Even the Terminator is lapsing in his supposed support.

It matters not if they are GOP or DEM, they BOTH will bow to the biggest wallet.




AMA OPPOSES SHUTDOWN OF 4 MILLION ACRES TO OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES

California areas designated as critical habitat for desert tortoise

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has expressed its opposition to a recent federal court ruling that has the potential to shut down an additional 4.1 million acres of the California desert to all off-highway vehicles.
REVERSAL OF FISH & WILDLIFE OPINION
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued a ruling that could end all off-highway motorcycling and ATV riding in areas of the desert that are designated critical habitat for the desert tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Illston's ruling reverses an opinion by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that had allowed activities including cattle grazing and motorized recreation on some tortoise habitat controlled by the federal Bureau of Land Management within the 25-million acre desert.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by opposing forces in the debate over access to the desert: AMA District 37 and the Center for Biological Diversity. The AMA district organization argued that the Bureau of Land Management should look into other factors leading to a decline in the tortoise population, most notably, diseases affecting the tortoises' upper-respiratory systems and their shells. The district asked that the BLM be ordered to consider some 900 pages of research pointing to the diseases as primary causes of tortoise deaths when developing its plan for recovery of the species.
Meanwhile, the Center for Biological Diversity argued that restrictions on motorized recreation and cattle grazing imposed by the BLM did not provide sufficient protection for the tortoise.
"OHVs PLAY LITTLE, IF ANY, ROLE IN DECLINE"
In ruling against District 37 and in favor of the Center for Biological Diversity, Illston essentially decided that no matter how minor a role off-highway motorcyclists and grazing cattle play in the decline of the tortoise, the BLM is obligated under federal law to eliminate those activities throughout the tortoise's critical habitat.
"This ruling completely ignores the fact that off-highway motorcycling and ATV riding have played little, if any, part in reducing the tortoise population," noted Nick Haris, AMA Western States Representative. "Motorized recreation is already extremely restricted on most of the tortoise habitat land. In fact, motorized vehicles are either banned entirely or restricted to using existing routes and ways in nearly every part of the desert."
"The amount of public land available for recreation has shrunk dramatically over the years, until today, the areas available for open riding amount to a mere 2 percent of the overall desert," Haris added. "Closing an additional 4.1 million acres to all off-highway vehicles would be another giant step toward eliminating this legitimate form of recreation from the desert."
AMA District 37 will appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in an effort to get Illston's ruling reversed.


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The American Motorcyclist Association, founded in 1924, is a non-profit organization with more than 265,000 members. The Association's purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For more information, visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com, or call 1-800-AMA-JOIN. For the latest news releases, visit the AMA News Room at http://home.ama-cycle.org/newsroom.



Contact: Bill Kresnak
Phone: (614) 856-1900

 

You got this one all wrong bud! Clearly, being from New York (you even got any place to ride?), you don't know the first thing about western land issues! Actually, sounds to me like you are just another democratic sympathizer trying to make trouble??? Read on.......

First, this issue was posted 3 weeks ago. Don't know where you were? http://forums.atvconnection.com/mess...word1=TORTOISE

Second, this is entirely a FEDERAL issue, and has NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH THE STATE GOVERNMENT, so you will have to leave ARNOLD out of this one!

The tactic of the leftist, socialist, environmentalists (who have the blessing of the democrats!), is to use the courts by way of lawsuits, to challenge any government policy they don't agree with. The land in question is controlled by the BLM, which is controlled by the Department of the Interior, which is run by a Bush appointee. The BLM was satisfied with current protections for the tortoise, but the enviros never will be, so they have sued. Their tactic is to go looking for a liberal judge who they will know will side with them (9th circuit court usually), and get them to issue a ruling against whatever.

So, the BLM has to answer to a Republican administration and favors the status quo, and the obsessive compulsive leftist enviros are suing because they are never happy with anything. True, I wouldn't classify the Bush administration as being "pro off-road", but they are at least not our rabid enemies like the left is.

It is absolutely essential that we purge the judiciary of these "activist judges", who seek to dictate policy through their rulings. It is the right of only our elected representatives to make policy, not a biased court.

 

well said reconranger [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

we seem to have a lot of federal judges using their power to rewrite laws nowadays for their own political or personal gain. it needs to stop. laws come from the legislative branch, enforced by the executive branch. i dont know why they dont understand this...it is not their job to try to write laws, we have already hired people (your reps /senators) for this cause.

