From: alra@governance.net
Subject: Last Big Weekend To Collect Testimony Questionnaires For Congress
Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973
E-mail: alra@landrights.org or alra@governance.net
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003
Last Big Weekend To Collect Testimony Questionnaires For Congress
You Need To Let Your Congressman Know How You Feel – NOW!
Please send another Testimony Questionnaire even if you have filled one out before.
Below is an unformatted Testimony Questionnaire that you can send by e-mail.
To get a fully formatted copy, got to www.landrights.org It will be right there on the home page.
Print up copies and hand them out to your friends.
*****Please Mail Your Testimony Questionnaire by Friday, September 2nd.
Be sure to send back your Testimony Questionnaire to your Congressman as well as American Land Rights. Call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121. When you call, ask for your Representative’s fax number and e-mail address.
*****Action Items:
-----1 Please return your Testimony Questionnaire today. The deadline is Friday, September 2nd. It’s critical that you get on the record with Congress. Earlier is better.
-----2. Print out a formatted version of the Testimony Questionnaire by going to www.landrights.org It will be right on the home page.
-----3. Please e-mail or fax your Testimony Questionnaire back to American Land Rights. We really want to know how you feel about the questions we’ve asked above, even if you do not agree with us. That is ok. Fax to (360) 687-2973. E-mail to ccushman@landrights.org
-----4. Ask three of your friends to fill out and send in the Testimony Questionnaire.
Fax, E-mail and US Mail Postmark Deadline Friday, Sept. 2, 2005
Congressional Testimony Questionnaire #1
Future Use And Access To Lake Berryessa
Honorable
__________________
US House of Representatives
Below are my concerns and testimony regarding the future use of Lake Berryessa. Please take note of my responses to the statements and my personal comments below. Please share my concerns with the Water and Power Subcommittee of the Resources Committee in the House of Representatives. Please consider a copy of this document as valid as the original.
Dear Multiple-Use and Private Property Advocate:
The Bureau of Reclamation is waging a war against public use at Lake Berryessa. They are trying to make the lake “eco-friendly” by locking out traditional uses. They are destroying forty years of family recreation history by choosing certain approved populations who can stay and forcing other populations to get out. They call it eliminating exclusive use. They forced the Boy Scouts out by calling them an exclusive use. If they get rid of enough exclusive uses, they won’t have to worry about public use. It will be gone.
The Bureau will have to make final decisions on the future of the lake in the next few weeks. Congress and the Bush Administration will be looking at these plans. You have a chance to change the course of history at Lake Berryessa by filling out this Testimony Questionnaire, writing your Congressman’s name in the appropriate place, and mailing it back to the American Land Rights Association ALRA.
Lake user groups are working together to protect your use of Lake Berryessa. Please DO NOT FAIL to fill out and mail back this Testimony Questionnaire. It will be hand delivered to your Congressman as well as key officials in the Bush Administration. Help us save Lake Berryessa for all kinds of users, not just a select few groups “approved” by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Amazing as it sounds, the Bureau of Reclamation is planning to force all 7 present resort owners at Lake Berryessa out by 2009. All the public services they provide will be gone. They plan to eliminate most motorized watercraft and cut total watercraft from over 3,000 to only 700. BOR plans to reduce tent campsites from 504 to 250, dock slips from 1438 to 600, dry boat storage sites from 1068 to 100, and long term trailer sites from 1347 to 0. Their plan will greatly reduce family use and cut accessibility to the handicapped and elderly.
BOR has become anti-people and anti-public use. You can do something about it. Please note that multiple-use and private property advocates AGREE with all the statements below, but you don’t have to. You may edit the following statements. This is your testimony.
Please circle your answer – You may write additional comments by each question or in the comment section on the back. Your personal comments make this document more valuable.
