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BlueRibbon Magazine
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Press RoomKEY ELEMENTS OF REDWOOD EMPIRE TOUR ARE RECREATIONAL ACCESS AND RURAL ECONOMY
April 19th, 2005
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Hiouchi Cafe - Site of Crescent City's Meeting Regarding HR233 And Other Land Use Issues. Click image to enlarge.  The Green Lobby Vision for the Redwood Empire - Day Hiking Only! Click image to enlarge.  Southern End of Proposed Elkhorn Wilderness Addition - A Good Candidate for BRC's Backcountry Designation. Click image to enlarge.  Scott Sinclair (left) Presenting Check to BRC's Don Amador (right) at Eureka Meeting. Click image to enlarge. This historic tour for public land access in the Redwood Empire included meetings in Garberville, Crescent City, and Eureka respectively on April 6,7,& 8. The interested parties included the Open Beaches & Trails Group, District 36 of the American Motorcyclist Association, Surfer's Public Access Restoration Coalition, Lost Coast 4x4s, North Coast Recreation Coalition, Cliff Hangers 4WD Club, Humboldt Track and Trail, Far West Motorcycle Club, Off-Highway Solutions, Friends of the Beach, the Grange, private citizens, King Range inholders, Del Norte County Supervisors, and State Senator Sam Aanestad's Office. Don Amador, western representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, said, "The message came through loud and clear that people are fed up with the efforts by the 'Wilderness lobby' in Washington D.C to further restrict access to, or use of, public land." "Many feel the founding of Redwood National Park in the 1970s put thousands of people of work and has devastated the rural economies of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. They are tired of the failed promises of eco-tourism. The 30-year decline in the region's economy is directly related to the increase of land-use restrictions on federal lands during that same time period," Amador said. "If recreationists are going to support any part of Thompson's bill then Congress must provide some relief in the form of reopening closed roads and trails to OHVs, equestrians, and mountain bikes. They should also make good on promises of a continued wood supply and recreational opportunities such as were made when the Smith River National Recreation Area was enacted. Allowing ranchers to graze cattle on federal units to reduce rangeland wildfires and making sure that beach fishermen, surfers, or other coastal users have access are also important concepts," Amador continues. "I believe there is at least one parcel of HR233 that meets the original intent of the 1964 Wilderness Act. The proposed legislation should promote active management to reduce fuel-loading. In addition, some currently closed areas should be reopened for multiple-use recreation or be considered for BRC's Backcountry Designation," Amador states. "A big thanks to Scott Sinclair, a former BRC board member and local access advocate, for the check presentation he made at the Eureka meeting. It is because of the grassroots support from Scott and others in the area that allows us to strongly promote our managed access agenda," Amador concludes # # # The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible use of public and private lands, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,100 organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742. www.sharetrails.org NOTE TO PUBLISHERS: Higher resolution versions of the pictures above are available for download at: http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/PL/Wild041905/ |