BlueRibbon Coalition Take Back Utah Capital Rally
BlueRibbon Coalition - Take Back Utah Rally - Salt Lake City, UT - February 22, 2013
Price, UT (2/21/2013)
- In partnership with Take Back Utah! We will rally to support
pro-motorized access legislation, Support efforts for state control of
public lands, remind legislators to keep said lands PUBLIC, and to
show support for the efforts in other states. We MUST, MUST have
hundreds attend. Please make EVERY effort to be here. Sen. Mike Lee Speaking. Awesome Prizes being GIVEN away...for FREE!
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Take Back Utah Rally - Salt Lake City, UT - Friday 4 pm- February 22, 2013 |
Legislation Briefing (Utah and Surrounding States)
Our plate has never been more full. USA-ALL is highly active in a
number of things in Utah and surrounding states. Just 2 weeks into
Utah's session and much has happened and even more is on the horizon.
In Utah we have recently (October 2012-current) served as THE ONLY
motorized recreation representative on the Governor's Recreation
Advisory Group. We helped craft recommendations that have been used to
create the new Office of Recreation, the first in the country. USA-ALL
worked hard to ensure that motorized recreation was and will continue
to be on par and equal to ALL other forms of recreation and that our
interest of access are included and promoted in that office. We have
nothing against non-motorized recreation, in fact we love it too. We
wanted to ensure that this office didn't become an insider lobbying
office for SUWA and others who hate motorized recreation. Had USA-ALL
not been at the table the outcome of this office may have been very
different. We continue to monitor and work with this office and the
other user groups who want this to be successful.
Legislative Bills:
- USA-ALL has been working with the Governor's office and
legislators to provide funding and direction for the recreation
office. This will be done in a bill that has not been made public but
is sponsored by Senator Jerry Stevenson. We are supportive of this
effort.
- We have been working on the next phase of legislation that will
continue the effort to resolve the ownership and management of
federally controlled lands in Utah. This bill is also not available to
the public but we have worked through the draft and as of last reading
we are supportive of it. This bill will be sponsored by Rep Roger
Barrus.
- USA-ALL is supportive of a OHV registration modification
sponsored by Rep Spencer Cox. This bill will allow certain companies
and their agents to transport unregistered vehicles in Utah. The idea
is to not require a company like Yamaha to register an ATV that they
may bring to Utah to a vendor show, etc.
- USA-ALL strongly opposed a senate bill sponsored by newly
appointed senator Jim Dubakis (D) of SLC. The resolution endorsed and
encouraged the Obama administration to create a National Monument in
the greater Canyonlands area. USA-ALL was one of 3 people who opposed
the bill. That committee room was packed by SUWA supporters. We
thought we might need an armed guard to get out of the room but then
we remembered, "We pack heat, they pack granola bars!" so we weren't
too worried. That bill died in committee. The committee killed it
nicely by sending it to an interim study committee for further review.
Trust us the bill is dead.
- We also monitored and opposed the, "Climate Change" Bill that was
cloaked in a bill aimed to give the State forester additional tools.
He himself didn't even want or need the bill. It was the most
entertaining committee we have attended in a long time. The room was
again packed with environmental activists and college students. There
was very emotional testimony. It's the first time we have seen 3
separate people cry while giving public comment. We also learned if
you opposed that bill you are opposed to blue skies and small furry
animals. it was quite the circus. There isn't time to recount the
entire committee proceedings but the bottom line is we communicated
with multiple members before, during, and after the hearing and we
helped kill that bill in committee. Honestly it was pretty much DOA.
- USA-ALL is in daily contact with legislators and others in other
states that are trying to pass legislation similar to last year's
HB148 by Rep. Ken Ivory. We are VERY supportive of their efforts and
have leant expertise and advice to these legislators. We also may
travel if required to speak in committee meetings of other states to
help advance legislation. Currently the following states have
introduced or are nearly done drafting legislation: Arizona, New
Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. Resolutions of
support may also be introduced in Arkansas, and South Carolina. All of
the previously mentioned states are currently in session.
For a great article on the NM effort Click Here this is a MUST READ!
USA-ALL Outreach (We Want to Meet with YOU)
So while we have excelled in many things but one area we have FAILED
MISERABLY is communicating with our members and working with local
clubs and associations. Yeah, we are painfully aware of this. We just
don't have the bandwidth to do it all. We truly do care. SO a few of
our board members are trying to make the rounds and meet with local
clubs and help facilitate better communication. WE WANT to come speak
to your group no matter how big or small. Additionally, we want YOU to
attend our board meetings and communicate your wants, needs, and
desires. We also would like to create some local sub-chapters of
USA-ALL so we can help work on more local issues, better serve our
members, and grow our organization. If you have an interest in ANY of
this PLEASE CALL Mike Swenson at (801) 830-9112 or email him at mike@usall.org <mailto:mike@usall.org>
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Volunteers NEEDED (HELP!)
