Restoring Access To Your Public Lands  

The long awaited realization in the Halls of Government that the public needs access to their public lands is finally taking place due in large part to the efforts of local grass roots, state and national access organizations.

A recent Congressional Subcommittee Hearing was held in Sacramento California about "Restoring Public Access to the Public’s Lands: Issues Impacting Multiple-use on Our National Forests". Congressman Bishop, McClintock and Herger along with numerous witnesses directed hard questions to the Forest Service about the recent unnecessary trail and road closures across the West.

Utah Representative Rob Bishop said; “Utah and other western states including California suffer each year from new and existing federal regulations and mandates that hinder multiple-use of our federal lands and resources.  Many of these policies continue to be detrimental to the creation of jobs and the generation of revenue upon which so many communities rely.  This is the wrong approach and defies the intent for which our national forests and public lands were created. This hearing will examine the effect of these policies on multiple-use and the subsequent impacts on communities and their local economies.”

California Representative Tom McClintock said;   “For generations, the U.S. Forest Service maintained a balanced approach to the management of our forests that assured both healthy forests and a healthy economy.  Now, it seems to be following a very different policy of exclusion, expulsion and benign neglect of our forests.  These actions evince an ideologically driven hostility to the public’s use of the public’s land – and a clear intention to deny the public the responsible and sustainable use of that land.  This important hearing will examine the damage caused by these policies and begin the process to restore Gifford Pinchot’s original vision for the Forest Service: ‘To provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run.” 

This represents a huge shift towards providing access to your public lands.

Please call your federal Congressman and tell them you want them to restore access to your public lands. People need to let their legislators know they support this. You can find your Congressman phone number here http://www.congress.org/congressorg/officials/congress

You can read more about this historical Subcommittee hearing at
http://naturalresources.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=258843

Congressman McClintock takes a strong stand to restore access. He states......
http://mcclintock.house.gov/2011/09/forest-access-field-hearing-of-the-subcommittee-on-national-parks-forests-and-public-lands.shtml#more