Good Friends, Regarding the Gold Butte NCA/wilderness legislation, we, (PIC—Partners In Conservation and PLCC—Public Lands Conservation Committee) have been waiting for the moment when we will have the most impact. THAT MOMENT IS NOW!!!!
We have several trusted sources telling us that in the last few weeks, the folks that want Gold Butte to be an NCA w/ over 220,000 acres of new wilderness have flooded our representative’s offices with over 300 postcards and messages.
We have also been told that if we cannot ‘meet’ that number, that we will not be listened too; the only chance we have of stopping or slowing down the legislation to make Gold Butte an NCA w/ 220,000 acres of new wilderness is to flood the same offices with at least 300 phone calls/letters/emails.
WE NEED 500 CITIZENS TO SEND THEIR COMMENTS NOW!!!!
We have also been told the following items: • Phone calls are the best, then letters, then emails • We must be respectful; being dis-respectful gives them a reason to discard our comments • We must be united and all say the same message (see below) • A personal comment w/ the unified message would have significant impact because that demonstrates that we are united in our message, but that our phone calls, comments are personal, coming from individuals and NOT a mass mailing • More than one member of your family can make comments
Please, it is imperative to take a few moments and act now; we know you all are busy with your family, work, hectic lives---so we didn’t want to ask you to call or write until doing so would have the most impact---THAT TIME IS NOW!!!! In the next 7-10 days, our representatives MUST hear from us or they plan to proceed with Gold Butte legislation in Sept. It is important to know that they may still proceed---but certainly, if they don’t hear strong, loud opposition---they will move forward. Reading this email, making the phone calls and/or sending letters (use cut and paste to save time) will take less than an hour—please donate an hour of your time!
Contacting Congresswoman Titus, Senator Reid, and Senator Ensign are the most important---contact sheet attached. Congresswoman Berkley and Congressman Heller may say ‘you are not from my district’ and may not take your call. REMIND THEM THAT THIS IS A PUBLIC LAND ISSUE THAT THEY WILL BE VOTING ON AND IT AFFECTS EVERY NEVADAN. Please also take the time to contact Joe Heck and Sharron Angle; if they hear from enough of us, they may make this an election issue—that may help the fight; at least they need to know what we care about if they do get elected. (all contact info is on the attached sheet).
And before I go any further, please, please contact your representatives with what YOU believe, what YOU want! Most people on our contact list feel that Gold Butte does not need additional restrictions, management layers, etc.—but, by all means, if you feel differently—please take the time to voice YOUR opinion! It is hard to understand why anyone would not want public meetings for the whole body of the public to be informed and involved, but if you feel differently, by all means use this contact information to voice your opinion. If you are in agreement with the ‘We need public meetings’ and/or the ‘NO to Gold Butte NCA/wilderness side’ please consider the following---
THE UNIFIED MESSAGE:
It is imperative that we all speak with one voice on this point, so please include this statement or something very similar in your phone call, letter, or email:
“I respectfully request that Congresswoman Titus (or Senator Reid, etc.) replies to me (you will need to give your mailing address) and lets me know if SHE WILL SUPPORT A FAIR, OPEN, AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS OF PUBLIC MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS FOR GOLD BUTTE THAT ARE SIMILAR TO THE MEETINGS HELD FOR THE LINCOLN COUNTY PUBLIC LANDS BILL OF 2005 WHEREIN EVERYONE MET AND WORKED THROUGH THE SPECIFIC ISSUES TOGETHER. GOLD BUTTE IS TOO CONTROVERSIAL, TOO IMPORTANT, TOO BIG OF AN AREA TO NOT HAVE A SERIES OF PUBLIC MEETINGS TO DISCUSS SPECIFIC ISSUES. I respectfully expect a reply to this request and if Congresswoman Titus will support a fair, open, and transparent series of public meetings, whom may I contact to get on a notification list?”
