they want to give us 2.3 million dollars of OHV trails in the state parks!)

Senator Moe Keller
District 20- Jefferson County
303-866-2585

Senator Abel Tapia
District 31- Pueblo County
303-866-2581

Senator Al White
District 8- Eagle, Garfield, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt Counties
303-866-2586

Representative Jack Pommer
District 11- Boulder County
303-866-2780

Representative Mark Ferrandino
District 2- Denver County
303-866-2911

Representative Don Marostica
District 51 - Larimer County
303-866-2947
Click to expand...
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Greedy bastards... :mad2: I'm calling tomorrow morning.

We could use support from you Utahans! Please make some phone calls and help us out against this!
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Badbuggy said:
I just heard the mailboxes are full on a couple already.
Click to expand...

Last 2 mailboxes are full, others are still taking messages! Lets fill them up people!!

It was hard not to get excited while leaving the messages... they better make the right decision. :mad2:


From the CO State Parks webpage about OHV Funds and what they are used for-

Where the money goes: Benefits of the OHV Registration Program

The Colorado OHV Registration Program fees fund trail maintenance, construction, trailheads, parking areas, trail signs, maps, and land acquisition. It also enables law enforcement personnel to identify and return stolen vehicles, encourages safe and responsible OHV use, and promotes respect for public lands.
Many different groups benefit from OHV registration, including:

* OHV owners and operators;
* Towns and counties that want to attract OHV recreators to enhance their local economies; and
* The general public; educated OHV enthusiasts are more conscientious and better stewards of the land.

Registration funds also enable local, state and federal land managers to better manage our natural resources.
Annually, this direct benefit to enthusiasts funds $1.5 million in trail opportunities and improvements.
Click to expand...
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Who else has called?

You don't have to be from CO to voice your opinion, this could happen in Utah so help us out and set the standard in case they try it in UT. CALL NOW!
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Right on Bob, thanks for the support!! :cool:

As of 11:15 PM all boxes are full. For those that read this in the morning, try calling... hopefully they will have cleaned out the mailboxes again.
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
If their phone mailboxes are full, then let's fill up their email In boxes!! :greg:


moe@moekeller.com

abel.tapia.senate@state.co.us

al.white.senate@state.co.us

jack.pommer.house@state.co.us

mferrandino@yahoo.com

don@donmarostica.com


My email, sent to each of the addresses above-

NO! to OHV Funds being used for State Parks!!


Greetings,

I'm a concerned CO resident who would like to strongly urge you to DENY the request to use the $2.3 million from OHV Funds for the State Parks General Shortfall Fund. I think this is pure robbery, plain and simple. I have paid my own money into the OHV fund and I am against using MY money for the State Park Fund. The purpose of the OHV Fund and MY MONEY reads as follows, from the CO State Parks Webpage-


Where the money goes: Benefits of the OHV Registration Program

The Colorado OHV Registration Program fees fund trail maintenance, construction, trailheads, parking areas, trail signs, maps, and land acquisition. It also enables law enforcement personnel to identify and return stolen vehicles, encourages safe and responsible OHV use, and promotes respect for public lands.
Many different groups benefit from OHV registration, including:

* OHV owners and operators;
* Towns and counties that want to attract OHV recreators to enhance their local economies; and
* The general public; educated OHV enthusiasts are more conscientious and better stewards of the land.

Registration funds also enable local, state and federal land managers to better manage our natural resources.
Annually, this direct benefit to enthusiasts funds $1.5 million in trail opportunities and improvements.



Using my OHV funds will NOT benefit me as it is supposed to, but will instead take $2.3 million from the $3.1 million that is there, taking almost all the money out of the OVH Fund. How is the OHV Fund supposed to operate on $800k?? It simply CANNOT. Please turn down this proposal!!

- Greg Gardner
Click to expand...
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Phone mailboxes are still full, who has sent in an email so far?

Are you reading this? Have you let them know what you think about this?? :mad2:
 
Badbuggy

Badbuggy

rock star
Location
Fruita, Co
The way I understand it, New Mexico did this same thing already. How long until every division that is still in the black, is robbed from to pay the divisions in the red?
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
From another forum-

Dirt1st said:
I spent most of the day today in a room with the JBC, and spent some individual time with several members of the Committee. The semi-bottom line is that the proposal to raid the OHV Registration Fund was never brought up for discussion and a vote. If it is not brought up by noon tomorrow (Wednesday), the proposal dies. I have a feeling that the proposal will not be brought up, and will die. This may or may not be the end though. There would be a whole lot of political maneuvering involved, but potentially the proponent of the proposal (the Department of Natural Resources) could ask for late bill status if they can find a sponsor in the Senate. It is unlikely that that will happen, but if it did, I believe that COHVCO could find enough support in the Senate to kill the bill.

Now for the back story - it appears that neither the Colorado Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation or the Department of Natural Resources came up with the idea to go to the OHV Registration Fund for 2.3 million dollars to be moved to the General Fund. It looks like a number of environmental groups came up with the idea, then hired a lobbyist, who took the proposal to DNR, and said "Look, here is 2.3 million dollars that we can offer up to go toward solving the budget crisis (and kill the OHV program)" They waited until almost the last possible minute to do this, and if it was not for the relationship that our lobbyist and Executive Director, Jerry Abboud has with some of the members of the Colordo General Assembly, we would never had heard about it until it was a done deal.

I am cautiously optimistic that we have dodged a bullet - this time, but we need to wait a little longer to see if another shoe drops.

We will be trying to confirm our suspicions about the involvement of the enviros, and will post here again when there is more information available.

Thanks to all of you that contacted the JBC be email or voice mail. I have been told that all of the JBC members received as many as 200 messages and emails - a couple of them said "I surrender"

Glenn Graham
Chairman & President
COHVOC
Click to expand...


You heard him, we dodged a bullet... for now. Good job to everyone that called and emailed!!
 
Badbuggy

Badbuggy

rock star
Location
Fruita, Co
Passing this along from another site.

This just in from COHVCO

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We won this one.

The JBC finished their business and closed the Long Bill at about 5:00 pm, and did not consider the DNR proposal to move money from the OHV Registration Fund to the General Fund. We must now wait to see if DNR (or their rats) seek late bill status. This could theoretically happen anytime up until the last day of the session, but Jerry says this would ordinarily be difficult, and with us watching, probably next to impossible.

When Jerry and I have time, we will describe in a little more detail what happened, and why, and why we need everyone to get and stay involved.

It appears that in the end, Senator Tapia was convinced that our position was the correct position, so thanks to all of you that sent emails to Senator Tapia last night.

Please circulate this to those that have helped by calling and emailing the JBC - good job every one - but we are not done yet. We do have a little breathing room, and a lot more eyes watching.

- Glenn Graham, COHVCO Chairman

The last minute proposal from DNR was tabled on Monday afternoon by our hero; Representative Don Marostica, District 51 - LarimerCounty. This gave us time to rally the troops. With the help of hundreds of phone calls and e-mails from the OHV community, the JBC was convinced to leave our money alone.

This would have never happened were it not for the years of work and relationships built by Jerry Abboud. Many thanks also to JBC Chair; Senator Moe Keller, Senator Abel Tapia, Senator Al White and a special THANK YOU again to Representative, Don Marostica for giving Jerry the heads up.
 
Brosiph4x4

Brosiph4x4

Active Member
Location
Crawlorado
I called,pueblo senetors mail is full so lets email as well thank you for bringing this to all of our attention, its just another way for the front range polations to screw us around and get they sticky fingers where they dont belong BASTERDS
 
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