Land Rights Network

American Land Rights Association

PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973

E-mail: alra@pacifier.com

Web Address: http://www.landrights.org

Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003

* *

Stop EPA, Corps from Removing “Navigable” From Clean Water Act

Key issues:

—–Keep the word “Navigable” in the Clean Water Act. EPA Corps of Engineers Wetlands Jurisdiction land and water grab. Don’t let them eliminate the word “navigable” from the Clean Water Act.

—–Defeat Sally Jewel for Secretary of Interior

—–Defeat any Omnibus Federal lands bill.

*Do You Want The EPA & Corps In Your Backyard?*

Do you want EPA & Corps Wetlands jurisdiction over all forest roads, Federal lands and adjacent private and State lands? The forestry industry, farmers, ranchers, miners and many others will face the prospect of having all their roads become non-point sources of pollution. You would then have to go to EPA and Corps for permits for any road. That cannot be allowed to happen.

*—–Urge Your Senators to Support The Barrasso “Preserve The Waters Of The US Act” when it is introduced by Senator John Barrasso after the Easter break. *

*—–Also, Stop Sally Jewell from being confirmed by the Senate as the new Secretary of Interior. * Your Senators will be home for the next couple of weeks. Call both your Senators at (202) 224-3121. See Jewell background below.

—–First ask for the staff member who handles the Sally Jewell Secretary of Interior nomination. Then ask to speak to the staff person who handles Wetlands, the EPA and Corps of Engineers.

—–You must deluge your Senators with calls about both Sally Jewell and the EPA and Corps who are trying to circumvent the “Navigable”

requirement in the Clear Water Act.

—–If EPA and the Corps are successful in drilling around the Clean Water Act requirement that they only have jurisdiction over “Navigable” waters, they can gain jurisdiction over “all waters of the United States and all activities affecting all waters of the United States.”

—–Background: EPA, Corps of Engineers Wetlands “Navigable”

A few days ago the Supreme Court reversed the 9th Circuit of Appeals Wetlands roads Court decision. The Court said timber roads are NOT non-point sources of pollution.

Why is this important to you? Because the Obama Administration was hoping to regulate all forest, Federal land, BLM, Forest Service and private roads as non-point sources of pollution requiring a permit from the EPA and Corps of Engineers.

Now Obama gang is going ahead with their Wetlands Guidance Regulations from EPA and the Corps of Engineers.

You can Stop EPA and the Corps from doing an end run around

Congress and the Supreme Court on the Clean Water Act.

The EPA and Corps are trying to ignore the law, change it without Congressional approval, and impose regulations that will tie you up in red tape and bureaucracy for years.

Why is the word “Navigable” so important to you?

From the American Farm Bureau:

One little word can mean so much. In relation to the Clean Water Act, that word is “navigable,” and the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers are trying to get rid of it. If they succeed, EPA will have the authority to regulate nearly every drop of water, and some dry land, too.

With this additional authority for EPA comes a likely deluge of regulations and permitting requirements for farmers, ranchers and other landowners. This is why the American Farm Bureau Federation has launched the “Stop the Flood of Regulation” campaign.

Farmers unite to limit EPA regulations – American Farm Bureau Federation

EPA and the Corps are poised to finalize what’s known as a “guidance” document that would greatly expand EPA’s limited authority to write rules governing the protection of navigable waters.

“Right now, EPA’s regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act is basically restricted to larger bodies of water and waterways that feed into those larger bodies,” explained Don Parrish, AFBF water quality specialist.

“If the guidance document goes into effect, EPA officials would have the power to regulate even a roadside ditch that fills with water only after a good soaking, like Tropical Depression Debby.”

Farmers, ranchers and landowners are up in arms about the guidance document for numerous reasons. The guidance document flies in the face of Supreme Court rulings that affirmed important limitations on the federal government’s jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act.

Land Rights Network

American Land Rights Association

PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973

E-mail: alra@pacifier.com

Web Address: http://www.landrights.org

Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003

New Blueways and Wildlands Programs Could End Up In Omnibus

Below is a critically important Letter to the Secretary of Interior from The House Western Caucus. They are complaining about how the Obama Administration and the Secretary of Interior are Bypassing Congress to make new land use designations. This letter has huge ramifications for you. You must read it carefully.

The letter talks about two new Interior Department programs. One, the Wildlands Secretarial Order (3310) that the House Natural Resources Committee tried to stop three years ago but it is not stopped. This is where the Interior Secretary is secretly creating Wilderness bypassing Congress.

The Second is the new National Blueways System created by a new Secretarial Order (3321). You are headed for a train wreck if you fail to contact both your Senators and your Congressman about these Secretarial Orders because they may secretly be added to one of the coming Omnibus Federal Lands Bills.

Alert – Alert – Alert

Here is the letter from the House Western Caucus:

The Honorable Ken Salazar

Secretary of the Interior

Department of Interior

1849 C St NW

Washington, DC 20240

Dear Secretary Salazar:

We are contacting you regarding our serious concerns surrounding the disturbing trend by which the Department of the Interior (DOI) continues to bypass Congress, and the public, in establishing new federal designations and policies.

