Dear wildland advocate,
There are three very important pieces of federal legislation currently being debated in Congress, and this is an important opportunity for you to contact your elected leaders!
HR 289, The Guides and Outfitters Act (GO) would authorize access fees for all federal lands! The majority of the language in the bill strictly applies to guides and outfitters operating on federal public lands, but certain text would authorize federal public land agencies to charge an access fee for a “special area,” which ultimately leaves land managers with the discretion to identify anywhere on our national forests and other public lands as special. Read the full action alert by our allies Western Slope No Fee Coalition. The bill has passed the House. Tell your elected Senators to oppose this legislation.
HR 3668, The Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (SHARE) would gut the Wilderness Act, and threaten every unit in the National Wilderness Preservation System by giving hunting, fishing, recreational shooting and state fish and wildlife agencies top priority in Wilderness! This equates to road building, structures, habitat manipulation and carte blanche for state agencies. Read the full action alert by our allies Wilderness Watch. The bill has passed the House. Tell your elected Senators to oppose this legislation.
HR 3144, was introduced by Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rogers, and would over-ride a federal court order to analyze breaching the four lower Snake River dams and their impacts to crashing wild steelhead and salmon populations! It would also not allow more water to be spilled over dams in an effort to assist migrating fish to the ocean. All of this equates to a salmon-kill-bill. Read the full action alert by our allies Save our Wild Salmon. The legislation just received a hearing in the House Natural Resources Subcommittee, where we expect it to pass. Then the House will vote on it. (R-ID) Rep. Labrador and (R-ID) Rep. Simpson are currently not sponsors of the bill. Tell your Representatives to oppose this legislation.
FOC has two community events coming up soon! Both of them are free, open to the public and family-friendly!
Come out on Monday October 23 for a screening of the documentary, Walking Bear Comes Home: Life and Work of Chuck Jonkel, a Pioneer of Bear Biology. Film begins @7:00pm at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, 508 S. Main Street in Moscow.
Join us on Saturday November 4 for our Annual Meeting & Gathering at the 1912 Center, 412 E. Third Street in Moscow. Event is from 6:00 – 9:00pm and will offer a community potluck, silent auction, live music, awards ceremony and board elections.
Call 208-882-9755 for any questions about legislation and events!
Sincerely,
Brett Haverstick
Education & Outreach Director