I received this in my email. Please read the following! Tellico is facing closure. Please send the attached letter and let our voice be heard!
Thanks
__________________________________________________ ______________
Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
For many years, OHV enthusiasts in eastern states have been assisting BRC and other organizations defend recreational access to prized public lands in the American west.
Folks have generously donated money as well as taken time from work and family to write comment letters regarding various western public lands issues even though, frankly, they will probably never visit the areas at issue.
Today, it is time for OHV enthusiasts across the Nation to come to the aid of our brothers and sisters in the eastern US.
SITUATION:
The US Forest Service is proposing new rules and restrictions at Tellico. The Southern Four Wheel Drive Association has reviewed the proposed restrictions and found many of them arbitrary and unfair. SFWDA is trying to convince the FS that solutions other than closure are best.
Support for rational solutions not closure is needed to help SFWDA and other OHV groups protect the trails at Tellico. (Never heard of Tellico? See the PS below.)
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
Send a quick email to the U.S. Forest Service using the comments suggestions below. Although personal letters are always best, simply pasting the comments into an email is acceptable to show national support for the solutions offered by local OHV clubs.
PLEASE DO THIS TODAY!
The public comment period runs through close of business on January 13, 2006.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The Southern Four Wheel Drive Association has worked hand-in-glove with the FS on maintenance of the trails at Tellico. The total estimated value of volunteer labor and equipment was no less than $55,000! We find it extremely disturbing that the agency rewards this with unfair closure!
EMAIL INSTRUCTIONS:
Address your email to: R E Vann, Tusquitee District Ranger
revann@fs.fed.us
(You must include your name and address for your comments to be considered.)
Dear Ranger Vann,
I have learned of proposed restrictions regarding several trails in the Upper Tellico OHV Area. The Tellico area is highly valuable recreational resource with National significance. I strongly urge you to utilize all resources except closure to address resource issues.
I support the recommendations of the Southern Four Wheel Drive Associations and request that you consider their input.
(If you have ever been to Tellico or are planning to go you might want to mention it as well, I did)
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
Thank you in advance for your action on this important matter.
Brian Hawthorne
Public Lands Director
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 102
PS:
The Upper Tellico OHV Area is located within the Nantahala National Forest, a short drive from Murphy, North Carolina, in the southwestern part of the state where it meets Tennessee and Georgia. The area gets its name from the Indian word meaning "land of the midday sun." And this is quite appropriate, because the forest has deep mountain gorges and valleys that are fully illuminated only when the sun is directly overhead. The land was heavily logged during the 1950s and '60s and later purchased by the USDA Forest Service.
