Keeping our Riding Areas Open – Help us Defeat H.R. 980

Please contact your representatives
and ask them to oppose H.R. 980!

Wilderness - no mechanized vehicles allowed

The new bill, H.R. 980, would designate 23 million acres of land in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming, as Wilderness. This means each of these 23 million acres would be made permanently off-limits to motorized and mechanized recreation, including off-highway motorcycles, ATVs, 4x4s, snowmobiles and mountain bikes.

As responsible outdoor enthusiasts and riders, we need to join forces to oppose this legislation which would essentially close the majority of currently used riding areas in the Intermountain Northwest and would set an ugly precedent for other riding areas around the country. We need your help in taking action to defeat H.R. 980 so this land-grabbing cycle does not continue!

NEW YORK STATE RIDERS:
Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D-NY] has sponsored the so-called ‘Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act’ (every year since 1993) and we need you to contact her below and tell her you oppose this legislation. H.R. 980 threatens the fair use of public lands in all areas of the country including New York.

TO ALL PEOPLE IN STATES NOT AFFECTED BY THIS BILL:
This bill threatens the fair use of public lands in all areas of the country including areas not directly affected by this bill. Please support the right of our states to determine laws for the fair and responsible use of our own lands and not have the will of Washington politicians thrust upon us. Please contact your representative below and ask them to vote against H.R. 980.

TO ALL PEOPLE IN THE AFFECTED STATES:
Representatives from non-affected states are trying to impose their nationalistic political agendas on states they have NO vested interest in (by voting for H.R. 980) and without regard for the damage it will cause. Please help us echo the sentiments of Democratic Senator Max Baucus from Montana, ‘[Any effort to change access laws to this land] should come from the ground up, from local communities working together – not from the top down.’ Washington D.C. should not be telling Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming what they can do with their own land. Please let your representatives know that you oppose this legislation by using the link below. Feel free to edit the letter and specify ways that this bill would affect you.

TAKE ACTION!
Use the form below to send an e-mail message to your elected officials asking them to oppose this bill. Also, we encourage you to share this message with anyone who may be affected by the closure of 23 million acres of public land and encourage them to let their voice be heard as well. Also – don’t stop with just an e-mail. Pick up the phone and contact your representative’s office and ask them to oppose this bill also. Find your representative’s website here.

SEND YOUR MESSAGE NOW

Here are some sentiments from leadership in the affected states.

Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., called the bill ‘an absolutely offensive attempt by East Coast liberals to create sweeping, overreaching laws for Western public lands.’ She added she ‘will be fighting this bill tooth and nail.’

Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., offered a similar message and added ‘the people who depend on these resources both for work and recreation … deserve a seat at the table.’

And in Idaho, a spokesman for Republican Sen. Larry Craig offered a quote from former President Theodore Roosevelt, a champion of conservation.
‘Roosevelt said, ‘Conservation means development as much as it does protection,’ ‘ spokesman Dan Whiting said. ‘Responsible use can include everything from hiking and mountain biking to development of timber, mining and cattle. It’s not appropriate to just lock this land up.’

If there are issues in your area that you would like to see action on, please contact us and let us know what it is by e-mailing [email protected].