Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Voices (Continued from page 4) Trail Plan. An envuonroentalistcoalitio!) has been specifically fonned to oppose this trail. The issue of implementation i also critical. Whatever OHV program the Forest Service ends up with is going to cost a lot of money. So while they may have a plan on paper there probably won't be nearly' enough funding available because of the current trend of major federal budget cuts. Our concern is that the Forest Service will close existing OHV routes when the final Draft Plan is implemented and provide no opportunity until the proposed trail system is actually constructed. The Draft Plan is not clear as to how much of the trail system is to be constructed and how much existing trail wiII be used, therefore it could be several years before OHV use would return to the San Bernardino Forest. The Forest Service must provide for an overlapping period so OHV users don't have to suffer a period of no opportunity between plans. The Big Bear Trail Riders M.e. is all too aware of the never-ending hassles involved with maintaining riding opportunity. However, once again, we need to pull together to deal with this issue. The environmentalists are rallying together to take a very strong stand against OHV use in the forest. Therefore OHV user input is essential a t this time. The Forest Service would prefer specific written comments on their alternatives. However,letters expressing interest in OHV use in the forest would be helpful in educating the Forest Service as to the amount of users there actually are. The review period ends August 24. Written comments should be sent to: Land Management Planning, P.O. Box 254, San Bernardino, CA 92402. Please give your name, mailing address, affiliation (OHV user), what you like and dislike about the Draft Plan, and changes that you would suggest. The Big Bear Trail Riders M.C. is continuing to fight for all of us to maintain trail riding opportunities in the San Bernardino National' Forest. Your support on this matter will benefit us all and will be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions regarding the Draft Plan, please contact Big Bear Trail Riders M.e., P.O. Box 707, Big Bear City, CA 92314 - 714/ 585-5974. KE MARKLING President Big Bear Trail Riders, M.e. Cranston's replies I wish to thank Cycle News for 16 reprinting the letter from enator Alan Cranston to Ms. Teresa Tetreault. It defers substantially from the letter I received from the Senator on April 18. Unless there is an information exchange, such as this, we don't know how effective our letterwriting campaign has been. In my letter from Senator Cranston, there was no mention of specific riding areas, the Mojave Road or Barstow-to-Vegas. It is very clear that the off-road community has made an impression on the Senator's thinking. There are those of us who wonder if these cards and letters are really read and counted. Ms. Tetreault's letter indicates yes, indeed, they are. Letters like Ms. Tetreault's give those of us who are working within the California Desert Coalition, D37, and the B-to-V Committee, the incentive to push ahead. We know that there are all of you folks out there who really give a damn. For those of you who wrote, gi ve yourself a pat. For those of you who haven't written, your letter counts. RICK HAMMEL Legi lative Officer Barstow-to-Vegas, Chairman AMA D-37 Sport Committee Valencia, CA Cranston's AprilI8letter to Hammel is printed below . .. Editor. Cranston to Hammel Many thanks for letting me know of your thoughts on 2061, the California Desert Protection Act of 1986, which I introduced on February 6. As you may know the bill designates 82 Bureau of Land Management Wilderness areas, upgrades Death Valley and Joshua Tree to National Parks and adds some adjacent lands, and creates the Mojave National Park. Some 4.6 million acres of public lands in the California desert would remain available for other multiple uses - hunting, mining, grazing, and motorized recreation - as determined by the BLM. Because these lands are already in federal ownershi p, we won't have to spend any money to acquire land. I want to emphasize that this is merely the start of the legislative process and that before the Senate acts there will be public hearings on the bill. In the meantime, I look forward to working with you and other user groups to accommodate justified boundary changes. I'm enclosing a copy of the bill. After you've had a chance to review it, I'd be pleased to hear from you further. Your thoughtfulness in contacting me about this issue is much appreciated. ALA CRANSTON U.S. Senate Washington, DC Easy opinion expression While this is not a commercial for Western Union, an easy way of expressing your views to your elected officials is the "political opinion" telegram. For $4.95 you get 20 words and it's put right on your phone bill. The best part is that you don't even need an address; they have it all right in their computer! All you need is the name of the person who you want to hear the voice of the people! Well, I did just that after getting the July 9 issue of Cycle News and reading the latest crap going down in Washington. Talking with the operator who took the message, I came to find outsheand her husband are avid ATVers who had no idea of the government's attempts to ban their favorite form of recreation. he said she was going to immediately send a telegram of her own and immediately call her husband after that. For the price of a six pack of beer, I not only made my voice heard, but I recruited two more people to the fight. JOE TEPHA Rancho Cordova, CA Wilson on Cranston Thank you for contacting me concerning S2061, the Desert Protection Act of 1986, as introd uced by Sena tor Alan Cranston on February 6, 1986. As you may know, the Federal Land Management Policy Act of 1976 