As you know, Congress expressed its serious reservations of the Wildlands designation through a Secretarial Order. The creation of that new federal designation was highly controversial, lacked transparency, and was legally questionable. Congress subsequently blocked funding for the Order. *However, you have never rescinded the controversial Order.*

On August 2, 2012 members of the Senate and House Western Caucuses sent you a letter expressing concerns regarding Bureau of Land Management Manuals 6310 and 6320, which mirrored the same rejected policies of Wildlands Secretarial Order 3310.

These manuals were crafted without public input or notice. These members asked you to withdraw these manuals, and set up a briefing for them. The manuals were not withdrawn, nor was the briefing request even acknowledged by your department. We would like to request once again, a briefing by DOI for our offices on the status of these BLM manuals.

Now it has come to our attention that on May 24 of last year, you signed Secretarial Order 3321 establishing the “National Blueways System.”

This system, according to the Secretarial Order would – “provide a new national emphasis on the unique value and significance of a ‘headwaters to mouth’ approach to river management and create a mechanism to encourage stakeholders to integrate their land and water stewardship efforts by adopting a watershed approach.”

The Order goes on further to state that it authorizes the establishment of an “intraagency National Blueways Committee to provide leadership, direction, and coordination to the National Blueways System.”

Despite the Order stating that “Nothing in this Order is intended to be the basis for the exercise of any new regulatory authority,”

given the lack of transparency by Interior to date, this disclaimer is of little comfort to communities that will be negatively impacted by a Blueways designation.

In fact, the Order specifically injects federal agency policies and programs into the management of the designated watersheds when the Order states that –

“Bureaus within Interior, to the extent permitted by law and consistent with their missions, policies, and resources, shall endeavor to align the execution of agency plans and implementation of agency programs to protect, restore, and enhance the natural, cultural, and/or recreational resources associated with designated National Blueways.”

According to the Order, it appears that any watershed in the United States could be designated without any vote in Congress and without proper public notice. The Order states that –

“Following consideration of recommendations made by the Committee, the Secretary may designate the river and its associated watershed as a National Blueway that will become part of the National Blueways System.”

Water is the lifeblood of our communities, and it should be managed for the benefit of the community in a transparent fashion. While water law varies by region, non-navigable water is managed by the states, not the federal government.

Any designation by a federal agency that directly or indirectly attempts to manage the non-navigable headwaters of many of our nation’s rivers, would be a usurpation of state authority.

We urge you to immediately withdraw Secretarial Order 3321. We also encourage you to bring proposals to Congress that are creating new land and water designations so that we may consider them through the normal committee process and with public transparency.

End of Western Caucus Letter.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

What could happen is that the Interior Department works with allies in the Senate and House to add the Wildlands Program and the National Blueways System to one of the coming Omnibus Federal Lands Bills.

That is exactly how Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid slipped the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) into law. Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt set it up during the Clinton Administration as a Secretarial Order.

As a reminder, the National Landscape Conservation System put a National Park like overlay over all BLM special areas like National Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers and areas like the Steens Mountain in Oregon thereby ignoring all the laws and special requirements and agreements covering those areas when they were created. The NLCS did a lot of damage to grazing and mining while cutting off access to millions of acres.

The NLCS sat, largely dormant, until the opportunity came to sneak it into law and Harry Reid did it. That is exactly what is likely to happen to the National Wildlands Program and the new National Blueways System just set up by former Interior Secretary Salazar.

Consider this about a National Blueways System: The National Blueways System is massive in scope. It covers rivers from their mouth to their source, the whole watershed. This isn’t just about river corridors.

It’s about entire river watersheds. Consider this:

—–1. The Columbia River Watershed is over 144 million acres and covers all of Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon all of Idaho, Western Montana and small parts of California, Utah and Wyoming.

—–2. The size of the Mississippi watershed is almost 300 million acres.

You must defeat the National Blueways System. You can stop the National Wildlands Program. To be sure Congress does not sneak a curve ball by you, you must stop any of the small or large Omnibus Federal Lands Bills coming your way. *Read the Action Items below carefully. *

*—–To create a giant Omnibus Federal Lands Bill, Harry Reid goes to each Senator to ask what bills he or she want to get passed. They give most Senators one or two bills and sometimes more.*

* *

*—–Reid and other Senate Democrat leaders then combine these bills into one or more huge Omnibus Federal Lands Bills. *

* *

—–Each Senator then simply looks the other way on the overall bill or bills as they come forward and does not object to bills he or she would ordinarily be opposed to. This process hurts you and gets a lot of bad legislation passed.

—–This how these Secretarial Orders hurt you. First Obama or the Interior Secretary designate a program like Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt did with the National Landscape Conservation (NLCS) the 1990s.

*—–Then a later Congress comes along and turns that Executive Order or Secretarial Order into law, often using the Omnibus Federal Lands Bill of that year. This assembly line gradually undermines and takes away your rights and liberty as well as your private property and the use of Federal lands. This process must be stopped. *

*You can stop the Omnibus Federal Lands Bill. *

Reid and his running buddies are going to try to trick you.

Land Rights Network

American Land Rights Association

PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973

E-mail: alra@pacifier.com

Web Address: http://www.landrights.org

Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003

—–See Below For Updated list of Key Senators to Contact With fax numbers and e-mail addresses. Save this list.

Alert-Alert-Alert—Senators Wyden and Reid are planning a sneak strategy to overcome your opposition to the Omnibus Federal Lands Bill.

