Legislation for ALL Oregon Dunes

[cold3st]

What a way to stimulate the economy of these small coastal towns...what a ****in joke! ill be there... I have also mde contact with the ASA too see if they can mobilize more people I'd like that yurt to be full of duners.

[realtreekodiak]

Here is the link to the USFS website to find meeting notes, maps, contact info and more information.

Siuslaw National Forest - Oregon Dunes NRA OHV Designated Routes

[Senator]

Thanks realtree, welcome aboard. That link is also in the first post of this thread if that makes it easier for anyone to find. I'll go back and bring it to the top as well as make it bigger to make it easier.

[Lucky13]

For those who may not be able to attend meetings, please feel free to write a letter expressing your concerns on this topic. If you have questions, PM me, I'd be glad to help. Here is a copy of the letter I have written and sent via email and postal mail to the state representative, the US forest service, as well as a oregon land use representative.
It only takes a few minutes and the end result will be worthwhile if we can rally together!!

January 8, 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing you in regards to the current issue of designating OHV riding routes in upland areas of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.

I am a frequent visitor of the ODNRA, and appreciate the opportunities that this land provides to me and my friends/family. My riding experiences in the ODNRA date back to before I even became a resident of Oregon. My Family and I used to make the 24 hour drive from Arizona to be able to enjoy a weekend of riding on the coast for Fathers Day. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I wanted to move here so I could frequent the area without having to drive a full day. Not only do I enjoy the riding this area provides, but also the lasting memories with close friends that are created when we get together for weekend activities in the sand. However, our activities are not all play, as we participate in beach clean-ups from Winchester Bay to Sand Lake on a bi-annual basis. These are activities that would regretfully go away as a result of additional closures to the ODNRA.

My intent in this letter is for you to see how important it is to keep these areas open. The future of America is the children of today and if these closures are allowed to happen then the future for these children is going to look pretty grim. I would like to bring attention to a quote found on the US Forest Service website which is only appropriate when discussing the usage of OUR land:

“National forests and grasslands provide some of the greatest opportunities for outdoor recreation in the world. Recreation activities are not only fun; they create memories, provide physical challenge, provoke interest, and inspire wonder and awe of the natural world. Recreation contributes greatly to the health of individuals, bonds family and friends, and provides economic benefit to communities. Indeed, outdoor recreation is an essential part of American culture.”

Why any individual or group would want to break these bonds, devalue the memories that have been and will be made in the future, and stand in the way of enjoying the state we live in is unfamiliar to me.

Please strongly reconsider any changes that will eradicate the use of the ODNRA that so many have learned to love and enjoy. Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns on this matter.

Sincerely,

[rzrider]

Me and some friends are planning on staying in the H loop at Honeyman campground for the weekend of this meeting, we will attend the meeting and hope to tag along on the field tour Friday as well. Are we allowed to be a part of the field tour? Of course we'll bring our quads and enjoy some good riding while there as well
We usually ride the Horsefall and Spinreel areas out of Hauser and sometimes do day trips to Florence. We make it down there about 1 or 2 weekends a month, we obviously love the sand and hope to see many other duners present for the meeting.
I am surprised to see the sand access loop at Honeyman campground has only a couple sites booked this close to the meeting. We need to get down there and fill that place with OHV enthusiasts who enjoy using the areas that the USFS is considering closing and voice our side! Otherwise the only opinions they will hear are the environmentalists who think our sport should be outlawed, property owners who moved next to the ODNRA and now hate the noise, and mushroom pickers who use the small percentage of the dunes still open to OHVs for their favorite mushroom harvesting areas but don't want us to use the area for what it is set aside for...Bottom line, our presence at these meetings can make a difference, hope to see you there!

[Senator]

Originally Posted by rzrider

Me and some friends are planning on staying in the H loop at Honeyman campground for the weekend of this meeting, we will attend the meeting and hope to tag along on the field tour Friday as well. Are we allowed to be a part of the field tour?

That's great news man. Yes, you are welcome on the field tour. My intentions were to rally up a crew to join in on this and it looks like that's happening. Hopefully everyone in attendance (read: whoever joins us on the tour, like a campground straggler?) will be on their best behavior, lest we give this "work group" a first hand account the behavior that hurts our cause.

[SegKast]

Thank You for the heads up.

[reveal88]

hey we got a group from washington heading down

[sangheraent]

is there anyway we can get a couple emails posted for people we should express our concerns too Im from Canada and these dunes are 99% of my riding. I figure if email adresses were listed here it would be easier and people would be more willing to send emails.

[sangheraent]

the people complain about noise but I bet they dont complain about going grocery shopping in reedsport and coosbay. how many stores you think would be in that town if there was no dunes. I know me and my friends pump thousands of dollars in the bike shops and grocery stores in the area. just sounds kinda off to me. they should have there meeting on 4th of july weekend not in janurary i think thats kinda cowardly. If they saw the money people have in there bikes toyhaulers trucks they would understand how much we as a community help the economy. smaller dunes are unsafe and boring.