May 13, 2009
Washington, D.C. - The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) submitted comments Tuesday to a U.S. House committee arguing against a bill that would designate more than 24 million acres of land in western states as Wilderness or Wilderness Preservation System land, the group reported in a release.
The bill, H.R. 980: the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, could close public land in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming to off-highway vehicle use.
A hearing on the legislation was held by the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands of the Committee on Natural Resources, and in written comments submitted to the committee, Ed Moreland, AMA Vice President of Government Relations, said:
"Our public lands are for the enjoyment of all Americans and not just an elite few who would have you build a fence around them for those who are physically able to enjoy them. Enthusiasts who enjoy the public lands of our nation are not just the nimble and fit but also families with small children who wish to recreate together as well as active senior citizens and the handicapped who enjoy the freedom to access the outdoors that OHVs and ATVs provide ... In fact, a compelling argument could be made that this type of broad legislation does more to protect public lands from future generations rather than for future generations."
The full text of Moreland's statement is available here.
Riders and AMA members can contact their federal lawmakers and tell them what they think by going to the “Rights” and then “Issues and Legislation” section of the AMA Web site, AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
"To keep OHV riders from being shut out of even more public land, we have to act immediately," Moreland said in the release. "Concerned motorcyclists, ATV riders and others must let their lawmakers know that they enjoy motorized recreation, and that we have a right to do so responsibly on America's public lands."
Reprinted with permission from ATV News.