They are planning to put together several smaller Omnibus bills combining 5 or 10 bills each time that would ordinarily go into a full-blown Omnibus Federal Lands bill. They likely will not use the word Omnibus but will try to trick you and your Senators using other names to pass a series of smaller bills containing a few bills each.

You need to discuss this strategy with your Senators and the key Senators listed below and make sure they are aware of this strategy and are prepared to head it off.

—–Urgent Action Required. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Harry Reid

(D-NV) Join To Lead Omnibus Federal Lands Bill Effort. Read about it in the Public Lands News excerpt below.

Please read this excerpt from Public Lands News (Jan. 18, 2013):

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

- –

*Conservation legislation at the top of Wyden’s list*

 Despite the failure of the last Congress to act on dozens if not hundreds of conservation bills, new Senate Energy Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) intends to tackle the backlog first thing this year.

 “To that end, one of Sen. Wyden’s first priorities will be to pass the dozens of lands bills left over from last Congress,” said Wyden’s press assistant Samantha Offerdahl. “As you may know, Sen.

Wyden introduced several wilderness bills that didn’t move last year, including proposals to protect thousands of acres of wilderness land near Devil’s Staircase, Cathedral Rock, Horse Heaven and Wild Rogue in Oregon.”

 As usual the obstacle last year was the Senate’s filibuster rule.

Faced with the press of other business, such as Hurricane Sandy relief, Senate leaders did not choose to offer either an omnibus wildlife bill, an omnibus lands bill or a combination of the two on the floor.

 Wyden intends to meet that Senate impasse head on. “Generally, Sen.

Wyden has said that he would like to restore the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to something resembling the success of the committee in the past,” said Offerdahl. “That means routinely passing public lands bills important to the nation, and moving through the gridlock that halted the progress of public lands bills many members of the Senate introduced in previous years.”

 House members have already begun reintroducing park and rec bills this month for the 113th Congress, with a handful of minor measures in the hopper. For instance Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced a bill (HR 250) January 15 that would require Congressional approval of any national monument designated by a President. Senators will begin introducing their bills January 22.

 Last year the Senate Energy Committee, under former chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), did not get around to going public with an omnibus lands bill that was expected to include 100 or so individual bills, although it reportedly assembled a measure. Those individual bills would have designated new national parks, designated wild and scenic rivers, designated wilderness areas, authorized land exchanges and much more.

 A wildlife bill composed of 19 individual measures promoted by sportsmen effectively expired on the Senate floor Nov. 26, 2012, when Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) demanded a procedural vote on the budget impacts of the bill (S 3525). Sixty votes were needed to keep the bill alive, but only 50 senators voted for it.

 Some of the items in the wildlife bill were also candidates for the omnibus lands bill, if not the whole measure.

 All the conservation legislation will have to start over in this 113th Congress; however, the odds will be slightly more favorable because Wyden intends to move aggressively on them. In addition Democrats who tend to support omnibus land bills and omnibus wildlife bills made modest gains in the November 6 elections.

 The Senate Energy Committee had been taking the lead in assembling an omnibus bill but Senate Democratic leaders did not give clearance for floor consideration. For its part the House Natural Resources Committee moved more than 100 land bills through the House floor, only to see them die in the Senate.

End of Public Lands News article excerpt.

Land Rights Network

American Land Rights Association

PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973

E-mail: alra@pacifier.com

Web Address: http://www.landrights.org

Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003

Expansion of Largely Unknown Treaty Used By Obama To Expand Power To Control Lands and Waters.

Approximately 600 Million Acres at issue by U.S./Canada Commission Proposing Massive Expansion of Jurisdiction over Lands & Waters in Northern States and Canada

*Problem:* Attempt by Obama Administration to use various wetlands and water jurisdiction tools to gain control over all lands and waters to achieve the goals they failed to win in the last Congress with the Clean Water Restoration Act by former Congressman James Oberstar

(D-MN) and former Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI).

This was the bill that tried to remove the word *“Navigable”* from the Clean Water Act. The Obama Administration is still trying to bypass the word “Navigable” through its new EPA, Corps of Engineers “Wetlands Guidance Regulations” which Congress is trying to defund.

*Through an International Watershed Initiative*, the Obama Administration is working to expand the jurisdiction of a largely unknown *International Joint Commission (IJC)*, created by the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty between the U.S. and Canada, proposing to expand their jurisdiction beyond border waters to include entire international watersheds.

—–See map of full jurisdiction boundaries at www.landrights.org <http://www.landrights.org/> . It is right on the home page under International Joint Commission.

—–It is estimated that these watersheds include over 600 million acres of lands and waters and possibly a lot more. For example, the International Joint Commission during the Obama Administration has added a plan to expand their jurisdiction over the entire *Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Area* that you stopped the BLM and Forest Service from taking jurisdiction over in1996.

Just the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Basin Plan area is 144 million acres including all of eastern Washington, eastern Oregon,all of Idaho, western Montana and smaller parts of California, Utah and Wyoming.

The International Joint Commission is proposing to expand its jurisdiction to include massive areas of all the border states and some other northern tier states from Washington to Maine using watershed and ecosystems management as their tools.

Their plan is to use Watershed Management to spread expanded jurisdiction across as much of the United States as possible.