 

Dude, chill out!

Correct me if I'm wrong but even if Arnold has nothing to do with it you yourself said its federal. So is your Bush helping you?

I'm not a DEM or a GOP guy, I could care less who wins, they all suck.

I was making the point since everyone here seems to just blow up the GOP like they are going to save riding for us. This line of thinking is more dangerous because it gives you a false sense of security. Thinking all is lovely just because a Repulican is in office is just dumb.

Fall asleep at the wheel long enough and you will hit a tree.

 

SS97 can you give us all an example of the democratic party doing anything to keep land open so we can enjoy our sport? I know it show's how narrow minded I am by voting to ride. But I do have other reasons for being a republican,and voting the way I do. I also know that I will never change your mind, just as you or anyone else can't change my mind. I don't think you can argue that the democrats adore environmentalist's and will listen to any of their so called "Facts" to put an end to what you and I enjoy. I also firmly believe that the environmentalist's can't stand to see anyone smiling and having more fun than they ever will. So they will put a stop to what we enjoy any way they can.

 

I agree the DEMs are enviro lovers.

The facts are though, that GOP members are just as likely to close lands for other reasons. I saw it happen in NJ with the GOP in charge. Instead of closing state lands for enviro reasons, they sold them off to developers and built houses and malls.

I saw 25,000 acres that were supposed to be for state recreation sold to a developer. The DEMs opposed the land sale but it was pushed through by an overwhelming GOP majority. They used the excuse that housing and retail was needed in the area.

In reality it was all about money and the fact that the developer was playing twice what the land was worth at the time.

People seem to think Republicans want to protect land from environmental radicals, but the hard reality is that they want to keep it available for later sale to the highest bidder. i know a lot of riders in NJ who voted Republican for the same reasons people say here, now most of them feel slighted and lied to.

I am now of the opinion that neither party is looking out for us, but one is giving the illusion that they are and that is more dangerous.

All these people here voting Republican for that reason alone are not seeing a bigger picture.

Kerry is going to bend to the enviro radicals and Bush is going to bend to the biggest wallet. In the end the results are the same for ATV riders.

 

SS97 Great response. I am definitely not aware of what is going on on the east coast, living here in California I am a little isolated from it. Out here all the areas I ride on is either national forrest, blm land,or state park's paid for by our registration fee's and it just amazes me that it can be argued that we destroy it with a few OHV's. One of the park's I ride at is Carnegie cycle park. It is directly across the street from a experimental weapons facility where underground explosion's have been going on for decades and Carnegie is constantly under attack by evironementalist's. Another place I ride is a place called clear creek rec area, it is known for it's abundance of asbestos laden soil, and I personally only ride there if it is wet. The point I am trying to make is that we are not given what I would concider to be prime real estate to ride on and still the environmentalist's want us out. Which lead's me back to my thoery that these people can't stand seeing anyone having more fun than they ever will. And I still feel that at least in Calif. Republicans are my best bet to keep enjoying my sport. But like I said earlier it is not the only reason I vote the way I do.

 

wifesquad,

I have no problem with people voting Republican, and I glad to hear that this is not your only motivation. You are obviously an intelligent individual who can see the difference.

I know California is loaded with stupid enviro laws. In fact half of the new environmental laws that killed a lot of NJ riding areas were adopted from California's policy. NJ and NY have now fully adopted California emissions laws for motor vehicles.

One of the main reasons I moved to upstate NY was because there was no point in even owning a quad in NJ anymore. My friends who still live there and ride are always coming up to visit me to ride on my land.

I'm so sick of all politicans and their lies, they are all a bunch of self-serving morons who will say anything they think the most voters want to hear.

The thing is, that I love the environment too. I love nature and part of my riding enjoyment is getting out and enjoying the environment, and that's true for almost eveyone I ride with. I think what both sides fail to understand is that neither side wants to wreck the environment, but the DEMs tend to go too far in protecting land, like that story that started this whole string.

I just hate to see people get complacent because they think all is well with Republicans in office. We need to be diligent no matter who is in charge. They all want to screw us, just for different reasons.

 

The dems and the GOP don't want us to ride, period. Im a kerry supporter, but i still think they're all out to screw us, plus prissy rich people don't want to hear quads. Its a lose lose situation.