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This land is my land - Current wilderness legislation is underlining an ideological conflict over public land use
http://scienceline.org/2011/12/this-land-is-my-land/
“The lands aren’t being released willy-nilly,” agrees Greg Mumm, executive director of the Idaho-based BlueRibbon Coalition, an advocacy group for snowmobiling, dirt biking and other motorized recreation. Idaho holds the second-largest share of the land designated by the bill. Mumm says west
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Greetings Rec News Subscribers! National “The lands aren’t being released willy-nilly,” agrees Greg Mumm, executive director of the Idaho-based BlueRibbon Coalition, an advocacy group for snowmobiling, dirt biking and other motorized recreation. Idaho holds the second-largest share of the land designated by the bill. Mumm says western land should be available to the local communities that often thrive on recreational activities forbidden in wilderness areas, like skiing or touring in all terrain vehicles. “Restrictions placed on resources have eliminated jobs and cut down work,” Mumm says. “What this bill is really doing is putting the lands back into a rightful management plan.”
For Mumm, on the other hand, current land regulations can be harmful to the habitats he cherishes. “In South Dakota near where I live,” he says, “there’s a place called Beaver Park that’s been managed as a roadless area, and because of a lack of management prescription, the mountain pine beetles are so bad that they’ve killed almost the entire forest.” Mumm says he’d like to see the lands released for active management, rather than have them sit in “limbo.”
Oregon New Jersey Off-road enthusiast Dale Freitas, of Burlington Township, said he is skeptical a riding park will ever pass muster with environmentalists. For years, he lobbied the state for public riding space as the head of the New Jersey Off-Highway Vehicle Association. But lately he said he has been discouraged by the lack of progress.
“I’m exhausted. I feel like I’m banging my head against a wall. I’m convinced the environmentalists aren’t going to let anyone build a park,” he said. “No matter what they do, it’s just not going to happen.”
Washington State OLYMPIA-- Tuesday State Sens. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, and Randi Becker, R- Eatonville, met with representatives of the Washington State Patrol, outdoors enthusiasts, and conservationists from across the state to discuss draft language aimed at producing less cumbersome and more responsible Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) legislation for the 2012 session.
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