Happy Thanksgiving from TPAC - Let's Give Thanks for Trails!

As OHV voters prepare to enjoy the Thanksgiving Day holiday with family and friends, TPAC wants to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of you who are helping us elect pro-trail candidates to the U.S. Congress in the 2014 midterms.

TPAC also wants to commend the owner of Roseville Kawasaki/Yamaha, Sean Coplen, for his precedent setting outreach to his customers so they can be informed on the three steps of  how to protect OHV recreation on public lands. 

In Coplen’s letter of support for national and local trail advocacy groups, he also urges his customers to become engaged in the electoral process by supporting TPAC.  TPAC believes this is the 1^st motorcycle dealer to articulate (in a letter to his customers) such strong public support for political activism at the national level as a key and effective factor in the OHV advocacy equation.

According to a recent federal OHV recreation survey, about 19% of Americans participate in OHV recreation on an annual basis.  There is huge potential for that electorate to have a significant impact on federal elections IF they become engaged.

The 2014 midterm election season is rapidly approaching and TPAC is getting ready to hit the political trail running with support for pro-access candidates in key battleground states. 

If you want to support that effort, please make your “I’M THANKFUL FOR TRAILS” donation of $25, $50, $100, $200, $500, or $1,000 dollars at the link below:

http://www.thetrailpac.com/donate.html

Thanks again for your support!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Don Amador, Founder

The Trail PAC

Shutdown on San Diego Radio Show - Get in the Game, Arbitrary Closures, and Deal on Wed?

As Congress and the White House continue to battle over a resolution to the government shutdown, TPAC believes they will come to a short-term resolution (sometime on Wednesday).  Political pressure continues to mount from a public that is disgusted with the whole mess including families who have had to cancel vacations to lands managed by the FS, BLM, or NPS.

 

The San Diego-based Bike Week Radio interviewed me on October 13, 2013 regarding the shutdown’s impact to OHV recreation.   The show is hosted by icons of the motorcycle industry and having them set aside some time to discuss off-road politics highlights just how much of an impact this closure is having on the recreation electorate.

 

If you have time, TPAC encourages you to listen to the show as the following topics were discussed: arbitrary nature of closures, casual users impacted, lack of closure-related information from agencies, permitted events and volunteer cleanups cancelled or postponed, impacts also to non-motorized user groups, need for Congress to reform the Anti-Deficiency Act, and importance of OHV voters to get involved in the 2014 midterm election.

 

Don Amador Bike Week Radio (Show # 70) interview is from 27:51 – 35:03

http://www.bikeweekradioshow.com/sounds/BWRSwk70.html
 

For those of you who are new supporters of TPAC, we will include a link from a Cycle News article about why OHV recreationists need to “Get into the Game.”

 

Cycle News “Get into the Game” Article

 http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20111115#pg19

  

As we stated in the interview, the 2014 midterm elections are coming up next year and TPAC plans to continue our efforts to elect pro-trail candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.   If the shutdown cancelled your trip to an OHV event or impacted a family camping trip, feel free to make a “protest” donation to our 2014 midterm effort.

 

TPAC – Here is my “Protest” Donation

http://www.thetrailpac.com/donate.html

 

Thanks again for being engaged in the political process.

 

Don

 

Don Amador, Founder

The Trail PAC
www.thetrailpac.com







                                                __________________________________

Paid for and Authorized by The Trail PAC

 

 

 

White House Orders Closure of Privately Managed Parks

Gate Closed at OR Dunes NRA

 

The White House has validated TPAC’s motto that… “All Trail Decisions are Political Decisions” by issuing a precedent setting order directing federal agencies to close all parks that are managed by private management firms including the Arizona-based Recreation Resource Management Company.

Historically, these user-pay/user-benefit privately managed federal units have stayed open during government shutdowns including the 3 week shutdown in 1995.

Included below is an October 2, 2013 letter to Congress written by Recreation Resource Management’s owner, Warren Meyer.