*The International Joint Commission (IJC) is going far beyond anything in the original scope of the treaty.*

The three U.S. Commissioners are presidential appointees. The Chairman, Lana Pollack, was appointed by President Obama in 2010. She is the former President of the Michigan Environmental Council, comprised of 70 environmental organizations.

—–Like 13 federal agencies, the Commission subscribes to an ecosystems management policy, adopted in 1993 by former Vice President Al Gore.

—–Ecosystems management, which is just a theory, has never been approved by Congress and has been discredited by ecologists since World War II. For background, read Alston Chase’s great book, “In A Dark Wood.”

The Commission has enormous influence with Federal regulatory agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U. S. Bureau of Land Management.

A pilot project has just been approved for northern Minnesota and northwest Ontario by both the US and Canadian governments through the U.S. State Department and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs.

This pilot project is intended to be a model for governance and is likely to broaden regulatory powers and management by the US Regulatory Agencies.

The intent of this pilot project is to create a government model that can be applied to the other international watersheds and will likely lead to the expansion of regulatory powers and jurisdiction by US regulatory agencies.

—–Myth: “Were here to give more power to the local people”

Reality: This is a plan to expand Federal power over vast areas of rural America.

*Additional pilot projects are being planned* for other areas in the border and northern states and Canada. The program represents a new and imminent threat to private property rights, state’s rights, rural America, local communities, access and use of Federal lands, outdoor recreation, small business, mining, timber harvesting, energy production, and other interests.

*For a Map of known IJC Areas* Go to www.landrights.org <http://www.landrights.org/>  and look for *International Joint Commission* on Home Page. Further expansion appears likely.

*IJC Bullet Points:

*

Here are some bullet points about the first pilot project of the IJC Minnesota/Canada pilot project for this massive initiative that the Commission intends to spread across the country:

—–The 184-page IJC report concluded that “there is broad agreement that water quality is threatened, that ecosystem health is deteriorating, that communication is not encompassing, and that current government mechanisms are fragmented.” (Note: This not only appears to be blatantly false, but an insult to local people, their elected officials, and state and local agencies).

—–The report further concludes that the IJC’s ongoing efforts will “most importantly, be best for the watershed itself.” (Think about what this statement means!).

—–The IJC appointed a long-time National Park Service employee to a newly created ‘citizen member’ position on an important control board, apparently without any formal application process (Note: This is a clear conflict of interest and a mockery of the democratic process).

—–A U.S. district court judge ruled that the designation of a federal wilderness area in northern Minnesota did not conflict with the Boundary Waters Treaty because it was a latter-enacted statute

(Note: A U.S. statute cannot trump a treaty–this is taught in law school 101!)

—–The same judge ruled that the U.S. had no reason to believe that banning dozens of border lakes to motorized recreation was in error because Canada had already closed the Canadian portion of dozens of border lakes to motorized recreation. The Canadian Government, in a formal legal opinion, strongly disagreed with the opinion of the U.S.

Judge by saying that Ontario, not Canada, closed the lakes, and that Canada, not Ontario is a party to the Treaty. (Note: This is also taught in law school 101). This issue still hasn’t been resolved.

—–In a lawsuit challenging National Park Service boating restrictions on border waters, the case was referred to a federal magistrate instead of going directly to District Court where it belonged (How in the world can this happen?)

—–The federal magistrate ruled in favor of the National Park Service (Surprise, surprise!).

—–A boater’s association later discovered that approximately 45 minutes were missing from the hearing transcript in the above case.

Requests to review the audio tape of the hearing were refused by the court

The IJC has no business expanding their domain until existing Treaty conflicts have been resolved. For more information about the IJC:

Google International Joint Commission or IJC.

* *

*Solution:* A grassroots organizational effort by local people and their elected officials at all levels is needed to prevent further Federal expansion and control of lands and waters by the *IJC and U.S.

Regulatory Agencies and other Obama water initiatives*.

This effort must be nationwide copying your successful nationwide defeat of CARA, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act in 2000 and the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Plan in the 90’s.

It has been demonstrated that local alternatives to top-down federal programs are better, faster, and cheaper, and more consistent with constitutional principles.

*Action Items:*

—–1. Please forward this e-mail to at least 10 other people. Your whole list if possible. You can edit out the appeal by American Land Rights for contributions if you wish. We hope you won’t but this message is so important that it needs to spread like wildfire.

—–2. Contact both your Senators by calling (202) 224-3121.

Or write: (send by fax it you can): Honorable (Your Senator), US Senate, Washington DC, 20510. Ask for the fax number when you call.

—–3. Call your Congressman at (202) 225-3121. Write (use fax if you

can) your Congressman at: Honorable (Your Representative), US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.

Be sure to ask for the staff persons e-mail and fax when you call.

—–4. Call your county commissioners and other local elected officials, legislators. Alert them to this pending threat to your rights and property. Ask them to demand that the International Joint Commission (IJC) hold hearings in affected areas and that the House and Senate hold Congressional hearings on this issue before it gets off the ground.

Ask your Members of the House and Senate to use whatever tools they have to block the IJC until Congress gets a chance to place the IJC under control. Congress must take away funding for the IJC.

Please join American Land Rights and many other groups in stopping the International Joint Commission from taking control of a huge area of the United States.

