...Just got this in...
================================================================
This alert is brought to you by the Southern Utah Wilderness
Alliance
425 E. 100 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84111, 801-486-3161,
www.suwa.org
================================================================
In this issue:
*****UPDATES*****
(1)RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING IN DC TO
ADDRESS OFF-ROAD VEHICLE USE ON OUR PUBLIC LANDS
(2)RECENT POLL SHOWS BROAD PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR
BETTER MANAGEMENT OF ORVs
(3)GLEN CANYON OIL WELL PROJECT COMMENTS DUE
*****EVENTS*****
(4)UTAH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND
(5)WILD UTAH SLIDE SHOW IN PHILADELPHIA
*****JOB ANNOUNCEMENT*****
(6)SUWA HIRING ORGANIZER FOR SOUTHWEST OFFICE
==============================================================
*****UPDATES*****
(1)RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING IN DC TO ADDRESS OFF-ROAD
VEHICLE USE ON PUBLIC LANDS
Last Wednesday, July 13th, the House Resources subcommittees on
National Parks, and Forests and Forest Health held a hearing to
review the explosive increase in use of off-road vehicles on
America's public lands. The hearing was organized in two panels,
the first comprised of Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth and Ed
Shepard, Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning
for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The second panel
included the President of the Off-Road Business Association,
President of the Blue Ribbon Coalition (an off-road vehicle
advocacy group), VP of the American Motorcyclist Association, a
representative of Americans for Responsible Recreational Access,
Dan Heinz, an avid sportsman and retired Forest Service employee,
and Dr. Mary Dowd, a pediatrician with the Children's Mercy
Hospital.
For the most part, the agency representatives provided facts and
figures to the sparsely represented subcommittees as to the
astronomical growth of off-road vehicle recreation on public
lands and complained that their hands are tied by lack of
resources for enforcement, planning, monitoring, etc. According
to the Forest Service, 300,000 miles of roads and 35,000 miles of
trails are open to motorized vehicles in the national forests
alone. The BLM says 80 percent of its 262 million acres of
public lands are open to motor vehicles. The agencies' vapid
testimony contrasted with off-road vehicle advocates who claimed
that they are increasingly being blocked and unfairly restricted
from access to our public lands. The Forest Service emphasized
that unregulated motorized use of public forest land is one of
the top four principle threats to wildlife, forest health and
other non-motorized uses of the same land.
User conflict is at an all time high on our public lands. Dan
Heinz of Reno, Nevada said to the subcommittee, "off-road vehicle
enthusiasts rarely understand the impacts and disruption they
cause to nonmotorized users. The analogy of smokers and
nonsmokers is appropriate." He went on to illustrate the point
further by saying that, "nonmotorized forest visitors outnumber
off-road vehicle visitors by a ratio of 4-1 an the two groups
don't mix well. Hikers are happy with 5 to 10 miles of trail a
day while off-road vehicle users need 40 to 50 or even 100 miles
a day."
Dr. Dowd, a pediatric emergency medicine physician testified to
the gruesome truth about children and the disproportionate number
of injuries involving those under the age of 16 while operating
off-road vehicles. In 2003, 111 children died in ATV crashes and
38,600 children were injured, some very seriously including
severe brain, spinal and complicated orthopedic injuries.
"Children lack the strength, coordination and judgment needed to
operate ATVs and other off-road vehicles," said Dr. Dowd. She
continued, "if an infectious disease caused this level of death
and disability, the federal government would spend millions of
dollars toward studying, curing and ultimately preventing it. In
the case of ATV's, however, the government has done virtually
nothing over the past twenty years." Dr. Dowd and the American
Academy of Pediatrics called on the joint subcommittees to
support restrictions on children under the age of 16 riding or
operating off-road vehicles on public lands.
A coalition of conservation groups, including SUWA, also
submitted written testimony to the joint subcommittees calling
for increased funding for travel management planning, a
comprehensive approach to law enforcement, and assurance of
broad-based and balanced public participation in decision-making.
The testimony also provided further documentation as to the
myriad negative environmental impacts caused by off-road
vehicles, and highlighted the increase in user conflicts on our
public lands.