directed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) tosubmit recommendations to Congress regarding how much BLM land should be added to the nation's wilderness area system. It is my understanding that BLM ha been working diligently in the past several years to fulfill this requirement, but will not be forwarding any wilderness area recommendations to Congress for at least another year. Inasmuch as the bulk of Senator Cranston's legislation deals with proposed BLM wilderness area additions in the Calfiomia desert, I am reserving judgment on the bill until the BLM has had an opportunity to make its own recommendations to Congress. Additionally, I am very interested in hearing from all potentially aHected parties and particularly appreciate knowing your view. Again, thank you' for expressing your interest. If you have further comments on this is ue, I would be most happy to hear from you. PETE WILSON U.S. Senate Wa hington, DC 20510 Senator Wilson (R-CA)sent this reply to reader Clifford A. Ranney, III ... Editor. Another Cranston response I wrote the Senator a rather lengthy epistle and this was his response. Thought you'd like to have a copy as the current Cycle News indicates few people have heard from him. Keep the pressure tight! It works. JIM MANTEUFEL an Ramon, CA Reader Manteufel received a copy of the same form letter we published rectmtly ... Editor First Time Enclosed please find copies of letter I have sent to Senators Pete Wilson and Alan Cran ton. I urge you to print them and to encourage readers of Cycle News to write to the above elected officials to object to Senator Cranston's initiation of this bill and Senator Wilson's support. I have been a reader of your publication for 20 years and this is the first time I have fel t com pelled to write to you or to an elected Official. Donald R. Burch Oxnard, CA Letter to Senators Cranston and Wilson As one of your constituents and having voted for you in the past, I would like to know how you canjustify the passage of Senate Bill S2061 in what appear to be a conflict with the protection of the California Desert that was mandated by Congre with the passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976? Furthermore, 2061 appears to be in conflict with the Desert Plan of 1980. I would also like you to justify the estimated 39 million it will take to implement thi bill during this time of rapidly hrinking budgets in the National Par~ ystem due to the Graham-Rudman Act. I strongl y urge you to reconsider Senate Bill S2061 and request you withdraw this questionable bill immediately. DONALD R. BURCH Oxnard, CA Frank Johnson? For years, I have tried to ignore the mis pelled and wron~ names and incorrect overalls that are listed in the results of AMA National races. Perhaps AMA should ask for new scoring people who can read, spell, add and count. Many of us buy Cycle News so that we can keep track of what our homestate boys are doing when they race the AMA Florida Winter eries and the AMA National and Supercross Series. However, due to misspelled names, errors in adding two motos together and incorrectoverall finishes, we have to decipher on our own to get the true re ults. I realize that our guys are not big names like the top guns, but they paid just as much for their license and they try just as hard. Regarding the June AMA Nationals in Colorado in the 250cc class, a rider's name is Dave ewell, not Tom Newell, and if one adds two numbers together and places them in the correct overall finishes Dave took 19th overall, not 21st as listed. He races a Kawa aki, which was omitted. Joe Wright finished 20th, not 22ndas listed. Incidentally, many finishes in the 125s were incorrect also. Please give credit where credit is due. I realize the overall resul ts are nothin~ important as far as points or dollar are involved, but if you are ~oing to print them, why not list them correctly? We all enjoyed watching the top racers of our nation display their riding abilities and I was relieved to see that they were not listed in the results as Bill Ward, Paul O'Mara, Jim Bailey, or Frank Johnson. BEVERLY NEWELL Englewood, CO What will S2061 close? I am writing in response to a letter from Senator Cranston. I have enclosed a copy of this letter. I would like to know if what he states in this letter is t n l P that S2061 will not close down any 01 the major riding areas. If there are major areas that are in jeopardy of being closed to off-road vehicles please publish a list of them so that we can write the Senator and keep these areas open. THOMAS S. KUDLICK Manhattan Beach, CA Cranston's bill would close 70% of open riding areas in southern California's desert, and would shut down 50% of designated trail areas, including major riding areas like Glammis Sand Dunes and most of the Barstowto- Vegas race course. Major riding areas in jeopardy are too numerous to list . .. Editor. California riding I have written to California Governor George Duekmejian regarding riding areas in California and am concerned about DeAnza Cycle Park. I would Iike to encourage others to send a letter expressing their concern about the dwindling areas for offroad vehicles. Plea e print the current status of DeAnza Cycle Park. Hearsay has it closed temporarily until an insurance company i found that will cover the insurance. The premium, as I understand it, will be paid by the Green Stickie fund, if the coverage can be found! It does sound promising, however, I really do not know the true story. KATHLEEN SPEAR OntarioLCA Following a July 30 meeting with the state, track officials announced that liability insurance has been purchased and DeAnza Cycle Park is in no danger of closing . .. Editor. Send your letters to: Letters. Cycle News. P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, California 90801-0498.

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