 

October 2, 2013

 

Senator John McCain

Senator Jeff Flake

Representative David Schweikert

 

Help! Administration Orders Shut Down of Privately-Operated Parks in National Forest

Parks that require no Federal money, and actually pay rent to the Treasury, are being required to close

Sirs:

 

My company, based in North Phoenix, operates over 100 US Forest Service campgrounds and day use areas under concession contract. Yesterday, as in all past government shutdowns, the Department of Agriculture and US Forest Service confirmed we would stay open during the government shutdown. This makes total sense, since our operations are self-sufficient (we are fully funded by user fees at the gate), we get no federal funds, we employ no government workers on these sites, and we actually pay rent into the Treasury.

 

However, today, we have been told by senior member of the US Forest Service and Department of Agriculture that people “above the department”, which I presume means the White House, plan to order the Forest Service to needlessly and illegally close all private operations. I can only assume their intention is to artificially increase the cost of the shutdown as some sort of political ploy.

 

The point of the shutdown is to close non-essential operations that require Federal money and manpower to stay open. So why is the White House closing private operations that require no government money to keep open and actually pay a percentage of their gate revenues back to the Treasury? We are a tenant of the US Forest Service, and a tenant does not have to close his business just because his landlord goes on a vacation.

 

I urge you to help stop the Administration from lawlessly taking arbitrary and illegal actions to artificially worsen the shutdown by hurting innocent hikers and campers. I am not asking you to restore any funding, because no funding is required to keep these operations open. I am asking that the Administration be required to only close government services that actually require budget resources.

 

Sincerely,

Warren Meyer

 

 

In additions, confusion continues to plague the public since the Antideficiency Act, passed by Congress in 1870, prohibits the government from incurring any monetary obligation for which the Congress has not appropriated funds.   This precludes FS and BLM recreation staff from disseminating closure-related information to the public.

 

The Government Accountability Office states that employees who violate the Antideficiency Act may be subject to disciplinary action, suspension and even "fines, imprisonment, or both."

 

As hunters, off-roaders, fishermen, equestrians, and mountain-bikers prepare for this weekend’s adventure on federal lands, they can rest assured that closure signs await their arrival at many Forest Service, NPS, and BLM campgrounds, staging areas, and trailheads.

Govt. Shutdown - OHV Caught in DC Political Fight

TPAC Founder, Don Amador, at OR Dunes NRA 

This area is reported as being closed by the shutdown

Dear OHV Voter,

Throughout the West, federal land managers are announcing OHV related closures today in response to the government shutdown.

 

There does not appear to be any consistency between agencies and units on what recreation facilities and trails will be open.  

 

For example, the Cleveland National Forest in Southern California has closed the Corral Canyon OHV Area.  In Northern California, it appears the BLM's Ukiah Field Office will close the entrance gates to the South Cow Mountain OHV Recreation Area. 

 

Closure Sign at FS Staging Area at OR Dunes

*Photo thanks to Save the Riders Dunes

 

 

On the other hand in Colorado, it looks like public land trails on the White River National Forest and the BLM's Colorado River Valley Field Office will be open.

 

TPAC believes that Congress is acutely aware of the shutdown's impact to recreation activities via the House's introduction of a bill today to fund the National Park Service during the shutdown.

 

TPAC also believes the long lasting impact of the shutdown on multiple-use recreation is logarithmically related to the length of the impasse.

 

This is a massive political battle between opposing ideologies and public land recreation is but a small player on the scene.   TPAC urges recreationists to be advised their recreational experience may be severely impacted by the shutdown.

 

Best regards,

 

Don

 

Don Amador, Founder

The TrailPAC

www.thetrailpac.com

 

 

Political Earthquake in MT Rocks 2014 Political Landscape

A 9.0 political earthquake rocked the national electoral landscape yesterday when MT Governor, Brian Schweitzer, announced he would not run in 2014 to replace Senator Max Caucus who is retiring from the U.S. Senate.

