National Public Lands Day
September 29th will mark the 14th Annual National Public Lands Day. Each year over 100,000 volunteers build trails and bridges, plant trees and remove trash. There are many events scheduled for September 29th in recognition of National Public Lands Day. If you are interested in participating in an event in your area or if you would like to register an event, click on www.publiclandsday.org.

Blue Ribbon Coalition
Are you a current member of the Blue Ribbon Coalition?

If so, I (Christine Jourdain) would appreciate your support. I have been representing snowmobiling interests on the Blue Ribbon board for the past few years. The size of the board is being cut and there are 6 people running for 5 seats.

Blue Ribbon represents all recreation interests and also has a legal action arm. I have been the chairman of the Legal Action Committee the last couple of years. In my opinion, the Legal Action fund differentiates Blue Ribbon from other organizations.

Also the State of Idaho is requiring some procedural changes to the Bylaws and Article of Incorporation.

I promise - it will only take a couple of minutes https://www.sharetrails.org/ballot/ You must be a member by September 17th - and can vote until September 29th.

Although it appears you will need your membership number, you will not. All you need to know is your address.

Your support will be appreciated…Thanks!

U.S. Forest Service

• Changes abound in Regional Offices
  Two Regional Foresters, Bernie Weingardt, Region 5 (California) and Jack Troyer, Region 4 (Intermountain) announced their retirements.
  
  Randy Moore has been selected to be the new Region 5 Regional Forester. Randy has been the Regional Forester in the Eastern Region (Region 9) since May 2002. Moore has not yet been given a date to report to the headquarters in Vallejo, California.
  
  Reporting to the Intermountain Region will be Harv Forsgren. Harv has been the Regional Forester in Southwestern Region (Region 3) since July 2002. Prior to that, he was the Regional Forester in the Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6). Forsgren will now lead the Intermountain Region headquartered in Ogden, Utah.
  
  Replacements for both Moore and Forsgren have not yet been named.
• Planning Rule
  The Forest Service recently rolled out a proposed planning rule that will be essentially the same as the 2005 rule blocked by a federal judge in San Francisco earlier this year. However, this time the agency will conduct an environmental impact statement with 5 alternatives. The new proposal will strengthen the role of science in forest management and allow for more public input.
  
  This rule determines how the 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands develop their individual forest plans, from timber harvests to recreation to endangered plants and animals.
  
  This can be reviewed at http://www.fs.fed.us/emc/nfma/2007_planning_rule.html.
• NEPA
  A major revision is also being proposed for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The proposal moves NEPA procedures from the agency handbook to federal regulations and incorporates recommendations from the Council on Environmental Quality.
  
  The proposed changes are designed to improve the EIS process to make the studies more relevant to actual decisions and not on potential lawsuits.
  
  The Federal Register Notice is posted at http://www.fs.fed.us/emc/nepa/nepa_procedures/index.htm
  
  For additional information on NEPA click http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/nepanet.htm.

Rangers for Responsible Recreation
This new coalition it touting themselves as America's most seasoned law enforcement and natural resource management specialists from every major public lands agency covering several different administrations. Their allegation -- Off-road vehicles now pose the single biggest threat to America's public lands and represent a fast-growing law enforcement problem.

The coalition contends off-road abuse is creating chaos on public lands and ruining the outdoors for everyone while overburdening an already strapped ranger force.

Rangers for Responsible Recreation is urging a congressional inquiry that accounts for the real costs to taxpayers from off-road abuses on our public lands.

Rangers for Responsible Recreation has outlined a three-pronged strategy:

• Get the facts. It's time Congress determine just how much illegal off-trail motorized use is costing taxpayers through the need to repair damaged areas.
• Penalties with teeth. Break the rules today and you'll wind up with a fine. That's not enough deterrence. Rangers for Responsible Recreation says loss of hunting and fishing privileges as well as confiscating machines would get the offenders' attention. So would jail time, when appropriate.
• Credible enforcement. That means hiring more forest cops. Today, public lands agencies are stretched too thin to police off-roaders.

Watch for more to come from this coalition. For additional information click here http://www.peer.org/campaigns/publiclands/orv/rangers.php.

Who is your Enemy? Who is your Friend? You might be surprised…
This is definitely an article you should take a minute to read!
http://mondaymorninginsight.com/index.php/site/comments/why_christians_should_have_nothing_to_do_with_snowmobiles/