Oppose more Wilderness Areas in California

To:  Senator Barbara Boxer of California

We the undersigned, are concerned about the closure of off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreational areas throughout California. We understand that in the near future you will be proposing many new Wilderness Areas in California. This is of great concern to us because the primary effect of Wilderness designation is the reduction of access especially for recreation (the "no mechanized transport" rule of the Wilderness Designation Act, prevents even bicycle access). Any lands proposed for Wilderness Designation must meet the suitability and manageability test. Much public land in the west has wilderness character. Just because it has a wild character does not mean that the lands are appropriate for this most restrictive management designation.

These continual land closures are really a recipe for disaster. Statistics from the California Department of Parks and Recreation show that the actual acreage available for OHV use in California has declined by 47\% in recent years while registration of OHVs has practically doubled. Squeezing more OHVs onto less land can only result in an increase in illegal off-road activities in areas not designated for motorized recreational use as well as increased impacts in legal OHV areas.

This most extreme of land designation should not be taken lightly. Wilderness has real, long-term consequences for California. Please consider this issue carefully before sending any bills for additional Wilderness Area designations to Congress.

Thank you for consideration.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Oppose more Wilderness Areas in California Petition to Senator Barbara Boxer of California was created by Crowley Offroad and written by Jon Crowley, Jr (jon@duneguide.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.