Land Rights Network

American Land Rights Association

Olympic Peninsula Wilderness, Important Meetings Alert

—–Critical meetings begin tomorrow (Tuesday) around the Olympic Peninsula and in the region. See the meeting dates and times and action items below.

Olympic National Park is going through another Wilderness planning process. The only result of this will be expanded Wilderness further reducing visitor opportunities on the Olympic Peninsula.

It is no surprise to you that the Olympic Peninsula as a whole is suffering from severe job shortage. Some of this is caused by the Olympic Park and National Forest expanding Wilderness areas making more lands on the Peninsula off limits for many people.

Anything the Olympic National Park does to exclude people from more areas in the park reduces potential visitor opportunities thereby reducing the number of people who come to the area. This hurts tourism and jobs.

Wilderness designation makes it very difficult for the handicapped, elderly and children to visit and use vast areas of both Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Forest.

Both have broken promises over the years to local communities to hold the line on Wilderness. More Wilderness is a job killer.

Olympic National Park is holding a series of important meetings. You need to attend at least on or more. Be sure to carry a sign opposing more Wilderness.

—–*Here is the meeting list: (See important action items and instructions below)*

* *

*(There are likely to be additional meetings scheduled in Aberdeen and Port Townsend. Call the park or local activists for info.)*

 Tuesday, February 5, 2013, 5:00-7:00pm

 Jefferson School Gymnasium, 218 E. 12th Street, Port Angeles, WA

98362

 Thursday, February 7, 2013, 5:00-7:00pm  Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Avenue, Sequim, WA

98382

 Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 5:00-7:00pm  Sekiu Community Center, 42 Rice, Sekiu, WA 98381

 Wednesday, February 20, 2013, 5:00-7:00pm  Department of Natural Resources Conference Room, 411 Tillicum Lane, Forks, WA 98331

 Thursday, February 21, 2013, 4:00-6:00pm  Amanda Park Library, 6118 U.S. Highway 101, Amanda Park, WA 98526

 Monday, March 4, 2013, 5:00-7:00pm

 Seattle REI Flagship Store, 222 Yale Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109

 Tuesday, March 5, 2013, 5:00-7:00pm

 Ridgetop High School, 10600 Hillsboro Drive NW, Silverdale, WA 98383

 Wednesday, March 6, 2013, 5:00-7:00pm

 Shelton Civic Center, 525 W. Cota Street, Shelton, WA 98584

Meeting Problems:

 The meeting in Amada Park is scheduled early making it very difficult for local residents to attend since many are driving far for their jobs.

 Why are there three meetings on the north end that are all within approximately 60 miles?

 An additional meeting in Aberdeen (besides Quinault/Amanda Park) is needed to better accommodate southern Grays Harbor. And that is only an hour and a half drive for Seattle residents.

Action Items

These meetings are set up as open houses which are designed to split attendees up. When people comment or ask questions, the press and representatives of elected officials do not hear them. Others who have similar questions but are reluctant to ask would prefer a public hearing process.

—–1. You need to call Olympic National Park to ask that these meetings be public hearings on the Wilderness Stewardship Plan.

You must demand public hearings. The same for any future Wilderness meetings. Do not let them split you up in an open house.

Peninsula contacts for you to call and get networked in:

Local grassroots residents concerned about Wilderness plan:

Dan Boeholt Working Wild Olympics (360) 532-7046 (geodan2@comcast.net) Keith Olson (360) 288-2388 (keitholson19@yahoo.com) Bill Pickell (360) 352-7294 (gyppo@techline.com) Ed Bowen, (360) 452-8008 (yellowbanks@hotmail.com) Carol Johnson, NOTAC (360) 460-0218 (notac@olypen.com <mailto:notac@olypen.com>

)

Harold Brunstad (360) 249-5829 (hbmjbrunstad@aol.com)

Park Contact Information

For more information contact the Olympic National Park

Park official: Barbara Maynes (360) 565-3005 2. Call your new Congressman to ask him to request more meetings and that they be converted into public hearings.

Derek Kilmer US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 You may call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121.

3. Call both your Senators:

Patty Murry US Senate Washington, DC 20510 Maria Cantwell US Senate Washington, DC 20510 Any Senator may be called at (202) 224-3121.

Look up Chuck Cushman or American Land Rights Association on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Be sure to hit the Like button when you’re there. You can endorse our activities as well.

You can find out more about American Land Rights by going to Google and typing in the following search terms one at a time:

Chuck Cushman, Charles Cushman, American Land Rights Association, National Inholders Association and League of Private Property Voters.

I hope you will support our efforts to keep you informed by joining or send a contribution to American Land Rights. See the section above with the instructions or go to www.landrights.org <http://www.landrights.org/>

Working together and building coalitions across America is the only way your private property and Federal land access will be protected.

If you are a member of another group, continue to support them. We hope you support American Land Rights in addition but not instead of them.

Sincerely,

Chuck Cushman

American Land Rights

(360) 687-3087 – ccushman@pacifier.com

<mailto:ccushman@pacifier.com>

Land Rights Network

American Land Rights Association

PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973

E-mail: alra@pacifier.com

Web Address: http://www.landrights.org

Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003

Senators Wyden and Reid Planning 2013 Omnibus Federal Lands Bill

Senator Wyden Joins Reid To Lead Omnibus Federal Lands Bill Effort

Please read this excerpt from Public Lands News (Jan. 18, 2013):

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

- –

Conservation legislation at the top of Wyden’s list

 Despite the failure of the last Congress to act on dozens if not hundreds of conservation bills, new Senate Energy Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) intends to tackle the backlog first thing this year.

