New Mexico Off-Highway Access Issues (1 Viewer)

[alia176]

The club has donated around $500 for this type of cause this year. If you want to donate some more money, crack open your check book and have at it! This fight will go on for a long time I'm thinking.

 

[SteveLCetc]

The club has donated around $500 for this type of cause this year. If you want to donate some more money, crack open your check book and have at it! This fight will go on for a long time I'm thinking.

Do you have a better idea for it?

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact...Hm8V8BXWH1nYHNaukm933e9yJWGry6lHfVuZudOoUyvg=

 

[Beowulf]

Do you have a better idea for it?

This is something we should announce before a meeting and have the club vote on the issue of how much of our limited funds go to supporting this lawsuit. I think the club as a whole would agree that the limited access in SFNF will hurt our hobby.

We only charge $20/yr for membership to HDC and a large chunk of that goes to the annual Christmas party which most of us, including me, fully support.

I think we should discuss options and each of us is encouraged to throw out suggestions on how we as individuals and the club as a whole can support NMOHVA in this legal issue.

* We could give up the 2013 Christmas party and give more to NMOHVA
* We could encourage members to contribute individually
* We could "pass the hat" at each meeting with collections going to the legal fund
* We could have a 2013 special assessment for each member
* We could do like the White House and collect more from those that make over $250k/year (or maybe >$50k/year)
* We could collect penalties from active members that miss a meeting or an outing
* We could sell popcorn or candy bars or cookies (my personal favorite)
* We could buy Rudy's wrecked 80, build it, and sell it to Jemez dude with the profits going to NMOHVA

Lotsa possibilities other than pulling the HDC meager bank account down to zero.

-Mike-

 

[jstncse]

I am certainly not in favor of #1 or #3-6. so that leaves individual contributions or cookies.

 

[BionicCruiser]

The club has donated around $500 for this type of cause this year...

that was for 2012 because we forgot to donate in Jan. Jan 2013 is now around the corner. my suggestion is to have our basic budget figured out at the annual meeting and do our regular donation on time. Christmas party of course is in the budget.

 

[SteveLCetc]

This is something we should announce before a meeting and have the club vote on the issue of how much of our limited funds go to supporting this lawsuit. I think the club as a whole would agree that the limited access in SFNF will hurt our hobby.

We only charge $25/yr for membership to HDC and a large chunk of that goes to the annual Christmas party which most of us, including me, fully support.

I think we should discuss options and each of us is encouraged to throw out suggestions on how we as individuals and the club as a whole can support NMOHVA in this legal issue.

* We could give up the 2013 Christmas party and give more to NMOHVA
* We could encourage members to contribute individually
* We could "pass the hat" at each meeting with collections going to the legal fund
* We could have a 2013 special assessment for each member
* We could do like the White House and collect more from those that make over $250k/year (or maybe >$50k/year)
* We could collect penalties from active members that miss a meeting or an outing
* We could sell popcorn or candy bars or cookies (my personal favorite)
* We could buy Rudy's wrecked 80, build it, and sell it to Jemez dude with the profits going to NMOHVA

Lotsa possibilities other than pulling the HDC meager bank account down to zero.

-Mike-

Or we could spend money on the Christmas Party and Summer barbecue and just put a bunch of the rest into helping keep outdoor access...

 

[SteveLCetc]

More Joining NMOHVA:

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact...oX54T2MjcBjTo3G7WGha2tQgh9p2sLw5v_EwG7aG_6eE=

"AMERICAN LANDS ACCESS ASSOCIATION
JOINS NMOHVA

Fifty-Two Thousand Rockhounds Strong,
ALAA Donates to the Access Defense Fund

Rockhounds? "Rockhounds" access public lands in vehicles, looking for rock specimens. Rockhounding can't exist without motorized access. ALAA president Shirley Leeson says, "We can't walk twenty miles carrying picks, shovels, and buckets of rocks." ALAA started in 1993 and now has over 10,000 members (including clubs), representing over 52,000 organized rockhounds throughout the U.S. ALAA is a member of the Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC), the California Off Road Vehicle Association (CORVA), and now, NMOHVA. Take a look at their website, and see how committed they are to protecting access to public lands www.amlands.org. ALAA is keeping their members informed of the anti-access efforts to lock us out of our public lands and showing their members how to take action.