No solutions, new rules or legislation came as a direct result of
this hearing.
(2)RECENT POLL SHOWS BROAD PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR BETTER MANAGEMENT
OF ORVs
On July 13th, SUWA released the results of a state-wide poll
showing broad public support for better management of off-road
vehicles (ORVs) in Utah. The poll was conducted by Dan Jones and
Associates, an independent public opinion and market research
firm in Salt Lake City.
Of the Utah residents randomly selected and questioned in the
poll, 89% said they valued the serenity of southern Utah's
wilderness lands, with 72% concerned about the impact of ORV use
in those areas. Well over half of the respondents said they
believed damage to Utah landscapes has increased over the past
few years due to growing ORV use, and more than three-quarters
agree that ORVs should be more closely managed on public lands.
Overall, the majority of Utah residents polled believe what's
good for wilderness is good for Utah. Seventy-eight percent
believe that preserving open space is important to Utah's
economic vitality, and two-thirds feel that Governor Huntsman
should place a high priority on protecting Utah's wilderness
lands.
To read more about this poll, see the poll results and media
coverage on the subject, follow this link:
http://www.suwa.org/entry.php?entry_id=692
There is also a very compelling and informational slide show that
you can view about the effects of ORVs on Utah's public lands,
our economy and our future on our website at:
http://www.suwa.org/page.php?page_name=Camp_Orv_Home
[once you are there, click on the link at the top of the page
saying "NEW! Slideshow: ATVs in America (PDF file)"]
(3)GLEN CANYON OIL WELL PROJECT COMMENTS DUE
Thanks go to tens of thousands of dedicated activists, including
many of you for sending in comments to the Park Service on an oil
well project proposed for the Glen Canyon National Recreation
Area. Due to the popularity of this issue, a national coalition
of groups have taken it on, and generated a ton of comments on
the controversial project that would affect wild lands in the
Glen Canyon NRA and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument.
If you have not yet commented on this destructive project, please
do so now. The comment deadline is July 31st.
To see a sample comment letter, and submit a quick and easy
comment via the NRDC website, please go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=52852
To see more info about this project, go to our website at:
http://www.suwa.org/entry.php?entry_id=682
THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HELP!
*****EVENTS*****
(4)UTAH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND
SUWA's new Salt Lake City organizer Liz Kinne is hitting the
ground running wild with volunteer opportunities for the whole
valley. If you are interested in joining her and other
volunteers in the coming weeks and months for any number of fun
events, including a summer concert series, festivals, fairs, our
new Wild Nights volunteer night, and a backyard BBQ, please log
onto our website to check the schedule of events and get in touch
with Liz to find out more info. You can contact Liz Kinne at
lizk@suwa.org or call her direct line (801) 428-3991.
Check out the volunteer activities page on our website here:
http://www.suwa.org/page.php?page_id=213
(5)WILD UTAH PRESENTATION IN PHILADELPHIA
The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA as part of
its town square program is proud to host in conjunction with the
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Wild Utah: America's Redrock
Wilderness on Tuesday, July 26th at 7:30pm in the auditorium at
the Academy (1900 Ben Franklin Pkwy). Free an open to the
public, the multi-media slide show documents citizen efforts to
protect wilderness in southern Utah's spectacular canyon country.
This moving journey through redrock splendor highlights photos,
music and words from concerned Utahns who wish to pass this
heritage onto future generations, including a special reading by
Pulitzer Prize winning author Wallace Stegner from his famous
Wilderness Letter. For more information about this presentation,
please contact Sean Saville at sean@suwa.org or (202) 266-0472.