 “To that end, one of Sen. Wyden’s first priorities will be to pass the dozens of lands bills left over from last Congress,” said Wyden’s press assistant Samantha Offerdahl. “As you may know, Sen.

Wyden introduced several wilderness bills that didn’t move last year, including proposals to protect thousands of acres of wilderness land near Devil’s Staircase, Cathedral Rock, Horse Heaven and Wild Rogue in Oregon.”

 As usual the obstacle last year was the Senate’s filibuster rule.

Faced with the press of other business, such as Hurricane Sandy relief, Senate leaders did not choose to offer either an omnibus wildlife bill, an omnibus lands bill or a combination of the two on the floor.

 Wyden intends to meet that Senate impasse head on. “Generally, Sen.

Wyden has said that he would like to restore the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to something resembling the success of the committee in the past,” said Offerdahl. “That means routinely passing public lands bills important to the nation, and moving through the gridlock that halted the progress of public lands bills many members of the Senate introduced in previous years.”

 House members have already begun reintroducing park and rec bills this month for the 113th Congress, with a handful of minor measures in the hopper. For instance Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced a bill (HR 250) January 15 that would require Congressional approval of any national monument designated by a President. Senators will begin introducing their bills January 22.

 Last year the Senate Energy Committee, under former chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), did not get around to going public with an omnibus lands bill that was expected to include 100 or so individual bills, although it reportedly assembled a measure. Those individual bills would have designated new national parks, designated wild and scenic rivers, designated wilderness areas, authorized land exchanges and much more.

 A wildlife bill composed of 19 individual measures promoted by sportsmen effectively expired on the Senate floor Nov. 26, 2012, when Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) demanded a procedural vote on the budget impacts of the bill (S 3525). Sixty votes were needed to keep the bill alive, but only 50 senators voted for it.

 Some of the items in the wildlife bill were also candidates for the omnibus lands bill, if not the whole measure.

 All the conservation legislation will have to start over in this 113th Congress; however, the odds will be slightly more favorable because Wyden intends to move aggressively on them. In addition Democrats who tend to support omnibus land bills and omnibus wildlife bills made modest gains in the November 6 elections.

 The Senate Energy Committee had been taking the lead in assembling an omnibus bill but Senate Democratic leaders did not give clearance for floor consideration. For its part the House Natural Resources Committee moved more than 100 land bills through the House floor, only to see them die in the Senate.

End of Public Lands News article excerpt.

Land Rights Network

PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973

E-mail: alra@pacifier.com

Web Address: http://www.landrights.org

Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003

Harry Reid Sneak Attack, New Omnibus Federal Lands Bill, Call Now!

Urgent Action Required – Forward this message widely now.

—–Harry Reid has loaded multiple bills into a new Omnibus Federal Lands Ball.

We only know a few of the bills included but it is huge. It does include the Tester Montana wilderness bill; It does make the Valles Caldera in New Mexico a national park; It does include the Sealaska bill; and I am sure much more. Reid is trying buy the vote of Senator Murkowski by including the Sealaska bill. She has promised not to support Omnibus bills. So we’ll see how she votes in this bill.

—–Expansion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) could be in there. That would mean billions of dollars for land acquisition.

The various staff people are working with Reid now to see if they can run the bill through the Senate before new years.

Action Items – Urgent Action Required

—–Your Senator can stop this bill. All he has to do is file an object or put a hold on the bill. Time will run on January 1st.

You must call both your Senators every business day now until January 1st. Ask for a commitment to oppose any Omnibus Federal Lands Bill.

This is urgent and critical.

You may call any Senator at (202) 224-3121. That is the Capital Switchboard. Ask for your Senator’s office. Then ask for the staff person who handles Federal lands. They may be working over the weekend so call Saturday and Sunday also.

Ask for a promise by your senator that he or she will place a hold on the new Omnibus Federal Lands Bill.

This is really the start of a massive Obama Reid Federal lands grab with National Monuments and a whole bunch of other lock ups.

If you are going to have credibility fighting the huge Obama Reid Federal land grab plan that is coming at you, you need to call your Senator now every day until Tuesday. Call Friday. Call Monday. You can even try over the weekend. Many staff will be working.

But you must rise up and take action.

This is especially true in Alaska.

—–While they’re working on the Fiscal Cliff, a lot of bad things can happen when Congress is in session and not paying attention to your issues.

—–The Lame Duck Congress is when all kinds of bad bills slip through Congress because your Senators and Congressman may no longer be responsible to you.

Background

—–You must call your Congressman and both Senators to urge them to oppose ANY Omnibus Federal Lands bill.

—–That’s where Harry Reid gives every Senator a bill or two he wants passed that did not pass during the year. The understanding is that the Senator will then look the other way and ignore other parts of the massive Omnibus Federal Lands Bill . . . . . even if they hurt you and your community.

In 2010 Harry Reid tried to pass Omnibus Federal Lands Bill with over

200 bills in it. Fortunately you fought and defeated it.