 

The Red/Blue State Map had not felt such a violent force since the 2010 elections when Chip Cravaack unseated Jim Oberstar (MN-CD8).

 

TPAC believes the departure of Schweitzer from the MT senate race assures that contest will be one of the most intensely watched races in 2014.  It also increases the odds for a pro-trail and pro-regulatory reform majority to take control of the U.S. Senate in the 2014 midterms.

 

TPAC will also be monitoring KEY senate contests in Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia.  We plan to be actively engaged in most, if not all, of those races.

 

Be assured our political opponents will be out there in 2014 smearing any of our candidates who want to champion common sense regulatory reforms that impact our recreational activities on lands managed by the Forest Service, BLM, and National Park Service.  In 2012, TPAC supported senate candidate, Denny Rehberg, was narrowly defeated by Jon (I love closure legislation) Tester.   If grassroots trail voters had been more engaged, TPAC believes our pro-trail candidate would have won.

 

TPAC was created to give OHV enthusiasts a seat at the federal political table.  By nationalizing our efforts, trail voters in congressional districts or senate races where it is almost impossible to unseat the anti-OHV incumbent, can still impact the 2014 midterms by helping TPAC support races where our candidate has a better chance of winning.    

 

DONATE $25, $50, $100, $200, $500 - $5,000 TO HELP TPAC SEND PRO-TRAIL CANDIDATES TO THE U.S. SENATE

http://www.thetrailpac.com/donate.html
 

Thanks for being engaged in the 2014 midterms.

 

Don Amador, Founder

The Trail PAC
www.thetrailpac.com

 

 

 

 

Elected Official Asks for Repeal of Anti-OHV Dust Regulations

TPAC wants to showcase the types of elected officials that we need to send to Congress in the 2014 midterm elections.

 

Debbie Peterson, Mayor of Grover Beach, California, has written a petition asking for a repeal of Rule 1001 because of questions raised by a number of agencies including the California Geological Survey about the scientific validity of the dust regulations.  The dust regulations placed unwarranted fiscal burdens on the OHV Park’s managing agency and the user community.  The Rule called for excessive fines, use fees, monitoring costs, and permits.

 

Fresno Bee Article on Repeal of Dust Rule at Oceano Dunes SVRA

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/08/3379420/coastal-leader-asks-for-repeal.html

 

As you know, electing politicians who will champion common sense reforms of excessive regulations – that impact responsible motorized recreation - was one of the key tenets of TPAC’s effort in the 2012 elections.  It is again, a primary focus in the 2014 midterms.

 

TPAC will need your help in 2014 to help continue the work we started in 2012 so we can bolster the pro-trail legislators who are already there.

 

DONATE $20, $50, $100, $200, $500 - $5,000 TO HELP SEND PRO-TRAIL CANDIDATES TO D.C.

http://www.thetrailpac.com/donate.html  

 

 Thanks for being engaged in the 2014 midterms

 

Don Amador, Founder

The Trail PAC

www.thetrailpac.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU! - OHV Growing Factor in D.C. Political Landscape

Dear Trail Voter,

              

The Trail PAC wants to thank the donors who participated in our 1-day "Be a Trail Hero" fundraiser to help restock our political war chest for the 2014 midterm elections.

 

TPAC is excited about the opportunity for summer motorized trail enthusiasts to support pro-trail candidates regardless of party affiliation in the upcoming election.   With your continued financial support, TPAC will also work hard to send additional pro-trail candidates to the House and Senate. Those new Members of Congress will help support the ongoing work of pro-trail politicians already there.

 

* Some of those members have an OHV racing background and/or currently ride OHVs or dual-sport motorcycles as their preferred forms of recreation.

 

That aforementioned work includes holding oversight hearings on excessive cost-recovery fees for OHV permitted events, streamlining of the NEPA process for OHV-related projects, tort reform, and new 21st Century legislation that gives long-term statutory protection for motorized recreation on public lands.

 

With your support in the 2014 midterms, TPAC will continue to be the counterweight for our targeted pro-trail candidates against the anti-access political machine of the League of Conservation Voters, Earth Justice, Earth First!, and the Sierra Club.