*****JOB ANNOUNCEMENT*****
(6)SUWA HIRING ORGANIZER FOR SOUTHWEST OFFICE
SUWA is searching for a dynamic organizer to help protect Utah's
wilderness quality lands by building and engaging a
pro-wilderness, rural constituency in southwestern Utah. This
person will be working from our St. George office and will be the
center of the exciting new Zion-Mojave campaign to protect
wilderness in the southwest corner of the state. To see the full
announcement and for details on how to apply, please follow this
link:
http://www.suwa.org/page.php?page_id=205
==========================================================
================================================================
This alert is brought to you by the Southern Utah Wilderness
Alliance
425 E. 100 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84111, 801-486-3161,
www.suwa.org
================================================================
In this issue:
*****UPDATES*****
(1)RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING IN DC TO
ADDRESS OFF-ROAD VEHICLE USE ON OUR PUBLIC LANDS
(2)RECENT POLL SHOWS BROAD PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR
BETTER MANAGEMENT OF ORVs
(3)GLEN CANYON OIL WELL PROJECT COMMENTS DUE
*****EVENTS*****
(4)UTAH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND
(5)WILD UTAH SLIDE SHOW IN PHILADELPHIA
*****JOB ANNOUNCEMENT*****
(6)SUWA HIRING ORGANIZER FOR SOUTHWEST OFFICE
==============================================================
*****UPDATES*****
(1)RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING IN DC TO ADDRESS OFF-ROAD
VEHICLE USE ON PUBLIC LANDS
Last Wednesday, July 13th, the House Resources subcommittees on
National Parks, and Forests and Forest Health held a hearing to
review the explosive increase in use of off-road vehicles on
America's public lands. The hearing was organized in two panels,
the first comprised of Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth and Ed
Shepard, Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning
for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The second panel
included the President of the Off-Road Business Association,
President of the Blue Ribbon Coalition (an off-road vehicle
advocacy group), VP of the American Motorcyclist Association, a
representative of Americans for Responsible Recreational Access,
Dan Heinz, an avid sportsman and retired Forest Service employee,
and Dr. Mary Dowd, a pediatrician with the Children's Mercy
Hospital.
For the most part, the agency representatives provided facts and
figures to the sparsely represented subcommittees as to the
astronomical growth of off-road vehicle recreation on public
lands and complained that their hands are tied by lack of
resources for enforcement, planning, monitoring, etc. According
to the Forest Service, 300,000 miles of roads and 35,000 miles of
trails are open to motorized vehicles in the national forests
alone. The BLM says 80 percent of its 262 million acres of
public lands are open to motor vehicles. The agencies' vapid
testimony contrasted with off-road vehicle advocates who claimed
that they are increasingly being blocked and unfairly restricted
from access to our public lands. The Forest Service emphasized
that unregulated motorized use of public forest land is one of
the top four principle threats to wildlife, forest health and
other non-motorized uses of the same land.
User conflict is at an all time high on our public lands. Dan
Heinz of Reno, Nevada said to the subcommittee, "off-road vehicle
enthusiasts rarely understand the impacts and disruption they
cause to nonmotorized users. The analogy of smokers and
nonsmokers is appropriate." He went on to illustrate the point
further by saying that, "nonmotorized forest visitors outnumber
off-road vehicle visitors by a ratio of 4-1 an the two groups
don't mix well. Hikers are happy with 5 to 10 miles of trail a
day while off-road vehicle users need 40 to 50 or even 100 miles
a day."
Dr. Dowd, a pediatric emergency medicine physician testified to
the gruesome truth about children and the disproportionate number
of injuries involving those under the age of 16 while operating
off-road vehicles. In 2003, 111 children died in ATV crashes and
38,600 children were injured, some very seriously including
severe brain, spinal and complicated orthopedic injuries.
"Children lack the strength, coordination and judgment needed to
operate ATVs and other off-road vehicles," said Dr. Dowd. She
continued, "if an infectious disease caused this level of death
and disability, the federal government would spend millions of
dollars toward studying, curing and ultimately preventing it. In
the case of ATV's, however, the government has done virtually
nothing over the past twenty years." Dr. Dowd and the American
Academy of Pediatrics called on the joint subcommittees to
support restrictions on children under the age of 16 riding or
operating off-road vehicles on public lands.
A coalition of conservation groups, including SUWA, also
submitted written testimony to the joint subcommittees calling
for increased funding for travel management planning, a
comprehensive approach to law enforcement, and assurance of
broad-based and balanced public participation in decision-making.
The testimony also provided further documentation as to the
myriad negative environmental impacts caused by off-road
vehicles, and highlighted the increase in user conflicts on our
public lands.