In addition to joining NMOHVA as a member club, ALAA made a very generous contribution to NMOHVA in support of our lawsuit against the Santa Fe National Forest 'travel management' decision.


"Together, We Do More"

The rockhounds represented by ALAA realized years ago that their access is threatened by closure decisions of the BLM and U.S. Forest Service and by designations like Wilderness and National Monuments. Like NMOHVA, they understand that everyone who wants to protect access must work together. "Working together" is NMOHVA's slogan and it means more than just OHV users working together.

NMOHVA works with everyone who wants to protect access to public lands. NMOHVA reaches out to the sportsmen community of hunting and fishing enthusiasts. NMOHVA reaches out to everyone who wants to protect public access, including rural towns and counties. When public land access is closed or reduced, it threatens the grazing, timber harvest and tourism on which their economies depend. Do you know town councilors, mayors, sheriffs, county commissioners, and conservation district managers? Help us connect to them.


Who do YOU Know Who Needs Motorized Access?

NMOHVA is here for everyone. NMOHVA's mission is not limited to OHV users. NMOHVA wants to protect access for everyone. Most of the public doesn't know how much access they have already lost or realize that what remains is under dire threat. NMOHVA members are active in all sort of outdoor activities. Some of us live in rural counties, many of us are involved with church groups and scouting, with hunting, camping...and rockhounding. Almost everyone knows a disabled person who is totally dependent on motorized access.


Locked off Your Public Lands? Who Ya Gonna Call? NMOHVA!

You are the voice of NMOHVA. We need you to help spread the word that access is threatened but there is an organization in New Mexico that is fighting back. The best and easiest way to reach everyone is to get people signed up for NMOHVA's free Access Alerts.


BIG Year Coming in 2013

A very Happy New Year to all. NMOHVA had a busy year in 2012 and is planning an even BIGGER year in 2013. What is in store for NMOHVA in 2013? Here are some of the major efforts:

New Mexico State Legislature - This year, the state legislature will be meeting in Santa Fe for a full 60-day session. NMOHVA has typically found the 60-day sessions to be much busier as the legislature deals will the full gamut of legislative initiatives (30 day sessions are limited to mostly financial matters). We are always looking for members who are willing to help represent NMOHVA interests to the Roundhouse.

Access Defense - 2012 was a "whopper" year for Travel Management but 2013 could be just as busy. We have yet to see the Travel Management proposals from several key Ranger Districts (the Camino Real District in the Carson NF and the Magdalena District in the Cibola NF). We will keep our membership informed of the planning progress on these two important districts and let everyone know how they can be involved. We are also expecting the Final Decision for Travel Management on the Gila National Forest sometime this coming year. The Gila is 3.3 million acres, over twice the size of the Santa Fe National Forest. Similiar to the Santa Fe situation, we fully expect to have to appeal the decision and mounting a legal challenge if it proves necessary.

Santa Fe National Forest Lawsuit - If things move along as anticipated, we should have the judge's decision sometime before the end of the year. NMOHVA will continue to need strong financial support to see the lawsuit through to the end. We will be hosting a series of events to make the lawsuit, and its importance, more visible to the general public. We will need volunteers to make these activities successful.

NMOHVA Events - NMOHVA can play as hard as it works! With the success of the Rubber Chicken Ride last October, NMOHVA is tentatively planning to host two riding events this year, probably June in northern New Mexico and a 2nd Annual Rubber Chicken Ride in October. Watch the newsletter for updates as we work out the details.

With all of this on NMOHVA's plate, the Board of Directors is always looking for volunteers to pitch in and lend a hand. Can you help us plan or run a riding event, Are you willing to help us staff the NMOHVA booth at a hunting show? Do you have a particular skill or personal connection to someone that would be useful to NMOHVA? Contact us at prez@nmohva.org if you are willing and able to help.

Thank you! Together, we do more!

