January 7, 2010 

 

"...The only reason the original Desert Protection Act passed in 1994 was because the environmental community finally realized they needed hunters’ support to get enough votes to pass the legislation. Sportsmen-conservationists had been frustrated with the management of the desert, too, recognizing the greatest threat to desert wildlife and hunting was ever-expanding mining, solar, and wind-farm operations, poorly managed cattle grazing, and unregulated off-road vehicle use -- all benchmarks of the Bureau of Land Management back then.

     But hunters couldn’t support the original bill because it would have banned hunting in the massive new national park proposed in the east Mojave Desert, an area they were just about the only ones using at the time. (And hunters were certainly the only users not having a negative impact on the land.) The simple designation change from National Park to National Preserve, allowed for virtually all of the protections and enhanced management afforded by the National Park Service while also allowing hunting to continue...

 

...Earlier this month, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced the Desert Protection Act of 2010. The legislation would create two new National Monuments covering over 1 million acres of Southern California deserts and local mountains. It would assure that over 1/4-million acres of lands donated to, or purchased by, the federal government for conservation were not put into energy farms, military use, or off-road vehicle areas, destroying the land’s value for natural resources.

     There’s a lot included in the 178 pages of this legislation, but this time hunters were brought in the in the writing of this bill, and by and large, it stays focused on protection of natural resources. Hunting is specifically named as one of the activities that will continue on the newly protected lands. Even OHVs and cattle grazing are protected in areas where those activities currently exist. The bill is really aimed at stopping the rampant destruction of our desert public lands for energy production.

     Most of the hunter-conservation groups are carefully looking over the language and are likely to line up to support the bill..."

 

                            - Excerpts from an Outdoor News Service

                              Commentary written by Editor Jim

                              Matthews, dated December 31, 2009,

                              in regards to The Desert Protection Act of

                              2010 (S 2921), introduced by Senator

                              Diane Feinstein (D-CA)

                             

 

"...SEC. 1304. USES OF THE MONUMENT.

(a) Use of Off-Highway Vehicles-

 

`(1) IN GENERAL- The use of off-highway vehicles in the Monument (including the use of off-highway vehicles for commercial touring) shall be permitted to continue on designated routes, subject to all applicable law and and authorized by the management plan.

 

(2) NONDESIGNATED ROUTES- Off-highway vehicle access shall be permitted on nondesignated routes and trails in the Monument--

     (A) for administrative purposes;

     (B) to respond to an emergency; or

     (C) as authorized under the management plan.

 

(3) INVENTORY- Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this title, the Director of the Bureau of Land Management shall complete an inventory of all existing routes in the Monument.

 

(b) Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing-

 

(1) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall permit hunting, trapping, and fishing within the Monument in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws (including regulations) in effect as of the date of enactment of this title.

 

(2) TRAPPING- No amphibians or reptiles may be collected within the Monument.

 

(3) REGULATIONS- The Secretary, after consultation with the California Department of Fish and Game, may issue regulations designating zones where, and establishing periods during which, no hunting, trapping, or fishing shall be permitted in the Monument for reasons of public safety, administration, resource protection, or public use and enjoyment..."

 

                                - Excerpt from Sec. 101 Amendments to the

                                  California Desert Protection Act of 1994,

                                  as noted in Senate Bill 2921. S 2921 was

                                  introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA)

                                  on December 20, 2009, regarding the Mojave

                                  Trails National Monument as part of the

                                  California Desert Protection Act of 2010.

 

To All,

    It seems that the Devil is always in the details:

 

Let's (Not) Make A Deal-

     In negotiations it cannot be said that any successful strategy on the part of anyone, hunters as a group included, starts with a cliff-dive into an ocean of unilateral concessions. Especially when there are tiburónes like Diane Feinstein and Chuck "Chuckles" Schumer waiting for you to belly flop into the water below at terminal velocity.

 

     Yet if Mr. Matthews' suggestion were to be accepted, hunters are to suspend disbelief, conscious thought, and almost 4 decades of bitter experience in what could amount to yet another instance of hunters "selling out the ranch". The end result would be a net loss of hunting, if anything.

 

     In this case, that of the California Desert Protection Act of 2010, hunters would effectively be giving new carte blanche to local administrators to close down traditional hunting areas for whatever reason that administrator believes would fall under the proposed categories in Section 1304 b) (3).

 

    This is not an insubstantial fear. Local administrators started shooters and plinkers down the road to Prohibition in the past over the simple desire to not be burdened with lead emission reporting requirements implemented under the Clinton Administration.

 

    Add to that the increasing instances of "Stockholm Syndrome" amongst land managers and Fish & Game officials, whose departments are being threatened financially and administratively by every environmentalist group with a need to fundraise, and it is easy to see that hunting can be stopped at whim.

 

    If anything, this example of S 2921 is yet another example of the massive downside one encounters with hunters and shooting sportsmen and women "getting into bed" with the radicals of the environmental movement. In this case it would be most fascinating as to which hunters and hunting groups were involved in formulating S 2921 alongside Senator Feinstein.

 

   In fact, a quick visit to Senator Feinstein's website shows a number of supporters of S 2921. Unfortunately, not one seems to be a hunting or sportsman's organization (though the sporting habits and political records of Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley, San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry, and Imperial County Supervisor Wally Leimgruber most likely need to be reviewed to see if they fall within Mr. Matthews' criterion).

 

   It would seem prudent for sporting, shooting, and hunting advocacy groups to step in at this time and oversee a process that could lead to a net loss of hunting if untended.

 

   What  is more, it would be better for those groups and individuals who have claimed to have represented to Senator Feinstein and others that they represent the hunting and shooting community to make themselves known to those they claim to speak for. For it is only through a transparency that seems to be missing in the current Congress that these issues can resolved in such a way that all the stakeholders' opinions and interests can be involved.

 

Links at:

 

http://www.outdoornewsservice.com/odpkg/news/current.html

 

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.2921:

 

http://solveclimate.com/blog/20100104/us-confirms-plans-fast-track-solar-federal-lands-3-western-states

 

http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=b3a780d4-5056-8059-7606-3936a2f7945f

 

http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=14d49cae-7398-4d7e-8693-40ed19b44299

 

 

Speak Now, or Forever Hold Your...:

     Back on December 4, 2009, the Los Padres National Forest put out a request for public comment on a permit renewal of the Winchester Canyon Gun Club's special use permit.

 

     Given the need for such a shooting facility in the Santa Barbara/Goleta area, hopefully everyone will see the need to write to the Forest Service and advocate permit renewal.

 

    Polite but firm advocacy for the permit renewal is advised.

 

    Los Padres National Forest contact information is as follows:

 

    Project Team Leader Jeff Bensen

   Los Padres National Forest

   6755 Hollister Avenue, Suite 150

   Goleta, CA 93117;

   Telephone at (805) 961-5744

 

    Email at:

     comments-pacificsouthwest-los-padres-santa-barbara@fs.fed.us

 

    Facsimile to (805) 561-5729.

 

  

 And Now, For Something Completely Different....

 

 

 

Serves me right for looking in the mirror while listening to FM radio.

Enjoy.

 

 

   

Respectfully,

 

 

Anthony Canales

SFVMC-NRA

 

 

Copyright 2010 Anthony Canales,

except as noted. All rights reserved.