If you like to ride it's time to make your voice heard! Urgent!!

Please take a few minutes to reply to this. 7.8 Million Acres in Oregon being reviewed for OHV use!

Here's the link to the Official Info:

http://www.arra-access.com/site/PageServer?pagename=arra_or_southernoregon

Hodakaguy

Here's a copy of a few letters that have already been sent from members of the BendDualSport forum:




Member Waxstatte:

Hello - As a frequent but seasonal visitor of these public lands, I am very interested in contributing to the process. Several times a year we traverse these counties on the old dirt roads and 2 tracks into Nevada and southern Idaho. I have been riding these existing roads for the past 17 years on street-legal dual sport motorcycles. So many trips through that country that I have partnered up and created an international business designing, producing and selling very sturdy luggage for motorcycles specifically for these types of adventures - please visit our site for more info.

Respectfully riding the public lands and with permission, across some private property, has become a most enjoyable activity and I spend the winter looking forward to re-visiting our favorite springs, mountain passes, deserts and small towns along the way. Our contributions to these regional communities has created lasting friendships as our visits benefit everyone, especially in this current economy. We are not the stereotypical OHV users, rather, most of us are in our 40's or older with families and homes in the Central Oregon area. Our bikes are quiet, (under 90dbs) state registered vehicles that leave very little trace of our passing. For example, we make every effort to stay in those old 2 tracks so that the first jeep or pick up truck that rolls along completely erases our tracks. We do not rip up the countryside making new routes or testing our skills carving up hill sides. Our chosen mode of transportation is the most efficient and has the least impact of anything other than flying over in an aircraft or perhaps walking and that little-known fact can be proven in the EIS if we are included in the process.

If I can help with the RMP in any way please let me know. I can assemble a collective voice of our riding community and will gladly share some common views regarding the continued access to our public lands.



Member Moncar:

At least once a year I travel BLM lands in Eastern Oregon on a dual sport motorcycle. I travel with reverence, awe, inspiration, and respect for the land and private property. I have traveled with my kids on dual sport bikes, and look forward to seeing the sense of wonder and discovery on the faces of my grandkids in just a few short years, as we travel these nearly forgotten byways of the American West.

Like my native American and immigrant ancestors before me, explorers from last century, and responsible riders today, words cannot describe the thrill of riding over the crest of a Butte and seeing unspoiled land stretch to the horizon. As a retired veteran, citizen, and responsible rider, I ask you retain access to these lands for generations going forward, just as generations past. The moment one cannot experience the freedom of movement in these lands, these same lands cease to exist.

One small note I feel compelled to add. Should the BLM open these lands for wind turbines, forever marring the unbroken landscape with towers screaming in the wind, yet close these same places for responsible riders, would be a tragedy to this place far greater than any activity in the last 200 hundred years.




Member Jclovesu:

Greetings: I would like to comment on the Resource Management Plans that you are developing for South Eastern Oregon public lands. I resided in Malheur County from 1995 until 2007 and now reside in Jefferson County. I have traveled back country roads and trails throughout SE Oregon on both 4WD vehicles and plated dual sport type motorcycles. SE Oregon is an amazing place with stunning vistas, beautiful desert landscapes and rugged mountains. What a wonderful opportunity we have as citizens to have free access to these areas. I hope that never changes. I ride respectfully as a mature citizen and with great appreciation for my surroundings. My motorcycle leave little trace of my passing, is very quiet and is ridden cautiously and with respect for others enjoying the lands. Currently I am planning a 10 day tour through that area on my dual sport motorcycle in the fall of this year, 2010. It would be a tragedy for these lands to be closed to the citizens of the United States. These lands belong to all of us and I believe should be available to be visited and enjoyed without undue restrictions. As a visitor to these public places I wouldn't want to be limited to a small portion of the lands, but appreciate the freedom to roam and explore the areas as mankind has done for centuries before me. I remain on existing roads and trails and don't travel "cross country". When necessary I even remove trash that others with less respect have left on the lands.

I work in an environment where because of one or two people's inappropriate actions, privileges and opportunities for everyone else are removed. To me that is entirely unfair and not the right way to approach the problem.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that there are many citizens who desire to visit and travel through and on public lands on motorcycles and off road vehicles who treat the land with respect and appreciation. Public lands should not be restricted from us. People who abuse and destroy the lands should be dealt with in appropriate ways. But the majority of citizens who visit public lands with care and appreciation should not be restricted from those lands because of the actions of a few.

Please keep public lands open for all the public, not limited to special interest groups or ranchers

Time to draft up and send off a letter.

ONDA at work again.

ONDA = Oregon Natural Desert Association

They also were successful at shutting down the Paisley 400 Desert Race this Summer.