Blue Ribbon Coalition Listens to NMOHVA




BRC Executive Director Greg Mumm listens intently to NMOHVA input during his Albuquerque tour stop.
NMOHVA hosted a "listening stop" for the Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC) in early December. BRC's Executive Director Greg Mumm recently completed an 18,000 mile , three month solo motorcycle ride called the "TURN THE TIDE 2012 TOUR". Greg's zig-zag path put him into contact with local, grass roots off highway recreation enthusiasts in every region of the country. As BRC's "chief listening officer", Greg pulled into Albuquerque as one of his last stops before heading home.

A diverse and attentive group of NMOHVA members turned out to meet Greg. They included 4WD drivers from the New Mexico 4Wheelers, Blackfeather Club motorcycle riders, ATV riders and UTV representation from the online Razor Forum. The discussion ran several hours, covering many topics. Greg explained how BRC is working with local groups. Our New Mexico OHV'ers talked about how to increase public awareness of road and trail closures and how we can work with other pro-access groups to oppose the closures. You can check out all of the details of Greg's tour at ww.wearebrc.com"

 

[SteveLCetc]

NMOHVA Annual Meeting:
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact...yclYmPZG5zQUg_qrDfTE4Yi4E_zay48t1Uz4joitVQw==

 

[SteveLCetc]

NMOHVA Calendar:

http://nmohva.org/main/calendar.php#83

 

[SteveLCetc]

NMOHVA Lawsuit Update:

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact...hX5I4RgGgTiqYCte67YOdwDgUPRwqH_ev3F1m81j2WXk=

 

[2manycruisers]

Since the lawsuit hasn't changed Travel Management so far, you can put the paltry selection of remaining open roads in your Garmin or other device from here:

MVUM (Motor Vehicle Use Map) Travel Aids:

For those of you who have Garmins, Smartphones, or iPads, we made several custom maps you can upload to these devices and see your location on the map as you are out in the woods. They can be downloaded from: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/santafe/landmanagement/projects/?cid=stelprdb5412097

 

[SteveLCetc]

So are we required to purchase a Garmin or equivalent, or are the closed trails adequately marked?

 

[alia176]

So are we required to purchase a Garmin or equivalent, or are the closed trails adequately marked?

Looks like they have Google maps too.

 

[sl33p3]

So are we required to purchase a Garmin or equivalent, or are the closed trails adequately marked?

can only speak for the cedro area out by my place. everything is marked and signed very well.

 

[2manycruisers]

Paper maps are available free. Working to take down any road numbers on closed roads. This is the last year for forest-wide firewood--you can go on closed roads to get firewood with a permit.

 

[SteveLCetc]

Paper maps are available free. Working to take down any road numbers on closed roads. This is the last year for forest-wide firewood--you can go on closed roads to get firewood with a permit.

So, after this year the Forest Service is taking the path of the Park Service? As in Cerro Grande??

This is so stupid I find it hard to believe that our country's "leaders" just don't get it. Then again, they're mostly from the east coast with the majority of the residual from California. Sad. Just frigging Sad.

 

[SteveLCetc]

NMOHVA Wins Struggle Over Lawsuit Documents

Over the last month, NMOHVA and our legal team have worked hard to ensure that all the documents that we need to successfully make our case in court are included in the "Administrative Record" (AR). The AR is the entire body of "evidence" that the parties can use in presenting their case and the judge can review to decide the case. In spite of the Forest Service compiling nearly 1200 documents in the initial AR, there were some important documents missing. It has been a struggle to get them all included. For a while we thought that we would be forced to file a formal "Motion to Supplement the Administrative Record". This would have put the question of what documents to include in front of the judge. We are happy to report the Forest Service finally conceded and has provided all of the documents that we asked be included.

The result of all of this wrangling is that the schedule has been delayed by about a month. NMOHVA and the Forest Service have agreed to a new schedule:

6/10 - NMOHVA files its Opening Brief.
8/12 - The FS files their Response Brief.
8/27 - NMOHVA files its Reply Brief.
Oral arguments, if they take place in this case (at the judge's discretion), would take place sometime after our Reply Brief.

