Priorities for 2001
Many of you are working with your clubs/groups to prioritize important issues for 2001. I'd like to offer up a couple suggestions. FIRST of all, make sure the groups/clubs you're associated with are taking the time to talk about strategies and what really is important for this new year and new administration. SECOND, we should all be finding ways to work from a multiple use standpoint -- joining with other users of public lands and forming a united front. THIRD, we must take the time to write our letters to our newly elected politicians and tell them about our priorities and interests. Given that....
Now for a few priorities that I think we should have high on our lists of things to tackle.
1. Endangered Species Act. This needs our
attention and understanding. It has the potential to change the shape of every use on
public and private lands.
2. Multiple use of public lands --- access for all. Keeping public lands FOR the public
and not FROM the public.
3. Adopt-a-Trail, Adopt-a-Ranger, Adopt-a-Politician. These ideas need to flourish if
we're going to improve our effectiveness.
4. Self policing -- getting the outlaws under control and improving our image.
5. Image enhancement -- all users should be finding ways to improve our image in all
areas. What the public perceives is "reality" to them.
6. Open Unless Signed Closed -- just the reverse of everything being closed. We should
fight this policy all the way to the top and back (the closed unless signed open
business). This one includes whatever version of the Roadless stuff going on (Roadless
Rules; Roadless Initiative; Roadless etc.). Fight it.
7. Back Country Recreation Area (BCRA): this new designation of land use being proposed by
the Blue Ribbon Coalition and supported by many groups should be legislated. We all need
to help get this done. We need something
that provides for many uses yet still has some degree of protection without the extremism
of Wilderness.
8. Long Range Planning -- or strategic planning. Multiple use interests should recognize
that as it stands now, we are not the most popular thing in Chicago or Los Angeles or San
Fransisco or New York. The reality is, the radical environmentalists have made more impact
on the voters (and politicians) than us. We must find the time and effort to do some
serious long range (strategic) planning to better combat the opponents of our
ecreation/interests/uses.
The bottom line is that we're going to have to be proactive and focused in our efforts. I've written before about avoiding burnout; we need to do that to hang on to our members. So we should find the priorities that make sense; incorporate them into a long range plan; and focus our work. This is not the time to sit by and watch and see what happens. You'll be watching from behind a gate.
Del Albright
Del's Home Page
Email: del@delalbright.com
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