Post by greenjeep on Dec 30, 2004 20:12:52 GMT -5
ARRA's Washington Newsletter
January 2005 Newsletter
As we prepare our New Year's Resolutions for 2005, we are mindful that our military personnel in Iraq continue to serve in very dangerous situations. We are also mindful of the devastation and the tremendous loss of human life caused by the Asian tsunami. Knowing that life is a precious gift and, at times, fleeting, we offer these resolutions for your consideration.
1) Resolve not to schedule our lives so tightly that we fail to have time to experience and enjoy the great outdoors. Another way to look at this is to resolve to set aside time in our busy lives for personal time with our families and friends by visiting some of America's greatest recreational locations.
2) Resolve to teach a young person how to recreate responsibly or sign them up to take a safety course. Utilizing a motor vehicle can be great way to explore America's public lands. Teaching safety lessons to a young person not only can shape life long habits, but in some cases save a life.
3) Seek to become active in local or regional public lands issues. For example, the new Forest Service planning regulations (click here to read more) were designed to maximize public involvement. This means that your input is needed in each stage of the planning process, whether in public meetings or through open comment periods. ARRA will continue to alert you when meetings or comment periods come up.
4) Become more active in local, state and national recreation organizations. (Don't forget ARRA!)
5) Resolve to write or speak directly to your elected representatives about public lands/recreation issues of importance to you. (You should assume they are hearing from the anti-access folks, so it's very important that they hear from you, too!)
6) Make a point to say "thanks" to our federal and state land managers for the job they do for us. It's not always easy to manage competing interests on how best to use our public lands. They need to know that responsible recreationists appreciate what they do for our society.
7) If you see a fellow OHV recreationist causing harm to our public lands, challenge them to act responsibly. If persuasion fails, don't hesitate to report them to the proper authorities. Bad behavior left unchallenged harms all recreationists.
8) Put public meetings at your nearest state or federal public lands on your calendar and GO! Your presence at these meetings will help land management officials understand that responsible recreation is important to the local community.
9) Organize a Take Pride in America (TPIA) volunteer event with your club or friends and neighbors. You can help build and maintain trails, clean up trash, plant trees, or do many other projects that make our public lands more beautiful and more enjoyable for recreation.
10) Be thankful that we live in a country where freedom of speech is valued and protected and participation in our governmental processes is encouraged and needed. Resolve to use your constitutional rights to support policies that encourage the development all forms of recreation, motorized and non-motorized, rather than limit them.
From all of us at ARRA, a Happy New Year to you and yours!
Larry E. Smith
Executive Director
Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA)
January 2005 Newsletter
As we prepare our New Year's Resolutions for 2005, we are mindful that our military personnel in Iraq continue to serve in very dangerous situations. We are also mindful of the devastation and the tremendous loss of human life caused by the Asian tsunami. Knowing that life is a precious gift and, at times, fleeting, we offer these resolutions for your consideration.
1) Resolve not to schedule our lives so tightly that we fail to have time to experience and enjoy the great outdoors. Another way to look at this is to resolve to set aside time in our busy lives for personal time with our families and friends by visiting some of America's greatest recreational locations.
2) Resolve to teach a young person how to recreate responsibly or sign them up to take a safety course. Utilizing a motor vehicle can be great way to explore America's public lands. Teaching safety lessons to a young person not only can shape life long habits, but in some cases save a life.
3) Seek to become active in local or regional public lands issues. For example, the new Forest Service planning regulations (click here to read more) were designed to maximize public involvement. This means that your input is needed in each stage of the planning process, whether in public meetings or through open comment periods. ARRA will continue to alert you when meetings or comment periods come up.
4) Become more active in local, state and national recreation organizations. (Don't forget ARRA!)
5) Resolve to write or speak directly to your elected representatives about public lands/recreation issues of importance to you. (You should assume they are hearing from the anti-access folks, so it's very important that they hear from you, too!)
6) Make a point to say "thanks" to our federal and state land managers for the job they do for us. It's not always easy to manage competing interests on how best to use our public lands. They need to know that responsible recreationists appreciate what they do for our society.
7) If you see a fellow OHV recreationist causing harm to our public lands, challenge them to act responsibly. If persuasion fails, don't hesitate to report them to the proper authorities. Bad behavior left unchallenged harms all recreationists.
8) Put public meetings at your nearest state or federal public lands on your calendar and GO! Your presence at these meetings will help land management officials understand that responsible recreation is important to the local community.
9) Organize a Take Pride in America (TPIA) volunteer event with your club or friends and neighbors. You can help build and maintain trails, clean up trash, plant trees, or do many other projects that make our public lands more beautiful and more enjoyable for recreation.
10) Be thankful that we live in a country where freedom of speech is valued and protected and participation in our governmental processes is encouraged and needed. Resolve to use your constitutional rights to support policies that encourage the development all forms of recreation, motorized and non-motorized, rather than limit them.
From all of us at ARRA, a Happy New Year to you and yours!
Larry E. Smith
Executive Director
Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA)