Wasatch Outlaw Wheelers

We need action on this one guys!!!!!

Proposal to close 4×4 access in Millville/Providence Canyon

The Logan Ranger District of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest is requesting comments on three alternative actions affecting the Millville/Providenc e Canyon area. The proposed action will affect 4×4 users specifically, but the long term ramifications have the potential to affect all OHV use in the area. Please take a moment to review the information, and submit a comment to the Logan Ranger District.

For detailed information on this issue, please visit: http://www.usaall. org/logan. aspx.

Additional information can be found here:

http://www.fs. fed.us/r4/ wcnf/projects/ proposed/

Look half way down the page under “Logan Ranger District - Proposed Projects.”

Comments must be received by Tuesday September 4th. Comments can be submitted by email or USPS mail.

Comments sent by mail should be directed to:

Janet Valle

1500 E Hwy 89

Logan, UT 84321

Email comments should be sent to:

comments-intermtn- wasatch-cache- logan@fs. fed.us

For information on submitting comments to land managers, please refer to our info library (http://www.usaall. org/library).

Special thanks to John Borg for providing the analysis of this issue.

Fellow users, a call was sent out for help and here is a thank you.
Please forward this to your lists of users.

Devil’s Race Track Work Project February 17, 2007

Background: On February 10, 2007, a 4X4 rock crawler went up the
Devil’s Race Track and engaged in occasional off-route travel through
a 2 1/2 mile section of the trail. It was later determined that some
of this action was prompted by a mechanical failure in the vehicle’s
steering system. While off-route the vehicle damaged vegetation,
including a few Juniper trees. The vehicle eventually had additional
mechanical failures which left it unable to proceed to the end of the
trail at I-70. It was abandoned near the “backbone”, which is the
most technical section of the trail.

Concerned citizens reported the incident to the Price BLM. BLM Law
Enforcement Officer Don Lum went to the scene on February 12, 2007 to
conduct an investigation. During this investigation, Officer Lum was
able to positively identify the person who operated the vehicle and
citations will be forth coming.

Local OHV users desired to go out and repair the areas where the off-
route travel had occurred before the area could be negatively
impacted any further. After first obtaining approval from the Price
BLM office, the Southeastern Utah OHV Club volunteered to organize a
work project to repair the damage. However, because of this weekend
being a holiday weekend, volunteers were hard to find. A plea was
put out for help from the statewide OHV community including 4X4, ATV
and motorcycle groups. The response was incredible. Users from all
across the State of Utah expressed a desire and willingness to
help. Many clubs, as well as some individuals, showed up for the
project. The SEUOHV club was impressed and thankful for the many
users that heeded the call for help. A partial list of clubs and
organizations represented includes the following: SouthEastern Utah
OHV Club (Carbon/Emery Counties), King Crawlers 4X4 club
(Carbon/Emery Counties, Trail Patrol (Logan), Pathfinders ATV Club
(Utah County), Utah Trail Machine Association, (statewide) Sage
Riders Motorcycle Club (Springville) , Castle Country OHV Association
(Carbon/Emery Counties), Utah ATV (statewide) and members of the Utah
Shared Access Alliance (statewide). We apologize if we have failed
to mention any group that was there. We offer a BIG THANKS to all
who participated.

Several of these aforementioned groups have previously entered into
Volunteer Agreements (VAs) with the BLM for maintenance of the roads
and trails in the area. The VAs have been in place for years and
hundreds of volunteer hours have been invested into maintenance of
the roads and trails in the San Rafael Swell.

It is estimated that 55 volunteer users showed up for the project.
The response was so great that it was decided to have some of the
users do routine trail maintenance on other trails within the Sid’s
Mountain Trail System. In addition to those who had traveled great
distances for the purpose of helping, there were also riders that
just happened upon the project and still voluntarily joined in the
work.

There were many hands to perform the maintenance resulting in
overwhelming the BLM staff that was on had to supervise the
project. Actually this was a good problem to have. Perhaps some of
the users felt frustrated that they could not do more; but it was the
consensus of all that the amount of work each person was able to do
was not as important as simply being there. The statement made by
each and every person there, was that the OHV community is concerned
about the environment and are willing to donate time, energy and
resources to help the BLM maintain this valuable motorized Trail
System.

Overall this was a positive work experience in many fashions. It was
an opportunity for many user groups to come together for a single
purpose and goal. The motorcycle, ATV and 4×4 groups worked side by
side to preserve the integrity of the trail and to protect the
resource. Many relationships were established, both among the
different user groups, as well as with the BLM. In addition, this
project provided the BLM an opportunity to network with the users and
see what a valuable resource the OHV community can be to them. The
spirit of cooperation shown by the OHV community was very
impressive. These individuals, clubs, organizations and groups are
willing to give of their time, money and energy to work with the land
managers to ensure that the next generation can continue to enjoy
motorized use of these same roads and trails on OUR public land.

02/15/2007

12:30 P.M.
H.B. 97
Motor Vehicle Registration Checkoff for Protecting Access to Public Lands and Off-highway Vehicle Education — Noel, M.

10:40 A.M.:

Has PASSED the full senate. THIS BILL IS DONE! We passed it! In all of the committee meetings, and on the floor of both bodies, there were only 3 votes against this and they were all on the senate floor. That is amazing! You can go here and see the bill status including the vote counts and what legislator voted for or against.

Chief Sponsor Representative Mike Noel, Senate Sponsor Senator Darin Peterson, and co-sponsor Representative Aaron Tilton all deserve a HUGE thank you! Please email them and thank them. And you know what? USA-ALL deserves a huge pat on the back for getting this done. This will leave a lasting legacy for the entire community, and help provide additional funding to protect your rights of access. Watch for billboards to pop up encouraging people to “check the box” and keep public land open.

Volunteer Opportunity: San Rafael’s Coal Wash Needs Your Help!

A situation that needs some man power has been brought to our attention late Tuesday night. We must help out the local clubs and repair the impact that one MORON has caused to this beautiful route. This is the type of irresponsible use that we need to stop. If you know who did this I would appreciate hearing from you. Please read the email message below, and offer your assistance. This weekend looks like it will be a super nice weather, it will be fun and the work you will do is important. Either call the numbers in the email below or feel free to call our office… SEE THE EMAIL MESSAGE BELOW MY SIGNATURE… please help!

Sincerely,

Mike Swenson

_______________________________

Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-ALL)

PO BOX 131 PAYSON, UT. 84651

Main: 801.465.1145

Fax: 801.465.6972

Toll Free: 800.944.UTAH (8824)

Email: info@usaall.org

www.usaall.org

Visit our website or call and JOIN TODAY!

To subscribe to our alerts send an email to subscribe@usaall.org unsubscribe or make changes send an email to unsubscribe@usaall.org

Today update once again Thanks USA-All.

Dear Land Use Activist,

Here is yet another legislative update.

02/08/2007 11:30 A.M.

Check our website for current and detailed bill info and USA-ALL’s position and write ups on these bills.

H.B. 97
Motor Vehicle Registration Checkoff for Protecting Access to Public Lands and Off-highway Vehicle Education — Noel, M.

PASSED Senate Committee this morning unchanged. YA-HOO! Next step senate floor for discussion and debate. Let the Senate know how you feel about H.B. 97. Use our Senate Distribution Email address, Click Here. Please include your name and where you reside in your email.
H.B. 237
Requirements for Off-highway Vehicles — Tilton, A.
Placed on the House third reading calendar (Floor) this morning. Please read the spin the local media is putting on this bill. 02/08 DNews spin Are these numbers accurate? Doubtful, but unless we show otherwise we have no real proof otherwise. Keep in mind if our legislators don’t hear from you this is the type of info some of them use to make their decisions. Let’s prove the DNews wrong. It is VERY important that you contact the members of the senate and let them know how you feel (for or against) this bill. Here is how you can contact them. Send a single email to our distribution address and you’re done. It will go to ALL the members of the senate. Please include your name and where you reside in your email. Click here to use our Distribution Email
H.B. 321
Off-highway Vehicle Amendments — Noel, M.
Placed on the House third reading calendar (Floor) this morning. Next step house floor for discussion and debate.
H.B. 425
Street-legal All-terrain Vehicle Amendments — Noel, M.
Introduced and awaiting committee assignment.
H.B. 421
Suspension of Hunting or Fishing Privileges for Illegal Vehicle Use — Hunsaker, F.
Introduced and awaiting committee assignment.

REMINDER:
I am going to try to make a strong appeal to all of you, its tough in an email. The rally we are holding tomorrow has the possibility to have significant impact on your rights. No matter if you agree 100% w/ USA-ALL’s philosophy and positions or not you need to attend. The main purpose of this rally is to show the unity of the motorized community and send a message to the Governor and legislators to take public land access issues more seriously. We need to be given more consideration. The Governor has been too willing to listen to groups like the Outdoor Retailers Association and others and has not listed to our concerns or more importantly has failed to help us on most of our concerns. We have made good progress with the legislature and we hope to continue that. Your attendance at our rally will show that our community is dead serious about these issues. USA-ALL has claimed to officials that our members care about these issues, if only a few show what will that say about our claims? If only a few people show it will tell legislators and others that we don’t really care about access related issues. I know that isn’t true, but our elected officials may not.
I know it is mid day and it is on a Friday, but we need you to make a small sacrifice and show up to this rally. PLEASE bring your family and friends. I would love it if there were tons of little kids present. I am asking everyone and anyone who cares to come to this rally. I am telling you that EVERY single person will matter, and I am telling you that you WILL feel good about participating in this event. We will keep it short and sweet (around 30 minutes), but it will have profound affects on the ability for our community to make progress on access related issues. I will also be available to those who choose to say afterwards, I will help you find legislators; discuss bills, or anything else on your mind. Please participate with us in this important civic opportunity and let your voice be heard.
Don’t limit your involvement to just this rally. Email our legislators and governor, contact me and come spend some time at the capitol on another day, I would love to help you contact your legislators and help you become involved in the process. You have many opportunities to help USA-ALL and to help yourself please take advantage of them.
Sincerely,

Mike Swenson

_______________________________

Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-ALL)

PO BOX 131 PAYSON , UT. 84651

Main: 801.465.1145

Fax: 801.465.6972

Toll Free: 800.944.UTAH (8824)

Email: info@usaall.org

www.usaall.org

Visit our website or call and JOIN TODAY!

To subscribe to our alerts send an email to subscribe@usaall.org unsubscribe or make changes send an email to unsubscribe@usaall.org

Dear Land Use Activist,

02/07/2007

More on this bill and it’s progress. It passed the House and is headed for the Senate, once agin it’s time to act.
Thanks,

We have another quick update for you and one simple action item that will be VERY helpful to our cause. Please help.

H.B. 97
Motor Vehicle Registration Checkoff for Protecting Access to Public Lands and Off-highway Vehicle Education — Noel, M.

HB 97 will go before the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee early Thursday morning (Feb 8th). If you would like to come and testify see our web page for info on the exact date, time and location. If you cant come personally PLEASE send an email in support of this measure. You can see USA-ALL’s opinion and detailed info on the bill on our website. This is the second to last step before this bill will be completely through both houses and unless vetoed will become law, please help!
H.B. 237
Requirements for Off-highway Vehicles — Tilton, A.
PASSED Committee meeting this morning! With favorable amendments. Ya-hoo! On to the full house for further consideration. A BIG thanks to those who showed up to testify, you REALLY helped on this.
H.B. 321
Off-highway Vehicle Amendments — Noel, M.
Passed Committee meeting this morning with favorable amendments. On to the full house for further consideration.
H.B. 425
Street-legal All-terrain Vehicle Amendments — Noel, M.
This bill became public yesterday. USA-ALL has had access and input to the bill prior to its release. USA-ALL is in strong support of this bill, we will have a full write up on this bill on our website in the next 24 hours.

Again PLEASE take a few minutes and write to the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee in support of H.B. 97. I cannot stress enough how effective a simple comment from you in support of this bill will be. You can use our email distribution address by clicking here Senate NR Committee, you just type one email and our program will send it to all the committee members, or if you prefer to do it manually here are the email addresses of the committee members:
Darin G. Peterson, Chair
Allen M. Christensen
Dennis E. Stowell
Fred J. Fife
Gene Davis
Margaret Dayton
Michael G. Waddoups

Thank you,

Mike Swenson

____________ _________ _________ _

Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-ALL)

PO BOX 131 PAYSON , UT. 84651

Main: 801.465.1145

Fax: 801.465.6972

Toll Free: 800.944.UTAH (8824)

Email: info@usaall. org

www.usaall.org

Visit our website or call and JOIN TODAY!

I just wanted to say Thanks USA-All. Here is an update about all the great work USA is doing please support them.

Dear Land Use Activist,

We have a VERY important update for you.

H.B. 97 Motor Vehicle Registration Checkoff for Protecting Access to Public Lands and Off-highway Vehicle Education

Passed the House UNANIMOUSLY! On to Senate committee

H.B. 237 Requirements for Off-highway Vehicles

Amendments pending, should see them sometime Tuesday the 6th of Feb.

Will go to House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee meeting on Feb 7th that this Wednesday Morning at 8:00 A.M.

Other bills to watch are:

H.B. 321Off-highway Vehicle Amendments

Also will be heard in the same House committee meeting as H.B. 237

H.B. 421 Suspension of Hunting or Fishing Privileges for Illegal Vehicle Use

Waiting for House committee assignment

We really need everyone’s involvement on these issues. Here are a couple of things you can do:

1- Participate in our Motorized Users Legislative Voice Day at the Capitol this Friday Feb 9th starting at 12:30 P.M. It is VERY important that hundreds of you show up. Can you imagine if only a dozen or so show? What that would say about how important these issues are to us? We really need you! This Friday afternoon was the best time to do it. If you can bring your spouse and children, make it a family event. Come dressed in whatever you wear to jeep, ATV, snowmobile, dirt bike, etc. There will be a couple SHORT speeches and then we will give you info on how current bill status and how to contact your legislators, you may be able to pin them down that day and tell them your opinion face to face. This event has the potential of really helping our cause. PLEASE make every effort to be there. Call us with ANY questions.

2- Plan to comment in a committee meeting. WE REALLY need comments for the meeting this Wednesday morning. There are 2 very important bills that will be discussed and you will have a chance to voice your opinions to the committee. You can go to our website and read the bills, see our comments, and in the help section you will find some simple tips on how to testify before a committee, it’s not hard and it is a rewarding experience. You need’nt be a “big shot” to testify, in fact the opinions of the general public mean very much to the committee members and WILL affect their decisions. If you can please come and testify! Call our office if you have any questions we would be thrilled to help you with tips, directions or whatever you need.

3- If you can’t come to a committee meeting, PLEASE email your comments to the committee members. We are not telling you what your opinions ought to be, we simply want the motorized community actively involved in these issues. We have offered our take on each bill on our website. You can go there and see what USA-ALL’s opinion is on each bill. The 2 bills that will go to committee first this week are HB 237 AND HB 321. Please read them and send your comments to the committee members ASAP. They need to see these BEFORE 8:00 A.M. this Wednesday morning. If you would like to discuss these or any other bills or have any questions PLEASE call our office as always we will be happy to help in any way. If you want to send an email to the entire committee you can do so by clicking this link House Resource Committee. This is a special email address on one of our servers that will receive your comments and then distribute them out the committee members email addresses. We absolutely will not alter your emails they are redistributed automatically. You must send it from the same address that has received this alert; this is a safeguard against spammers. We thought this would be helpful so you don’t have to type in each members email address. If you would prefer to do it manually here are the email addresses of the individual committee members:

House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
Roger E. Barrus, Chair
Kerry W. Gibson, Vice Chair
Carl W. Duckworth
Glenn A. Donnelson
Jack R. Draxler
James R. Gowans
John G. Mathis
Melvin R. Brown
Michael E. Noel
Neal B. Hendrickson
Patrick Painter
Phil Riesen
Richard W. Wheeler
Stephen E. Sandstrom
Sylvia S. Andersen

.

Our bill sponsor (H.B. 237 Rep. Tilton) has asked that we have a lot of emails into committee members supporting the H.B. 237, we hope those of you who support H.B. 237 will take a minute to let the committee members know

USA-ALL has been working hard over the past two years to educate our legislators on motorized access issues. You may not agree with our stance entirely and we respect that please feel free to call us and discuss any thoughts or concerns you may have. We want to hear from you. You may also find there is more rhyme to our reason than you had previously thought. No matter what you position on these issues, it is still important that our community unite, and let our legislators know that these issues are important to us, important enough that we will send an email, write a letter, attend a rally or testify in a committee. It is our right to become involved, if we fail to do so then we are giving up those rights and allowing others to control law and policy. Please join with us and help make a difference. I say it every year and it remains true EVERY voice counts, let yours be heard!

Check out our website www.usaall.org for regularly updated info on all bills affecting the motorized community along with helpful info about the legislature and how you can be more involved.

Please forward this email to others

Thank you,

Mike Swenson

____________ _________ _________ _

Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-ALL)

PO BOX 131 PAYSON , UT. 84651

Main: 801.465.1145

Fax: 801.465.6972

Toll Free: 800.944.UTAH (8824)

Email: info@usaall. org

www.usaall.org

Visit our website or call and JOIN TODAY!

To subscribe to our alerts send an email to subscribe@usaall. org to unsubscribe or make changes send an email to unsubscribe@ usaall.org

This is from the Kanab Utah Canyon Country 4×4 Club. This is an important issue we need to lend support.

A lawsuit has been filed on this. An Individual was cited by the BLM for driving on this road and not only refused to pay the fine, but has filed suit against the BLM for being on the County Road and citing him.

This has been something we have needed for a long time on this issue. The individual involved in this is doing it on his own with no help from any organizations. So far the expense for attorneys is over $10,000. Canyon Country 4×4 Club has donated $500. to this case and is encouraging all groups and individuals to donate also. This could be an important case as to the BLM’s authority to cite someone for driving on a county road that they do not want to accept as such. The recent 10th Circuit Court decision would seem to support the view that the BLM had no authority to cite this person.

I will find out more information on where donations can be sent. Also, when we find out when the hearing on this case is scheduled, they would like to see the parking lot and courtroom filled with people supporting our view.

I have talked with Mike Swensen and he said that he will attend the hearing in person.

I’ll post up more details as soon as I find them.
Reply With Quote

Motorized User Legislative Voice Day

Date: February 9, 2007

Time: 12:30 p.m.

Location: Main public foyer of the house building on Capitol Hill

Objective: Is to gather a diverse group of motorized users and rally support for a group of bills affecting public lands. Show our Utah State Legislature and the governor’s office we are a united voting block and want land issues and public access to be taken more seriously.

The current bills and issues affecting public lands will be addressed by Michael Swenson, Executive Director for Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-ALL), Representative Mike Noel, and other legislators.

Come dressed looking the part. Wear your riding gear, armor, helmets, USA-ALL t-shirts, whatever you wear when riding your ATV, motorcycle, snowmobile, jeep, etc. PLEASE Get involved; bring your family especially your kids. Bring friends, co-workers, and any motorized user that supports responsible open access of public lands.

Leaflets will be handed out on how you can contact your representative in the legislature and gain their support. There will be opportunities for you to contact some of them that day. Just your simple presence will make a big statement to our elected officials. Let’s get together and make sure these issues are addressed and your values are protected.

Free Parking: FREE all-day public parking for the 2007 Legislative Session for visitors with easy access and commute to Capitol Hill is located at the parking lot across from the Triad Building downtown. The parking lot address is 300 West South Temple-site of the 2002 Olympics Medal Plaza. No tokens are needed for this lot. Please communicate your intention to visit the Capitol Hill Complex to the parking lot attendant. The FREE UTA Bus #23 will service this lot and bring you to Capitol Hill. There is also free parking on the road just east of the capitol complex but space is very limited, you may have to park on this street north of the complex and walk a block or two back down to the capitol.

PLEASE help us with this by simply showing up, we would hate to put this on and only have a few people to show, we know thousands of you care, lets illustrate that by having a few hundred people there for support. Come and let our united voice be heard!

If you have ANY questions, or need help or directions please call our office we would be very happy to help.

JoAnne Butts

_______________________________

Administrative Assistant

Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-ALL)

PO BOX 131 PAYSON, UT. 84651

Main: 801.465.1145

Fax: 801.465.6972

Toll Free: 800.944.UTAH (8824)

Email: joanne@usaall.org

www.usaall.org

Visit our website or call and JOIN TODAY!

To subscribe to our action alerts send an email to subscribe@usaall.org to unsubscribe send one to unsubscribe@usaall.org

Please test the air pressure in your tires.

Ok Folks, this is the kind of stuff we like to see.  Keep up the pressure and send you input in as needed.

 http://www.sltrib.com/search/ci_5073954

County resists OHV limits

Wayne commissioners consider a resolution to allow use of the vehicles in the Factory Butte area

By Joe Baird
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 01/24/2007 02:27:36 AM MST

Another confrontation is brewing in southern Utah between local county officials and the federal Bureau of Land Management.
Apparently angered by the BLM’s recent emergency order restricting off-highway vehicle travel in the popular Factory Butte area, Wayne County commissioners have proposed an amendment to the county’s general plan that would essentially flout the BLM’s new rules by once again allowing cross-country OHV use in the region, located just east of Capitol Reef National Park.
“Open, cross-country OHV recreation is a firmly established recreational activity and an important cultural value for a large segment of the citizens of Wayne County,” said a draft of the “Factory Butte Cross Country OHV Special Recreation Management Area” proposal, a copy of which was obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune.
The county’s intent, the draft continued, “is to preserve the open and unrestricted nature of cross-country travel that existed historically in the Factory Butte area.”
Wayne County officials were mum on their proposal Tuesday. Commissioner Thomas Jeffery declined comment, while Commissioner Stanley Wood, who oversees public lands policy for the county, did not return calls. But the proposal will get its first public airing tonight at 7 during a planning and zoning meeting at the county courthouse in Loa.
Citing threats to two endangered cactus species

from continued unrestricted OHV use, the BLM last fall instituted new off-road rules for the area, limiting OHVs to 220 miles of designated trails and a 2,600-acre “play area” known as Swing Arm City, located northeast of Caineville. The entire Factory Butte area comprises nearly 200,000 acres.
BLM officials call the emergency restrictions at Factory Butte a temporary fix until a new land use plan being developed by the agency’s Richfield Field Office is completed, likely by spring. Wayne County would be able to give input to the new land use plan. But Cornell Christensen, who manages the agency’s Richfield Field Office, cautions that the BLM’s Factory Butte OHV rules now have the force of federal law behind them.
“Our feeling is, they can do what they they need to do. But the federal register notice is in effect until the new resource management plan is in place,” Christensen said. Heidi McIntosh, conservation director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, calls Wayne County’s Factory Butte proposal “a slap in the face” to both the rule of law and people who want to recreate there without OHVs.
“There is absolutely no legal authority for this,” she said. “What this does is invite people, some of whom don’t know any better, to violate federal regulations. People are going to get into trouble because of the county’s meddling on this issue.”
But OHV groups, which have bitterly opposed the new Factory Butte rules, support the county.
“There’s no question that the decision at Factory Butte has spurred the commission to action, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Mike Swenson, executive director of the Utah Shared Access Alliance, the state’s largest OHV advocacy group. “The county has a duty and even a fiduciary responsibility to protect the interests of their citizens.”
jbaird@sltrib.com