 

Thanks again to the following trail voters who supported this fundraiser.  

 

Trail Champion - $200 to $499

 

John - Lakeside, CA

Jerry - Oakdale, CA
Kane - Soquel, CA

 

 

Trail Advocate - $100 - $199

 

Kirk - San Ramon, CA

Jesse - Fallon, NV

Clark - Pocatello, ID

Tony - Bayside, CA

Karl - Crescent City, CA
Scott - Murrieta, CA
Jody - North Bend, OR
Paul - Santa Clara, CA

 

 

 

Trail Supporter - $25 - $99

 

Scott - Saint David, AZ

Scott - Mount Shasta, CA

Thomas - Oakley, CA

Dick - Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Greg - Saint David, AZ
Don - Fountain Hills, AZ
Erik - Hayward, CA
Eric - San Rafael, CA
Geoff - Concord, CA
Lance - Florence, OR
Barbara - Florence, OR
Scott - Longmont, CO
Bruce - Madison, SD

 

 

For those who missed out on this fundraiser and want to donate anyway, please go to the link below and donate from $10 - $5K.  Be sure and fill out the donor qualification as well.

 

Donate Here

http://www.thetrailpac.com/donate.html

 

 

Thanks again for donating to our kickoff of the 2014 midterm election cycle!

 

 

Don Amador, Founder

The Trail PAC

www.thetrailpac.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trail Hero 1-Day Fundraiser - Updated Donor List @ 3:30pm

Dear Trail Voter,

                  

DONOR UPDATE: 3:30pm Pacific Coast Time

It is great to have new riders join the fight via the electoral process. As you know, the 2014 midterm election cycle has already started and the June 30th FEC filing deadline for PACs is today at midnight. TPAC has already been getting calls from pro-trail candidates asking us if we will be there for them in those tight races. I told them YES!

 

TPAC is running a 1-day fundraiser to restock our political war chest for the 2014 midterm elections. In the 2012 elections, TPAC fought battleground races in AZ, CA, CO, IN, KY, MN, MT, ND, NM, NV, OH, PA, VA, and WA. Those were key targeted battleground races for our pro-trail candidates who were engaged in fierce political fights.

 

You have constructed a strong foundation for TPAC. Using the momentum from the 2012 election, trail voters are well positioned to impact the next election.

 

With your support in the 2014 midterms, TPAC will continue to be the counterweight for our targeted pro-trail candidates against the anti-access political machine of the League of Conservation Voters, Earth Justice, Earth First!, and the Sierra Club.  

 

There is always a "political itch" in a 2nd Presidential term.   With your help that itch will be scratched by TPAC in the 2014 midterm (House/Senate) elections.

 

After you donate today, your support level will be noted by listing your first name, city, and state in one of the categories below. The list below will be updated periodically today as Trail Heroes, Champions, Advocates, and Supporters donate.

Trail Hero - $500 or more

 

 

Trail Champion - $200 to $499

 

John - Lakeside, CA

Jerry - Oakdale, CA

 

Trail Advocate - $100 - $199

Kirk - San Ramon, CA

Jesse - Fallon, NV

 

Trail Supporter - $25 - $99

 

Scott - Saint David, AZ
Scott – Mount Shasta, CA
Thomas – Oakley, CA
 

Your donation will inspire other trail users to be involved in the political process. In addition, it will send a message to our political opponents that trail voters "will be in the game" for 2014.

 

Donate Here

http://www.thetrailpac.com/donate.html

  

Thanks in advance for donating to our kickoff in the 2014 midterm election cycle!

 

Don Amador, Founder

The Trail PAC
www.thetrailpac.com

 

OHV Matures as Political Force

The OHV community has come a long way in the last 23 -26 years.  As a user group, OHV has matured to become a respected and valued member in the land-use debate.   That has not always been the case.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, OHV often was given a secondary position at the discussion table behind both resource and environmental interests.   Many industry and conservation groups were established in the 1800s and had cultivated long-standing relationships with politicians and agency leaders.

