Don't Let Non-Residency Stop You!!!
I never do! Hell, I've never lived there but I want to help fellow OHV folks so in a case like this . . . I fabricate!!!
Here's a sample of the letter I sent . . .
Dear Mr. Winstanley and members of the Parks Board;
Although we are no longer residents of Colorado, my family has relatives who still reside there that own vehicles registered under the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Program.
As participants in the OHV program they have a vested interest in how the OHV Program is administered as do we since my family and I visit our relatives often and we recreate with their OHVs while enjoying time together in OUR great outdoors. We have read emails obtained by the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition, and we urge you delay making any changes to the OHV Subcommittee at this time.
We urge the Parks Board to review the emails and determine if any inappropriate or improper relationships exist between Laurie Mathews and Jim Prybil and the Colorado Mountain Club and/or the lobbyist for Responsible Trails America (Scott Chase).
Regarding the proposed changes to the OHV Subcommittee we would like the Parks Board to consider the following comments:
It is NOT correct to say that “everyone should have a say in how OHV grants are managed.â€Â
Everyone has a say in where we can ride our OHVs. That is via the federal land management planning process. This is an open and public process, with full opportunity for the Colorado Mountain Club and their representatives, as well as any other citizen or citizens group to review and comment on the development of Travel Management Plans. The federal land planning process gives full opportunity to review the environmental analysis and even appeal any decisions made.
Everyone does not have a say in how the OHV program funds are spent. The Parks Board is required to implement the program in a way that is consistent with the legislation that established the program. The OHV grant Subcommittee was established so that those paying the fee may have a say in how the funds are spent.
We want to emphasize again that the Legislative Audit Committee found no problems whatsoever with the OHV program. The US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have repeatedly cited our program as model for the rest of the country, fair and environmentally balanced. Of the nearly 700 OHV grants processed over the past 19 years only 3 have been controversial and the existing recommendations now address that by asking the simple question about potential controversy.
The Colorado Mountain Club and others say that OHV use is undergoing rapid expansion and claim such use causes a growing amount of resource damage and conflict with other users. These claims lack the proper perspective and are out of context. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are in the process of implementing regulations specifically designed to address the impacts of increased motorized use. The regulations require limiting all vehicle use to designated roads, trails and areas. The designation process mandates public involvement, thorough environmental analysis, as well as ongoing monitoring and maintenance of the OHV infrastructure. Many BLM offices in Colorado are in the process of implementing recently completed travel plans. The Forest Service is expected to complete the travel planning process by the end of this year.
It is important for the Board to consider that the OHV subcommittee was formed to provide active user group participation in the grant process. The subcommittee is not supposed to be well balanced in the manner the outgoing Director is proposing. The OHV subcommittee is designed to provide OHV user group (those paying the fee) input into the Parks' OHV grant process (how the funds are to be spent).
We appreciate the Parks Boards' role in active and effective management of OHV recreation in Colorado. I respectfully ask that you look in to improper relationships between Laurie Mathews and Jim Prybil and the Colorado Mountain Club and/or the lobbyist for Responsible Trails America (Scott Chase).
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
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