Here's the latest from the NYSORVA list:
http://www.nysorva.org/documents/bills2001.htm
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To all List Members,
PLEASE CEASE CALLING Assemblyman Morelle and Senator DeFrancisco's offices
regarding the Trail Funding bills A.8781/S.4922, as had been requested of
List Members last week. We made an impression and are awaiting outcome of
responses to our input.
THANK YOU to all of you who took the time to call the offices of Assemblyman
Morelle, Senator DeFrancisco, and your own districts' members. It was
important for the staff of these offices to fully understand the political
will behind our trail funding issue, and the message was made load and
clear.
I also owe a debt of gratitude to all the Legislative Staff members who had
to endure the volume of calls, and I can understand what it must have been
like to have to patiently explain the matter over and over to each caller.
Remember, the Bill Sponsors are our friends in this matter and that often
they are caught in difficult positions in trying to advance an issue on
behalf of a recreational community like ours that faces such strong
prejudice and intolerance. A negative outcome will not have been from a lack
of trying to help us. A positive outcome will be evidence enough that they
have worked hard on it and understand the frustrating situations we face.
We are currently trying to learn what direction our issue will take in the
following days as all possibility of legislative action this year wanes, and
we will keep you apprised of whatever we learn.
Frustratingly, the outcome is now very much in the hands of opponents of OHV
recreation, and we are doing our best to appeal to their intelligence and
sense of fairness in arguing that a ATV Trail Fund and related program to
develop a trail system (as opposed to the current uncontrolled/unsupported
manner in which ATV trails exist in NY today) is good for the environment
and will reduce conflicts between motorized and non-motorized trail users.
Environmental impact of trail use and inter-user trail conflicts are
probably the two biggest issues generally driving the opposition to OHV
recreation in our State and Nationally, and we very much need a trail fund
and trails program to implement solutions to the concerns expressed by such
opposition. It is indeed a "Catch 22" to which banning ATVs is an
impractical solution.
Again, thank you all so much for your interest in seeing this issue through
and the effort you have expended in doing so over the past months.
Alex Ernst
Comm. Dir.
www.nysorva.org