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BLUERIBBON COALITION INC.
NEWS RELEASE
July 12, 2002
Contact: Don Amador (925) 625-6287
Diverse Recreationists Protest Boxer Road and Trail Closure
Plan
Sacramento, CA (July 11) A seemingly endless line of jeeps,
pickups loaded with mountain and dirt bikes, and sport utility
vehicles circled the State Capitol to protest Senator Boxer's
California Wild Heritage Wilderness Act of 2002 (S. 2535).
After the convoy, a large group of men, women, and children
gathered on the North steps of the Capitol to listen to
speakers who vowed to fight Senator Boxer's effort to close
forest roads, trails, and dispersed camping. Not only would
public access be severely restricted, forest management
practices that reduce catastrophic fire danger would be
seriously compromised.
Speakers included representatives from Congressman John
Doolittle's office, Assemblyman Tim Leslie's office, the
BlueRibbon Coalition, Friends of the Rubicon, and the
California League of Off-Road Voters.
Senator Boxer's office and the California Wilderness Coalition
(CWC) made statements in response to the statewide protest.
Don Amador, the western representative for the BlueRibbon
Coalition, said, "The main message of this protest today is
that we are not going to let Senator Boxer close our favorite
trails and camping areas in the National Forests. 97% of the
public who enjoy recreating on public lands never visit a
Wilderness Area. On top of that, use of Wilderness areas is
declining, according to a recent US Forest Service survey, yet
Wilderness advocates are demanding more exclusive use areas in
a state that already has a higher percentage of Wilderness
than any other. We must plan for the future, and make sure
that the vast majority of public land visitors are not locked
out."
"The CWC's claim by Jean Munoz that existing and maintained
roads were left out of the proposal just simply is not true.
Many of my favorite forest travel ways including a segment of
the designated California Back Country Discovery Trail in
Humboldt County is targeted for closure in this bill," Amador
said.
"A review by staff of the Los Padres National Forest states
that Boxer's plan would close roads and impact the agency's
ability to manage the forest for recreation and wildfires.
Designated trails in the Tahoe National Forest and elsewhere
would also be closed," Amador continued.
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