No solutions, new rules or legislation came as a direct result of
this hearing.
(2)RECENT POLL SHOWS BROAD PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR BETTER MANAGEMENT
OF ORVs
On July 13th, SUWA released the results of a state-wide poll
showing broad public support for better management of off-road
vehicles (ORVs) in Utah. The poll was conducted by Dan Jones and
Associates, an independent public opinion and market research
firm in Salt Lake City.
Of the Utah residents randomly selected and questioned in the
poll, 89% said they valued the serenity of southern Utah's
wilderness lands, with 72% concerned about the impact of ORV use
in those areas. Well over half of the respondents said they
believed damage to Utah landscapes has increased over the past
few years due to growing ORV use, and more than three-quarters
agree that ORVs should be more closely managed on public lands.
Overall, the majority of Utah residents polled believe what's
good for wilderness is good for Utah. Seventy-eight percent
believe that preserving open space is important to Utah's
economic vitality, and two-thirds feel that Governor Huntsman
should place a high priority on protecting Utah's wilderness
lands.
To read more about this poll, see the poll results and media
coverage on the subject, follow this link:
http://www.suwa.org/entry.php?entry_id=692
There is also a very compelling and informational slide show that
you can view about the effects of ORVs on Utah's public lands,
our economy and our future on our website at:
http://www.suwa.org/page.php?page_name=Camp_Orv_Home
[once you are there, click on the link at the top of the page
saying "NEW! Slideshow: ATVs in America (PDF file)"]
(3)GLEN CANYON OIL WELL PROJECT COMMENTS DUE
Thanks go to tens of thousands of dedicated activists, including
many of you for sending in comments to the Park Service on an oil
well project proposed for the Glen Canyon National Recreation
Area. Due to the popularity of this issue, a national coalition
of groups have taken it on, and generated a ton of comments on
the controversial project that would affect wild lands in the
Glen Canyon NRA and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument.
If you have not yet commented on this destructive project, please
do so now. The comment deadline is July 31st.
To see a sample comment letter, and submit a quick and easy
comment via the NRDC website, please go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=52852
To see more info about this project, go to our website at:
http://www.suwa.org/entry.php?entry_id=682
THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HELP!
*****EVENTS*****
(4)UTAH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND
SUWA's new Salt Lake City organizer Liz Kinne is hitting the
ground running wild with volunteer opportunities for the whole
valley. If you are interested in joining her and other
volunteers in the coming weeks and months for any number of fun
events, including a summer concert series, festivals, fairs, our
new Wild Nights volunteer night, and a backyard BBQ, please log
onto our website to check the schedule of events and get in touch
with Liz to find out more info. You can contact Liz Kinne at
lizk@suwa.org or call her direct line (801) 428-3991.
Check out the volunteer activities page on our website here:
http://www.suwa.org/page.php?page_id=213
(5)WILD UTAH PRESENTATION IN PHILADELPHIA
The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA as part of
its town square program is proud to host in conjunction with the
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Wild Utah: America's Redrock
Wilderness on Tuesday, July 26th at 7:30pm in the auditorium at
the Academy (1900 Ben Franklin Pkwy). Free an open to the
public, the multi-media slide show documents citizen efforts to
protect wilderness in southern Utah's spectacular canyon country.
This moving journey through redrock splendor highlights photos,
music and words from concerned Utahns who wish to pass this
heritage onto future generations, including a special reading by
Pulitzer Prize winning author Wallace Stegner from his famous
Wilderness Letter. For more information about this presentation,
please contact Sean Saville at sean@suwa.org or (202) 266-0472.
*****JOB ANNOUNCEMENT*****
(6)SUWA HIRING ORGANIZER FOR SOUTHWEST OFFICE
SUWA is searching for a dynamic organizer to help protect Utah's
wilderness quality lands by building and engaging a
pro-wilderness, rural constituency in southwestern Utah. This
person will be working from our St. George office and will be the
center of the exciting new Zion-Mojave campaign to protect
wilderness in the southwest corner of the state. To see the full
announcement and for details on how to apply, please follow this
link:
http://www.suwa.org/page.php?page_id=205
==========================================================