Now that the election is passed, American Land Rights has turned our attention to defeating the likely Omnibus Federal Lands Bill and the EPA Corps of Engineers land and water grab in the Lame Duck Congress.

Here’s a reminder list of some of the land grab threats the Obama Administration, Senator Harry Reid and other members of Congress have planned for you.

New National Monuments;

New Wilderness study areas;

Wild Lands land grab;

Treasured Landscapes Initiative;

America’s Great Outdoors Campaign;

New BLM Land Use Planning/Wilderness expansion; and Eminent domain and Condemnation.

Urgent Action Items

—–1. Please tape a copy of this message to your refrigerator door.

—–2. Please forward this message to at least 10 other people.

—–3. Call both your Senators at (202) 224-3121. Urge them to put a hold on any Omnibus Federal lands bill. Ask for a commitment.

Thank you for your support and efforts in 2012. We’re looking forward to working with you in 2013.

Sincerely,

Chuck Cushman

American Land Rights

(360) 687-3087 – ccushman@pacifier.com

<mailto:ccushman@pacifier.com>

 Land Rights Network

American Land Rights Association

PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973

E-mail: alra@pacifier.com

Web Address: http://www.landrights.org

Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003

Lame Duck Congress Happening Now, Likely To Hurt You Unless You Call!

—–Huge Threats to You – Stop Harry Reid Omnibus Federal Lands Bill;

—–Call both your Senators today to stop any Omnibus Federal Lands Bill. Have them block it. They can do it if they want to. You need to make as much controversy about any Omnibus Federal Lands Bill.

—–Call any Senator at (202) 224-3121.

Stop EPA & Corps of Engineers Wetlands Jurisdiction Guidance Regulations Land and Water Grab

Stop Expansion of LWCF (Land and Water Conservation Fund);

—–You’re in a race. The Lame Duck Congress means all the Senators and Congressmen who have been defeated or who retired still get to vote on your future.

—–You must deluge your two Senators and your Congressman with calls to head off any Omnibus Federal lands bill.

—–This Lame Duck Congress is not even close to coming to an end.

—–While they’re working on the Fiscal Cliff, a lot of bad things can happen when Congress is in session and not paying attention to your issues.

—–The Lame Duck Congress is when all kinds of bad bills slip through Congress because your Senators and Congressman may no longer be responsible to you.

—–You must call your Congressman and both Senators to urge them to oppose ANY Omnibus Federal Lands bill.

—–That’s where Harry Reid gives every Senator a bill or two he wants passed that did not pass during the year. The understanding is that the Senator will then look the other way and ignore other parts of the massive Omnibus Federal Lands Bill . . . . . even if they hurt you and your community.

In 2010 Harry Reid tried to pass Omnibus Federal Lands Bill with over

200 bills in it. Fortunately you fought and defeated it.

Now that the election is passed, American Land Rights has turned our attention to defeating the likely Omnibus Federal Lands Bill and the EPA Corps of Engineers land and water grab in the Lame Duck Congress.

It is time to DEFUND the new EPA and Corps of Engineers Guidance Regulations that will take jurisdiction over all your water and your land.

They will effectively remove the word “Navigable” from the implementation of the Clean Water Act.

Below is information about bill in the House and Senate to take the money away from EPA and Corps to implement these new regulations.

ALRA must also focus on all the bad things that President Obama can do to you.

ALRA must alert tens of thousands of members and allies with letters, e-mails and faxes about the threats to you from the Lame Duck Congress and President Obama.

Join with us to stop the Obama Green Agenda.

Your support is critical to your success in getting as much information out as possible regarding the Obama Administration’s Green Agenda and your enemies in Congress to as many people as possible before and during the Lame Duck Congress.

Here’s a reminder list of some of the land grab threats the Obama Administration and certain members of Congress have planned for you, no matter who is in the White House.

PNP comment: There are significant alternatives to the complaints leveled against the KBRA, but the stakeholders will not even admit there could be “better” ways. — Editor Liz Bowen

On Tuesday November 21st, both Commissioners Switzer and Hukill outvoted Commissioner Linthicum to extend the KBRA for two more years.

What is curious is that only a few months prior these same two commissioners, who knew their terms would be up at the end of the year, decided to extend county employee contracts only one year instead of the normal two, three and five years. The reasoning was that since Switzer and Hukill were soon to be leaving, it didn’t make sense for the outgoing commissioners to saddle Mallams and Bellet (the new commissioners) with these types of decisions. So by extending the contracts just for a year, Mallams and Bellet would be able to negotiate with the unions for the length of their first terms.

One wonders if something that important, county employee contracts, can be put off for one year so the new commissioners can be directly involved, why was it okay to extend the KBRA for another two years giving the new commissioners no say in the matter? Why didn’t they just table the extension, as Commissioner LInthicum motioned, in order to allow Mallams and Bellet a say in the matter?

The main reason both commissioners wanted the KBRA to go forward was because they said they saw no other alternatives. This is laziness at best and malpractice at worst. There are several alternatives to the KBRA but none of these alternatives are allowed into the arena. They are kept outside and called names: radical, stupid, won’t work, bigoted, you name it. There are plenty of ways to ensure farmers have enough water each year and to ensure that fish populations don’t go extinct. But again, these ideas aren’t allowed into the discussion. Only the secretly written, created behind closed doors, sacred KBRA is allowed for consideration.