In addition, you may want to include any of the following statements:
The Lincoln County Public Lands Bill of 2005 involved field trips to various proposed wilderness areas to discuss on-the-ground issues like parking areas with room to turn around, larger buffer zones on cherry-stemmed roads, etc. Gold Butte needs that same consideration, attention, and public input before any legislation is started.
The Lincoln County Public Lands Bill of 2005 held meetings wherein one meeting would be devoted to just one wilderness area or to just one issue and citizens could make specific comments about such; this is the kind of detail a public lands bill should contain.
For the Clark County Public Lands Bill of 2002, Senator Reid’s staff arranged public meetings where 3 different proposals were presented and discussed. This bill and the Lincoln County bill set the precedent for a series of open, fair, transparent public meetings for all public land bills; we expect the same for the Gold Butte legislation.
Some ideas for personal comments: (we have learned that discussing what is important to us in terms of values is language that is understood and NCAs are supposed to be managed to protect important values.)
Value of visiting our historical and cultural sites: Our shared history of ranching, mining, and farming as the dominant economic forces in the late 1800s and early 1900s is scattered across the Gold Butte landscape; as important as it is for native Americans to visit their cultural sites where their ancestors camped, lived, and hunted, so to is it important for us to visit where our ancestors worked, lived, and spent their lives. (Noting a favorite site would be a great personal statement.)
Value of gathering together: As groups or organizations of people that like to do the same recreational activities (be it star gazing or riding ATVs) and as large rural groups of people who gather together for church or family celebrations, the ability to enjoy our public land does not end with small groups of 10 or 12. Most NCAs and wilderness areas are managed for groups of less than 12; this eliminates our value of gathering together on our public lands in larger groups. (Noting occasions where you have been in Gold Butte with a group bigger than 12 would be a great statement to make.)
Value of enhancing and improving habitat: Historically, the few water sources in the area were enhanced and diligently maintained by our ancestors; water for wildlife and native habitat also provided water for ranching, farming, mining, and living. Ensuring that those water sources provided continual water for all was of great importance historically, as it is today. Improving wildlife and habitat, enhancing what exists in nature for the betterment of wildlife, plants, and therefore people, is an incredibly important value that needs to be protected and allowed to continue. (a note about quail hunting near a water tank or of viewing rabbits as they come in to drink—a personal example would be a great statement to support this value.)
I appreciate your time and desire to be involved; please take a few minutes to request public meetings and to make a personal statement or two.
If you need any more information, if you want research or data about anything relevant to this issue, if you want more background information about the Lincoln County Public Lands Bill, if you want more examples of values or desire to make more pointed comments about wilderness or no wilderness, about the regulations and restrictions that previous NCAs have produced, please let me know. Contact me by phone or email, any time—day or night; this is the most important thing for me to be working on for the next 2 weeks, so I will get right back to you with whatever you need. Do not hesitate to ask, I mean this from the bottom of my heart.
If you have information or comments you want passed on to others, let me know and I will do so.
Finally, please feel free to share this with as many others as you can; if it is possible, it would be great to centrally collect an idea of how many people made comments. If you are comfortable sharing that with me, I would love to keep a running total of the number of comments made. If all of our comments are ignored, it would be great to say in letters to the editor and to anyone who will listen ‘that over 400 people asked for open, transparent public meetings and our request was ignored’. So, please, if you don’t mind, let me know if you sent comments and to whom.
Any great ideas for how to be effective and work together are always welcome as are all you have to say—sorry this is so long; please pluck from this what will work for you and use it. Thanks so much,
Elise McAllister 5th generation native Nevadan PIC administrator PLCC secretary For those who don’t know me well---I camp, fish, hunt, hike, ride ATVs, 4-wheel, OHV, enjoy scenic drives, spend as much time as I can outside—hopefully I can get a little dove hunting in this evening.
_________________ 1994 jeep yj wrangler-"d.d." []lllllll[] Retired Trail Boss and Website Director Founder of Uncle Brad's Misguided Children NVBROFC Re-located from my beloved Mojave to Texas. Where did all the mountains go???
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