We REALLY NEED YOUR HELP. We are out of bandwidth and we don't have
the money to hire out for some of these jobs. You might have noticed
it has been months since our last email...that is a direct result of
too much to do and not enough man power to do everything.
Additionally, USA-ALL just lost our SUPER volunteer and board
member, Lynn Coray. Lynn is preparing to serve an LDS mission. Lynn
helped us process donations, sticker requests, and donation receipts.
He was a huge asset and a great friend. He will be sorely missed.
We are in DESPERATE need of help!! HELP! Here is what we need if you
or someone you know thinks they can contribute PLEASE CONTACT US. Most
of this work can be done from your home on your own time. We have
remote access to a server so all you need is a computer and internet
connection. We can set it up for you and show you how to do the jobs.
they are all pretty easy they just take some time and consistency.
- We need help with: Picking up the mail from our Provo, Eastbay PO
Box. Processing donations, making deposits, and sending our donation
receipts.
- We need help processing sticker requests.
- We need help updating our forthcoming NEW website with news
articles, content, notices, etc. You don't need to be a developer to
do this job.
- We need help maintaining our Facebook and twitter accounts. This
will involve regular communication with Mike and posting quick notices
and interesting articles, etc.
- We need help creating more regular emails....like this one. We can
show you how to do it. It is easy and you don't need any special
skills, except decent writing skills. We haven't set the bar very high
there so don't worry. This job will also involve regular communication
with Mike. We will help you with what to write about.
- We need help organizing and acquiring new volunteers for special
projects and attending events such as trade shows.
- We have other needs but that is a good start. If you have another
idea of how YOU can contribute PLEASE call and lets discuss.
For all of the above jobs we will show you how to do the work. You
just need to have the desire and time to give. USA-ALL will NOT
achieve our full potential without you and others volunteering time
and giving of yourself.
Donations NEEDED
HELP!
So are you a person who cares about places to access and enjoy? Are
you a person who is fed up with the mismanagement of our public lands?
Do you want to be apart of something that has a proven track record of
success in protecting access to public land? Will you PLEASE donate to
USA-ALL so we can not only continue our fight but do more? With your
support we will be better and serve more people. It kills us when we
hear people say, "I will donate to USA-ALL when we see you doing
more!" or, "USA-ALL is always begging for money. Is that all you do?"
or similar things. Yet the support they withhold is the life blood we
need to actually do more. It is as if they want us to fail.
If you're one of those who hasn't given to us on the last 12 months
your donations don't go to operational or administrative costs. We
have that covered. They will help us hire additional staff so we can
do more. They will help pay for travel costs when we go to DC and
educate politicians about YOUR needs. They will help us produce
education materials to inform the public about important issues and
how to get involved. They will go toward building a better
organization so we can do more. Simply 100% of your donations go to
advancing our cause and working to protect access to public land FOR
YOU and everyone else.
2012 was our lowest year for donations perhaps since 1998! We will
soon make our 2012 financial report made available to you. But
honestly USA-ALL is running on fumes. We have seen increases in
individual donations but we still hurt from lack of business support
that went away in 2008. There is no fat in our operations. Any where
we trim back on spending will result in USA-ALL doing less. We can't
afford to do less. We are as efficient as we can be. Our Treasurer is
a wonderful CPA who monitors our books and has really helped us be as
lean and well managed as possible. Never the less we are hurting
BADLY.
Many of us at USA-ALL are frustrated. We know we can continue as we
have for the past couple of years. We raise sufficient money to do
some real good. In fact we perform miracles on a shoe string budget.
But many of us are not satisfied with JUST doing SOME good. WE KNOW we
can do SOOOO MUCH MORE. But our success is a direct function of how
much financial and volunteer support we get. If you are one of the few
thousand people that gave to USA-ALL in the last 12 months, THANK YOU,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU! If you are not PLEASE HELP. Certainly our work
and our cause is worth sending us a $100 a year. Many of us spend tens
and tens of thousands of dollars on motorized toys. Why can't we give
a pittance to a organization that works hard to ensure you have a
place to use those toys? So money might be tight for you, we get it,
really we do. There is hardly a soul out there who couldn't afford to
donate $5 per month or a one time donation of $30. Why do we make our
amazing organization BEG like poppers for a little money to continue
to battle on behalf of all motorized recreationists? Certainly YOU
care.
Certainly you will help by clicking HERE and
donating as much as you can to help us be better, do more, and protect
the access to the land we all love.
If you have any trouble donating or have reservations or concerns
please call Mike Swenson at (801) 830-9112. He will be happy to speak
with you and help as needed.
THANKS AGAIN TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL DONORS! YOU are the life blood of
our organization.
Brian Hawthorne
BlueRibbon Coalition
brbrian@sharetrails.org
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