Another Natl Monument in Utah !!

So, we still are not getting nearly enough interest to make a dent in this. Dmac1 has offered to write the letter to go along with the petition and we will post it as soon as it is done so people know what they are signing.


This was posted in a link earlier, but here is the map of the proposed National Monument boundaries. The area that will be lost is mind numbing. Again I am saying this will be the single largest blow to riding in the western US, EVER. Hopefully looking at the map you can see that the majority of popular riding in Utah will be lost.
Where have you ridden in the boundary that will be lost. Do you mountain bike, hike, or camp anywhere in the boundary??



Here are excerpts from the Sierra Clubs about their justification for the National Monument.....


This is what they are urging their members to do about it, not much different than us:huh.............



Please send a letter to Obama here
and sign the petition to boycott all the supporting businesses here


Thanks for everyone's support so far. If you already signed please pass it along to friends, post on face book, twiter etc. I can guarantee you the sierra club members are doing just that.

Ben

Just what we need. More of our lands locked up so only a few can enjoy them. We (USA) can't even manage the National Parks and Monument that we have designated in the past. And most the people that have put pressure on our current administration to create more wilderness will never set foot on these lands.

Now is the time to be heard. Write your elected officials, Land Management agencies, and the companies that supply the $ $ to these idiots.

I happen to have quite a few vids and pictures of this area, I'm thinking of trying to do a short documentary on this proposed change in designation.

Open to ideas???

Ridefreak,
Thanks for taking the lead on doing some youtube videos.

I think it would be good to first talk about what a National Monument really is. Maybe try and highlight that there are no Mtn Bikes, no access to hiking, camping, OHVs etc and show the "typical" tourists that visit national parks and monuments who are lucky to stray from the paved road. Try and emphasis that this "tourist" is now the user and all the current groups will be run off. Then show the scope of this proposal and list a highlight real of all the great trials that would be lost, for all types of users.

I think it is important to also emphasis in the video this is not just a threat to OHV's but anyone that likes open access. they may not realize it but this includes bikes, hikers, campers, rock climbers, etc. None of these people could do any of their activities if there was not OHV access. Tell me how many rock climbers will do a 12 hour hike in the heat of the desert to climb a rock face for 2 hours, when they can currently just drive their Toyota Tacoma 2 hours down a dirt road up to the climb?

I will say this again, because I do not possess the computer savy yet, that we need to get the obama and business list link out to all of the regional forums in adv rider. I was scouting the other forums looking for issues similar to ours, and realized that there are a lot of people on the other forums that need to know about this. Every signature counts! and it is so easy to complete. I would think that this would be an excellent way to show strength in numbers because that is what is needed here and if this happens some where else, that we would be called upon to respond. I would think that the 4wd off road groups would be pissing razor blades about this also. I will see if my jeep club is aware of this when I get back in town and see if a collective effort is being mounted on their part.

Maybe regarding this a moderator can help or offer advice. Can we do a post in the other regional forums regarding this issue, or is that considered spam??

I got the standard Patagucci response:

Dear Dave,
Thank you very much for getting in touch about something you and we care about. We hope you'll reconsider your decision to stop buying from us, but our position on national monuments and wilderness remains what it has been for forty years.

We think that some lands need to be set aside and the human impact on them should be light in order to give the land a rest, and the animals and plants on it a place to live.

Sincerely,
Patagonia
Customer Service |P: 800.638.6464 800.638.6464 |www.patagonia.com
Patagonia Customer Service Reps are available for inquiries weekdays from 6am to 6pm, and weekends from 8am to 4pm (PT).

Heres what I asked em back:

Thanks for the response, but your company seems to be a bit hypocritical in
its position. What about the climbers you support who climb illegally (a
certain arch in Arches National Park comes to mind). Or how about the piles
of waste (human and otherwise) that climbers continually leave at various
basecamps and mid-climb? And how do you reconcile your response when your
company supports expeditions into pristine environments that are left
trampled and soiled? And what about bolts placed on virgin rock faces?
Oh...and do they not use vehicles to get there? And does your firm not
profit off of all the above? Or is all of the above somehow different?

So...what I want to know is how you are going to give the land a rest from
YOUR firm's impact? When you tell me that, I'll reconsider buying your
products.

Thanks.
Dave

It's also very easy to have your spouse write a few letters too.

If someone can post up contact info for all of the businesses (as you find them) that would help as well.

Good idea Gordy. I'm having my son sign the ARRA petition too.

