Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

m.o.r.e. from r": by Russ Sanford (PART V) . In Part II of this series there was the text of a letter by Mr. John C. Whitacker, President Nixon's Deputy Assistant, attempting to clarify Executive Order 11644. Some sections of that letter went as below: "In discussions with others who initially felt that the Executive Order rai sed an unnecessarily harsh presumption against use of off..road vehicles, we found that such an interpretation often stemmed from subsection 3 (a)(4) of the Order. That subsection provides that areas and trails for OR V's shall be designated "only if the respective agency head determines that off..road vehicle use in such locations will not adversely affect. ..natural, aesthetic, or scenic values". I must agree with Mr. Whitaker.' This is precisely what the ORV enthusiasts are complaining about. 1\1r. Whitaker's letter then states, "I would like to point out that this higher standard of land designation applies only in the relatively limi ted portion of federal lands which are formerly designated as National Parks, Natural Areas, or National Wildlife Refuges and Game Ranges." If this last statement by Mr. Whitaker was true, the ORV enthusiasts would have nothing to worry about because we are not presen tly allowed to operate off..road vehicles in such areas. In the hope that this statement from the White House was true, I again wrote to Mr. Whitaker and asked that he issue a clarifying directive to the US Forest Service and the BLM advising them of the President's intent because they were using Executive Order 11644 on a minute ..by..minute basis to shape the destiny of ORV ..use of public lands under their jurisdiction. That letter was dated June 5th and Mr. Whitaker has not replied, which to me is indicative that he, the President, and the rest of the Administration could care less about the ORV enthusiasts. Remember, please, that the White House stated that the part of the Order to which we objected would apply only to "formally designated National Parks, Natural Areas, National Wildlife Refuges and Game Ranges." This means that the US Forest Service and BLM should not be involved except for those limited • public lands under their jurisdiction which fall in the latter three categories.. Do these two paragraphs of the California BLM's 7 September new release, wherein Mr. J. R~ Penny announced new regulations requiring payment by the ORV..public for use of public lands. Sound like the BLM understands Mr. Whitaker? "J. R. Penny described the new ORV guidelines as a logical step toward implementation of the frameword developed by BLM's Off.road Vehicle Advisory Council, outdoor recreation regulations adopted by the Secretary of the Interior in 1969, and this year's Executive Order 11644 in which President Nixon mandated a program managing off·road vehicle use of all the public lands. ORVAC recommended, and the executive order requires an inventory of all public lands to iden tify areas of non-use, adoption of guidelines to implement existing regulations, and an extensive program of public information seeking to gain the assistan.ce of ORV users in l}"laintaing the public lands. There are three possible explanations for this apparent deceit by the present Administration: 1. There is a possibility President Nixon personally did not intend for the Executive Order to apply to any public lands other than "formally designated National Park, Natural Areas, Wildlife Refuges and Game Ranges", and the U.S. forest Service, BLM, etc., are entirely in °error, or, 2. There is a possibility that the President's Deputy Assistant was trying to smooth-over one of the President's actions which back-fired, or, 3. There is a possibility that everything which is happening is proceeding as planned by the current Administration. No matter what the explanation might be, the President and his Administration could prevent this situation from happening, if they wan ted to do so, It is ovbvious that they do not. their scenic beauty and fragile ecology are being steadily eroded by off-road vehicles, runaway development. cheap hG>using tracts. improper grazing and unwise recreational use. The desert that looked endless and impenetrable to ti,e California pioneers has already been criss-crossed with roads and utility rights-of-way, pockmarked by past, present and specultive mining operations, littered with trash and debris and plundered of its natural and scien tific values. We save marc than mountains, plateaus, dry lake beds, rocks and sand when we protect the desert. There are more than 700 species of flowering plants, of which 217 are found nowhere else in the world. And it contains many rare and endangered species of wildlife and fishes·including the bighorn sheep and the imperiled desert pup fish. Well, Sports Fans, what do you think of your two U.S. Senators, now? Unlike Senator Tunney, Mr. Cranston hasn't even left the door open for the California' pubtic to respond. Senator Tunney asked .for our comments and·r think that we should give them to him. I think that we should also give our opinions to Senator Cr-anston, whether he wants them or not. Their addresses In Ilext week's concluding article of this series, we will tell you exactly what you must do to protect your inherent constitutional rights to responsible use of the public lands. CRANSTON'S LATEST SCHEME Each month (this will probably be my last), I, receive in the mail a newsletter entitled "U.S. Senator ALAN CRANSTON Reports to Californians". The newsletter is prin ted at the taxpayers expense and is distributed postage.free through the U.S. mails. The September 1972 issue contains the following excerpt: "DESERT BILL WOULD CREATE NATtONAL OPEN-SPACE AREA" "There is something almost holy about the desert. When it is just you alone, and the same sandy earth that is beneath your feet reaches out and runs from horizon to horizon, you learn to face yourself, and your place in the fu ture. I sometimes worry what it would be like if a time came when there were no longer such places to find contentment and perspective. There are more than 16 million acres of desert in Southern Californja. But arc: Senator John V. Tunney .6237 Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20410 Senator Alan Cranston 2102 Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 Both of these gentlement will be coming up for election within the nex.t two years. Perhaps it is time to let them know now that if they desire to be re-elected, they had better start 'taking orders' .from Californians, rather than fostering their own ideas and merely 'reporting' to Californians. For you Northern Californians who can't get to excited about 'losing the desert', just remember that Senator Tunney proposes to make Wilderness out of your forests. The reverse is true for you Southern Californias. Let's all pitch in together and help each other by writing two letters of protest; one to each Senator. Let's make a show of strength. For additional information, or for comments and inquiries. address all correspondence to Russ Sanford, c/o M.O.R.E., (Motorcycle Owners, Riders and Enthusiasts). P.O. Box 26062, Sacramento, CA 95826. ATTENTI DEALER IF YOU'RE NOT SELLING CYCLE NEWS GET WITH IT * First with , First with News Fact * First with Profit You make l~on every copy sold. Plus you haye full return privileges. The profit maker that. cost you nothing. Minimum order is ten copies and we pay shipping (via 2nd Class mail). Your customers will come back for every issue of CYCLE NEWS. Each and every issue is filled with News of happenings in the two-wheeled sport. Motorcycles from mini to monster, coverage of competition events, all. the AMA National Championships, local sportsmen events, local fun runs, tests of fact, new products, legislation, want ads, and a voice for readers. This is CYCLE NEWS. ~----------------------Okay, what can I lose. 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