Switzer also claimed his vote was to ensure that the commissioners “stayed at the table.” Really?! This man must be kidding if not senile. So now the new rule is if you disagree with something, you aren’t allowed at the table? What school of thought is this? Pure idiocy.

The Majority is Against KBRA

One can look at all sorts of data which shows the KBRA is not the majority opinion in Klamath County. There is the 2009 telephone poll conducted at the direction of State Representative Girrard and Senator Whitsett and the 3:1 ratio of opinions opposing the KBRA at the October 2011 meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of Interior.

One could further argue that this specific issue, the KBRA, is the very reason that three commissioners (Elliott, Switzer and Hukill) are soon to be former County Commissioners — they were for the KBRA, when the majority of Klamath is against it. And yet, one of Switzer’s and Hukill’s last important decisions will be to rule against the will of the people for who they supposedly serve.

Either they didn’t learn their lesson during the primary campaigns when they lost to Mallams and Bellet (who both are strongly opposed to the KBRA), or are just stubborn, thinking they know best.

Indeed, foolish to the end.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

This information and much more that you need to know about the ESA,
the Klamath River Basin, and private property rights can be found at The
Klamath Bucket Brigade’s web site – http://klamathbucketbrigade.org/index.html –
please visit today.

Land Rights Network

American Land Rights Association

PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973

E-mail: alra@pacifier.com

Web Address: http://www.landrights.org

Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003

Urgent Action Required – New Rim of the Valley Natl. Park Meetings

Rim of the Valley Natl. Park Online Mtgs. Nov. 14 & Dec. 4

—–Five additional public meetings planned—set your calendar.

See below for dates and locations.

It’s critical that you participate in at least one of the coming meetings.

The Park Service always seems to plan their public meetings on proposed parks around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.  Do you think they do that on purpose?

Last year it was the San Gabriel Mountains Park Study.  This year it is Rim of the Valley.

Comments on Rim of the Valley Park proposal needed.

Comment deadline January 7, 2013.

You can see a map of the proposed Rim of the Valley National Park by going to www.landrights.org and scrolling down to the bottom of the home page.  This map is large enough that you can find your property.

New Rim of the Valley National Park Study Update

Huge new Park Service land grab in the works.

It’s vital that you participate in the online meetings and also go to the additional open public meetings that are planned.

172,000 property owners to be severely affected in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.

Thousands of Forest Service recreation cabins at risk.  The Park Service does not allow recreation cabins.

Conversion of Angeles National Forest and San Bernardino National Forest into new National Park areas planned.

There is a huge new additional park planned by the San Gabriel River Watershed Park Service Study going on right now.  Ask the Park Service to get on that mailing list as well.  See instructions below.

There is a list of previous meetings as well.

—–Immediate Action Items:

—–1.  Forward this message to everyone you know in California.

—–2.  Get on the Park Service e-mail list for Rim of the Valley.

Here is the Park Service Rim of the Valley Contact Information.

Mail:          National Park Service

Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study

570 W. Avenue 26, #175

Los Angeles, CA  90065

Website:    www.nps.gov/pwro/rimofthevalley

E-mail:      pwr_rimofthevalley@nps.gov

Phone:      Anne Dove, Project Manager (323) 441-9307

Margie Steigerwald, Planner (805) 370-2373

—–3.  Go to website above to see last Park Service message with alternatives.

—–4.  Comments on Rim of the Valley Park proposal needed.

Comment deadline January 7, 2013.  Send comments to the e-mail address above.

—–5.  Go to the website below for information on the planning process for the new huge San Gabriel Mountains NRA (National Park).  Get on their e-mail list as well.

—–San Gabriel River Study:  www.nps.gov/pwro/sangabriel

—–6.  Get on the e-mail list for the new San Gabriel Mountains NRA (National Park).  Here is their e-mail:  pwr_sangabriel@nps.gov

Proposed Park Service San Gabriel Mtns Nat. Park

Park Service taking over two National Forests – Your use in jeopardy.

Go to www.nps.gov/pwro/sangabriel to see the Park Service announcement.  You can also see a map.

Here is the latest message from the Park Service today.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Dear Friends,

Last week, we were able to share information about the Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study preliminary study findings and alternative concepts during public meetings in Thousand Oaks and Santa Clarita.

There are five more opportunities to attend one of our public meetings in person to hear about the study progress and share your ideas.

In addition, we are pleased to announce that we will be hosting an online public meeting Wednesday, November 14, 10-11:30 a.m. and again on Tuesday, December 4, 10-11:30 a.m.

With an Internet connection and a phone, you will be able to hear and view a presentation and ask questions.  For information about how to participate, please visit our online meeting instructions.

Whether or not you are able to participate in any of our meetings, online or in person, we invite your feedback on the preliminary ideas which are presented in our recently published Newsletter #3.

The newsletter includes preliminary study findings that address whether resources of the study area are nationally significant, and whether they are suitable and feasible for inclusion in the national park system as a new park unit or as an addition to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA).

Based on these preliminary findings, four preliminary alternative concepts are also presented in the newsletter for your consideration.

Please send us your comments by January 7, 2013.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Anne Dove                          Margie Steigerwald

Project Manager                 Planner

Tuesday, November 13, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.***

Pacific Community Center

501 S. Pacific Ave.

Glendale, CA 91204