From a national perspective, OHV had just become aware of the need for it to become substantively organized to protect and defend itself from the political agenda of anti-access groups who now had added motorized recreation to their list of human activities that should be either banned or severely restricted.

Although OHV has become more effective in battling closure advocates in the administrative and legal arenas, it still has a long way to go when it comes to becoming a political force in the electoral process.

Anti-access groups have developed an effective strategy to further their goals.  They are engaged in both the grassroots/administrative process AND the electoral process.   OHV should be commended for their successful efforts in the administrative process, but they are still in the beginning stage of affecting the outcomes on Election Day.

The Trail PAC was founded to help give OHV a seat at the “political table.”  We started that effort for the 2012 election and plan to grow our impact for the 2014 midterm cycle to help send pro-trail candidates to Congress. 

Please go to the donation link below if you want to make an early contribution for our pro-trail efforts in the upcoming election.

http://www.thetrailpac.com/donate.html

 

See you on the campaign trail,

 

Don

Don Amador, Founder

The Trail PAC

 

House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Recreation Permits

TPAC wants to commend the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation for holding an oversight hearing today on “Impediments to Public Recreation on Public Lands.” 

 

As many of you know, electing federal legislators to enact regulatory reform as it pertains to recreational use of public lands was one of our main goals in the 2012 election.  It most certainly will be an objective for TPAC in the 2014 midterm elections.

 

Subcommittee Chairman, Rob Bishop (CD1-UT), stated at the hearing, “Increased fees, bureaucracy, restrictions, regulation, and processing time are driving up the costs of running private business on public lands making profitable operation difficult, putting many out of business, and threatening the continuation of the services that make visitor access possible and affordable for families.”

 

“Unless there is a change in direction, a generation of Americans could lose the opportunity to participate in outdoor adventure and thousands of local jobs could be lost,” Bishop continued.

 

Link to Hearing and Testimony

http://naturalresources.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=332125
 

TPAC encourages you to take time and read the public testimony of recreation businesses that face a growing mountain of red-tape and onerous regulations that impact their livelihood and local economies.

 

It is important to remember that these pro-regulatory reform hearings and subsequent legislation will not be possible if we do not retain a pro-trail majority in the House and work to elect an access majority in the Senate in 2014.

 

If you would like to help TPAC prepare for its work in the 2014 midterm elections, feel free to make a donation today of any amount. 

 

Donate Here to Support our 2014 Midterm Battle
http://www.thetrailpac.com/donate.html
 

 

 

Best Regards

 

Don Amador, Founder

The Trail PAC
www.thetrailpac.com

 

 

REI CEO to Head Department of Interior

TPAC wants to share this "trail news" regarding President Obama's recent naming of Sally Jewell as the Secretary of the Interior.

 

Sally Jewell has been associated with two very active anti-OHV entities. Those include the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA) where she has served as a board member since 2004 and REI where she serves as their CEO.

 

The NPCA has been very active in the legal arena where they have filed at least one lawsuit to ban or severely restrict ATV use at Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida.

 

REI has corporately aligned itself with the non-motorized Wilderness agenda of groups such as the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. Like NPCA, those groups are actively engaged in lawsuits to ban or restrict OHV recreation on public lands.  

 

However last summer, Jewell as part of an outdoor industry coalition - which included representatives from the powersports industry - helped launch the Western Governor's Association's report on the economic impact of outdoor recreation.

 

June 2012 Recreation Report News Release (link to study included in Release)

http://www.westgov.org/news/261-news-2012/401-outdoor-recreation-a-646-billion-industry

 

 

TPAC will be watching the senate confirmation hearings to see if she indicates a willingness to continue working in a collaborative manner with both motorized and non-motorized recreationists or if she will use her new position to support the anti-OHV agenda of the groups she has been associated with.
 

Best regards,

 

Don

 

The TrailPAC

www.thetrailpac.com