Wisconsin OHM/DS Motorcyclists - Trail and Legislative Issues

I started reading. I hope that the state legislators (silly democrats) are receptive.

thanks for all the work Bryan

Urgent Action Required-Omnibus Federal Land Grab Bill Number S. 22 will close 26 million acres or maybe more to multiple use on BLM lands as well as designate over 2 million acres of Wilderness. Unbelievably in a rare Sunday session the Senate voted to skip any debate and have a vote this week on this huge bill. After the final Senate vote this bill may be forced on a fast track vote in Congress. It is extremely important that you take action now to help defeat this bad bill.

-----Please call your Congressman as well as your Senators. They must be deluged with calls now at (202) 224-3121. To find the name of your Senator & Congressman just enter your zip code at http://www.sharetrails.org/rapid_response/ They must know in no uncertain terms that rural America opposes this massive Wilderness and land grab bill.

Here are five things you should ask them when you call your Congressman & Senator:

Ask them how they are going to vote on the Omnibus Land Grab Act S.22
Urge your Senator to oppose the Omnibus Land Grab Act S.22
Urge your Congressman to oppose the Omnibus Land Grab Act under whatever new bill number they give it
Also ask them to oppose all Omnibus Bills that put a bunch of bills together because that is bad legislation. Each bill should be considered individually, but S.22 contains over 150 different bills.
That you will hold them accountable if they vote for this huge bad bill
Even though S 22 is likely to pass the Senate, it is important your Senator hear from you. Your calls are important not only to try to defeat S 22, but for future bills like it.

-----Please call your Senators and Congressmen immediately.

You must let your Senators and Congressman know you will hold them responsible for their vote on S 22. This is the largest land grab in 20 years. They must know they will be held accountable.

Please forward this message to as many people as possible as quickly as possible.

Below is more information but if your time is limited please just make the calls instead of reading more

-----See Washington Times news article below.

-----Also see the Energy and Environment Daily article below.

You must urge your Senator to oppose all Omnibus Bills that put a bunch of bills together. That means that nearly all Senators and Congressman don’t read the whole bill. This bill is between 1,000 and 2,000 pages. So the Senators and Congressmen only pay attention to the parts they are interested in.

A lot of bad stuff passes this way because bills they might ordinarily oppose, they ignore because they are part of this larger package.

This is a really bad way of doing business. You must let your Senators and Congressmen know you not only oppose S 22 but the use of huge omnibus packages the bunch bills together.

Using the omnibus bill approach, most Senators and Congressmen have no idea what is in the rest of the bill. They are not doing their job and they are letting you down.

-----You can read the Washington Times article below to see how Senator Murkowski of Alaska is supporting the bill even though it does great damage to Alaska because of one provision in the bill that she likes. She is ignoring the National Landscape Conservation System part of the bill which affects so much more of Alaska. This is just an example of how usually friendly Senators and Congressmen end up voting for bills that hurt their states when the vote on these Omnibus Bill packages.
Each bill should be considered individually. S 22 has over 150 different bills included.


150 Bill Omnibus Federal Land Grab Bill Is Back

-----This bill is one of the largest land grabs in history. Just one bill, the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) covers 26 million acres and will lock you out of BLM multiple-use and energy lands. It will add dozens of new National Heritage Areas that will eventually be a land use control noose around the necks of local people and rural America.
You can see a map of the National Landscape Conservation System at www.landrights.org.

Senator Diane Feinstein plans to add 6,000,000 more acres to it on the floor of the Senate.

Majority Leader Harry Reid is buying votes by putting every bill he can find in the package to buy off opposing Senators. Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho is helping Harry Reid, Democrat Majority Leader in the Senate. Has your Senator sold his heart and soul?

Senator Crapo is planning to vote for the bill and is leading the charge to get other Senators to vote for it.

He tried to sell us out on the Endangered Species Act a number of years ago and we stopped him. Now we must do it again.

It appears you cannot trust Senator Mike Crapo’s heart to protect your private property and access and use of Federal lands.

-----This may be the largest land grab bill in the last 20 years.
Your immediate action is needed by making calls, faxing, e-mailing your Senators and Congressmen as well as your friends and neighbors is critical to stop this bill. Call both your Senators (202-224-3121) and Congressman

~This alert was compiled by:
Chuck Cushman
American Land Rights Association
(360) 687-3087ccushman@pacifier.com



-----Washington Times Article Monday, January 12, 2009

Massive lands bill clears filibuster

Senate Democrats flexed their new legislative muscle Sunday, using the first vote of the new Congress to break a Republican filibuster from the previous session of Congress, and advance a wide-ranging land-conservation measure.