——1. The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) should keep the present use of Lake Berryessa at over 3,000 boats rather than reduce the number of boats allowed to only 700 as called for in their Preferred Alternative Plan.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——2. The BOR is restricting the areas best suited for water skiing and boating by designating them as Rural Natural under their plan. This has the effect of eliminating powered water sports on the best water ski lake in Northern California. I believe BOR is biased against water skiing, motorized and personal watercraft use.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——3. BOR appears biased against the current users. They support a more Wilderness like experience. Their plan calls for a reduction of fully developed concession resorts from the current 7 to only 3. They appear to want to get rid of them all eventually. They want to reduce the number of restaurants, snack bars and convenience stores. This can only serve to lock some people out and drive others away. This is clearly an attempt to reduce public use and access.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——4. Concessionaires want to provide more and better services to visitors to Lake Berryessa. BOR only has taxpayer funds to pay for improvements and only if they get money from Congress. Instead of private enterprise, BOR is reverting to the big government, top down, command and control solution. The Bush Administration should not be endorsing this big government plan that will cost taxpayers huge amounts.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——5. The BOR plans to reduce tent campsites at Lake Berryessa from the current 504 to 250. That reduces public access and cuts the number of people who can enjoy the lake. Tent camping should be expanded.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——6. BOR Preferred Alternative plans to reduce the number of rental cabins at Lake Berryessa from the current 57 to 28 and motel rooms from the current 43 to 30. Short-term visitors will be more limited. The lake needs more decent facilities, not less.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——7. The BOR Preferred Alternative reduces the number of Dock Slips at Lake Berryessa from the current 1,438 to 600. They want to reduce dry boat storage sites from the current 1,068 to 100. This appears to be part of the overall plan by BOR to greatly reduce motorized watercraft.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——8. The elimination of long-term sites greatly reduces access by the handicapped and elderly. Instead, BOR should be making lake facilities more user friendly, especially to the elderly and handicapped.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——9. The BOR Preferred Alternative reduces the number of long-term sites at from the current 1,347 to 0. BOR wants largely short term and day use visitors and not very many of them. BOR is opposed to mobile homes and travel trailers even though their rental fees subsidize the short term and day use sites. The end result will be far less people get to use the lake. Keep these sites.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——10. BOR has failed to develop the 50 miles of trails allowed in their plan. Now they say they want to build or maintain 150 miles of trails. Yet they lack the funding to even develop the first 50. It all seems like a smoke screen to suggest they want public use while failing to actually follow through. They cannot get the money they need from Congress, yet they are closing the resorts that can pay them enough rent to maintain roads, facilities and fees to support trails. The BOR needs to go back to the drawing board on its plan.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——11. The BOR Preferred Alternative and current operations reduce access to Lake Berryessa. Turn-outs have been removed. RV’s over 24’ have been banned from BOR facilities. Vehicles towing trailers have been banned from BOR facilities. BOR facilities are closed at 5PM in winter. No parking tow-away signs have proliferated along BOR owned land. All this seems designed to reduce public use and make the lake harder to enjoy. BOR does not seem equipped to deal with the public. Their solution appears to be, get rid of the public.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
——12. The land used by long-term sites is NOT needed for short term expansion. Eighty percent of the land used by long-term sites is too steep and UNUSABLE as short-term sites. Removing long-term users will not increase access. I believe the resorts do not threaten access to the lake, but instead encourages it.
AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION
(Your written comments here will make this document more valuable)
(If needed, use additional sheets or attach a personal letter)
To validate your comments please fill in completely (PRINT or TYPE) and be sure to sign.
Signature_______________________________Name______________________
E-Mail___________________________________ Fax ___________________
Phone ____________________
Address_______________________________ Town______________________
State_____ Zip____________
Please do not fail to send this testimony questionnaire even if you receive it late.
Please return testimony questionnaire to American Land Rights Association, PO Box 400, Battle Ground, WA 98604. Phone: 360-687-3087 — Fax: 360-687-2973 — E-mail: alra@landrights.org — Website: http://www.landrights.org.
Fax, E-mail and US Mail Postmark Deadline Friday, Sept. 2, 2005
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