While the case has been delayed for a little over a month, NMOHVA has prevailed and the Forest Service has finally included all of the documents we need in the Administrative Record. NMOHVA has done as much of the work ourselves as possible to keep our costs as low as we can. We spend many hours helping our attorney prepare for the case so she doesn't have to charge us for the time.

NMOHVA & the Lawsuit on 770 KKOB Radio Tomorrow!

In addition to our "para-legal" work, NMOHVA has continued to take our message to the public. On May 15th, Joanne Spivack (NMOHVA Special Projects Coordinator) participated in a land use panel discussion on 770 KKOB (the BIG 50,000 watt radio station in Albuquerque). During the program, Joanne was able to "plug" the lawsuit against the Santa Fe National Forest several times. The "call-in board" lit up...so much so that the program host, Scott Stiegler, asked her back for another show specifically focused on NMOHVA's Santa Fe National Forest lawsuit!

Joanne will be on tomorrow (May 23rd) from 5:00 - 6:00 pm (the big "evening drive" show) talking about the Travel Management decision and NMOHVA's lawsuit to get it thrown out. We encourage everyone to tune in and tell their friends and neighbors also. The massive loss of motorized access in the Santa Fe affects far more than just OHV activity. Hunters and campers are hit just as hard!

NMOVHA also hosted a public outreach event at Sportsman's Warehouse in Albuquerque this past Saturday. This popular outdoor supply store provided us the opportunity to inform the hunting and camping public on what has happened to their access. We had a very successful day and picked up numerous members and donations as the result of our message. Many of the people had come down to Sportsman Warehouse because they heard Joanne on the radio!

The bulk of the work by our legal team has yet to take place. We continue to ask our membership and many others to contribute to NMOHVA's Access Defense Fund to finance this challenge. THANK YOU! We couldn't do this WITHOUT YOU!

We will continue to send out Lawsuit Updates as we pass other significant milestones.

Together, we ARE DOING more!


HELP NMOHVA FUND THE LAWSUIT!


Legal battles are, unfortunately, necessary. NMOHVA is only the third organization to challenge one of the National Forest Travel Management decisions in the whole USA. Legal battles are also expensive. While many of our members have already given generously, we depend on contributions from friends and other partners to help pay for this lawsuit.

You can DONATE online to the ACCESS DEFENSE FUND:

http://nmohva.wildapricot.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1344243

 

[alia176]

Nice!!

 

[pappy]

Nice!!

What he said.

 

[SteveLCetc]

Latest on NMOHVA Lawsuit

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact...NswcokwM2MCUG2FItAvGZhFpvxDQ_g4Uv4avqaBMJWy4=

As we told you last month, Monday, June 10th was the deadline for NMOHVA to file the "Opening Brief" for our lawsuit challenging the Santa Fe National Forest's Travel Management closures. This month we can tell you that the brief was filed on schedule with the court! The ball is now in the opponent's court. The Forest Service and its Department of Justice legal team have until August 12th to respond to our Opening Brief. Then, it's our turn again. After the FS files their "Response Brief", NMOHVA can respond one final time with a "Reply Brief" by August 27th.

The preparation of the Opening Brief initiated the "heavy lifting" for our legal team. With Karen Budd-Falen and her associates spending many hours in preparing the extensive (fifty-four page) document, our expenses rose dramatically. NMOHVA did as much of the paralegal work as possible to help keep the costs down but there are many things only the legal professionals have the expertise to complete.

Please consider supporting this very important legal battle. While this particular "fight" is focused on routes in the Santa Fe National Forest, it has huge implications for the Gila National Forest and all of New Mexico's other forests. If you have already contributed, THANKS, we are accomplishing all of this on the strength of our members and our friends support. If you haven't yet contributed, please take a few minutes to consider how important access to your local Forest is to you, your family, and your chosen recreation. ALL OF YOUR DONATIONS TO NMOHVA's ACCESS DEFENSE FUND GO COMPLTELY AND DIRECTLY TO SUPPORT THIS LAWSUIT!
Together, we ARE DOING more!