The omnibus land bill would preserve more than 2 million acres of land, establish new layers of bureaucracy in the Bureau of Land Management, and designate former President Bill Clinton's childhood home a national historic site.

The bill's supporters, who had been stymied last year by a Republican filibuster, said the measure was long overdue.

Read entire article here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/12/massive-lands-bill-clears-filibuster/


-----Energy and Environment Daily Article
7. PUBLIC LANDS: In rare Sunday vote, Senate moves past Coburn's filibuster on omnibus (01/12/2009) Noelle Straub, E&E reporter

In a rare Sunday session designed to rebuke one senator for his delaying tactics, the Senate yesterday voted overwhelmingly to move forward with an omnibus package of more than 160 public lands, water and resources bills.

The 66-12 vote easily overcame a filibuster by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who was trying again to prevent the Senate from taking up the measure that had slipped from the schedule last year due largely to his objections.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said the package, S 22, 'reflects possibly the most significant conservation legislation passed by the Senate in the past decade.'

House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) said the omnibus would pass the House soon if the Senate approves it. 'It will come back here and we will do something quick over here to pass it,' he said Friday, adding that it will not need to go back through committee.

Coburn said yesterday was the first time in 40 years the Senate held a vote on the first weekend of a new session. Reid regularly threatens to keep the Senate in over the weekend as a way to encourage senators to cut deals more quickly, but yesterday was one of the rare instances where he carried through with the threat.

Read entire article at: http://www.eenews.net/eed/2009/01/12/



In two minutes you can submit a letter opposing the Omnibus Act at http://www.savethetrails.us/Default.aspx?PetitionID=31

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Does this mean that a Legal, Liscensed, dual purpose bike would operate as an ATV on Public roadways (Slow and on the shoulder) while using the roadways as trail connectors?
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Thanks

alot to digest to make intelligent sounding feedback.

again as always, thanks for your efforts.

I'll get to it.

can you divulge who the state representative is that will champion the cause?

Bryan, this is a delicate point and proposal. Your appendix 4, 7 points (a-g) really address the problem. There is no continuity for joint use by ATV, OHM and DS. I see this as one of the biggest problems with the current regulations. As we discussed, I've felt it is important to get a bike plated to avoid some of the headaches.

I still am not 100% sure if I am legal on some of the routes I ride. My inquiries with local ATV patrols cannot provide me the answers either. Cleaving otu the ATV routes that ATV clubs have put effort into obtaining access will be a hard fight. These clubs must lack funding to place signage or provide handouts that clearly states the trails rules.

The mixed use sections of trails and getting riders to conform to right-of-way scenarios will obviously need to be a rider's mental decision, not a mechanical limitation decision. This process will require maturity and restraint that will be difficult for many to meet.

Thanks for your efforts and drafting this paper. There is alot of work to do and you layout a formidable initial challenge to implement the program.

Taking this step first is key to diffuse probelms that will likely get pushed off to an enforcement method of regulation rather than voluntary.

Nice post Freeflow... it contains alot of what I was thinking.

In the UP, there's a section on the Iron River-Marenisco route that has a short road section to it. There is a shoulder area to ride, I choose to ride on the paved section (at the legal limit) to catch the next portion of the trail. I have a plate, but quasi-legal....

What is right? I'm not sure... I'd rather the local LEO agency didn't tell me. Proper signage seems to be the key to this question.

Bryan, thanks for all your efforts.... these (and other) questions cannot be easy to wade through.

Thanks Bryan... I just used that as an example.. (Didn't mean to muddy the waters...sorry!) Michigan's PA240,where adopted, makes things much easier.

the multijurisdictions crossed will be a challenge. The DOT/DMV will want a piece to put proper signage on road crossing and use to alert drivers. DNR will want to administer the program and does have the system in place to provide the registrations. Forestry dept may want some consideration too for road maintenance.


Michigan's OHV sticker system is appreciated. Buy an annual sticker, slap it on and go. Stickers available at many retail outlets also let the business community know of our pre$ence. Very much like a user fee. The sticker being not vehicle specific definitely streamlines the process on many levels.

agreed. (Sorry, I must mention Michiigan ).

I must commend Michigan for their recent law wich enables each township to adopt an ordinace allowing OHV use on their roadways. Hopefully the townships adopt uniformity to allow riders the luxury of continuity.


As long as riders can self discipline, these ordinances will remain in our favor.

Bryan, just curious. DO you forsee a time when the DOT / DMV will mandate DOT approved tires when riding on their right-of-way or road shoulder?