As far as writing each company, I just googled them and located their contact link. Most often you have to fill in their form. A couple I've encountered limit comments to 1000 characters (Jansport and Marmot) so that was a pain. Each company is different, but generally I cut and pasted the same base email into each company's form and I customized it from there. So this AM I wrote 20 emails and will try to chip away at the list this week. A few of the local companies such as the coffee roasters and the restaurant above it on the list I posted don't have websites.

I've also drafted a letter for COXR650L and hope its a good start and something we can all sign and send to the retailers to, in short, impress upon them what a national monument is all about, the diversity of interests we all have (e.g a bunch of us are mountain bikers) and the economic impact we provide to the areas we visit. Stay tuned for more on this.

"Organizing the community" of local mom and pop businesses that will be harmed by this into a coherent group would be a good thing. Turn this into a "little guy" vs. "Big/corporate Recreation" (patagonia Inc. etc) issue. I guess we need to find a way to get them to defect from their list to ours. Get all the local country store, motel, restaurant, outfitters, gas station businesses etc.

Does Lyle Lovett still ride? President loves the celebrities.

One last random thought; there must be several working or retired lawyers in the ADV community that could start up something like the "Center for Recreational Diversity". Meetings held in Alaska and/or Bike Week.

some sherpas volunteered to remove 8.5 tons of trash from mt everest. I agree that maybe "some lands need to be set aside and protected" from companies such as patagonia and black diamond.

http://www.savingmounteverest.org/clean-up.html

I suggest we cross post to other regional forums once we have the letter finalized. and any necessary links established. People come to Moab from all over the country. Once we are ready, I suggest we create a new thread on this issue in this forum and the first post should be clear and concise. It should spell out what all we're going to lose (I've got a querey into Ride with Respect for some help on that) and what action we are asking people to take. Clearly signing the ARRA letter generator is a no brainer. Hopefully our petition to the retailers will be a no brainer too. The letter is drafted and probably will be slightly revised and then good to go soon. I spent most of yesterday on this.

In case you guys missed my post - I believe the southern portion of White Wash is INCLUDED in the proposed national monument. I think Dead Cow Loop and Cow Freckles will be goners. Possibly the southern portion of Enduro Loop but I can't tell on that for sure from the Sierra Club's map.

If any of you are on the mtn bike forums, is the issue gaining any traction there? I checked mtbr.com and saw nothing. I've also asked RwR for any mtn bike impact. I think Canyon Rims will be impacted (its S of Moab and W of 191). I am unsure about Bartlett Wash and Amasa Back.

Maybe someone can help, i thought there is a study about the sources of tourism revenue in utah that showed about 1/3 of it is generated by OHV visitors. Can some send me a link to this study?

Thanks

Edit: Never mind, right in front of me

Unfortunately, everyone did get together on November 6th and the majority decided they wanted to support the guy who will sign away your land access rights. I find it ironic to hear the outrage about this closure of public land from the same people who actively supported him right here in the Rockies forum knowing that this was one of the things he wanted to do.

I cannot agree more, but this is the hand we have been dealt. Unfortunately the country as a whole is moving in a direction that will create more and more threats to our lifestyle and hobbies.

This is why it is so important to stop this. If they get the ball rolling on land use issues by pushing though such a massive closure it will be the start of a very slippery slope.

I think this quote from a European rider in the Capt Jacks thread is our future.....

"In the UK, nowhere.

10 yrs ago the government shut 98% of our trails, and what's left is not very good and is being shut one trail at a time.

But now I ride illegally, in bits of wood and some military land.

STEALTH is the name of the game now, and night riding.

One of the main reasons I don't update my bike is if I get caught there is a good chance they confiscate your bike.."


IS THE ABOVE QUOTE OUR FUTURE??? I am curious at what point they were facing the same decisions we are? Did it look similar to this issue?

I was going to type something very similar to this, but it probably would not have been so well stated. From my perspective the country made its choice - I will spend no money, time or effort working to halt the processes that result from that choice.

Both this area and the Captain Jacks area will be nice places to go for a walk.

So you're taking your ball and going home?

pretty much. I see no reason to fight the masses. I am all in now for Obama care as well. I will try to apply for food stamps as soon as possible, hopefully about the same time as I get my unemployment.

WOW.........

Do you think this is the first time the country will choose a leader you will not agree with??? Do you really think it will be the last???

It is because of this mentality and a lack of will power to suck it up and keep moving forward that is detrimental to what we are trying to do. America as a whole is becoming more and more complacent and just gives up the fight (for any issue....) and becomes another member of the herd.

Is it frustrating, absolutely yes. But do you really think you are the first person that has to fight for something they believe in even when it is not popular and an up hill battle??