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Trail Issues Comment Form

Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 5:39 pm
by john
I've been trying to come up with a way to make sending comments to our representatives and senators easy for our members.

At the last general membership meeting (for those that weren't there) Grier Hopkins, staff to Senator Joe Thomas gave a presentation on the Goldstream Public Use Area coming out of state statute in July and asked for comments.

This and the past issues we've had with BLM's request and others got me going on creating a form to simplify things.

I'll be creating the form and including a link to it from the main page (right hand column) whenever an issue arises. The link will take you to a page with some back ground, our concerns and a form that you may use to "email" the various reps and sens who should hear from us. The link below will take you to the form as I work on it, be patient with me as I figure out the coding. :big_grin:

http://www.snowtravelers.org/post_comments.php

Any PHP coders out there want to help ?

Re: Trail Issues Comment Form

Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 1:11 pm
by john
Since I'm not getting very far very fast this week (not enough snow I guess) here's the issue summarized, a suggested letter and contact information on the Goldstream Valley, followed by the email contacts we should send our comments to:

The Issue:

The Goldstream Public Use Area, a nearly two thousand acre patchwork of designated recreation land in the Goldstream Valley north of Fairbanks, is set to sunset on July 1, 2010. This means the recreation area which encompasses a number of heavily used trails, hunting areas and berry picking opportunities extending from Cash Creek to the Steese Highway will dissolve and be removed from state statute.

The Goldstream Public Use Area is used avidly by dog mushers, runners, snow machiners, skiiers, hunters of all types, berry pickers, bird watchers and trappers to name a few. Its close proximity to the population of Fairbanks allows our families and outdoor enthusiasts of all levels an easy opportunity to enjoy our great outdoors.

Senator Joe Thomas (D-Fairbanks) will be introducing a bill to remove this sunset date and have the Public Use Area remain in perpetuity during the upcoming legislative session starting January 19, 2010. Because of the quickly approaching sunset date, time is of the essence and Senator Thomas must move this bill through the entire legislature in just 90 days. The most effective way to show legislators from across the state the importance of keeping this public use area intact is to show its wide spread support by those that use it.

If you recreate in this area, know somebody who does, or you just enjoy all that the Goldstream Valley&acute;s open space has to offer, please contact Senator Thomas&acute; office and ask how you can help. He will have form letters for you to sign on to, a list of supporters and groups to lend your name to and will work with you to make it as easy as possible. Contact his staff, Grier Hopkins at <a href="mailto:grier.hopkins@legis.state.ak.us">grier.hopkins@legis.state.ak.us</a> or (907)456-8161 to find out how you can help protect this integral part of our Fairbanks lifestyle.

Please help us support Senator Thomas is keeping the Goldstream Public Use Area open to all outdoor recreationist by completing and submitting the comment form below.

Suggested Letter:
My name is _________ and I support the Goldstream Public Use Area.

I believe the access and opportunities to outdoor recreation of all types that are available because of the Goldstream Public Use Area are essential to maintaining a strong quality of life for me and our entire community. This Public Use Area is home to a wide variety of uses, including hunting, dog mushing, motorized and non-motorized access, boating, berry picking, trapping and many others. This array of allowable uses gives every Fairbanks resident and family a place, close to town, where they can enjoy the Alaskan great outdoors.

The Goldstream Public Use Area encompasses an ever growing number of established trails that are utilized year round by user groups of all kinds. The loss of this open space, access to trails and beautiful scenery would be a major loss to every resident of Fairbanks, no matter their lifestyle.

Thank you and I urge you to join me in supporting the continued existence of this important piece of legislation.

Sincerely,
Email to:

Senate Resources:
Senator Lesil McGuire Senator_Lesil_McGuire@legis.state.ak.us
Senator Bill Wielechowski Senator_Bill_Wielechowski@legis.state.ak.us

Senate Finance:
Senator Bert Stedman Senator_Bert_Stedman@legis.state.ak.us

House Resources:
Rep. Mark Neuman Representative_Mark_Neuman@legis.state.ak.us
Rep. Craig Johnson Representative_Craig_Johnson@legis.state.ak.us