Ron and Dorothy Strasser

Fellow cyclists... mountain and road. PUMP, ORMBA and IMBA have been part
of this process (below) as an effort to keep access for mountain bikers open
in the Mt. Hood National Forest. I urge OBRA members to support this access
for all of us by letting our elected officials know that "we" do want to
have access to the forest for mountain bikes. Our cycling access issues are
not limited to paved surfaces. One never knows if one of these areas will
at some point in the future be part of an OBRA sanctioned event and or just
a beautiful challenging training ride. It is all based on our access in the
first place. As diverse and individual as we cyclists are... lets stick
together on our access to areas that we appreciate along with other users.
Thanks for considering a word to these representatives.
ron strasser
member... obra, imba, pump, adventure cycling and bta
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 1:23 PM
Subject: [pumpclub] WRITE CONGRESS TO SUPPORT TRAILS AT MT HOOD!

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> WRITE CONGRESS TO SUPPORT TRAILS AT MT HOOD
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> Mt. Hood Bill Hearing Wednesday (April 5) - Take Action Today!
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> Congressmen Greg Walden (R-OR) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) have
> introduced the Mount Hood Stewardship and Legacy Act (H.R. 5025) to
> protect 77,500 acres around Mount Hood from development, resource
> extraction and road building, and would provide considerable resources
> for trails and recreation.
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> The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and the Oregon
> Mountain Bike Alliance (ORMBA) support the legislation and appreciate
> all the considerations the congressmen have made for Oregon mountain
> bikers. However, IMBA and ORMBA ask that 33 acres of land be removed
> from the 77,500-acre Wilderness proposal to allow for continued mountain
> bike use of trails at Roaring River. Formal Wilderness designations
> prohibit bicycle access.
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> The Roaring River area, southwest of Mount Hood, provides a backcountry
> experience that mountain bikers cherish. Just like hikers and
> equestrians, two existing users of Wilderness, bicyclists enjoy the
> beauty of our wild places and want continued access to this important
> area.
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> Congressmen Walden and Blumenauer have worked closely with the mountain
> bike community to draft legislation that addresses our existing
> recreation use in the area. Many important places such as Larch
> Mountain, Fifteenmile Creek, Dog River Trail, Shellrock, Hellroaring,
> Bonney Butte, Mount Defiance were not included in the bill and cyclists
> will be able to continue to ride these places.
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> IMBA/ORMBA ARE PLEASED THE BILL INCLUDES:
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> - An investment of almost $800,000 of unobligated special use
> permit fees to be retained for trails and recreation on Mount Hood
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> - Consideration for high-use recreation areas that are important
> to the mountain bike community - these trails were left outside proposed
> Wilderness boundaries to allow for continued bike access
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> - A seat on the Mount Hood National Forest Recreational Advisory
> Council for a mountain bike representative
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> - The suggestion that the Forest Service consider creating
> singletrack trails open to bicycles from decommissioned roads
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> - Recognition of recreation as a dynamic social and economic
> component of Mount Hood
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> CONGRESS FIRST CONSIDERS BILL WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5
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> The House Resources Subcommittee on Forest and Forest Health will hear
> the bill April 5. Congressman Walden is the chairman of the
> subcommittee. It is important that he and the rest of the Oregon
> congressional delegation hear our support for the bill and concern for
> trails at Roaring River. This House hearing is the first step. H.R.
> 5025 will be heard by the U.S. Senate later this year.
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> WRITE TO REMOVE TRAILS AT ROARING RIVER
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> IMBA/ORMBA ask Oregon cyclists to email Chairman Walden and the rest of
> the Oregon congressional delegation to keep 28 miles of trail (33 acres)
> open at Roaring River to allow for our continued access. To make it
> easy, simply cut and paste the following letter into four web forms:
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> 1) Subcommittee Chairman Walden
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> Webform here: http://walden.house.gov/contactgreg/
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> 2) Congressman Earl Blumenauer (address to DC office)
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> Webform here: http://blumenauer.house.gov/about/Contact.shtml
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> 3) U.S. Senator Gordon Smith
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> Webform here:
> http://gsmith.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
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> 4) U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
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> Webform Here: http://wyden.senate.gov/contact/
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> COPY THIS TEXT OR WRITE YOUR OWN
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> Dear Congressman/Senator:
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> As a mountain biker in Oregon, I am writing to support your legislation
> that will protect 77,500 acres of land around Mount Hood from
> development, resource extraction and road building. I applaud your
> goals of preserving our natural landscapes, ensuring clean air, clean
> water and places for future generations to enjoy.
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> At Roaring River, I ask that you please remove 33 acres (28 miles of
> trail) from the 77,500-acre proposal to allow for our existing
> recreation use. Mountain bicyclists would like to have continued access
> to trails they have ridden for years and to continue to enjoy this
> beautiful, backcountry area.
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> Roaring River needs to be protected from resource extraction, commercial
> activity, structures and road building. It does not need to be
> protected from mountain bikes. Available trail resource science
> demonstrates that hikers and bicyclists have a similar impact on the
> land, and do less damage than horse travel. Hikers and equestrians are
> both allowed in Wilderness.
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> Thank you for your time and consideration.
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> Sincerely,
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> Name
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> Address
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> Phone
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> Email
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> MORE INFORMATION
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> Maps and IMBA/ORMBA's white paper on the proposal will be posted shortly
> at IMBA.com.
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> ****
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> Please forward this IMBA Oregon Action Alert to anyone else you think
> will write their member of Congress.
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> ****
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> Roger W. Louton
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> Western OR IMBA Rep
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> 503-702-4590
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> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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>
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> Members of Portland United Mountain Pedalers.
>
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