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* WILDERNESS GUARDIAN *
December 2004
Volume 12
Vote Wilderness! Working Assets selected Wilderness Watch as
one of 10 national conservation organizations for inclusion on its
2004 Donations Ballot. This is an excellent opportunity to save
on your long distance, mobile service, and/or credit card payments
while making a real difference for America’s Wilderness!
If you are already a Working Assets customer, you will be able to
vote for Wilderness Watch on the Donations Ballot provided in your
monthly bill or online at www.WorkingAssets.com/voting.
If you are not a customer, please consider using Working Assets
for your long distance, credit card, or wireless services. Working
Assets donates 1% of its revenue (35 million since 1985) to nonprofit
groups - at no extra cost to its customers! If you are not already
a customer, it is not too late to support Wilderness Watch’s
efforts to ensure the protection and proper stewardship of lands
and rivers included in the National Wilderness Preservation System
and Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
To learn more about Working Assets or to become a customer, call
1-800-788-8588 or visit www.workingassets.com. Thank you!
Contents:
Wilderness News Briefs provide short issue summaries and contact
information. Action Alerts are full-length, time-sensitive postings.
Wilderness News Briefs:
1. Controversial Fee Demo Program Gets Attached To Omnibus Appropriations
Bill
*Wilderness News Briefs*
1. Controversial Fee Demo Program Gets Attached To Omnibus Appropriations
Bill
From Wildlands CPR:
An Ohio congressman with zero federal public lands in his district
got his pet Recreational Fee Demonstration Program attached to the
giant Omnibus Appropriations Bill. Ralph Regula was able to pull
off the move by striking a deal with Senator Ted Stevens, Chair
of the Senate Appropriations Committee. According to congressional
insiders, Regula apparently agreed to give Stevens funding for a
road in a small community in Alaska in exchange for getting his
own bill reattached to the Omnibus Bill. Regula’s bill, HR
3283, allows federal land managers to charge access fees to the
general public using public lands for recreational use. The bill
has been contested since its inception by hundreds of outdoor organizations,
rural Americans, as well as state and county governments.
The Regula bill will go into effect at the beginning of fiscal year
2005 unless the new congress is compelled to knock it down. With
its implementation the bill will establish recreation fee authority
for all
National Forests, the Bureau of Land Reclamation, the National Park
Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. A failure to pay will be considered a criminal offense
with punishments as severe as $5000 penalties and/or six months
in prison.
During last week’s lame duck session, Regula’s attempts
to attach his rider were met with strong opposition from all four
relevant Senate committees.
For more Information:
http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/food_and_health/privatize_public_lands.html
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bill.xc?billnum=H.R.3283&congress=108
_____________________________________________________________________________
Since its founding in 1989, Wilderness Watch has pursued its mission
as the citizen voice for Wilderness stewardship, giving a voice
to the Wilderness and Wild Rivers of our national preservation systems.
We seek to preserve our unique natural heritage - the public will
articulated by the Wilderness Act and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
To join Wilderness Watch please visit our website at www.wildernesswatch.org.
If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe from this list, have
any questions, or would like to post a news release, please contact
Hilary Wood at hwood@wildernesswatch.org. If you prefer the post,
please send your letters to:
Wilderness Watch
P.O. Box 9175
Missoula, MT 59807
Phone: (406) 542-2048
Fax: (406) 542-7714
http://www.wildernesswatch.org
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